y of the Kabbala is that of a different level of reality that harmonizes with an incomparable spirituality.It has been noticed that Merkava meditation practice can be dangerous. The Merkavah warned very real dangers of this practiced such as death, madness, and abandonment. The farther one goes, the more dazzling and more confusing the journey becomes. Here one can see the souls of the righteous and the souls yet to be born (Hoffman 9). The story of warning is that of four sages. The first sage being Shimon Ben Azai’zl. It is written that when he entered this state, he gazed and died. Ben Azai so greatly studied the Torah and never married. His piousness was a legend. He died because he made no part of himself on the earth. He was not concerned with the world. Here it is learned that one must be completely grounded. The second to enter was Shimon Ben Zoma z’l. He gazed and went insane. He had strict discipline. His wisdom was greater than his actions. He was only complete on one level. He could not receive the light nor go back. He got stuck.The next to enter was Elisha Ben Abuya Aher. What he saw made him abandon the Torah. He was considered one of the greatest sages. He was absolutely complete. Here he made a great error though. He thought that the supernal unity and the lower unity were separate. Once he achieved the higher of G-d, he abandoned the lower. He did not realize he was doing something bad. The subtlest danger is related to what is received in meditation. The is halahkah and Kabbalah. Know this. (Baxbaum 10)The sage’s stories are so others that practice know what happened and know how to proceed. The worst opponent is found within the self.Where do such practices come from? What is the basis of such mystical practices? What is the mystical text? The biblical version can be found in Ezekiel Chapter 1 1-26. This shows our connection with the deity. These were the texts kep...
