Kabbalah began modestly as an esoteric lore among a Jewish elite in 12th century Provence. By the end of the 15th century, with the emergence of the Christian Kabbalah in Italy, it had acquired an audience in European intellectual circles.

Gershom Scholem, widely regarded as the founder of modern academic study of the Kabbalah, influenced the likes of Harold Bloom, Umberto Eco, Jacques Derrida and George Steiner, fascinated by its linguistic operations. Introduced by Eduard Shyfrin, author of From Infinity to Man, Professor Moshe Idel, who has been called “the most important scholar of Jewish mysticism since Gershom Scholem”, discusses the importance of Kabbalah in modern literature.

An event from Jewish Book Week 2024