The New KabbalahThe union between traditional Jewish mysticism and modern rational thought
The New Kabbalah is a philosophy and Jewish theology grounded in the union between traditional Jewish mysticism and modern rational thought. Rooted in the visionary mythos of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-72), and interpreted through such modern and postmodern thinkers as Freud, Jung, Hegel, Wittgenstein and Derrida, the New Kabbalah seeks to uncover and further develop the philosophical and psychological significance of Kabbalistic symbols and ideas. In addition, the New Kabbalah is enriched by comparative studies and dialog between Jewish mysticism and other religious and philosophical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Platonism, and Gnosticism. The New Kabbalah is born out of the conviction that the theosophical system of Luria and his followers promotes an open economy of thought, dialog and criticism, while at the same time providing a comprehensive account of the world and humanity’s role within it that is intellectually, morally and spiritually vital for us today.
The New Kabbalah seeks to build upon the recent explosion in contemporary Kabbalah scholarship by formulating a Kabbalistic approach to philosophy, theology and psychology. It further seeks to develop contemporary philosophy, theology and psychology from a broadly kabbalistic perspective.
The New Kabbalah is open, multi-perspectival and pluralistic, and while it is rooted firmly in Judaism, it seeks dialog, participation and constructive criticism from those of all backgrounds and disciplines. This site is not affiliated with any “movement,” but seeks to promote respectful dialog across the full spectrum of Jewish affiliation and non-affiliation.
Logo Image: “The Tree of Light and Dark”(Frontispiece from V. Weigel’s Stadium Universale.)
All articles on this website are authored and copyrighted by Sanford L. Drob, 2001-2025.
How to navigate the New Kabbalah website.
If you are not familiar with the symbols of the Lurianic Kabbalah it is suggested that you begin with the page on The Lurianic Kabbalah. You can then follow the links here or on that page to review the brief accounts of the following basic Kabbalistic symbols: Ein-sof (The Infinite), Tzimtzum, (Contraction/Concealment), Adam Kadmon (the Primordial Human), Sefirot (Value Archetypes), Otiyot Yesod (Value Archetypes), Ha-Olamot (Worlds), Shevirat ha-Kelim, (Breaking of the Vessels), Kellipot, (Husks of Evil), Partzufim (Divine Visages), Tikkun Ha-Olam (Restoration and Repair of the world). Together, these symbols constitute the Lurianic theosophy, which amounts to a systematic account of God, humanity and the world.
You may then want to examine the Verbal Picture of the Lurianic Theosophy, which provides a succinct account of how these symbols are integrated into an account of God, humanity and the world.
To obtain an introduction to how The New Kabbalah understands the Lurianic theosophy in contemporary terms you can review 19 Kabbalistic Ideas.
Those interested in Kabbalah, psychoanalysis and psychotherapy may want to begin with these articles :
“This is Gold”: Freud, Psychotherapy and the Lurianic Kabbalah,
Kabbalah and Psychotherapy: A Dialog with Sanford L. Drob.
A very brief account of how the Lurianic Kabbalah understands the purpose and meaning of life can be read at Kabbalah and The Meaning of Life.
The essays on this website are listed and organized by theme below:
Kabbalistic Theosophy
The Sefirot: Archetypes of Mind and Creation
Jewish Review: Tikkun Haolam-Repair and Restoration of the Soul and World
A Verbal Picture of the Lurianic Theosophy
Comparative Studies
Kabbalah and Indian Philosophy
Philosophical Kabbalah
19 Kabbalistic Ideas: Philosophical Implications of the Kabbalah
The Doctrine of Coincidentia Oppositorum in Jewish Mysticism
A Rational Mystical Ascent: The Coincidence of Opposites in Kabbalistic and Hasidic Thought
The “Double Movement” in Kabbalistic Thought
The Behinnot: Dialectics in the Kabbalah of Moses Cordovero
Iggulim and Yosher: The Kabbalistic Theory of “Circles” and “Lines”
The Mystic as Philosopher: An Interview with Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
The Lurianic Metaphors, Creativity and the Structure of Language
Ein-Sof, Nothingness and the Problem of Creation Ex Nihilo
Kabbalah, Jungian Psychology, and the Challenge of Contemporary Atheism
Kabbalah, Deconstruction and Postmodernism
Tzimtzum and Difference: Derrida and the Lurianic Kabbalah
Jacques Derrida and the Lurianic Kabbalah
Kabbalistic Applications to Contemporary Philosophy and Theology
Why Existence: A Solution Without Remainder
Are You Praying to a Videogame God?
The Simulation Argument: Philosophical and Theological Implications
The Only God Who Can Save Us From Ourselves
How to Create a Golem: From Artificial Intelligence to Artificial Human
Mordecai Kaplan and the Kabbalah
Forward to David Birnbaum’s God and Evil
Kabbalah and Psychotherapy
Kabbalah and Psychotherapy: A Dialog with Sanford L. Drob. Ph.D.
Guarding Against Loshon Hara: Our Words are the Building Blocks of our Souls
The Eden Complex; Transgression and Transformation in the Bible, Freud, and Jung
The Depth of the Soul: James Hillman’s Vision of Psychology
Kabbalah, Freud and Jung
“This is Gold: Freud”: Psychotherapy and the Lurianic Kabbalah
Jewish Review: Freud and Chasidim: Redeeming the Jewish Soul of Psychoanalysis
The Lurianic Kabbalah: An Archetypal Interpretation
Table: An Archetypal Interpretation of Lurianic Kabbalah
Kabbalah, Values and the Meaning of Life
Why Existence? The Question is the Answer
Kabbalah and The Meaning of Life
The Mystic as Philosopher: An Interview with Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
The Tree of Life (Value Firmament)
About Sanford L. Drob
Rabbi Max Drob and Traditional Judaism: A Personal Retrospective
J. N. Findlay: A Personal Retrospective
Books by Sanford L. Drob
Symbols of the Kabbalah: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives
Kabbalah and Postmodernism: A Dialogue
Kabbalistic Visions: C. G. Jung and Jewish Mysticism
Archetype of the Absolute: The Union of Opposites in Mysticism, Philosophy and Psychology
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Reading the Red Book: A Guide to C. G. Jung’s Liber Novus
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You are invited to initiate a dialog by emailing Sanford Drob at forensicdx@aol.com.
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Note on the illustrations: Many of the illustrations on the New Kabbalah website were originally produced for alchemical and Christian kabbalistic texts, as the biblical ban on graven images caused Jewish authors to avoid illustrating their treatises. Some of the illustrations on this website are by contemporary artists, including paintings by the author. A more extensive selection of the author’s drawings and paintings can be viewed at SanfordDrobart.com.