kabbalah

or cab·a·la

[ kab-uh-luh, kuh-bah- ]

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.

kabbalah

/ ˈkæbəˌlɪzəm; 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

Derived Forms

• ˈkabbalist, noun
• kabbalism, noun
• ˌkabbaˈlistic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kabbalah¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kabbalah¹

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Hebrew qabbālāh tradition, what is received, from qābal to receive

Example Sentences

In his hands was The Zohar, the chief text of the Jewish Kabbalah.

From The Daily Beast

Neilson told Newsweek that "the separation is a healthy thing for Raising Malawi and the Kabbalah Centre."

From The Daily Beast

That goes a long way toward explaining the appeal of the Church of Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre.

From The Daily Beast

The Kabbalah does not possess that integral connection with Masonry which is argued by Mgr.

From Project Gutenberg

Eating little means sleeping little, and whole nights without sleep or food incline one to the Kabbalah!

From Project Gutenberg

Somebody was caught reading a Kabbalah-book, and the Rabbi had his beard shaven by Gentiles!

From Project Gutenberg

These hermeneutical canons are much older than the Kabbalah.

From Project Gutenberg

The Kabbalah is divided into two parts, viz, the symbolical and the real.

From Project Gutenberg