Is Lebanon the true home of this mystical wisdom?

A growing number of Lebanese people are on a quest for spiritual truth. Those seeking the meaning behind everyday reality are turning to an ancient mystical body of knowledge known as the Kabbalah. For the last decade in Beirut, the House of Wisdom Center has been training people in an approach to understanding life that stretches back countless centuries.

Many Hollywood celebrities in the recent past have studied the Kabbalah, from Madonna to Demi Moore. Madonna described it as “very punk rock” because it was revolutionary to realise that “you are responsible for everything”. These celebrities, and many others, have sought last fulfilment not in wealth or fame, but spiritual understanding.

But what exactly is the Kabbalah? And what is the connection to Lebanon? Jana Sharaf Khalife is the founder director of the Beirut-based House of Wisdom Center. She explains its growing popularity.

“Kabbalah has roots in the Arabic word for ‘surrender’ and ‘accept’. It’s about how to accept and receive more in life. Interest in spirituality in Lebanon has always existed. And through the center, people can access Abrahamic mysticism.”

Many argue that the Kabbalah is rooted in Jewish mysticism, but Jana argues that its origins are across all the Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and ultimately dates to the very act of divine creation. Anybody who adheres to one of the Abrahamic religions is permitted to study the Kabbalah, but not those from a non-Abrahamic background.

There are many ways of describing the Kabbalah, but these are the basic tenets. At the centre is the Tree of Life within which is the Sefirot, the ten divine attributes through which God reveals himself and interacts with the world. These are visually represented as interconnected circles on the Tree of Life through which divine energy flows.

Each of these circles has a different meaning. For example, there is the Crown, which is the highest level of divine energy. Also, we have Wisdom, Understanding, Mercy, Strength, Beauty, Endurance, and others. The Tree of Life represents the structure of the universe and the path to enlightenment. There are also three pillars that represent different aspects of creation: Right Pillar (Expansion), Left Pillar (Constriction), and Middle Pillar (Balance).

The history of the Kabbalah is linked to the Temple of King Solomon, built by the Lebanese architect, Hiram Abiff about three thousand years ago. The temple is conceived in kabbalistic mysticism as a symbolic representation of the Tree of Life and especially the quality of Wisdom, bestowed by God on Solomon. This was not a mere bricks-and-mortar structure but a portal for the human soul to touch God.

When somebody progressed through the three main sections of Solomon’s temple the vestibule, main sanctuary, and inner sanctum they were not just moving through a physical space but experiencing a spiritual journey that took them from the external world, with its confusion and lack of meaning, to the divine presence.

The construction of the temple involved the use of raw materials from Lebanon, especially vast amounts of cedar wood. Some have speculated that the temple was not built in Jerusalem but in Lebanon or Syria. There are candidates for Solomon’s temple in those countries. One potential site is the ruined Hittite temple of Ain Dara in Syria which has a structure closely resembling the biblical description of Solomon’s temple. Another is the Iron Age temple at Tell Tayinat, also in Syria.

This may seem quite far-fetched, moving Solomon’s temple north from Jerusalem into Lebanon or Syria, but some have argued that the evidence seeps from the book of Kings in the bible. The account of the temple there clearly states that it was built from trees felled in the kingdom of Tyre (modern Lebanon). Tyrian masons quarried and dressed the stone. Tyrian metalsmiths made the bronze furnishings. So, why not have the structure located in the land of Tyre?

If the temple was in Lebanon, along with the origin of the Kabbalah, it confirms the idea that the Phoenician civilisation exerted a huge religious and intellectual influence across the region. Many of the ideas about the universe and the role of the divine that we find in the Kabbalah are reflected in Levantine traditions that include Phoenician elements.

The link between Solomon’s temple and the Kabbalah means that this approach to understanding the universe has attracted the interest of Freemasons. Jana welcomes them into the House of Wisdom Center:

“I train many of the Freemasons in Lebanon about the history of the temple and the story of its architect, Hiram Abiff. Many ancient texts, including the Jewish Torah, recognise the importance of Lebanon. The Kabbalah shows our contribution to the masonic movement.”

Freemasons study in their own lodges but those that want a more practical approach and deeper revelation attend Jana’s courses. There can attend courses titled Abrahamic Astrology, Dream Revelations, Energy of the Week, and Financial Freedom. The latter course “integrates spirituality with business success uncovering the hidden spiritual blocks to prosperity”. Rooted in both Kabbalism and Sufism, “its deep secrets once studied by the masters of the mind reveal how to achieve lasting balance and abundance”.

Even the Roman Catholic church, Jana notes, recognises that the very soil of Lebanon transmits wisdom. “Every pope that visits Lebanon, from John Paul II to Leo XIV, knows that Lebanon is not just a country, it’s a message. Physical spaces have memory. The land itself and the consciousness of the people creates an opening.”