Zohar- The Book of Splendor

Zohar- The Book of Splendor   Zohar, which literally means “splendor,” is the major composition of kabbalistic teaching that began to emerge in the latter part of the 13th century in the geographical region known as Castile, in northern Spain.  What do you want...

Torah and the Divine Names in Kabbalah

Torah and the Divine Names in Kabbalah   One of the doctrines that is shared by a number of different mystical groups in the Jewish Middle Ages is the identification of the Torah and the Divine Name, the Tetragrammaton, yod heh vav heh, the “ineffable Name.” What...

Theosophy

Theosophy   The term theosophy has been used by scholars of Kabbalah to refer to medieval Jewish mysticism. The term technically means “the wisdom about God,” and it is conventionally distinguished from theology on the basis that theology is reasoned...

Male and Female in Kabbalistic Symbolism

Male and Female in Kabbalistic Symbolism   One of the distinctive features of the kabbalistic tradition is the emphasis it places on portraying God in male and female terms. The masculine dimension of God is understood to be the attribute of hesed, “grace,” the...

The Secret Meaning of Jewish Laws and Rituals (Mitzvot)

The Secret Meaning of Jewish Laws and Rituals (Mitzvot)   Ta’amei ha-Mitzvot, “the reasons for the commandments,” is something that was treated in a very secretive way by the Rabbis in the Talmudic period. They were very reluctant to explain the reasons for the...

Shabbtai Zvi

Shabbtai Zvi   Shabbtasi Zvi was a Jew from Turkey in the 17th century around whom a messianic movement, or a pseudo-messianic movement evolved in that century, and eventually began to have an impact on the Diaspora Jewish community at large, as well as the...