The story "ParDeS" is set around the 1st century AD. This is around the same time as Christianity was getting started. At that time the teachers (rabbi means teacher) who guided at least most of the disparate communities of jewish people found themselves in a real pickle. There were two centers of gravity for Judaism; Jerusalem and Babylon. In Babylon Jews were in "diasporah" spread out among other people (the nations) and forced to accommodate them, but for the most part left alone in their religious beliefs and practices. In Jerusalem, in "Judah, Samaria and Gallilee" they were at home but living under an increasingly authoritarian and insane Roman thumb. The Romans were under rulers drunk with too much power like Augustus's successor Tiberious and Calligula. These emperors were unholy and profane people who nevertheless demanded that people worship them. They intentionally picked on the Jews because those people refused to go along with that effort. In 70 AD the Jews revolted. The central figure of this story, Rabbi Akiva was a periphrial figure in this 70AD revolt, but he was a main figure in another revolt which occured nearly 70 years (132-135 CE) after that called the Bar Kokhba revolt.
At the time of the first revolt, the same stories that binded them together were driving them apart as well. There were fanatic, warlike and determined groups who were certain that God would aid them in fighting their enemies. There were un-worldly, salvation as being outside this world types -- like the Christians, and there were people who withdrew from civilization and wandered the dezerts seeking ecstatic experiences. In all they were very much like the modern Christian world which has inherited many of these teachings. At the time we are talking about Christianity was still mostly a Jewish Sect. Paul had begun preaching to the "Nations" but the numbers were still no real threat to anybody. The Christians were certain that Rome was about to be destroyed, but refused to help in any secular manner. All in all the unity and faith required to have a successful revolt against the Romans was lacking. This meant that the prophesies such as Isaiah of a peaceful world weren't going to come true, but the other ugglier prophesies of wrack and ruin were.
It was in this context that the story about the men who entered the Garden (PaRDeS) was framed. These stories were collected into a tractate called "Forbidden lectures" -- Hagigah chapter 2 -- and passed down as a warning to future generations. To some people in those generations the deeper meaning of the word PaRDeS would be lost.
The chapter opens up with a list of things that one shouldn't even pursue; "What is above, what is below, what came before creation and what came after." Since most of the modern Kabbalists love to speculate or claim secret knowledge about precisely those things -- it shouldn't be any wonder that the popular texts I've seen on the internet don't discuss the story in the full context given in the talmud. But actually if one understands the PaRDeS story one can understand why someone could see it as opening up a door to mysticism.
I am thinking of this story now, because today is Yom Kippur. The day of atonement. Since I see things in terms of cause and effect, and since to me "sin" is the kinds of thoughts, words and deeds that are taking one off course and in alienation with one's own life (God). The story of the PaRDeS and what it really means is super relevent. Judeo-Christianity have inherited good and bad from those second temple times. Jews have only survived the consequences of that first and second revolt because of the good sense of their rabbis, who aren't perfect human beings, but have done sufficiently well to keep them alive despite being surrounded by two offspring religions who have learned garbled messages from their Jewish heritage. I believe they have done so because that "good sense" comes from institutional knowledge burried in stories like this one. I also think that the lessons of the PaRDeS need to be used to inform modern Christians, Moslems, Jews and Buddhists alike. As I said the story and the methods are related....
Posted by cholte at October 12, 2005 11:44 AM