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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, lit. 'reception, tradition') [1] [a] is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. [2] It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism.
Kabbalah's beginnings date to the Middle Ages, originating in the Bahir [4] and the Zohar. [5] Although the earliest extant Hebrew kabbalistic manuscripts dating to the late 13th century contain diagrams, including one labelled "Tree of Wisdom," the now-iconic tree of life emerged during the fourteenth century.
The theosophical aspect of Kabbalah itself developed through two historical forms: "Medieval/Classic/Zoharic Kabbalah" (c.1175 – 1492 – 1570), and Lurianic Kabbalah (1569 – today) which assimilated Medieval Kabbalah into its wider system and became the basis for modern Jewish Kabbalah.
The Zohar (Hebrew: זֹהַר , Zōhar, lit."Splendor" or "Radiance" [a]) is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. [1] It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology.
Christian Kabbalah arose during the Renaissance due to Christian scholars' interest in the mysticism of Jewish Kabbalah, which they interpreted according to Christian theology. It is often transliterated as Cabala (also Cabbala ) to distinguish it from the Jewish form and from Hermetic Qabalah .
Kabbalah distinguishes between two types of Divine light that emanate through the 10 sefirot (Divine emanations) from the Infinite , to create or affect reality. There is a continual flow of a "lower" light, the Mimalei Kol Olmin , the light of eminence that "fills all worlds" is the creating force in each descending world, that itself ...
Kabbalah, however, teaches a belief in gilgul; hence, the belief is universal in Hasidic Judaism, which regards the Kabbalah as sacred and authoritative. Among well-known rabbis who rejected the idea of reincarnation are Saadia Gaon , David Kimhi , Hasdai Crescas , Jedaiah ben Abraham Bedersi (early 14th century), Joseph Albo , Abraham ibn Daud ...
Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (Hebrew: אברהם בן שמואל אבולעפיה) was the founder of the school of "Prophetic Kabbalah".He was born in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1240, and is assumed to have died sometime after 1291 following a stay on the small and windswept island of Comino (the smallest of the three inhabited islands that make up the Maltese archipelago).