KosherTorah.com. Worlds before Adam. by HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok Copyright 1995 by Ariel bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.

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1 Worlds before Adam An excerpt from An Authoritative Torah View on UFO s, Aliens & Extraterrestrial Life by HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok Copyright 1995 by Ariel bar Tzadok. All rights reserved. Pre-Adamites Rabbi Yisrael Lifshitz, the author of the authoritative commentary to the Mishna, Tiferet Yisrael, addresses the topic of pre-adamic life in the introduction to the eleventh chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin. Drawing upon what was the scientific discoveries of his day, and the Darwinian conflict on creationism and evolution, Lifshitz points out that the Torah does acknowledge the existence of dinosaurs. These were the creations of the prior Shemita, he says. Not only this, but Rabbi Lifshitz goes further to say that Adam was not really the first human being, but that there were countless people before him, which he calls pre-adamites. This controversial view of Rabbi Lifshitz has placed his commentary and other written works on the taboo list in certain Jewish circles which considered his revelations not in accordance with the spirit of Judaism. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are some Kabbalists such as Rabbi Yehuda Fatiyah who, in his Beit Lehem Yehuda (2,66A), wrote questioning certain aspects of the doctrine of the Shemita. Yet even Rabbi Fatiyah, in Minhat Yehuda (pg. 222), expounds on a section of the Zohar which speaks of the pre-adamic parents of Adam. He even states that Adam s parents copulated on the spiritual plane that his mother conceived and gave birth to Adam s body which, as I referenced earlier, was completely astral. Where Adam s parents came from, Rabbi Fatiyah does not say. But he makes it quite clear that they are individual beings and not simply an appellation for G-d. The Talmud in Hagigah 13B speaks of 974 pre-adamic generations. One of the early Kabbalistic classics, the Ma arekhet Elokut, states specifically that these generations refer to the pre- Adamic Shemita cycles. There are a great number of both earlier and later generation Rabbis, Hasidic masters and Kabbalists who have spoken quite openly about the doctrine of the Shemita. Rabbi Shmuel Lifshitz in his Anafim Shatul Mayim commentary to Sefer HaIkarim has said, [I] open my mouth like a talebearer to reveal hidden secrets. However, in all written works taught in the name of the master Kabbalist the Ari zal, there is no overt mention of the doctrine of the Shemita or of the pre-adamic civilizations. It is thus assumed by certain secular scholars (ref. Enc. Jud. 10, pg. 583) that the Ari zal did not hold the doctrine of the Shemita to be true. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. Though my readers who are not Orthodox Jews will not recognize the following names, they are still important for me to document for the sake of my Orthodox Jewish readers. This is only a partial list of those Rabbis and Kabbalists, from the earlier and later generations, who held that the doctrine of the Shemita is correct and true: 1. Sefer HaTemunah, 2. Sefer HaKana, 3. The RaMBaN, 1

2 4. Rabbeynu Bahya, 5. Rabbi Yitzhak D Min Acco, 6. Recanati on the Torah, 7. Tziyuni on the Torah, 8. Ma arekhet Elokut, 9. Shatul Mayim on Sefer HaIkarim, 10. Sefer Livnat HaSapir of Rabbi David ben Yehuda HaHasid (sefardi), 11. the author of Shoshan Sodot, 12. The Radbaz, Rabbi David Zimra (the Kabbalistic teacher of the Ari zal), 13. the Techelet Mordechai, 14. Rabbi Lifshitz s Tiferet Yisrael, and 15. Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Eichenstein of Zidatchov in his Ateret Tzvi commentary on the Zohar HaRakia. This is only a partial list. My orthodox Jewish readers will recognize that these names are giants in the world of Jewish learning, they are the pillars upon which our holy traditions rest. To say that all these giants of Torah are incorrect is to both dishonor these Rabbis and the Torah itself. The legitimacy of the pre-adamic worlds has never been questioned in authoritative Torah literature. Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Eichenstein, in his commentary Ateret Tzvi (126B) on the book Zohar HaRakia, states that even though the Ari zal was silent on this matter, he definitely ascribed to the doctrine of the Shemita and that G-d forbid anyone would disagree with the holy Sages of Israel. The only disagreement among the Kabbalists appears to be regarding which cycle of the Shemita we are in now. The Fallen Kings of Edom As I mentioned above, one of the most involved areas of Kabbalistic studies involves discussions on the pre-adamic worlds referred to as the seven Kings who reigned in he land of Edom, prior to their being a King in Israel (Gen. 36). The holy Zohar and especially the writings of the Ari zal are replete with lectures upon lectures about this amazing topic. Interestingly, the world of the seven Kings is called Olam HaTohu, the world of emptiness, based on the reference in Gen. 1:2. An involved explanation of this matter would take me far off course from what I wish to relate here. Also, due to the cryptic nature of the subject matter, any rendering into English would never do justice to the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. This is one of those topics that if someone wishes to research in depth, they had better be well versed in both Rabbinic Hebrew and Aramaic. However I will briefly cover those points which are relevant to our topic. Sefer Etz Haim of Rabbi Haim Vital comprises the vast majority of teachings that he received from his Kabbalist teacher, the great Ari zal. Based mainly on the holy Zohar, Rabbi Vital expounds, in the name of the Ari zal, on the entire order of creation, beginning with the original desire of the Creator to create a world, and finishing with the Creator s lowest creations. To sum up the teachings on these matters, Rabbi Vital relates that were three distinct levels of creation. These creations were not exclusively a creation of physical places, but rather they are epochs in time and space which outline the order of spiritual evolution. The first of these three worlds is said to emanate from the mouth of Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man). This is an appellation of the Divine Will, also referred to as the first sefira, Keter. At this level it is said that all ten sefirot came forth from the holy Mouth, encased together in one vessel. This was the primordial beginnings of the differentiation of light and its container, the vessel. This initial creation was the creation of form. For prior to this, all existence was exclusively G-d s light. Nothing independent of G-d could manifest, for it had no form through which to manifest. Form, therefore, had to be the first creation, for without it, there would be no 2

3 differentiation, and nothing would be able to maintain an independent identity. Without form, nothing in creation could be recognizably different from the Creator. This then was the first creation, or world. It is called the Realm of the Bound (Olam HaAkudim). The second creation to manifest from the Primordial Man is said to have come forth from his Eyes. However, the light of the Eyes of Adam Kadmon did not shine out of the Eyes, but rather shone from below the Waist. Many reasons are given to explain why this occurred, but these are not relevant to our present discussion. It was at this level that G-d s innate light diversified into what we will call the shades of color. This was the creation of diversity. The duality of force and form, soul and body, was thus firmly established. In this realm, the light of G-d s ultimate Being was able to exist within the arena of creation without it overwhelming creation and thus nullifying it. This was accomplished through the formation of vessels, which would act to filter G-d s ultimate light. These vessels are the primordial forms underlying all creation. These vessels are the sefirot. One thing is certain, whenever diversity exists, all existence within the diversity must have its proper place so that all aspects of diversity can become manifest and perform their given function. When all is one there is never any conflict, for there is nothing to conflict with. With the creation of diversity, there arises the potential for conflict. If one claims or usurps the place, role or identity of another then the two struggle. This is a given feature within any dimension of diversity. In order to do away with disorder, there has to be the creation of order. Yet, before order can be established, it must be defined. In other words, order must remove disorder, which by definition means that disorder must preceed the creation of order. And so it that we find, that prior to the creation of light, the world is void and empty, and prior to their being a King in Israel (order) there are Kings in Edom (chaos). This is speaking about the Kabbalistic secret of the creation of evil, the breaking and disorder of the primordial vessels, G-d s creation of chaos. It is out of chaos that order is born. The Kabbalists teach that when the sefirot came forth for the first time, each in its own unique vessel, the vessels themselves were not in their proper order. The light of G-d shone forth, expecting to shine into each and every vessel, but when the vessels were not in the right place to receive the light, they no longer had the ability to survive by themselves. The vessels therefore broke and shattered, scattering their pieces over all of creation. This was the creation of the primordial chaos. As the prophet Isaiah (45:18) has said, G-d creates evil. Evil was created so that good came come forth from it. The Bible itself subtly hints at this. The first act of creation was the creation of