Evil: Traditional views
The problem of evil may be religion's fundamental challenge. The presence of suffering — which in mythical, theological and philosophical discourse becomes aligned with evil — is arguably the reason...
View ArticleGlossary
Ayin Emptiness; nothingness. Binah Third of the sefirot, Binah means "understanding." Binah is the "supernal mother," the hidden Divine feminine, and the womb of the remaining sefirot. Binah is the...
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About
Learnkabbalah.com is a free archive of Kabbalistic teachings, texts, and resources. It was created in 2005 by Jay Michaelson, who was at the time a student of Kabbalah both in academic and traditional...
View ArticleEvil: Kabbalistic views
The primary Kabbalistic term for evil is sitra achra, which means "the Other side." In the subtle depth of this term alone lies some of the most transformative wisdom of the Kabbalah. Although often...
View ArticleModes of Learning
If secret knowledge is experiential knowledge, and therefore the only way to obtain it is in some form of direct transmission from a teacher or experiential practice, what are we to make of the...
View ArticleThe Epistle of the Baal Shem Tov
The following text is an apparently authentic letter by the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. In it, he describes a mystical ascent he performed by means of Kabbalistic techniques, and what he...
View ArticleThe Baal Shem Tov
Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) was the founder of Hasidism, a Kabbalistically-oriented revival movement which eventually swept through Eastern Europe and is still widespread today. Like the...
View ArticleBasic Meditation Techniques
The meditative techniques created by Abraham Abulafia and his followers are unusual in several respects. First, they are some of the clearest meditative techniques in all of the Kabbalah, and come...
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Isaac Luria
Ari Shabbat Meditation by Avraham Lowenthal Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572) is among the most influential, and remarkable, Kabbalists of all time. Called the Ari, or Holy Lion (the name is an acronym for...
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Jacob Frank
He rejected the Torah. He converted to both Islam and Catholicism. His sect engaged in secret sexual rituals. This was not a cult leader from Texas, Fiji, or Jonestown -- it was Jacob Frank, the great...
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Sabbetai Tzvi
In the mid-17th century, messianic fervor was widespread in the Jewish and Christian worlds -- not unlike today, when over 40% of Americans believe that Jesus will return to Earth during their...
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Four Worlds
The notion that the universe is comprised of four "worlds," or levels of reality, first occurs in 13th century Kabbalistic texts, but became more popular in 19th century Hasidism, and is especially...
View ArticleKabbalah as a Spiritual Practice
Kabbalah is a centuries-old body of literature, but it is often studied today alongside yoga, meditation, and other spiritual practices. Our exact notion of practice (yoga) is somewhat foreign to...
View ArticleDemons, Dybbuks, & Golems
What is the soul? Look for it, and it can't be seen; define it, and it eludes description. And yet, for many ancient cultures, the idea that life could exist without a soul was unimaginable. However,...
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