Kabbala and Sefiros

 Rivash (157) Rav Shimon Mekinon who was a great rabbi of his generation I remember him well, even though I did not see him with my own eyes. He used to say I pray to understand the kabbalists who pray sometimes to one sphere and at other times to a different sphere depending on the purpose of the prayer. They explain that this is in accord with the words of our Sages that a person who wants to be wise should direct himself to the South and if to be rich to direct to the |North. In other words during the Amidah to focus on different  aspects or a particular sphere. I personally view this as very bizarre since I am not a Kabbalist as they are.and it appears as Shituf .I heard one involved in  philosophy say criticizing Kabbalists, “The Christians believe in a Trinity while the Kabbalists have a belief in Ten Sefiros

Translation from Sefaria:It already happened to me when I was in Sakhseh, a wise elder named Don Yosef n' Shoshan, may his memory be a blessing, who I had already seen in Valencia. He was a scholar in Talmud, well-versed in philosophy, and he was initiated and a great righteous person. There was a great love and affinity between us. One time I asked him how the Kabbalists, in one blessing, direct their intention to a known Sefirah, and in another blessing, to a different Sefirah. Furthermore, there is divinity attributed to the Sefirot, and a person prays to them. He replied to me, "God forbid that prayer should be like that. Prayer is always directed to the blessed Creator, the ultimate source of all emanations. However, it is comparable to someone who has a dispute and asks the king for justice. He should request from the king to command the judge to adjudicate, not to command the treasurer, as the question might be misunderstood. Similarly, if he asks the king for a gift, he should request that the king command the treasurer to provide it. And if he asks for wine, he should request the king to command the minister of beverages, and if he asks for bread, he should ask the king to command the minister of baking. It is not the reverse. The same applies to prayer, which is always directed towards the ultimate source, but the intention of the mind is to draw the influence toward the corresponding Sefirah that pertains to the desired matter. For example, in the blessing for the righteous, one should direct their intention to the Sefirah called Chesed (kindness), which is the attribute of mercy. And in the blessing for the wicked, one should direct their intention to the Sefirah called Gevurah (severity), which is the attribute of judgment. This is the explanation." It is clear to me, the humble and renowned Kabbalist, that this is very good. However, who leads us into all this goodness? Is it not good to pray simply for the sake of the blessed Creator, with intention, and He knows in which way to fulfill the request, as the verse says, "Roll your way upon the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act" (Psalms 37:5). This is what the great scholar Rabbi Shimson of Kinon, may his memory be a blessing, whom I mentioned earlier, said. And also, I conveyed to you what my teacher, the great Rabbi Nissim, may his memory be a blessing, said, that even more than sufficient, Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Nachmanides), may his memory be a blessing, fully committed himself to believe in that matter of Kabbalah. I do not presume to involve myself in that wisdom after not receiving it from the mouth of an authoritative Kabbalist. Even though I have seen hints about the secrets of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Nachmanides), they are not revelations of the roots of that wisdom; they only reveal a span, and they cover several spans. They are close to being erroneous in some matters. Therefore, I have chosen not to involve myself in the hidden realms. Regarding your question about whether the Sefirot are below or above the level of the angels, there is no doubt that the Sefirot are above them. And they, the Sefirot, first emanated from the Emanator. According to the understanding of the Kabbalists, the angels emanated first. So it is explained by Rabbi Shem Tov ben Gaon, may his memory be a blessing, at the beginning of his commentary on the secrets of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Nachmanides). Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, may his memory be a blessing, also wrote in one of his poems that was recited in Barcelona when it was at peace. In it, he mentioned that when King David, peace be upon him, said, "Bless the Lord, you His angels," it refers to the higher world of angels. And when he said, "Bless the Lord, all His hosts," it refers to the intermediate world. And when he said, "Bless the Lord, all His works," it refers to the lower world. In the world of angels, he spoke in a similar manner, with many faces facing the awesome Divine Presence. The book you mentioned, attributed to the wise Rabbi Yitzhak ben Latif, is called "Tzurat Olam" and I have it with me. It consists of 27 chapters. There is also another book called "Tzror HaMor," which consists of 11 chapters. The content of this book is similar to the previous book. There is yet another smaller book called "Rav Pealim," consisting of 100 leaves, which is called so because it discusses various kinds. However, this book is not divided into chapters but into statements. And they, the Sefirot, consist of eighty statements. There is also a commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes, which is a beautiful commentary leaning towards rationality and natural wisdom. Another great and beneficial book in his collection is called "Sha'ar HaShamayim" (Gate of Heaven), resembling "Guide for the Perplexed" by Maimonides. It is divided into four gates: the first gate consists of 28 chapters, the second gate consists of 25 chapters, the third gate consists of 12 chapters, and the fourth gate consists of 16 chapters. This book is highly respected and discusses matters in a rational and philosophical manner, although it contradicts some of their ideas with our Torah. This wise scholar seems to have delved deeply into philosophy while maintaining his commitment to Torah and piety. He also wrote about the reasons for the commandments, and I did not find in that book any mention of the ten Sefirot, only the ten levels of angels as mentioned by Maimonides in his book "Sefer HaMada" However, this book expands on the explanations in all its aspects, except for a few elevated matters that are mentioned and discussed. However, in this son's book, all his words are cryptic and difficult to understand. Anyone who delves into this book called "Sefer Sha'ar HaShamayim" (Book of the Gate of Heaven) will gain additional understanding in this matter. In this hidden book, he mentions the ten Sefirot, but not in the same way as the accepted tradition of Ramban and those who follow his teachings. In this book, it appears that his perspective is that the levels of angels are included within the ten Sefirot, and he distinguishes three initial levels among the described angels: fire, water, and wind. He also mentioned that the first created being is called "burning fire," and the fourth form is the light of the sun, while the fifth is the sphere of intellect. And this, the encompassing sphere and the remaining four forms, are the four fundamental forms, as mentioned in chapter 80 of the book. However, this does not reflect the opinion of the wise Kabbalists, and it seems that these are his own ideas that stem from his heart and intellect without the influence of Kabbalah. He even mentions this explicitly in chapter 85 of the book, where he says that one should not trouble oneself to understand the new concepts that arise in his heart, as he conceals and covers them. Therefore, I said in my heart that they should remain his alone, and others should not follow him. The truth is explained in the "Sefer Netivot," following the accepted tradition that there are ten Sefirot and twenty-two letters, which constitute the foundation of the divine speech, and are hinted in the words that arise from the twenty-two verses. This is commendable, but as for the essence of the Sefirot, he speculates on his own, and therefore I say that one should not rely on such matters except based on the teachings of a wise and accepted Kabbalist —and perhaps not even then.

