govern point

First off, let’s get the spelling out of the way and baseline the word.

What does the word Kabbalah mean, and how should I spell it?

The word “Kabbalah” is derived from the root “to receive, to accept”.  There are a bunch of spellings of the word, the most common – Kabbalah and Qabalah. Cabala, Qaballah, Qabala, Kaballah are also seen. The reason for this is that some letters in the Hebrew alphabet have more than one representation in the English alphabet, and the same Hebrew letter can be written either as K or Q. So we are going with K

What is Kabbalah?

Kabbalah is an aspect of Jewish mysticism. It focuses on the nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and fate of the soul, and the role of human beings. It is includes meditative, devotional, mystical and magical practices which were taught only to a select few. Some aspects of Kabbalah have been studied and used by non-Jews for several hundred years – see What is Hermetic Kabbalah.

Do I need to learn Hebrew to study Kabbalah?

A Jewish Kabbalist would think it is impossible to study Kabbalah without knowing a little Hebrew. Ultimately, there are many practical exercises and ritual techniques which can be employed with only a minimal knowledge of Hebrew. So Hebrew would be good.

What is Hermetic Kabbalah?

Essentially it is  Non-Jewish practictioners. At one time it was called “Christian” Kabbalah.  None of these are completely precise, but as close as it gets.

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