The Kaballah
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Key Facts
Name -
· Kabbalah, which means “receiving” in Hebrew.
Important Texts -
· The Zohar (“The Book of Radiance”), Sefer Yetzirah
(“The Book of Formation”), Sefer ha-Bahir (“The
Book of Brilliance”)
Language -
· The most important texts of Kabbalah were originally
written in Hebrew and Aramaic, a defunct language.
Time and Place Written -
· Kabbalah’s core texts began to appear as early as the
first century B.C.E. The Zohar was most likely written in the second
century C.E.
Important Kabbalists -
· Shimon ben Yohai, Isaac the Blind, Moses de Leon, Moses Cordovero,
Isaac Luria, Shabbetai Tzvi, Nathan of Gaza, Rav Philip Berg
Major Themes -
· An Infinite and Incomplete God, the Three Types of
Fear, Chaos and Forgiveness
Important Terms -
· The sefirot, the Tree of Life, tikkun, tsimtsum, shevirat
ha-kelim, netzutzot, klippot
