Kabbalah

by Gershom Scholem

With origins extending back in time beyond the Dead Sea Scrolls, the body of writings and beliefs known as the Kabbalah has come to be increasingly recognized not only as one of the most intriguing aspects of Judaism but also as an important part of a broader mystical tradition. Here is one of the most enlightening studies ever to plumb its complex depths and range over its rich history, written by the late Gershom Scholem, the world's leading authority on the Kabbalah.

Genres: Religion, Judaism, Philosophy, Jewish, Mysticism, History, Nonfiction

494 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Gerhard Scholem, who, after his immigration from Germany to Israel, changed his name to Gershom Scholem (Hebrew: גרשם שלום), was a German-born Israeli philosopher and historian. He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern, academic study of Kabbalah, becoming the first Professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His close friends included Walter Benjamin and Leo Strauss, and selected letters from his correspondence with those philosophers have been published.

Scholem is best known for his collection of lectures, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (1941) and for his biography Sabbatai Zevi, the Mystical Messiah (1973). His collected speeches and essays, published as On Kabbalah and its Symbolism (1965), helped to spread knowledge of Jewish mysticism among non-Jews.

Reviews

[noblethumos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gershom Scholem’s Kabbalah stands as one of the most authoritative and enduring introductions to Jewish mysticism in modern scholarship. First published as a synthesis of decades of philological, historical, and conceptual research, the work reflects Scholem’s foundational role in establishing the academic study of Kabbalah as a rigorous historical discipline rather than a domain of speculative theology or occultist enthusiasm. The book is both a survey of the major currents of Kabbalistic thought and a methodological statement about how religious mysticism should be studied within its historical and linguistic contexts.


At its core, Kabbalah offers a systematic overview of the development of Jewish mysticism from its early manifestations in Merkabah and Heikhalot literature through the classical medieval Kabbalah of Provence and Spain, culminating in the theosophical systems of the Zohar and the later Lurianic tradition of Safed. Scholem structures his exposition chronologically and thematically, tracing the emergence of key concepts such as the sefirot, divine emanation, symbolism, and the tension between transcendence and immanence in Jewish conceptions of God. His treatment of the Zohar is particularly notable for its insistence on historical specificity, rejecting traditional attributions to the tannaitic sage Shimon bar Yohai in favor of a medieval Castilian milieu.


One of the book’s major strengths lies in Scholem’s philological rigor. He consistently grounds his interpretations in close readings of primary texts, often in Hebrew and Aramaic, while situating them within broader intellectual and social contexts. This approach enables Scholem to challenge romanticized or ahistorical readings of Kabbalah that present it as a timeless, esoteric wisdom divorced from rabbinic Judaism. Instead, he demonstrates that Kabbalah emerged from within normative Jewish life, shaped by halakhic concerns, communal crises, and philosophical debates. In doing so, Scholem reframes Jewish mysticism as a dynamic and often controversial force within Jewish history.


Equally significant is Scholem’s conceptual analysis of mysticism. He interprets Kabbalah as a response to unresolved tensions in Jewish theology, particularly the problem of divine transcendence after the biblical and rabbinic rejection of myth. The Kabbalistic symbolic system, especially the doctrine of the sefirot, is presented as a re-mythologization of Judaism that preserves monotheism while reintroducing a richly articulated inner life of the divine. Scholem’s emphasis on symbolism as a living, experiential language—rather than a merely allegorical one—has been especially influential, shaping subsequent approaches to religious symbolism and mysticism more broadly.


The latter sections of the book, dealing with Lurianic Kabbalah and its doctrines of tzimtzum, shevirat ha-kelim, and tikkun, underscore Scholem’s interest in the relationship between mysticism and historical catastrophe. He interprets Lurianism as a theological response to exile and trauma, particularly in the aftermath of the Spanish expulsion. This interpretive framework reaches its most provocative implications in Scholem’s discussion of Sabbateanism, which he treats not as a marginal heresy but as an internally intelligible, if radical, outgrowth of Kabbalistic thought.


Despite its many strengths, Kabbalah is not without limitations. As a synthetic work, it inevitably condenses complex debates and traditions, occasionally privileging coherence over internal diversity. Some critics have also noted Scholem’s tendency to emphasize mythic and antinomian elements, arguably at the expense of ethical, devotional, and practical dimensions of Kabbalistic life. Moreover, subsequent scholarship has revised certain historical claims and expanded attention to gender, ritual practice, and sociological factors less prominent in Scholem’s account. Nevertheless, these critiques reflect the vitality of a field that Scholem himself largely created.


