Lurianic Kabbala

Judaic mysticism

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June 30, 2026

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Lurianic Kabbala is a system of Jewish mysticism that emerged in the mid-16th century, primarily associated with Isaac ben Solomon Luria. It is a complex theosophy that attempts to reconcile the divine transcendence and immanence, and address the problem of evil.12

Key concepts include:
* Tzimtzum: The "withdrawal" or "contraction" of divine light to create space for creation.13
* Shevirat ha-kelim: The "breaking of the vessels" that contained the divine light, leading to disharmony and the entry of evil into the world.13
* Tikkun: The "restoration" or "repair" of the world, achieved through intense mystical life, adherence to religious duties, and a struggle against evil.134

Lurianic Kabbala posits that Jews have a crucial role in this cosmic restoration through prayer, meditation, and righteous actions, aiming to reunite divine sparks with their source. This system profoundly influenced later Jewish movements like Hasidism.143

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Judaism
The Lurianic Kabbala
After the establishment of the Zoharic corpus, no major changes took place in Jewish esoterism until the middle of the 16th century, when a religious center of extreme importance for Judaism, mainly inspired by teachers coming from families expelled from Spain, was established…
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After the establishment of the Zoharic corpus, no major changes took place in Jewish esoterism until the middle of the 16th century, when a religious center of extreme importance for Judaism, mainly inspired by teachers coming from families expelled from Spain, was established…
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Kabbala
Lurianic Kabbala
By the mid-16th century the unchallenged centre of Kabbala was Safed, Galilee, where one of the greatest of all Kabbalists, Isaac ben Solomon Luria, spent the last years of his life. According to Gershom Gerhard Scholem, a modern Jewish scholar of Kabbala, Luria’s…
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Isaac ben Solomon Luria
What is called Lurianic Kabbala is a voluminous collection of Luria’s Kabbalistic doctrines, recorded after his death by Ḥayyim Vital and appearing in two versions under different editorship. Because of this work, Lurianic Kabbala became the new thought that influenced all Jewish mysticism after Luria, competing with the…
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What is called Lurianic Kabbala is a voluminous collection of Luria’s Kabbalistic doctrines, recorded after his death by Ḥayyim Vital and appearing in two versions under different editorship. Because of this work, Lurianic Kabbala became the new thought that influenced all Jewish mysticism after Luria, competing with the…
Read More