What is the Kabbalah?
Kabbalah (Hebrew for "received tradition") is a school of Jewish mysticism dedicated to exploring the nature and relationships of God, man and the universe. It is also known as Kabala, Cabala or Qabalah.
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A Gift from God
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God is purported to have given Kabbalah and the Torah ("law"), the Jewish holy scriptures, to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Torah, comprising the first five books of the Old Testament, contains literal, straightforward stories and commandments. Kabbalah explores abstractions "between the lines" of the text to uncover revelations of Divine will and mystical powers.
Ein Sof
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Kabbalah describes God as Ein Sof ("without end"), whose true nature is beyond our understanding. He does not exist on man's physical plane, but can communicate with man through a spiritual middle ground. This interaction is a source of extraordinary power. Some believe Jesus accessed it to perform his miracles.
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The Zohar
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Kabbalah, as a formalized system, originated in late 13th century Spain with publication of its seminal text, The Zohar ("splendor" or "radiance"). This massive work, in ancient Aramaic, contains 13 volumes of such dense, obscure, spiritual allegory and imagery that its study can take a lifetime.
Kabbalah as Pop Culture
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Pop megastar Madonna became a Kabbalah enthusiast in 1998, claiming it helped her achieve "spiritual clarity." Other celebrities followed, starting a trendy, "accessible" Kabbalah that has proven controversial.
Kabbalah and the Ego
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Many scholars of Jewish mysticism take a dim view of this new brand of Kabbalah, calling it "a dangerous cult" that reduces sacred texts to "mumbo-jumbo." Whether the "new" Kabbalah constitutes a cult, experts do say it is at odds with the true meaning of Kabbalah. As Pinchas Geller, professor of Kabbalah at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, notes, "(Kabbalah is) about annihilating the ego, not reinforcing it."
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References
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