Kabbalah remains a seminal text for scholars of Jewish studies, religious history, and mysticism. Its combination of historical depth, textual precision, and theoretical ambition ensures its continued relevance, even as the field has moved beyond some of its specific conclusions. More than an introduction, Scholem’s Kabbalah is a model of how esoteric traditions can be studied critically without being reduced or trivialized. It stands as a lasting testament to Scholem’s intellectual legacy and to the central place of mysticism in the Jewish religious imagination.

GPT

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent academic history of Kabbalah. It is of particular value to non-Jewish readers as it analyzes the influences of Christian mysticism on the development of the Kabbalah.

[Liminal Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa, kinda trippy, but interesting--you know, from what I could absorb.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I meant to just skim this book, but I ended up jumping around, reading later chapters before the ones preceding them, and then going to back towards the beginning of the book for more backstory.

I learned almost nothing about Kabbalah, itself.

This book is basically an exhaustive list of all the figures through time who left an imprint on whatever Kabbalah is. It discusses (and lists) every single differentiating remark between medieval copies of The Zohar, or other writings. It discusses the political and social upheavals created by the Kabbalah world. It discusses how different Kabbalah is from the Talmud and the Torah.

But what is Kabbalah?

What I could glean from this book (with previous lite-understanding of Kabbalah), is that Kabbalah was the attempt to explain to the masses how one might meditate and become One with the universe. It was to be the mystical element to the Jewish nationalist story. It takes ancient concepts of spirituality, and through an attempt to explain the depths of God in a world with competing religious and nationalist forces, gets the meditation all twisted up into codes, laws, angels, and numerology, and in the end (of this book anyway), it seems completely devoid of any spirit.

This book only touches on sacred geometry, only mentions the angels and numerology, but doesn't actually define any of it. (It does, however, explain how the angels were born from the Old Testament, and became .... enhanced, in a way, during the medieval years by Christian angels.

I would've loved to hear more about the overlap between Christian and Jewish Kabbalah, or about India's influence on Kabbalah's origins.

All in all, this book was pretty bad and I didn't learn much. But if you need a resource to find other sources, this book might help you in that research journey. Its like a giant Bibliography in itself, but not much for explaining what the heck the subject actually is.

[Gaze Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gershom Sholem is seen by many to be the father or modern academic study of the Kabbalah, and this book is one of many that cements this reputation. This is a very dense book on the subject of its title. And a fascinating look at how the Kabbalah developed throughout its recorded history. A lot of its very early history is lost in the murk due to it starting off as an oral tradition. But Sholem was able to recover a lot of its development by pouring over and intensely studying texts that his Rabbinical contemporaries looked at as nonsense or heresies. Things like the Zohar, or the teachings of Sabbati Sevi and Nathan of Gaza and Isaac Luria. These names will probably be known to some of people who study the Kabbalah now, and that is all thanks to Gershom Sholem. Without whom, their radical religious ideas would have been lost to history. It is all neatly summated here in this book, which makes for a heavy but interesting read. Mind you, the book mainly concentrates on the development of the Kabbalah through history, although there is a substantial chunk that introduces many of basic ideas of the Kabbalah. There is even a section of "personalities," or influential people associated with the Kabbalah. An excellent primer on an otherwise obscure subject for those willing to do heavy reading. And if you are, this book will not disappoint.

[Gio☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spiega molto bene le possibili origini della Cabala, come varia nel tempo e nei movimenti che l’adottano ed in generale come si è stratificata nei secoli.
Analizza molto bene i vari nomi e la loro etimologia ed i concetti principali di cui tratta.
Fa comprendere bene la portata del fenomeno e tutti gli equivoci che da esso si generano.
Mi sarebbe piaciuta qualche spiegazione in più sull’albero delle Sefirot.

Explains very well the possible origins of Kabbalah, how it varies over time and the movements that adopt it, and in general how it has stratified over the centuries.
It analyzes very well the various names and their etymology and the main concepts it deals with.
It gives a good understanding of the scope of the phenomenon and all the misunderstandings that arise from it.
I would have liked some more explanation of the Sefirot tree.

[Kenneth Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing "new age" about this book. This is the best academic book on the history of Kabbalah. It is easy to read but it can be a little difficult to understand in parts. It's worth the effort. I particularly liked the explanation about tension that exists between religious authority and mysticism and the two types of mysticism, progressive and fundamentalist. I read this for a college course years ago and still go back to it frequently.

[Tepintzin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't an easy read, which is why I took almost four months to read it. However, it's absolutely essential for approaching the Zohar and other kabbalistic works without falling into New Age misconceptions. Scholem breaks down the personalities, subjects in the Zohar, and the movements and mystical notions that arose out of it. This includes demonology, angelology, magic and Shabbatai Zevi, who I had not realized had such a huge impact on Jewish life and theology.

