Kabbalah (TRADITION) And Our Personality Types

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

Kabbalah is the mystical religious stream found in Judaism.  On a philisophical level, Kabbalah seeks to explain the connection between  1. G-d and creation, 2. the existence of good and evil, 3. and to show the road to spiritual perfection.  Throughout history, it's been influenced by other foreign thoughts such as GNOSTICISM and NEOPLATONISM while still always preserving its basic Hebrew character.

Originally it was an esoteric and "aristocratic" movement, it succeeded in appealing to the masses, becoming a popular religious movement in the 16th century and again in HASIDIM and again in our own 20th century.  

The term, Kabbalah, originally referred to the oral tradition which was received along with the Written Law.  By the 12th century, it was adopted by mystics as a sign to show the alleged continuity of their mystical "tradition" from early times.  

The term, MYSTICISM, strives for a vital intensive contact with the DIVINITY and in Jewish mysticism too, this desire for immediate awareness of and communion with G-d is basic.  A known Rabbi of Kabbalah is Dr. Howard A. Addison.  

Howard Avruhm Addison, Ph.D. :  

Howard Avruhm Addison is Gershom Scholem Professor of Jewish Spirituality and Director of the D.Min.Program in Jewish Spirituality. He is an Assistant Professor for Instruction at Temple University where he teaches in the Intellectual Heritage Program. Ordained as a Rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary (The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies. The Jewish Theological Seminary Library is one of the most significant collections of Judaica in the world.), 

There are 9  personality types on an enneagram.  the 1. reformer, 2. helper, 3. achiever, 4. individualist, 5. investigator, 6. loyalist, 7. enthusiast, 8. challenger, 9. peacemaker

He is certified as an Enneagram teacher (The Enneagram of Personality, or simply the Enneagram, is a model of the human psyche which is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. The origins and history of ideas associated with the Enneagram of Personality are disputed.) by Helen Palmer, as a Fellow in Contemplative Group Leadership by the Shalem Institute, and as a Dream Group Leader by the Haden Institute. Rabbi Addison holds a B.A. degree from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in Philosophy from Hunter College/NYC, an M.A. in Hebrew Letters, and a Doctor of Divinity from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City, a D.Min. from the Chicago Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Foundation. A founding teacher of Lev Shomea, the first institute for training spiritual directors in the Jewish tradition, his writings include The Enneagram and Kabbalah: Reading Your Soul and the anthology, Jewish Spiritual Direction.

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

The Enneagram and Kabbalah-Reading your Soul by Rabbi Howard A. Addison

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Theological_Seminary_of_America

https://gtfeducation.org/faculty-staff/howard-avruhm-addison-ph-d/

https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions/