“There is No place empty of Him«
(Zohar, II, 42b)

The kabbalah (Hebrew qabbaláh, “receiving/tradition”) is the body of jewish mysticism that, in their historical sense-strict, is consolidated in the Middle Ages (XII–XIII centuries) and evolves in later centuries in various systems and schools. It is not a religion apart: it is a reading esoteric Torah and jewish life, in symbolic language, myth, theological and contemplative practices/teúrgicas aimed to understand God and repair the world through the commandments and the spiritual intention.

Etymology and scope

• Qabbaláh it means “reception” (received tradition). In the medieval literature, the term passed to designate, in a specific way, the mystical doctrine of the sefirot, the Ein Sof and the process of divine emanation.
• Academic research current book “kabbalah” to the medieval systems and posmedievales (Zohárico and Luriánico), distinguishing them from mystical jewish pre - (e.g., Merkabá).

Sources and foundational texts (time line minimum)

1. Sefer Yetzirá (Book of Formation, tardoantiguo/medieval early): a combination of letters and numbers, proto-jewish mysticism.
2. Sefer ha-Bahir (Book of Claritys. XII): first formulations of sephiroth as power/divine attributes.
3. Zohar (Book of Splendor, s. XIII, released by Moses de León): corpus pseudoevangélico in aramaic, says the Torah in key mystical and fixed the symbolic language classic of the cabal.
4. Kabbalah of Safed (s. XVI, Palestine, ottoman): Isaac Luria (ARIZaL) and his disciples (Chaim Vital) articulate Tzimtzum–Shevirá–Tikkún and systematised kavanot (intentions mystical in the prayer).
5. Hasidismo (s. XVIII): movement pietistic that popularizes reasons kabbalistic devotion to community.
6. Academic study modern (s. XX–XXI): Gershom Scholemthen Moshe Idel, Elliot Wolfson, etc, set the historical-critical of jewish mysticism.

Doctrines and key concepts

1) God and the structure of the divine

• Ein Sof (“Infinity”): the divine reality unknowable and without limits. From him emanate levels of manifestation.
• Sephiroth (10): “attributes”/channels through which the Infinite creates, sustains and governs the universe (e.g., Jésed – mercy; Gevurah – rigor; Tiféret – harmony; Maljut/Shechinah – presence). The religious life influences teúrgicamente in your balance.
• Partzufim (“faces/people”): configurations of the sefirot in personalities symbolic (e.g., Abba/Imma, Zeir Anpín, Nukvá), featured in the kabbalah luriánica.

2) The great myth luriánico (Safed, s. XVI)

• Tzimtzum: “contraction” of the Infinite to “make space” to the finite.
• Shevirat ha-kelim: “breaking of the vessels”; collapse of containers sefiroticos that dispersed “sparks” divine creation.
• Tikkún: “repair”; task human-cosmic raising sparks through mitzvot, prayer, and ethics.

3) Exegesis and symbolic languages

• PaRDeS: four levels of reading from the Torah (Peshat, Remez, Drash syndrome, Sod – “secret”), with the cabal operating at the level sod.
• Techniques letrísticas: gematria, temurá, notarikón; rearranged letters and numeric values to reveal senses esoteric (ancient and medieval; selective use).
• Shechinah and Sitra Ajrá: the divine Presence immanent, and “the other side” (forces of disorder); its voltage structure ethics kabbalistic.

4) spiritual Practice

• Kavaná (intention): concentration devotional and formulas meditative aligned with the sefirot; for prayer, Shabbat and holidays.
• Yijudim (unication): displays for “unite” divine aspects.
• Teurgia: the ritual action with intent search affect the processes divine (restoring harmony). The kabbalah is the classical example of mysticism teúrgico in the typology philosophical.

5) Anthropology mystical

• Soul with levels (nefesh-ruach-neshama...); reincarnation (gilgul) in the system luriánico; ethics as a rectification of traits and worlds.

Schools and currents

1. Cabal theosophical-teúrgica (dominant): Zohár-Safed. Structure divine, sephiroth, teurgia.
2. Cabal ecstatic-meditative (e.g., Abraham Abulafia, s. (XIII): techniques of the divine names, breathing, and letters to states of the union.
3. Hasidismo (s. XVIII): internalizes the cabal in key devotional-community.
4. Cabal christian (Renaissance, Pico della Mirandola, Reuchlin) and Qabalah hermetic (current esoteric european).

Critical history: developments and controversies

• Influences philosophical: the cabal medieval incorporates categories neo-platonist and neopitagóricas (emanation, hierarchies).
• Zohar: attributed literary to rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, but the critical links Moses de León (Castilla, s. (XIII) and his circle; it is a corpus more than a “book” only one.
• Safed and hegemony luriánica: program tikkún permeates the liturgy, ethics and cosmology jewish tempranomodernas.
• Messianic and ruptures: the sabatianismo (s. XVII) exploits symbols kabbalistic and drift in crisis; Scholem showed how mystical and law live in dialectical tension along the history.
• Jewish enlightenment (Haskala) and modernity: critical to esotericism and superstition; however, the influence kabbalistic persists in theology, liturgy, and contemporary spirituality.

How to “work” the cabal in the religious life (synthesis operational)

• It does not replace the halachah: traditionally, the practices kabbalistic integrate to the observance of the commandments; no mitzvot and ethics, the teurgia is considered empty or dangerous.
• Risks and limits: its teachers emphasized transmission-guided and gradual to avoid readings literal symbols and practices of folk magic.