Kabbalah glossary: terms with sources and context
Look up seven Kabbalah terms with Hebrew spellings, named sources, version distinctions and links into guided learning.
Published · Our editorial approach
Choose the term you encountered
| Term | Hebrew | Start with this question |
|---|---|---|
| Sefirot | ספירות | Look up sefirot, distinguish Sefer Yetzirah’s early term from later named emanations, and continue into Mazalogy’s guided study. |
| Ein Sof | אין סוף | Understand Ein Sof and Or Ein Sof in named Kabbalistic sources, with clear distinctions between theological metaphor and a diagram’s labels. |
| Keter and Daat | כתר ודעת | Look up Keter and Daat, understand alternative ten-sefirot counts, and learn how to identify the scheme behind a diagram. |
| Tzimtzum | צמצום | Understand tzimtzum through Sefer Etz Chaim and Tanya, keeping the creation imagery and a nonliteral interpretation distinct. |
| Tikkun | תיקון | Distinguish Kabbalistic tikkun from the legal phrase tikkun ha-olam by comparing named sources and their different questions. |
| Sefer Yetzirah | ספר יצירה | Look up Sefer Yetzirah, identify its version and commentary, and understand why Mazalogy names the Gra source for month correspondences. |
| Ilanot | אילנות | Understand ilanot as integrated diagrams and texts, identify provenance and labels, and distinguish a historical tree from a universal template. |
A short meaning, then an exact source
A term can change its work from one text to another. An early passage about sefirot, a later account of cosmic repair and a legal use of tikkun ha-olam are useful comparisons because their settings remain visible. Start with the word you need, then follow the named source or related learning guide.
Each entry gives a Hebrew spelling, English spelling variants, a concise meaning and the distinctions most likely to matter during a first reading. The glossary does not replace the surrounding passage. Save the work, version or translation, and exact reference with any definition you copy.
Continue into guided learning
Learn Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism · Study the ten sefirot · Read the Sefer Yetzirah introduction · Learn to read Jewish sources with context
Sources and editorial approach
Prepared by Mazalogy with AI assistance and the named sources. Definitions summarize a source in its context; reading exercises are contemporary editorial work. Source attribution does not imply that its author or institution reviewed or endorsed this page.