Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah

Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah examines the encounter between philosophical reasoning, revelation, religious law, and mystical knowledge within Jewish intellectual history. The book traces this encounter from Philo of Alexandria and medieval Jewish rationalism to the emergence of Kabbalah, the Zoharic tradition, and Lurianic thought. Particular attention is given to Maimonides, negative theology, divine unity, creation, prophecy, biblical interpretation, moral responsibility, and the limits of human knowledge. Rather than assigning philosophy and mysticism to separate worlds, the book presents them as rival and interacting responses to a common intellectual problem: how can human beings speak about God, interpret revelation, and act responsibly when the ultimate object of knowledge exceeds the capacities of reason?