Kabbalah is the traditional appellation of the major Jewish esoteric-mystical group of schools that appeared in the late twelfth century and continue to this day. The term in Hebrew simply means “tradition.” In this context, however, it refers to the “secret tradition” given to *Moses on Mount Sinai. Scores of kabbalistic circles have operated in Judaism during the past eight centuries, producing hundreds of original spiritual worldviews that differ considerably from each other. There is hardly any idea or trend in kabbalistic literature whose opposite cannot also be found in this vast treasury of esoteric speculations. In addition, there are very few elements that are common to most kabbalistic systems because each school and each writer had particular emphases and original ideas.

Although it is nearly impossible to present general characteristics of the whole vast range of kabbalistic spirituality, most kabbalists shared the view of a series of divine emanations, the *sefirot, which serve as a ladder from the unreachable supreme godhead to the created universe. Many kabbalists tended to a dualistic worldview (see DUALISM), believing that the universe is a battleground between divine and satanic powers and that this struggle is reflected within every person. A significant number placed *messianic expectations, and sometimes messianic activity, at the center of their teachings. One of the unique characteristic of many kabbalistic systems, an element that separates the Kabbalah from other esoteric and mystical systems, is the belief in the cosmic consequences of individual actions.