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Mysticism: Jewish Mysticism
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Mysticism and mystical experiences have been a part of Judaism since the earliest days. The Torah contains many stories of mystical experiences, from visitations by angels to prophetic dreams and visions. The Talmud considers the existence of the soul and when it becomes attached to the body. Jewish tradition tells that the souls of all Jews were in existence at the time of the Giving of the Torah and were present at the time and agreed to the Covenant. There are many stories of places similar to Christian heaven and purgatory, of wandering souls and reincarnation. The Talmud contains vague hints of a mystical school of thought that was taught only to the most advanced students and was not committed to writing.
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Jewish Mysticism has been of major historical importance in the development of Western Esoteric traditions since the Renaissance. The phenomenon of "Christian Kabbalah" is a central phenomenon in this respect, which has in turn influenced the development of Jewish mysticism in the modern period. Beyond the Renaissance period, the influence of Jewish mysticism or specific aspects of it may be traced (albeit in increasingly derivative forms) throughout the history of Western Esotericism. Patterns of historical influence and interaction between Jewish Mysticism and Western Esotericism, in their various historical manifestations, are therefore of crucial importance.
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Although the Kabbalah has lately become 'trendy,' there is a dearth of well-written, scholarly books which give a larger perspective on the subject of Jewish Mysticism. In addition, many of the books on the subject are by Occultists, and ... valuable they are, tend to have their own agenda. Abelson puts the Kabbalah into context as the outgrowth of a long-term evolution of Jewish mystical thought, starting with the Essenes and the Merkabah (Chariot) mysticism of the Talmundic era. He explains how neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, Christianity and other currents influenced and were in turn impacted by Jewish mysticism. This is a great backgrounder if you are interested in the Kabbalah or Mysticism at any level.
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Scholars of Jewish Mysticism have often commented upon the phenomenological similarities between important forms of Jewish mysticism and of Western Esotericism (see, e.g., the theosophical systems of the Zohar and of Jacob Boehme). Indeed, Western Esotericism may
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Jewish Mysticism