Kabbalah

Kabbalah, derived from the Hebrew root meaning “to receive,” is the name given to a Jewish mystical tradition that originated around 100 BCE. Owing to variations in transliteration from the Hebrew, it is sometimes rendered as Kabalah, Qabalah, or Qabbalah. The name Kabbalah is attributed to the scholar Isaac the Blind (c. 1160–1236), sometimes called the Father of Kabbalah, although the practice of Kabbalah predates him. As a form of Jewish mysticism, it is primarily concerned with directly experiencing God through meditation, spiritual exercises, or interpretations of scripture (particularly the Tor ah) and other writings. Kabbalah has both a traditional and a distinct beginning.

Traditionally Kabbalah is believed to date from the relationship between Adam and God. According to the first three chapters of Genesis, Adam enjoyed a unique experience with God: Adam conversed directly with God without any mediation from another person or text. He was able to know God face-to-face. This is the kernel of mysticism in general and Kabbalah specifically: to know God directly.

Viewed this way, many persons from the Tanakb (Hebrew Bible; in Christianity, the Old Testament) are viewed as having kabbalistic experiences. According to Jewish teaching, the events in the book of Genesis occurred prior to God giving the Law of Moses. within Genesis, people speak with God directly. While Genesis makes no mention of the type of relationship between Melchizedek and God, Melchizedek (Gen 14: 18–20) is mentioned as a priest of God prior to the establishment of the Torah (Law). Therefore (the reasoning goes), because there was no mediation, Melchizedek must have had a direct experience with God. Abraham spoke directly with God (Gen 12–22) as did Moses (Exodus through Deuteronomy).

In other books of the Tanakh, prophets are mentioned as having direct experiences with God. This is important for understanding Kabbalah, because the prophets had experiences with God after the Law of Moses was given. To a Kabbalist, therefore, the Law of Moses does not stand between a follower of God and God, such as in the role of a mediator, but instead the Law of Moses becomes a gateway into communication with God.

Kabbalah has a distinct beginning that can be traced to a wealth of Jewish mystical literature from the period 100 BCE to 1000 CE. Over time, the literature and understanding of Kabbalah increased. Yet the central Kabbalah text is the Sefer ha-Zohar (Book of Splendor), which is usually given simply as Zohar. The Zohar contains commentary and stories. Its preeminence among Kabbalah is borne out by the number of commentaries that have been written about the Zohar. This book is attributed to Simeon bar Yohai (2nd century CE), although the first record of the book is from the 13th century in Spain as the work of Moses ben Shem Tov de Leon (1240–1305). He either edited the writings of Simeon bar Yohai or based his work on Simeon; in either case the work originated with Simeon and was completed by Moses de Leon.

[Page 736]Soon after the Zohar, Ma-arekbet ha-Elohut (The Order of God) appeared, which attempted to systematically explain Kabbalah doctrine. In addition, Sefer ba-Babir (Book of Light) was another early Kabbalah text that explained the sefirot (the emanations of God).

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