"The rabbinic concept of Shekhinah, divine immanence, blossoms into the feminine half of God, balancing the patriarchal conception that dominates the Bible and the Talmud."

The Hebrew word kabbalah means "receiving" or "that which had been received." On the one hand, Kabbalah refers to tradition, ancient wisdom received and treasured from the past. On the other hand, if one is truly receptive, wisdom appears spontaneously, unprecedented, taking you by surprise.

The Jewish mystical tradition combines both of these elements. Its vocabulary teems with what the Zohar – the canonical text of the Kabbalah – calls "new-ancient words." Many of its formulations derive from traditional sources – the Bible and rabbinic literature – but with a twist. For example, "the world that is coming," a traditional phrase often understood as referring to a far-off messianic era, turns into "the world that is constantly coming," constantly flowing, a timeless dimension of reality available right here and now, if one is receptive.

The rabbinic concept of Shekhinah, divine immanence, blossoms into the feminine half of God, balancing the patriarchal conception that dominates the Bible and the Talmud. Kabbalah retains the traditional discipline of Torah and mitsvot (commandments), but now the mitsvot have cosmic impact: "The secret of fulfilling the mitsvot is the mending of all the worlds and drawing forth the emanation from above." According to Kabbalah, every human action here on earth affects the divine realm, either promoting or hindering the union of Shekhinah and her partner – the Holy One, blessed be he. God is not static being, but dynamic becoming. Without human participation, God remains incomplete, unrealized. It is up to us to actualize the divine potential in the world. God needs us.

Kabbalah owes its success to this piquant blend of tradition and creativity, loyalty to the past and bold innovation.

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