Is non-Judaic Kabbalah really Kabbalah?
———————————————- This is a matter of definition. Jewish writers on the subject tend to downplay aspects of Kabbalah which conflict with orthodox rabbinic Judaism, so that we do not see the heretic Nathan of Gaza classed as an important Kabbalist, despite the fact that he was very influential for almost two hundred years. We hear little about the non-rabbinic “Baal Shem” or “Masters of the Name” who used Kabbalah for healing and other practical purposes. There is ample evidence that many magical practices currently associated with non-Judaic Kabbalah were widely used and well understood by some of the most famous rabbinic Kabbalists. It is the author’s opinion that non-Jewish Kabbalah has preserved up to the current day many practical techniques, and R. Aryeh Kaplan makes the following significant comment: “It is significant to note that a number of techniques alluded to in these fragments also appear to have been preserved among the non-Jewish school of ma
