Historical Background

The Hebrew word kabbalah, which literally means “that which has been received,” originally did not refer particularly to any type of mysticism or esoteric knowledge. Rather, the term kabbalah was used to mean the entire body of the Jewish oral tradition that Moses received on Mount Sinai and was passed on from teacher to disciples through an unbroken chain, as described in the Mishnah (see Avot 1:1). In the early 3rd century, Rabbi Judah the Prince, fearing that the oral tradition would be lost in the face of Roman persecution, compiled the elements of the Oral Law into a six-volume work known as the Mishnah. But the Mishnah, trying to remain faithful to its oral roots, recorded the law in extremely concise form, merely highlighting the important points and leaving much to be transmitted orally. Also, the Mishnah concentrates on the legal aspects of the oral tradition and for the most part ignores other aspects of Biblical interpretation.

One of these other aspects of the oral tradition is the area that was known as sitrei Torah (mysteries of the Torah), Torat hasod, or just plain Sod (secret, or mystery). Later, various other appellations were applied to that field of study. It was only in the 13th century that the term Kabbalah started to be used specifically in reference to sitrei Torah.

One of the earliest works of sitrei Torah is Sefer Yetzirah (Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation), written in the 6th or 7th century but probably transmitted orally for centuries before that. It is traditionally ascribed to Abraham. Some have attributed it to Rabbi Akiva (second century Israel), but that attribution is tenuous. Sefer Yetzirah, which is written in poetic Hebrew, contains the first known use of the term sefirot as used in the Kabbalistic sense. (See “The Sefirot – Part I” – post of 30 July 2009.) The first chapter of Sefer Yetzirah is of central importance in understanding later Kabbalistic thought.

Many other books on sitrei Torah came out over the several centuries following the writing of Sefer Yetzirah, but the work that had the most profound influence in this field was Sefer haZohar (The Book of Radiance), also known simply as The Zohar. This book, attributed to Rabbi Shim’on ben Yochai (second century Israel), first appeared in Spain in the late 13th century. Initially, it was distributed in manuscript among a closely-knit group of Castilian Kabbalists. Written in poetic Aramaic prose, the Zohar’s linguistic beauty, artful imagery, and spiritual elevation captured the hearts and minds of its readers. Although the Zohar was not published in printed form until 1558, in the 14th and 15th centuries it was widely disseminated in manuscript.

With the rise of the Spanish Inquisition, many Jews sought solace in the study of Kabbalah in general, and in the Zohar in particular. The Zohar, which repeatedly emphasizes the holiness of the people of Israel, associates the enemies of Israel with the satanic realm (thus turning the tables on the Medieval accusation that Jews were agents of Satan on earth), and asserts that Israel will rise again in Messianic times, struck a chord among the downtrodden Jews of Spain. Soon the Zohar became revered above all other Kabbalistic works.

After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, the influence of the Zohar continued to increase. Many of the Spanish exiles settled in Israel, and especially in the city of Safed in northern Israel. The leader of the Safed Kabbalists in the mid-16th century was Rabbi Moses Cordovero (1522-1570), also known as Ramak. Ramak sought to do for Kabbalah what Moses Maimonides had done for Jewish law and for Jewish philosophy: i.e., he sought to present Kabbalah in a systematic, organized framework.

In his book Or Ne’erav (the Sweetened Light), Ramak outlines the reasons why any Jew who has sufficient background in Jewish learning should study Kabbalah and gives a concise summary of the basic principles of the Kabbalah. His short book on ethics, Tomer Devorah (The palm tree of Deborah) has become popular in recent years, even among non-Kabbalists. But Ramak’s crowning achievements are Or Yakkar, his massive commentary on the Zohar, and Pardes Rimmonim (Pardes Rimonim - Orchard of Pomegranates - Parts 1-4), in which he analyzes in depth all of the major issues of Kabbalah.

After Ramak’s death in 1570, his student, Rabbi Isaac Luria, became the leader of the Safed Kabbbalists. Rabbi Luria, also known as The Ari, introduced a whole new approach to interpreting the Zohar, which differed in many ways from the more traditional Kabbalah of Ramak. Where Ramak’s approach is analytic, Lurianic Kabbalah employs metaphor and symbolism. The Ari’s tenure as leader in Safed lasted less than two years, until his death in 1572, but his approach to Kabbalah captured the imagination of many. Although the Ari wrote almost nothing, his teachings were systematized by his disciple Rabbi Chayyim Vital in his book Etz Chayyim (The Tree of Life: The Palace of Adam Kadmon - Chayyim Vital's Introduction to the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria). Lurianic Kabbalah spread rapidly and eventually became the most prevalent form of Kabbalistic thought, as it is still today.


© Copyright 2009 by Ben Roshgolin. All rights reserved.