Troubling Gematria "Coincidence": "God is love"/ "God is love"

[rosends]

Could very well be as you say (although I don't understand what your 414 gematria is referring to). But I'd like to know what I'm to love about this 'oneness'? If I am to love that God is the only God, and therefore the only God who could possibly be truly worshiped, then I can love that; but if I am to love the fact that all is God (i.e.there's nothing other than God), then... I'll have you finish the sentence

You have to love (though that word is a complex one) God in that he is God. Though our first reaction might be fear, because of his power, we still have to love. ANd this love is expressed through our dedication of ourselves to him, body and soul. He is the first thought in the morning, and the last at night. He is behind every decision we make. We have to commit ourselves to his laws because we want to, not just because we have to. By recognizing his oneness, we recognize that there is nothing else worthy of that love besides him because there is nothing else who is the source for everything we are and that we do.

 

[Eliab ben Benjamin]

שמע ישראל

 

[LAGoff]

Well, since there are ten sefirot, you need to find a word which indicates God is ten, right? or you can add in the shechina as a female emanation, plus abba and you get 12, so God is 12. If you add in the original 1, you get 13 so that proves (proves...ha) that God is 13, not love or one, but 13. Uh oh, but if we add in the "one" then we have to add in the "love", right? So God is 14. God is also "Lord." No we are up to 15! God is also truth, and "I am" so that's 17. And isn't God also the word? 18! Shocking gematria which worries me to the core.

See, the existence of these other concepts isn't a contradiction to the idea that God is one. The only "certain Jews" who would find this unsatisfying would be Christians.

I hold that the Kabbalistic formula found in many prayer books including Artscroll: "leshem yechud Koodsha breech Hoo vshekhinta" is dangerous/Christian-like and that Koodsha breech Hoo is Tsair Anpin/Ben. Why does Kabala identify Koodsha breech Hoo with Ben / Zeir Anpin? It seems disrespectful and dangerously coming close to Christianity to call Koodsha breech Hoo (THE holy one...) Ben (the Son)/Tsair Anpin (Small Face!!!). It also seems to me arrogant and presumptuous to act as a matchmaker (isn't it we who are unifying THE Holy One?) for the Holy One blessed be He!!! during Kabalat Shabbat/Lecha Dodi/turning west?

And then what's above the Mating Pair of The Holy One blessed be He (The Son) and His Shekhina (the Matrona)? Abba and Eema? But, again, how can anything be above THE Holy one blessed be He. And-- again-- isn't it disrespectful for us to play matchmaker for Him?
Again, it all smells similar to what the Christians did when they teamed love and oneness when they unified the Father and the Son and us (when we join this Unity by becoming a member of the Body of Christ who is One with the Father).

 

[rosends]

I hold that the Kabbalistic formula found in many prayer books including Artscroll: "leshem yechud Koodsha breech Hoo vshekhinta" is dangerous/Christian-like and that Koodsha breech Hoo is Tsair Anpin/Ben. Why does Kabala identify Koodsha breech Hoo with Ben / Zeir Anpin? It seems disrespectful and dangerously coming close to Christianity to call Koodsha breech Hoo (THE holy one...) Ben (the Son)/Tsair Anpin (Small Face!!!). It also seems to me arrogant and presumptuous to act as a matchmaker (isn't it we who are unifying THE Holy One?) for the Holy One blessed be He!!! during Kabalat Shabbat/Lecha Dodi/turning west?

And then what's above the Mating Pair of The Holy One blessed be He (The Son) and His Shekhina (the Matrona)? Abba and Eema? But, again, how can anything be above THE Holy one blessed be He. And-- again-- isn't it disrespectful for us to play matchmaker for Him?
Again, it all smells similar to what the Christians did when they teamed love and oneness when they unified the Father and the Son and us (when we join this Unity by becoming a member of the Body of Christ who is One with the Father).

then you certainly shouldn't read the tanya.
Your concern then is with the kabbalistic idea and as long as you don't focus on the kabbalah, you will have nothing threatening your Judaism. Solved.

 

[Tumah]

I hold that the Kabbalistic formula found in many prayer books including Artscroll: "leshem yechud Koodsha breech Hoo vshekhinta" is dangerous/Christian-like and that Koodsha breech Hoo is Tsair Anpin/Ben. Why does Kabala identify Koodsha breech Hoo with Ben / Zeir Anpin? It seems disrespectful and dangerously coming close to Christianity to call Koodsha breech Hoo (THE holy one...) Ben (the Son)/Tsair Anpin (Small Face!!!). It also seems to me arrogant and presumptuous to act as a matchmaker (isn't it we who are unifying THE Holy One?) for the Holy One blessed be He!!! during Kabalat Shabbat/Lecha Dodi/turning west?

And then what's above the Mating Pair of The Holy One blessed be He (The Son) and His Shekhina (the Matrona)? Abba and Eema? But, again, how can anything be above THE Holy one blessed be He. And-- again-- isn't it disrespectful for us to play matchmaker for Him?
Again, it all smells similar to what the Christians did when they teamed love and oneness when they unified the Father and the Son and us (when we join this Unity by becoming a member of the Body of Christ who is One with the Father).

Don't take this the wrong way, but considering that you don't seem to have a very strong basis in regular Jewish knowledge why are you relying on the even weaker esoteric Jewish knowledge that you have, to formulate an opinion about it?

You're question is based on presumptions and understandings about all these terminologies that are simply wrong. That's probably why rabbis who have spent a little more time studying Judaism than you have, were ok with it.

 

[LAGoff]

I'd like a Kabbalist to explain why terms like Abba and Son and Adam Kadmon were used/developed by the early Kabbalistic developers in the heavy Christian environment of Germany and France a thousand years ago (perhaps that's a self explanatory sentence? Just saying.)
And for God's sake! Adam Kadmon? (a great man-like figure). It's like they lobbed a ball right down the middle of the plate and expect it not to get hit!

 

[Tumah]

I'd like a Kabbalist to explain why terms like Abba and Son and Adam Kadmon were used/developed by the early Kabbalistic developers in the heavy Christian environment of Germany and France a thousand years ago (perhaps that's a self explanatory sentence? Just saying.)

I'm no kabbalist and I don't think you'll find any real ones here. But there is no reason why these terms shouldn't be used in the context they're in. The names fit the processes they are describing, so they're used.The problem is by you, in your misunderstanding of what these terms refer to.

And for God's sake! Adam Kadmon? (a great man-like figure). It's like they lobbed a ball right down the middle of the plate and expect it not to get hit!

Adam Kadmon means "primordial man". It doesn't mean "great man-like figure". And it doesn't refer to a person or personality.

You don't seem to be familiar with what these terms refer to. It seems like you just heard some them or read them somewhere and made some wrong assumptions about what they mean. Criticizing things that you are unfamiliar with, is not a great way to go. Instead, why don't you start with studying Tanach and Talmud and eventually work your way into kabbalah when you have the background to understand it. And after you've studied enough to understand what's going on, make your decision whether the terms are appropriate or not.