[Andy Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is valuable and interesting, but shouldn't be the first book on the subject that you read. Other books will give you the background you need to bushwack through Chapter 2, which offers a history of Kabbalah and assumes you know the elements of the tradition that it traces.

More specifically, you had better bring to this book a basic knowledge of the intellectual trends in its historical background: basic Jewish and religious concepts (such as the 13 attributes of God), Greek philosophy, Gnosticism, and some Hebrew. (Aramaic and Arabic would be helpful too!)

As the leading academic in the field of Kabbalah study, Scholem is concerned with who influenced whom and with the trail various ideas took through the fragments of literature that have come down to us. This may be why he counter-intuitively put a chapter on history before the chapter on basic concepts.

For instance, his chapter three and a half pages long on the Merkabah (Ezekiel's vision of the chariot) says almost nothing about the doctrines or interpretations given to the Merkabah. Instead, it describes in detail the references to the Merkabah over history, which is instructive but to my mind secondary. Much of the book is given over to lists of sources, which are as interesting to read as the genealogies in the Bible.

It might surprise you how little Scholem says in this book about Ḥasidism. This might be because the basic concepts all appeared earlier, or because many other authors have investigated that movement.

[Enoch Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, scholarly book. Highly recommended.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book.

[Onur · Rating 3 out of 5]

could be explained easier

[Linus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Kabbalah and its many traditions: highly recommended for any scholar of religion!

[George Araman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed information on Kabbalah, some great masters such as Abu Lafia, well written.

[Kitap Yakıcı · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★☆ — Dense, dazzling, and a little forbidding

Gershom Scholem’s Kabbalah is the kind of book that reminds you what “tour de force” actually means. This isn’t a breezy introduction to Jewish mysticism; it’s a sweeping, deeply learned map of a tradition that most of us have only encountered in fragments, rumors, or pop-cultural distortions. Scholem doesn’t just explain Kabbalah—he reconstructs it historically, philologically, and symbolically, showing how it develops across centuries, texts, and communities.

What makes the book compelling is Scholem’s insistence that Kabbalah is not a marginal curiosity but a central, dynamic current within Judaism. He treats it as a living intellectual and spiritual system, with its own internal logic, tensions, and evolutions—from early merkabah mysticism through the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and beyond. His discussions of concepts like the sefirot, divine emanation, exile, and repair (tikkun) are especially rich, revealing a symbolic universe that is both intricate and strangely coherent.

At its best, the book gives you the feeling that you’re watching a hidden architecture of meaning come into view—one that connects theology, cosmology, ritual, and language into a unified (if sometimes dizzying) whole. Scholem’s scholarship is formidable, but it’s not sterile; there are flashes of genuine fascination and even quiet awe at the tradition he’s excavating.

That said, this is not an easy read. The density can be punishing. Scholem assumes a level of familiarity with Jewish texts, history, and terminology that many readers won’t have, and he rarely slows down to hold your hand. The prose can feel more like a lecture than a narrative, and there are stretches where the accumulation of names, texts, and historical details threatens to overwhelm the conceptual thread.

In other words: this is a book you study, not just read.

Still, even when it’s difficult, it rewards patience. If you’re willing to meet it halfway, Kabbalah offers something rare—a serious, intellectually grounded encounter with a tradition often trivialized or misunderstood. It won’t give you instant spiritual clarity, but it will give you something better: a sense of the depth, complexity, and strange beauty of a symbolic system that has been unfolding for centuries.

Bottom line: essential and impressive, but demanding. A foundational work—just don’t expect it to be gentle.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a serious and academic examination of the history of kabbalah. For those interested in real research, Scholem provides citations to numerous manuscripts and primary sources. It is essentially an objective look at the development of kabbalistic thought, themes, terms and major personalities.
I would classify this more as a work of religious/cultural studies rather than a new-age intro manual. I enjoyed it and learned much.

[Jose Papo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best single book about Kabbalah, its most important bsic ideas, its development, personalities and different topics. It was hard for me to find this book. If you find it buy it. I really started to understand and develop my knowledge and understanding of Kabbalah after reading Gershom Scholem. A must for any historian of religion or student of spirituality and mysticism.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best introduction to Kabbalah there is.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was eighteen I wanted to be a pragmatic mystic. This desire has never gone away.

[Ann Klefstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a book one _likes_, necessarily, but a necessary book.

[Jimmy Navotni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece of the Kabbalistic history. Might be complicated or distracting for the beginners.

[Angelis Konstantinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent academic work!

[Belle Meade School]

296.16