light, but where did the light come from? The Bible is clear, the light came forth out of the darkness. The darkness existed prior to the light, and the light was created to illuminate the dark. The number of vessels that were shattered was seven. Thus Gen. 36 speaks about seven Kings who reigned in the land of Edom (the realm of darkness) prior to there being a King in Israel (the realm of light). These seven prior worlds existed long before Adam. Adam was to be the one who was to restore order to the universe. Adam was the symbolic King of Israel. This is mankind s collective destiny to this day. Yet, there is more to tell about the seven primordial kings, for these worlds of chaos were the previous cosmic Sabbaticals spoken of above. Many modern students of Kabbalah, even within the Orthodox circles, have never penetrated into the true heart of the teachings of the Ari zal and Rabbi Haim Vital. For Rabbi Vital details the falling of the primordial Kings by saying that each one came forth, reigned for a while and then died. He is quite clear that there was a fall in the lowest of the sefirot, Malkhut, which is the force that manifests corporeal reality. The energy of the sefirat Malkhut (Malkhut d Asiyah, Etz Haim, 50:1) is that energy described above as nefesh, libido, orgon energy. Many of the Kabbalists today teach that the fallen Kings were spiritual worlds, totally non-corporeal. This, however, cannot be so, for Malkhut is corporeal. If the original King of Malkhut had fallen, then there was a King, i.e., a physical realm that had arisen and fallen. Many modern Kabbalists wish to object to this point, yet the evidence is quite clear, Rabbi Vital documents 3

4 that the King of Malkhut had fallen. Therefore the breaking of the vessels occurred in the physical world, as well as in the spiritual. This is important for me to show, for many Kabbalists do not believe that the fall of primordial Malkhut to be physical. This is unfortunately mistaken. In order to understand the relevancy of the fallen Kings to our topic of extraterrestrials, I must delve deeper into the exact meaning of the fall. Sefirotic Interactions It is known that the sefirot are a type of spiritual DNA. In the process of their emanations, each sefirah builds upon the others that have proceeded it. Each individual sefirah has within it all of the others. Each individual sefirah is thus a micro-pattern for the whole. The pattern of the sefirot divides them into three columns, referred to a the right side, left side and center. The sefirot are energy. The energy is intentionally polarized into right and left columns, representing primordial male and female energy. The two are always in a constant state of friction. The center is where they meet and merge. Kabbalistic activity requires the Kabbalist to activate the powers of the supernal male and female, right and left sefirotic columns, and to unite their energies in the center column. As with all union of male and female, there is the passion of bonding, this is the ecstasy of the prophetic Kabbalistic meditative experience. As with all union of male and female, there is the impregnation, gestation, and eventual birth of life. This is the role and function of the sefirot. They are collectively called the Etz Haim, the Tree of Life. This pattern is their state of order, however, prior to their order was their chaos. Originally when the first arrangement of sefirot emanated from the Mouth of the Primordial Man, the first three sefirot, which form the first triad, corresponding to the brain, came forth in proper order and arrangement. A problem then arose. The following seven lower sefirot, those which correspond to the body, instead of emanating in the form of the columns, as previously described, and as did the first triad, emanated one after another in a straight line. This rigidity of form did not allow the light within the sefirot the necessary movement to maintain life. As each sefirah emanated forth, not in its correct polarity, be it right or left, the light within the vessel was too strong for the vessel to handle. Not being in their right place weakened the vessels ability to properly serve as a body for the light to shine within it. The light therefore withdrew. The vessel, being left empty, collapsed and died. This then was the fall of the seven Kings. One point that Rabbi Vital makes which must be emphasized here. The breaking of the vessels occurred at the micro-pattern level, as well as on the grand scale. In other words, each of the ten sefirot had within them ten sefirot, the top triad of which remained intact and did not die, but the bottom seven of each of the ten fell and died. So within the original pattern of the sefirot, there was both order (the upper triad) and chaos (the lower seven). G-d allowed the lower seven to come forth in this blemished manner, knowing that they would die. In this way, G-d created the chaos, which we would come to know as evil and darkness, so