What is Kabbalah?

Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)—sometimes translated as “mysticism” or “occult

knowledge—is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. Whether it entails a sacred
text, an experience, or the way things work, Kabbalists believe that God moves in mysterious ways.
However, Kabbalists also believe that true knowledge and understanding of that inner, mysterious
process is obtainable, and through that knowledge, the greatest intimacy with God can be attained.

The Zohar, a collection of written, mystical commentaries on the Torah, is considered to be the
underpinning of Kabbalah. Written in medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew, the Zohar is intended to
guide Kabbalists in their spiritual journey, helping them attain the greater levels of connectedness with
God that they desire.

Kabbalistic thought often is considered Jewish mysticism. Its practitioners tend to view the Creator and
the Creation as a continuum, rather than as discrete entities, and they desire to experience intimacy
with God. This desire is especially intense because of the powerful mystical sense of kinship that
Kabbalists believe exists between God and humanity. Within the soul of every individual is a hidden part
of God that is wait-ing to be revealed. Even mystics who refuse to describe such a fusion of God and
man so boldly, still find the whole of Creation suffused in divinity, breaking down distinctions between
God and the universe. Thus, the Kabbalist Moses Cordovero writes, “The essence of divin-ity is found in
every single thing, nothing but It exists….It exists in each existent.”

There are three dimensions to almost all forms of Jewish mysticism, which are likely to be understood by
only small numbers of people who possess specialized knowledge or interest in the topic:

The investigative

The experiential

The practical

The investigative aspect of Kabbalah in-volves searching the hidden reality of the universe for secret
knowledge about its origins and its organization—a quest that is more esoteric than mystical. In Jewish
tradition, there are three ways esoteric knowledge can be obtained:
 By interpreting sacred texts to uncover nistar (“hidden” meaning)

By oral transmission of tradition from a Kab-balistic master

By direct reve-lation, which might include visitation by an angel or Elijah, spirit possession, or other
supra-rational experience

Although it is primarily interested in metaphysics, things “beyond” the physical universe, investigative
Kabbalah is not anti-rational. All Jewish mystical/esoteric traditions adopt the language of, and expand
upon, the philosophic and even scientific ideas of their time.

The experiential dimension of Kabbalah involves the actual quest for mystical experience: a direct,
intuitive, unmediated encounter with a close but concealed Deity. As Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote,
mystics “...want to taste the whole wheat of spirit before it is ground by the millstones of reason.”
Mystics specifically seek the ec-static experience of God, not merely knowledge about God. In their
quest to encounter God, Jewish mystics live spiritually disciplined lives. Although neither formal nor
informal monasticism is sanctioned by Jewish mysticism, experiential Kabbalists tend to be ascetics.
Nonetheless, Juda-ism keeps its mystics grounded, and they are expected to marry, raise a family, and
fulfill all customary communal religious obligations. Therefore, many willfully expand the sphere of their
religious practice beyond what tradition requires, creating hanganot, personal daily devo-tional
practices. In his will, one Kabbalist recommended this regime to his sons: peri-ods of morning,
afternoon, evening, and midnight prayer, two hours devoted to the Bible, four and a half to Talmud, two
to ethical and mystical texts, and two to other Jewish texts, as well as one and a half hours to daily care,
time to make a living – and five hours to sleep!

The practical dimension of Kabbalah involves rituals for gaining and exercising power to effect change in
our world and in the celestial worlds beyond ours. This power is generated by performing
commandments, summon-ing and controlling angelic and demonic forces, and otherwise tapping into
the supernatural energies present in Creation. The practical aspect of Kabbalah furthers God’s intention
in the world, advancing good, subduing evil, healing, and mending. The true master of this art fulfills the
human potential to be a co-creator with God.

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. Beyond academia, however, the term
“Kabbalah” is a catchall for all forms of Jewish esotericism.
As noted above, Jewish mystics are not like monks or hermits. Kabbalists tend to be part of social circles
rather than lone seekers. With few exceptions, such as the wandering mystic Abraham Abulafia,
esoterically inclined Jews tend to congregate in mystical as-sociations, and it is not unusual for a single
master to bring forth a new and innovative mystical school, which yields multiple generations of a
particular mystical practice. 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. Most mystical movements are deeply indebted to the writings of earlier
schools, even as they add innovative interpretations and new systems of thought to the existing
teachings. In contemporary Reform congregations, the observances of Kabbalat Shabbat, havdalah, and
the Tu BiShvat seder derive from Kabbalistic traditions.

Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis serves Congregation Kol Ami in Flower Mound, TX. He also teaches Kabbalah
at the University of North Texas. He is the author of The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and
Mysticism. He has also published numerous articles and essays. The most recent, “Your Kisses are
Sweeter than Wine: Jewish Erotic Theology,” appears in The Sacred Encounter (CCAR Press, 2014).

