kabbale

Kabbale, also spelled Kabbalah, is the Jewish mystical tradition that seeks to explain the nature of God, the creation of the world, and the fate of the soul through esoteric interpretation of scripture and ritual practice. It emphasizes that the divine manifests through a set of emanations called the ten sefirot and that human actions can influence the order of creation and the healing of the world.

Historically, Kabbalah emerged within medieval Jewish communities in Provence and Spain, drawing on earlier Merkavah and mystical traditions. Core texts include the Bahir (circa 12th century) and the Zohar, a mystical commentary widely circulated in the late 13th century and attributed in tradition to Shimon bar Yochai. The Zohar became foundational for many later Kabbalistic systems, shaping how scholars and mystics understood divine attributes, commandments, and the biblical narrative through symbolic interpretation.

In the 16th century, the Kabbalah of Safed, led by Isaac Luria, transformed the field. Luria’s school introduced concepts such as Tzimtzum (divine contraction to make creation possible), Shevirat HaKelim (the breaking of the vessels), and Tikkun (cosmic repair). These ideas influenced subsequent Jewish mysticism, including Hasidic spirituality, which emphasizes devequt (attachment to God) and contemplative and joyful approaches to worship.

Key concepts include the Four Worlds (Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah), and meditative methods for interpreting scripture and achieving spiritual ascent. Kabbalah has been studied within various Jewish communities, with traditional access historically restricted to advance learners. In modern times, broader, often non-traditional forms have spread, generating ongoing discussions about interpretation, authority, and practice within Judaism.