Kabbalah

"receiving") is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Rabbinic Judaism . It is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between an eternal and mysterious Creator and the mortal and finite universe (His creation). While it is heavily used by some denominations, it is not a denomination in and of itself; it is a set of scriptures that exist outside the traditional Jewish Scriptures . Kabbalah seeks to define the nature of the universe and the human being, the nature and purpose of existence, and various other ontological questions. It also presents methods to aid understanding of these concepts and to thereby attain spiritual realization. Kabbalah originally developed entirely within the realm of Jewish thought and constantly uses classical Jewish sources to explain and demonstrate its esoteric teachings. These teachings are thus held by kabbalists to define the inner meaning of both the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and traditional rabbinic literature , as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances . Imbued with Holiness The vast majority of scholars confirm that the Historical Solomon was likely not the founder of this belief and practice.

Practices Torah study Mystical exegesis Mitzvot Minhag Customary immersion in mikveh Meditation Kavanot Teshuvah Deveikut Prayer Nusach Tikkun Chatzot Tikkun Leil Shavuot Pilgrimage to Tzadik Pilgrimage to holy grave Lag BaOmer at Meron Asceticism Rosicrucianism Practical Kabbalah People Role v t e Kabbalah ( , literally "receiving/tradition" ) is an esoteric method, discipline, and school of thought that originated in Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist in Judaism is called a Mekubbal ( ). Kabbalah's definition varies according to the tradition and aims of those following it, from its religious origin as an integral part of Judaism, to its later Christian , New Age , and Occultist syncretic adaptations. Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between an unchanging, eternal, and mysterious Ein Sof (infinity) and the mortal and finite universe (God's creation). While it is heavily used by some denominations, it is not a religious denomination in itself. It forms the foundations of mystical religious interpretation. Kabbalah seeks to define the nature of the universe and the human being, the nature and purpose of existence, and various other ontological questions. It also presents methods to aid understanding of the concepts and thereby attain spiritual realisation. Kabbalah originally developed entirely within the realm of Jewish thought , and kabbalists often use classical Jewish sources to explain and demonstrate its esoteric teachings. These teachings are held by followers in Judaism to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional Rabbinic literature and their formerly concealed transmitted dimension, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. Traditional practitioners believe its earliest origins pre-date world religions, forming the primordial blueprint for Creation's philosophies, religions, sciences, arts, and political systems. Historically, Kabbalah emerged, after earlier forms of Jewish mysticism , in 12th- to 13th-century Southern France and Spain, becoming reinterpreted in the Jewish mystical renaissance of 16th-century Ottoman Palestine . It was popularised in the form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century onwards. Twentieth-century interest in Kabbalah has inspired cross-denominational Jewish renewal and contributed to wider non-Jewish contemporary spirituality, as well as engaging its flourishing emergence and historical re-emphasis through newly established academic investigation. Kabbalah: A very short introduction , Joseph Dan , Oxford University Press, Chapter 1 "The term and its uses" "אינסוף" . "Imbued with Holiness" - The relationship of the esoteric to the exoteric in the fourfold Pardes interpretation of Torah and existence.

Esoteric method, discipline, and school of thought of Judaism For other uses, see Cabala . Kabbalah ( , literally "reception, tradition" or "correspondence" ) is an esoteric method, discipline, and school of thought in Jewish mysticism . A traditional Kabbalist in Judaism is called a Mequbbāl ( ). The definition of Kabbalah varies according to the tradition and aims of those following it, from its religious origin as an integral part of Judaism, to its later adaptations in Western esotericism ( Christian Kabbalah and Hermetic Qabalah ). Jewish Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between the unchanging, eternal God –the mysterious Ein Sof ( , "The Infinite")– and the mortal, finite universe (God's creation ). It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. Jewish Kabbalists originally developed their own transmission of sacred texts within the realm of Jewish tradition , and often use classical Jewish scriptures to explain and demonstrate its mystical teachings. These teachings are held by followers in Judaism to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional rabbinic literature and their formerly concealed transmitted dimension, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. One of the fundamental kabbalistic texts, the Zohar , was first published in the 13th century, and the almost universal form adhered to in modern Judaism is Lurianic Kabbalah . Traditional practitioners believe its earliest origins pre-date world religions, forming the primordial blueprint for Creation's philosophies, religions, sciences, arts, and political systems. Historically, Kabbalah emerged after earlier forms of Jewish mysticism , in 12th- to 13th-century Spain and Southern France, and was reinterpreted during the Jewish mystical renaissance of 16th-century Ottoman Palestine . Isaac Luria is considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah; Lurianic Kabbalah was popularised in the form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century onwards. During the 20th century, academic interest in Kabbalistic texts led primarily by the Jewish historian Gershom Scholem has inspired the development of historical research on Kabbalah in the field of Judaic studies . Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction . EIN-SOF (Heb. אֵין סוֹף; "The Infinite," lit. that which is boundless), name given in Kabbalah to God transcendent, in His pure essence: God in Himself, apart from His relationship to the created world. Since every name which was given to God referred to one of the characteristics or attributes by which He revealed Himself to His creatures, or which they ascribed to Him, there is no name or epithet for God from the point of view of His own being. Consequently, when the kabbalists wanted to be precise in their language they abstained from using names like Elohim , the Tetragrammaton , "the Holy One, blessed be He," and others. These names are all found either in the Written or the Oral Law . The Torah, however, refers only to God's manifestations and not to God's own being which is above and beyond His relationship to the created world. Therefore, neither in the Bible , nor in rabbinic tradition was there a term which could fulfill the need of the kabbalists in their speculations on the nature of God. But the mystics had a vague tradition about it" ( Sefer Ma'arekhet ha-Elohut ). The term Ein-Sof is found in kabbalistic literature after 1200. Union for Reform Judaism . Historians of Judaism identify many schools of Jewish esotericism across time, each with its own unique interests and beliefs. Technically, the term "Kabbalah" applies only to writings that emerged in medieval Spain and southern France beginning in the 13th century. [...] Although until today Kabbalah has been the practice of select Jewish "circles," most of what we know about it comes from the many literary works that have been recognized as "mystical" or "esoteric." From these mystical works, scholars have identified many distinctive mystical schools, including the Hechalot mystics , the German Pietists , the Zoharic Kabbalah , the ecstatic school of Abraham Abulafia , the teachings of Isaac Luria , and Chasidism . These schools can be categorized further based on individual masters and their disciples. "Imbued with Holiness" - The relationship of the esoteric to the exoteric in the fourfold Pardes interpretation of Torah and existence. Kabbalah and Modernity: Interpretations, Transformations, Adaptations . Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . Center for the Study of Language and Information .

Type of Jewish mysticism For other uses, see Cabala . Kabbalistic prayer book from Italy , 1803. Jewish Museum of Switzerland , Basel . Kabbalah ( Qabbālā , literally "reception, tradition" ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism . A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( מְקוּבָּל ‎ Məqūbbāl "receiver"). The definition of Kabbalah varies according to the tradition and aims of those following it, from its origin in medieval Judaism to its later adaptations in Western esotericism ( Christian Kabbalah and Hermetic Qabalah ). Jewish Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between the unchanging, eternal God —the mysterious Ein Sof ( אֵין סוֹף ‎, "The Infinite" ) —and the mortal, finite universe (God's creation ). It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. Jewish Kabbalists originally developed their own transmission of sacred texts within the realm of Jewish tradition and often use classical Jewish scriptures to explain and demonstrate its mystical teachings. These teachings are held by Kabbalists to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional rabbinic literature and their formerly concealed transmitted dimension, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. Traditional practitioners believe its earliest origins pre-date world religions, forming the primordial blueprint for Creation's philosophies, religions, sciences, arts, and political systems. Historically, Kabbalah emerged from earlier forms of Jewish mysticism , in 12th- to 13th-century Spain and Southern France, and was reinterpreted during the Jewish mystical renaissance in 16th-century Ottoman Palestine . The Zohar , the foundational text of Kabbalah, was composed in the late 13th century. Isaac Luria (16th century) is considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah; Lurianic Kabbalah was popularised in the form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century onwards. During the 20th century, academic interest in Kabbalistic texts led primarily by the Jewish historian Gershom Scholem has inspired the development of historical research on Kabbalah in the field of Judaic studies . Though innumerable glosses, marginalia, commentaries, precedent works, satellite texts and other minor works contribute to an understanding of the Kabbalah as an evolving tradition, the major texts in the main line of Jewish mysticism that inarguably fall under the heading 'Kabbalah' are the Bahir , Zohar , Pardes Rimonim , and Etz Chayim ('Ein Sof') . The early Hekhalot writings are acknowledged as ancestral to the sensibilities of Kabbalah and the Sefer Yetzirah -- a brief document of only few pages written centuries before the high and late medieval works, detailing an alphanumeric vision of cosmology--may be understood as a kind of prelude to the canon of Kabbalah. