Ibbur soul attachment and the teachings of Isaac Luria Ashkenazi Ibbur

Graveside Isaac Luria Ashkenazi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Luria

IBBUR HA GILGULIM

The return of the soul reflects universal principles of divine law especially for the purpose of growth and progression and most traditions have explicitly or tacitly recognized this law as an aspect of divine mercy and divine purpose for the advancement of humanity to a state of bliss or spiritual or soul perfection if you will. The soul goes to school, it learns and the stronger supports the weaker soul by teaching that weaker soul, by becoming its guardian . I do not think it is equivalent to the teachings on Metempsychosis but expands ,revises, and amplifies these.Some points in the Wikpedia article touch on these points of the uniqueness of the teachings of IBBUR and those of gilgulim in general:

• Ibbur is tantamount to positing the impregnation of souls for the express purpose of completion of that soul that is deficient in religious or in other duties or qualities. By impregnating or attachment to another soul when alive on earth, the impregnator/soul ,though perfected fills its lack or want . It makes good "the neglect" in its own makeup.



• The departed soul freed from sin attaches itself to an earthly soul imprisoned in the flesh and supports that weak soul unequal to the task of growing and evolving (not at all in the Darwinian sense). This soul doing the attaching is a "pure soul" acting as guardian and tutor.



• This union can only extend to three souls at one time



• This union can only take place in souls of homogeneous character: between those souls which are sparks of the same Adamite organ.



• The diaspora was to purify the souls of Israel and ultimately to save those souls (Salvific purpose of the Diaspora.



• These purified souls become a lamplight unto the nations. The3y free souls of men of other races from demoniacal influences.



• Men bear the mark on the forehead (also I believe mentioned in the book of Revelation?) revealing his soul nature and to which degree and class it belongs, the relation of that soul to the superior worlds. This mark shows the wanderings of the marked soul to the present that have been accomplished; how it can be freed from demoniacal influences (klipot); to which soul to be united to become purified. This union can be affected by formulas of conjuration.

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Vilna Gaon · Shimon bar Yochai · Moshe Cordovero · Isaac the Blind · Bahya ben Asher · Nahmanides · Azriel · Isaac Luria · Chaim Vital · Jacob Emden · Jonathan Eybeschutz · Chaim ibn Attar · Nathan Adler · Shalom Sharabi · Chaim Joseph David Azulai · Shlomo Eliyashiv · Baba Sali · Ben Ish Chai

Return of the soul
To this doctrine of gilgulim (reincarnation of souls)
Luria added the theory of the impregnation (ibbur) of souls; that is to say,
if a purified soul has neglected some religious duties on earth, it must return
to the earthly life, and, attaching itself to the soul of a living man, unite
with it in order to make good such neglect.
Further, the departed soul of a
man freed from sin appears again on earth to support a weak soul which feels
unequal to its task. However, this union, which may extend to three souls at one
time, can only take place between souls of homogeneous character; that is,
between those which are sparks of the same Adamite organ. The dispersion of
Israel has for its purpose the salvation of men's souls; as the purified souls
of Israelites will fulfill the prophecy of becoming "A lamplight unto the
nations," influencing the souls of men of other races in order to free them from
demoniacal influences.
According to Luria, man bears on his forehead a mark
by which one may learn the nature of his soul: to which degree and class it
belongs; the relation existing between it and the superior world; the wanderings
it has already accomplished; the means by which it can contribute to the
establishment of the new moral system of the world; how it can be freed from
demoniacal influences; and to which soul it should be united in order to become
purified. This union can be effected by formulas of conjuration.
More on - Shaar ha
Gilgulim;