Kabbalah has been in the news quite a bit lately, primarily due to the influence of several celebrities who claim to have embraced it as their religious practice. However, the fascination with Kabbalah has a very long history, and the term has come to be associated with mystical, secretive and even sinister practices. In the English language for instance the word "cabal" denotes a secretive collusion. With all these ideas floating around, it is very hard to discern what the "true" Kabbalah is all about, and sort out fact from fiction. The aim of this very short introduction is to set the record straight as much as possible, and this book largely succeeds in that regard.



The very term Kabbalah seems to have many different meanings, and it has come to be associated with various practices throughout the centuries. Kabbalah is purported to originate in the ancient Jewish mysticism, but the actual transmission of these ancient practices is at best vague. In fact, the author questions the very appropriateness of the term "mysticism" in a Jewish context, arguing rather that it's a projection of other religions and their attempt to draw parallels between their and Jewish practices. This line of argument feels a bit like hair-splitting, and may have more to do with academic definitions of "mysticism" than with the common understanding of the term. After reading this book I am still fairly comfortable thinking of Kabbalah as a mystic practice.



Kabbalah as we know it today had its origins in the middle ages. This is when (according to most scholars) Zohar, the main work of Kabbalistic literature, was composed. Kabbalah has evolved throughout the ensuing centuries, and one of its developments was the advent of Christian Kabbalah. In modern times among traditional Judaism, Kabbalah is mostly practiced amongst Hasidic sects. Outside of mainstream Judaism many New Age groups have claimed various aspects of Kabbalah, and this book takes a look at some of them.



Overall, this is a very well written and informative book that tries to make clear what Kabbalah is and what it's not. In his attempt to bring some clarity to this subject, the author can at times be a bit pedantic, but this is necessary in order to avoid confusion and write as accurate of an introduction to Kabbalah as possible.

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