that He could blessedly create order and rectification. The seven lower sefirot within each of the sefirot therefore fell and died by the deliberate act of G-d. These are the worlds that G-d created and destroyed prior to our own that are mentioned in Genesis Rabbah. Interdimensional-Intergalactic Pre-Adamic Humans Each of the fallen Kings was a complete world made up of the four realms of the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. The upper triad corresponds to the spiritual-mental aspects of those worlds. The lower seven to the emotional-physical aspects of those worlds. The physicalemotional realms are what were destroyed. Being that no destruction is spoken of regarding the upper triad, it is implied that the life forms corresponding to it did indeed survive. Now, here is where things get really interesting. As I mentioned above, there are a number of references throughout Jewish scriptures that speak about the pre-adamic generations. To some Kabbalists the question as to what happened to the pre-adamic peoples is not a question at all. 4

5 In their opinions, the realms of the fallen Kings were entirely in spiritual, non-corporeal worlds. They say there was no physical aspect to creation prior to Adam. However, the minority opinion of these Kabbalists is not considered binding. For as in Jewish law, Kabbalah can have varying, even mutually exclusive beliefs, and all of them can still be correct. For as we say elu v elu divrei elokim hayim both are the words of the living G-d. Therefore, according to the Rabbis who held that the pre-adamic civilizations did exist, the question must be asked: what happened to the them? Where then did they go? There is not one book in print that I have found that even attempts to offer an answer. Yet, this does not mean that there is no answer. The answer that I am about to give I must present as my own opinion. The Talmud (Hagigah 13B) speaks of the 974 generations before Adam. Many, as referenced above, interpret this in to be quite physical, and not simply non-corporeal. There are a number of sources that speak of pre-adamic humans. Although their civilizations were created in imbalance and therefore fell into chaos, we have nonetheless learned that there was a remnant. This surviving remnant corresponds to the "head of Esau buried in the lap of Yitzhak." Esau s head is buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, the same cave which is the vortex doorway to the Garden of Eden and the astral plane. This realm is the home of the Ishim angels. As we have learned above, the Ishim angels are the only group of angels that have some type of humanoid form. Although they are astral beings, they seem to be quite able to appear human at any time. When an Ishim angel appears as a human, he is quite indistinguishable from any other person, until he so decides to reveal himself. There are two people of whom we know from the Bible (and more from later sources), from this Adamic race, that have ascended above and joined the ranks of the Ishim. These, of course, are Enoch and Elijah. Both have ascended above and became angels. Enoch became Metatron, of whom we have spoken of earlier, and Elijah became Sandalphon. In the words of the Talmud and the Kabbalists both Enoch and Elijah were originally angels who incarnated and were born as men. They ascended above death and returned to their previous abodes. Rabbi Moshe DeLeon, a master Spanish Kabbalist of the 12th century, and a codifier of the Zohar, is reported by Rabbi Moshe Cordevero (Pardes 24:14) as saying that Elijah was never born as a man, but rather he descended to earth as an angel (parentless) and returned in the same way. Rabbi Cordevero quotes a section of the Zohar that says the opposite of Rabbi DeLeon. Sefer Likutei Shikha U Peah 23B states that Enoch-Metatron is the head of the Ishim. We thus see that there is a direct relationship between translated human beings and the Ishim angels, who are the "princes of the Teli," the rulers of the stars. Enoch was rewarded for his righteousness, as was Elijah. Both did not taste death, but rather ascended on high and joined the ranks, and leadership of the Ishim angels. It is possible that these Ishim angels, the ones who are so similar to human beings were in fact, human beings, who like Enoch and Elijah were rewarded for their righteousness and have ascended above to rule the stars. This should not surprise us, for as Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan quoted above, the reward of the righteous of our world is to, after the resurrection, travel to the stars and rule there. The resurrection seems to be a prerequisite for our intergalactic travels and ascension to interdimensional authority. Enoch and Elijah's translation into bodies similar to the Ishim angels are the bodies that are given to the resurrected. Thus the bodies of the resurrected and the bodies of the Ishim angels are identical. Thus they are of one and the same race. 5