What is the Qabbalah?

The first 200 words of this essay...

What is the Qabbalah?

'The Qabbalah (or Kabbalah) is the name given in post biblical Hebrew to the oral tradition handed down from Moses to the Rabbis of the Mishna and Talmud.'1 This description offers perhaps is good basis of what, in simplified terms, the Qabbalah is. In actuality the Qabbalah is a little more complex in its definition. Generally the Qabbalah can be described more precisely as a 'commonly used term for the esoteric teachings of Judaism and Jewish Mysticism.'2 These descriptions, however, can still be elaborated upon.

The term Qabbalah first appeared in the works of Solomon Ibn Gabriol, a philosopher and poet, in the 11th Century. It then later appeared in the esoteric theosophical teachings that were prevalent in Northern Spain and Provence during the 12th and 13th centuries. It is thought to have arisen due to a philosophical influence it had upon those Jewish people who sought to obtain a profound understanding of the established forms of Judaism and the concepts that Judaism presented. However there is no geographical or historical explanation as to why it appeared in this particular stage in history. It is argued that this was due to a