kabbalah

American  

[kab-uh-luh, kuh-bah-] / ˈkæb ə lə, kəˈbɑ- /

Or Cabbala or Cabala or Kabala or Qabalah

noun

1. a system of esoteric theosophy and theurgy developed by rabbis, reaching its peak about the 12th and 13th centuries, and influencing certain medieval and Renaissance Christian thinkers. It was based on a mystical method of interpreting Scripture by which initiates claimed to penetrate sacred mysteries. Among its central doctrines are: all creation is an emanation from the Deity and the soul exists from eternity.

2. any occult or secret doctrine or science.

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kabbalah British  

/ kəˈbɑːlə /

noun

1. an ancient Jewish mystical tradition based on an esoteric interpretation of the Old Testament

2. any secret or occult doctrine or science

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Other Word Forms

• kabbalism
  noun
• kabbalist
  noun
• kabbalistic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of kabbalah

First recorded in 1515–25; from Medieval Latin cabbala, from Hebrew qabbālāh “tradition,” literally, “something received,” i.e., “handed down”; see also cabal ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kabbalah

These range from the kabbalah to perhaps his favored poet, Paul Celan.

From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2022

To cite a few, there’s Shekinah, who is female and is the presence of God on Earth in the kabbalah.

From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2022

Treister’s neat, colorful works on paper feature flying saucers and stars laid out in a kabbalah tree-of-life diagram, and blueprints for imagined scientific systems and extraterrestrial architecture.

From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2021

“She loved the kabbalah learning, which is all about improving yourself.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 13, 2013

For instance, the kabbalah seized upon the idea of the dual nature of God.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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