Category : The Development of Kabbalistic Thought

There are three distinct stages in the historical revelation of Kabbalah. Each represents a conceptual approach to understanding Kabbalistic tradition. Each is identified with a...

The first of the terms identified in the Tanya is hishtalshelut, "evolution." The concept of hishtalshelut, as used in Chassidic thought, refers to the metaphysical process whereby the complex...

The concept of hitlabshut ("enclothement"), on the other hand, implies a radical shift of focus in considering the nature of Creation. According to the perspective of hitlavshut, the...

The final concept cited by Rabbi Isaac from the Tanya is that of hashra'ah. This is a difficult term to translate. Its root–shara (to "immerse")–implies the pervasive infiltration of...

In line with R. Isaac's expository method, it is possible to suggest yet another triad of terms corresponding to the conceptual model of "the three Kabbalot."...

Another set of concepts, expressing various perspectives on the relationship between time and Creation, can be correlated as well with the three Kabbalot. The first, which...

In the early part of the nineteenth century, one of the great Kabbalists of modern times, Rabbi Isaac of Homel, published a treatise entitled Maamar Ha'shiflut...

Having refined our understanding of the three Kabbalot, we can now better appreciate the succession of idioms used in the Shabbat morning prayer, Hakol Yoducha ("All will thank You"): Eyn aroch...

After presenting his model of "the three Kabbalot," Rabbi Isaac proceeds to suggest that the three stages themselves correspond to three basic and recurrent concepts...