Theos-Talk Archives (February 1995 Message tl00182)

To Jerry S.

Having read your posting in response to Keith with great
interest, I thought you would be more than a little interested to
know that the Kabbalist teaching includes its "Masters" as a
given fact of reality.  The language is different, but the ideas
match exactly (IMO) what you have said to Keith.

Living "Masters" [or "Mistresses"] will be called "Rabbi" or
"Rabboni" (if very important).  DIscarnate ones are called
*Maggidim* and are sometimes, or maybe often, the same human
beings - eg., one *'Hasid* I came across was being taught by a
*maggid* who had formerly been his rabbi.  (This applies only
within the Jewish 'Hasidic Kabbalist tradition - "orthodox"
Judaism might well take a derogatory position vis a vis the
same).

Alan.