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Kabbala

Kabbala

1 9.9
Jewish teachings about hidden spiritual meanings in the Hebrew Bible
  • noun
  • /kəˈbɑːlə/
translation icon : Cábala
  • Many scholars believe that Kabbala offers deep insights into the nature of existence.
  • Lurianic Kabbala
  • according to Kabbala
  • Kabbala's conception

Examples

  • At this stage, however, we just wish to point out that the Kabbala's conception of a less-than-perfect God entails a submission of both God and creation to a higher law or controlling dynamic.

    Academic text (1990)
  • And when I was in LA, I studied Kabbala.

  • "The King God," says the Kabbala, "was imprisoned in the tresses of the temporal human mind."

    Academic text (1990)
  • The Kabbala indeed envisages the formation of a curtain, a screen, between the emanator and emanant.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Conversely, the theurgic conception of the Kabbala sees every human act as having an immediate effect on Divinity.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Elder Amarillo had once said that as the world neared its end, according to Spanish Kabbala, time would start to accelerate and behave in strange ways.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The Kabbala is anthropocentric; it envisages a less-than-perfect God ever looking for ways and means to "mend" (Tikkun) himself.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Indeed, even Moses, whose root, according to Vital, was from Abel, had some roots of Cain. The concept of root is crucial in the Kabbala, which postulates that each temporal object and life-form has a transcendental root.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Throughout history, Kabbala has attracted interest from various philosophers and mystics.

  • The teachings of Kabbala explore the relationship between God and the universe, emphasizing a mystical approach.

Synonyms

Kabbalah
vsKabbala
12 9.9

A set of Jewish mystical teachings about God and the universe

is the same tradition described in the main entry but with alternate spelling
Cabbalah
vsKabbala
  • UK
1 9.9

A system of Jewish mystical ideas based on hidden meanings in the Jewish holy books

is the spelling provided in the main description rather than this variant
Kabala
vsKabbala
9.9

A Jewish tradition that finds hidden meanings in its holy books

is the form used in the main description rather than this spelling
Kabbalism
vsKabbala
9.9

A set of Jewish spiritual teachings about God and the hidden meaning of the world

refers to the whole mystical system rather than its doctrinal label
Qabala
vsKabbala
  • Jargon
9.9

A system of secret spiritual teachings based on Jewish mystical ideas

denotes the original rabbinical theosophy rather than later occult adaptations

Surface Forms

Kabbala singular
Kabbalas plural

Etymology

Kabbala comes from the Hebrew word qabbalah, which means 'reception' or 'what is received'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of 'receive' — the Kabbala are teachings that were 'received' from earlier teachers and passed down, so the word now means a Jewish mystical tradition.