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction . EIN-SOF (Heb. אֵין סוֹף; "The Infinite," lit. that which is boundless), name given in Kabbalah to God transcendent, in His pure essence: God in Himself, apart from His relationship to the created world. Since every name which was given to God referred to one of the characteristics or attributes by which He revealed Himself to His creatures, or which they ascribed to Him, there is no name or epithet for God from the point of view of His own being. Consequently, when the kabbalists wanted to be precise in their language they abstained from using names like Elohim , the Tetragrammaton , "the Holy One, blessed be He," and others. These names are all found either in the Written or the Oral Law . The Torah, however, refers only to God's manifestations and not to God's own being which is above and beyond His relationship to the created world. Therefore, neither in the Bible , nor in rabbinic tradition was there a term which could fulfill the need of the kabbalists in their speculations on the nature of God. But the mystics had a vague tradition about it" ( Sefer Ma'arekhet ha-Elohut ). The term Ein-Sof is found in kabbalistic literature after 1200. Union for Reform Judaism . Historians of Judaism identify many schools of Jewish esotericism across time, each with its own unique interests and beliefs. Technically, the term "Kabbalah" applies only to writings that emerged in medieval Spain and southern France beginning in the 13th century. [...] Although until today Kabbalah has been the practice of select Jewish "circles," most of what we know about it comes from the many literary works that have been recognized as "mystical" or "esoteric." From these mystical works, scholars have identified many distinctive mystical schools, including the Hechalot mystics , the German Pietists , the Zoharic Kabbalah , the ecstatic school of Abraham Abulafia , the teachings of Isaac Luria , and Chasidism . These schools can be categorized further based on individual masters and their disciples. "Imbued with Holiness" - The relationship of the esoteric to the exoteric in the fourfold Pardes interpretation of Torah and existence. Kabbalah and Modernity: Interpretations, Transformations, Adaptations . Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . Center for the Study of Language and Information . Major trends in Jewish mysticism: foreword by Robert Alter . Jewish gnosticism, Merkabah mysticism, and Talmudic tradition: based on the Israel Goldstein Lectures, delivered at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Type of Jewish mysticism For other uses, see Cabala . Latin translation of Gikatilla's Shaarei Ora Practices Torah study Mystical exegesis Mitzvot Minhag Customary immersion in mikveh Meditation Kavanot Teshuvah Deveikut Prayer Nusach Tikkun Chatzot Tikkun Leil Shavuot Pilgrimage to Tzadik Pilgrimage to holy grave Lag BaOmer at Meron Asceticism Rosicrucianism Practical Kabbalah People Role v t e Kabbalah or Qabalah ( / k ə ˈ b ɑː l ə , ˈ k æ b ə l ə / kə- BAH -lə, KAB -ə-lə ; Hebrew : קַבָּלָה ‎ , romanized : Qabbālā , pronounced [kabaˈla] ; lit. ' reception, tradition ' ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism . It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( מְקֻובָּל ‎ , Məqubbāl , ' receiver ' ). Jewish Kabbalists originally developed transmissions of the primary texts of Kabbalah within the realm of Jewish tradition and often use classical Jewish scriptures to explain and demonstrate its mystical teachings. Kabbalists hold these teachings to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional rabbinic literature and their formerly concealed transmitted dimension, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. Historically, Kabbalah emerged from earlier forms of Jewish mysticism , in 12th- to 13th-century Hakhmei Provence (re: Bahir ), Rhineland school of Judah the Pious , al-Andalus (re: Zohar ) and was reinterpreted during the Jewish mystical renaissance in 16th-century Ottoman Palestine . The Zohar , the foundational text of Kabbalah, was authored in the late 13th century, likely by Moses de León . Isaac Luria (16th century) is considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah; Lurianic Kabbalah was popularised in the form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century onwards. During the 20th century, academic interest in Kabbalistic texts led primarily by the Jewish historian Gershom Scholem has inspired the development of historical research on Kabbalah in the field of Judaic studies . Though minor works contribute to an understanding of the Kabbalah as an evolving tradition, the primary texts are the Bahir , Zohar , Pardes Rimonim , and Etz Chayim ('Ein Sof') . The early Hekhalot literature is acknowledged as ancestral to the sensibilities of this later flowering of the Kabbalah and more especially the Sefer Yetzirah is acknowledged as the antecedent from which all these books draw many of their formal inspirations. The document has striking similarities to a possible antecedent from the Lesser Hekhalot, the Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva , which in turn seems to recall a style of responsa by students that arose in the classroom of Joshua ben-Levi in Tractate Shabbat . The Sefer Yetzirah is a brief document of only a few pages that was written many centuries before the high and late medieval works (sometime between 200-600CE), detailing an alphanumeric vision of cosmology and may be understood as a kind of prelude to the major phase of Kabbalah. Union for Reform Judaism . Historians of Judaism identify many schools of Jewish esotericism across time, each with its own unique interests and beliefs. Technically, the term "Kabbalah" applies only to writings that emerged in medieval Spain and southern France beginning in the 13th century. [...] Although until today Kabbalah has been the practice of select Jewish "circles," most of what we know about it comes from the many literary works that have been recognized as "mystical" or "esoteric." From these mystical works, scholars have identified many distinctive mystical schools, including the Hechalot mystics , the German Pietists , the Zoharic Kabbalah , the ecstatic school of Abraham Abulafia , the teachings of Isaac Luria , and Chasidism . These schools can be categorized further based on individual masters and their disciples. Especially important in the development of Notarikon. Kabbalah and Modernity: Interpretations, Transformations, Adaptations . Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . Center for the Study of Language and Information . Scholem (1995) . sfnp error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFScholem1995 ( help ) Scholem (1960) ; Scholem (1995) sfnmp error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFScholem1995 ( help ) . Shabbat 104a There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).