Spiritual Secrets? A Messianic Jew Reflects on Kabbalah

by Rachel Korycka

I like to think I have an open mind. I’ve always enjoyed listening to other people’s beliefs. I grew up in
both Christian and Jewish circles; my parents encouraged me to explore my friends’ different affiliations
and denominations and draw my own conclusions.

Recently, I’ve come to realize that when the truth that is found in Yeshua (Jesus) alone is deeply
engraved on your heart and soul, other belief systems will not faze what you know to be real. The
downside to this is the ache you feel, the knot that forms in your throat when you look into the eyes of
friends and strangers who are terrifyingly far from grasping the truth.

Religious to “spiritual” to nothing!

Growing up in the church, I watched many friends walk away, jumping from religious to “spiritual” to
nothing at all. It’s incredibly common for religion to become so overwhelming that people transition into
a “spiritual” lifestyle and start to live by their own rules. In a 2017 Barna survey, for example, 40 percent
of Jewish Millennials answered yes when asked, “Do you consider yourself to be a spiritual person?”[1]

Several weeks ago, I listened as a man began to share his beliefs with a room full of strangers. I had only
been living in San Francisco two weeks, and my West Coast adventure was off to an interesting start,
filled with introductions, first impressions and now . . . Kabbalah. “There is no coincidence,” the man
said, his piercing blue eyes gazing across the room. “All is connected.”

Fathomless longing

Our class was then prompted to share one of our happiest moments. I listened as each individual
detailed a time they had experienced great joy: taking in the blissful solitude of nature; listening to
classical music; the changing of the seasons; the beauty of created things; the birth of a child; a
meaningful gift; arriving in Israel for the first time. With each shared experience, I couldn’t help noticing
how different all our examples of joy were. But there was a recurring, familiar theme: longing. A
fathomless, all-consuming longing to be connected to something greater than ourselves.

I sat listening, trying to keep from exhibiting my true feelings. I wanted so badly to share with those
around me that they had only come halfway. That believing in, or exploring, a mystical, far-off creator
will not add value or enlightenment to their lives. That true joy and connection is only found through the
Messiah, who is community himself, come to dwell among his people.

The void

Chabad talks about stepping away and allowing the void that we regularly feel to remain empty for
longer periods of time. By putting aside extra snacks, wine, work and sleep and accepting vulnerability,
we are meant to see and hear more clearly. Chabad adherents refer to this process as bringing “more
Divine light into the darkness” to “help to illuminate the void.”[2]
Looking around the room, I could feel the void. If only my classmates knew how Yeshua could fill us with
“all the fullness of God,” that there is a God “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or
think, according to the power at work within us . . .” (Ephesians 3:19–20).

Had I been bolder, I would have raised my hand. The instructor would have called on me, and I’d have
said in a cool, collected voice, “Um, excuse me everyone, in God’s presence is ‘fullness of joy’ (Psalm
16:11). All these things you have experienced are gifts from God, not just the result of good vibes, karma
or trust in a far-off presence you can never know personally. Yes, you experienced happiness, but there
is an ‘inexpressible joy’ awaiting those who believe in the one true God (1 Peter 1:8)!”

Becoming God?

Of course, all this only unfolded within my imagination, and I did my best to continue listening. The
instructor went through several points: “The number one cause of everything is connection.” (Yes! And
God wants to connect with us!) “There is a force called Creator.” (Yes, and He wants to know you! And
for you to know Him!). I looked around the room at puzzled faces, some of them lit up, thinking they
were learning something of substance. “There is one road for everybody, and that is to become Creator-
like again and again,” the instructor intoned.

And with that, my first experience with Kabbalah was over. I left frustrated, aching for the other
members of the small group I had sat with for only an hour. Yes, God’s desire is for us to become more
like Him, but not to overrule the Creator or make ourselves equal or develop a messiah complex.

In an article for Chabad, DovBer Pinson writes, “It is important to realize that the Kabbalah is more
about losing ourselves than about finding, becoming more other-centered and less ego-centered.”[3]
Yes, we should care about others. And there is a way to be found in the process of losing yourself, for I
believe Yeshua came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

The Most

From my perspective, the search could have stopped that very night for the people there. The longing
for “more” could be quenched by knowledge of the Most.

Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis says that “Kabbalists believe that God moves in mysterious ways,” but that “true
knowledge and understanding of that inner, mysterious process is obtainable.” He adds, “The
investigative aspect of Kabbalah involves searching the hidden reality of the universe for secret
knowledge about its origins.”[4] To me, that sounds needlessly complex. When the crowd asked Jesus
one day, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” he answered, “This is the work of God, that
you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:28–29). And who is the one God has sent? Yeshua. Simply
believing in him sounds a whole lot easier to me.

I am thankful to know a God who has written my name on the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16)
regardless of how much knowledge I possess.