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Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main’s Dr. Elke Morlok writes of the Hebrew Bible as an inspiration for Jewish Mysticism. The transmission of mystical content and exegetic methods was kept within elite circles. »Kabbalah« (Hebrew q-b-l, to receive) designates different forms of Jewish esotericism, emphasizing intense religious experience.

»Hekhalot-literature« (hekhal, palace) and Merkavah speculations (merkavah, chariot; Ez. 1:8), date 200–800 C.E. and describe ascent through the heavenly realms, culminating in a vision of God’s form upon His throne. Shiʽur Qomah traditions describe the limbs of the enthroned divine figure in unfathomable dimensions. Secrets are revealed by Metatron, the »angel of the divine countenance.« The demiurgic status of Metatron as »lesser YHWH« is fiercely debated in recent scholarship.

Sefer Yezirah (Book of Creation) discusses the creation of the cosmos using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The Ḥasidei Ashkenaz emphasized ascetic renunciation and ethical discipline. Sefer haBahir, »The Book of Brightness,« includes an image of God in a male-female polarity and theurgical understanding of halakhic practices. The Bahir focusses on ten sefirot, luminous emanations of God that reveal inner divine life.

Between 1210 and 1260, Kabbalah developed in Castile. During the 1290’s, a kabbalistic commentary on the Torah, Sefer haZohar (The Book of Splendor) had a transformative impact on Judaism. Abraham Abulafia (born 1240) propounded a Kabbalah to bring one to a state of ecstatic union with God. According to his own testimony, Abulafia wrote 26 books of prophecy based on his mystical experiences.

The exile of the Spanish Jewish community facilitated the expansion of kabbalistic texts around the Mediterranean. Isaac Luria had an enormous impact on the Safed kabbalists. The charismatic figure Sabbatai Zevi was born in Smyrna (Turkey). Zevi’s purported messianism gained sufficient momentum to break through social groups. In 1666, Sabbatai Zevi converted to Islam. This devastating disappointment brought the movement to a catastrophic end.

In the 18th century, a new social phenomenon took root in Poland-Lithuania, centered around kabbalistic traditions and the teachings of Israel Baʽal Shem Tov. His Hasidic movement emphasized a democratic religious ideal, wherein spiritual achievement is attainable through sincerity, piety, and joyful worship.