kabbalah

noun, often capitalized

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kab·ba·lah | \ kə-ˈbä-lə

, ˈka-bə-lə

variants: or less commonly kabbala or kabala or cabala or cabbala or cabbalah

Definition of kabbalah

1 : a medieval and modern system of Jewish theosophy, mysticism, and thaumaturgy marked by belief in creation through emanation and a cipher method of interpreting Scripture

2a : a traditional, esoteric, occult, or secret matter

b : esoteric doctrine or mysterious art

Other Words from kabbalah Example Sentences Learn More About kabbalah

Other Words from kabbalah

kabbalism \ ˈkä-bə-ˌli-zəm

, ˈka- \ noun

kabbalistic \ ˌkä-bə-ˈli-stik

, ˌka- \ adjective

Examples of kabbalah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In code, artists were able to include references to alchemy, astrology, and even kabbalah, a mystical branch of Judaism. — National Geographic, 16 Jan. 2020 While Isaac Luria expounded the kabbalah following the expulsion from Spain, Joseph Caro updated the practical application of halakhah in the Shulchan Aruch code of laws (1563). — Dominic Green, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2018 Gershom Scholem, the pioneering scholar of kabbalah, was one of many public intellectuals who felt that Arendt had lost track of the human reality of the Holocaust amid the scintillating twists of her argument. — George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018 While Isaac Luria expounded the kabbalah following the expulsion from Spain, Joseph Caro updated the practical application of halakhah in the Shulchan Aruch code of laws (1563). — Dominic Green, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2018 Incarcerated, not so much for his libidinous ways, but for gambling, cheating tourists, his flagrant libertinism in the face of the Venetian Inquisition, and his heretical interests in alchemy and the kabbalah. — Gaile Robinson, star-telegram, 30 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kabbalah.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.