Mystics are rumored to be able to perform unusual feats that
go beyond the laws of physics, through the knowledge of Kabbalah.
One such feat is to make a being out of earth that can walk,
act, and look just like a human. A created being like this
is called a golem, and has been the subject of much conjecture.
The Talmud documents a case when a sage named Rava made one
of these creatures and sent it to his colleague Rav Zeira,
who thought it was an unusual human. When he saw that the
person in front of him couldn’t speak, he realized
it had been created. [1]
The sages say Rava found the knowledge how to create in a work
attributed to the Patriarch Abraham, called The Book of Creation
or Sefer Yitzirah. This cryptic work includes mystical formulas
that God made as the spiritual building blocks of creation.
To use this information to create, a mystic will meditate
on different combinations of Hebrew letters. One who understands
how to combine letters can create almost anything they want.
Aside from the letter combinations, you need unplowed dirt,
pure water, and to wear white clothes to perform the ritual.
There is one most important condition, though, to have this
ability to create at will. A Rabbi Leowe[2] who lived in
Prague a few hundred years ago explained that Rava purified
himself of all transgression. The implication from the Talmudic
passage is that only a righteous person will be given the
gift of this ability. If you are pure and free of sin, you
can have many special, mystical powers open up for you, including
the ability to create.
A famous legend has been told many times of Rabbi Leowe himself
having made a golem to protect the Jews of Prague from anti-Semitic
attacks. Books, tapes, and even movies have been made depicting
this mysterious event. This legend has led some to believe
that when Jews are in danger all we need to do is make a
golem to protect us. A glance at Jewish history shows that
we did not create a golem every time we were in danger. This
is not the response to danger that the Torah teaches. If
there is danger to the Jews, it is not random. It’s
clear from the Torah, the Prophets, and the Talmud, that
danger to the Jews is a message from the Al-mighty that we
need to work on spiritual growth. It is a decree from God.
We need to be practical and take necessary physical precautions
from danger. We may need to fight back. We may need to seek
government assistance. No matter what is deemed to be the
practical response to danger, we also need to introspect
to see what spiritual blemish we may have, and we need to
pray. Even if your next-door neighbor knows how to make a
golem, that doesn’t mean God wants him to make one
now.
The Code of Jewish Law warns against manipulation of the forces
of nature. Black Magic is a transgression of the Torah. But
if one has proper intentions, and uses the Book of Creation,
what one does may not be considered Black Magic; it is referred
to as “Practical Kabbalah.” I assume that those
who know “how” also know the rules of “when.” Incidentally,
another mention of a golem in Jewish Law appears in the laws
dealing with a prayer service that requires ten men.[3] Rabbis
discuss the question of a case where only nine are present,
can a golem be counted as a tenth. (He can’t)
What the Code of Jewish Law does not tell you is the spiritual
side of the issue of golem-making. How do you become righteous
enough to have this ability? It’s quite possible that
one incredibly pure act of serving God can lead a person
on a path to holiness.[4] If that’s the case, then
the potential is open to anyone to able to reach the level
of holiness required to have special abilities. Another view
is that Abraham spent so much time and intensity of thought
trying to understand God and His creation, that the keys
to the spiritual realm were opened up to him.[5] Although
now that Abraham taught us these keys in his Book of Creation,
the implication is that one would have to have a similar
depth of devotion to connect strongly enough to God to have
the ability to create life.
We are taught that this devotion must come from a deep and
strong desire to be one with God. And the physical realm
must be looked as a vehicle to connect to God, not as a distraction
from spirituality. With this desire, the Almighty will, as
the sages say, lead you in the path of your desire.[6]
And then the keys to the universe will be in your hand.
