Kabbalistic

Kabbalistic is an adjective relating to Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition that seeks to explain God, creation, and human purpose through esoteric interpretation of Scripture and liturgy. The term comes from Hebrew kabbalah, meaning reception or tradition. Kabbalistic thought encompasses a variety of texts, ideas, and practices developed over many centuries.

Medieval and early modern Kabbalah produced influential works and schools. The Zohar, a foundational collection of mystical commentaries on the Torah, is traditionally dated to the 13th century in Spain. In the 16th century, Isaac Luria’s school in Safed introduced doctrines such as the divine emanations called the sefirot, the concepts of tzimtzum (contraction) and tikkun (repair), which shaped later mysticism and prayer. Hasidism, emerging in the 18th century, also drew on Kabbalistic ideas about God’s immanence and the spiritual potential of everyday life.

In contemporary usage, Kabbalistic can describe texts, rituals, or ideas associated with Kabbalah, as well as scholarly studies of the tradition. It covers symbolic interpretation of biblical narratives, mystical meditation, and the pursuit of spiritual transformation. Some discussions distinguish between theoretical Kabbalah, which analyzes divine structures and cosmogony, and practical Kabbalah, which historically referred to techniques claimed to influence spiritual or material realities. While deeply influential in Jewish spirituality, Kabbalistic ideas have also attracted wider interest and critical study.