Rema (Toras HaOlah 3:4): … Kabbala is the foundation of faith and all other aspects of religion are built on it. So how can I talk about this subject based on my own analysis and not direct knowledge of the subject. However I decided that this in an emergency situation that requires that I ignore my own inadequacies. That is because this generation has sunk so low that I have not seen in my lifetime a cabbalist who understands the true Kabbalah clearly. In addition, many of the masses run to learn kabbalah with a tremendous desire. They are especially interested in the words of the later scholars who have revealed these matters in detail in their writings. This phenomenon is even more prevalent today since kabalistic books such as the Zohar, Recanti and Shaarei Orah are readily available through printed editions. The ready availability of these kabalistic texts and commentaries enable anyone who can read to think he understands kabbalah. However in spite of the apparent ease of understanding these books, they are not truly understood. That is because they are not learned the way kabbalah is supposed to be learned - directly from a teacher with the proper traditional understanding. It is bad enough that this problem exists amongst scholars but it is even worse since the masses are also attracted to these studies. They are people who exist in darkness and can’t differentiate between right and left. These ignorant people - who can’t even explain the Torah properly with Rash’s commentary - run to study kabbalah. This is the reason that we have an orphaned degenerate generation. Genuine knowledge is so rare that it is as noticeable like a stone in a pitcher (Bava Metzia 85b). Therefore, anyone who sees a glimpse of the glory of kabbalah gives public discourses on the matter. They will pay for this in the Future. However, the fact is that their lack of knowledge is actually useful for them in that they are totally unaware of how ignorant they are. In contrast, the scholars know very well the great damage caused by the inappropriate teaching of Kabbalah as the Ramban notes in his introduction to his commentary to the Torah. This concern is also found in the writings of the other early kabbalists…