Kabblah is the mystical path to Wisdom for those who seek to encounter God through an understanding of the secrets that are to be found with the Hebrew Bible.
The purpose in the study of Kabbalah is the perfection of the self and atuning the Soul to the Divine.
The kabbalist sees that the forms we encounter in everyday world merely constitute a surface beneath which subtle principles operate. By seeing these concealed levels we become aware of the real presence lying behind the screen... the Divine.
After decades of study... my humble opinions.. (offering one path of entry into Kabbalah)
0. I see Kabbalah as a devotional practice.. spiritual process, awakening the mystical insight. To study the Actual texts (Zohar for this example) is to enter into a path of harmonization of the self with the Divine.
00. This leads to a transcendence of everyday mind/thinking... it leads to direct experience of the Divine.. how ? the mind leaps from symbol to metaphor to higher, inner meanings within/upon meanings.. making a huge leap ..and the state of mind becomes AWE, Wonder .. of the Divine, which is Being in the Moment with complete Presence...
(Zohar means.. Book of Splendor (Radiance) <-- this is an important clue) .. awakening to the Splendor of All.. Love , Respect, Understanding) the framework become a tool for perceiving higher Reality
1. Most books are about Kabbalah, but not Kabbalah. They offer outlines, summarizations, history, development etc. about what is in the Kabbalistic texts..
2. While it is good to get an introduction, ONLY by sitting and reading at least through a volume of the Zohar will one Enter the Kabbalah.. (The Zohar is 23 volumes long)
3. Then your view of Kabbalah will expand, and you realize Its essence, is behind every mystical insight, regardless of the heritage... Though I recommend a study of traditional texts first..
4. ULTIMATELY, This is a path of Experiencing and Expanding into Higher levels of Awareness..
I can not recommend highly enough..
The Essence of Kabbalah, by Brian L. Lancaster.
I have 20-30 books on Kabbalah, this is easily the best introduction. It, more than any other introductory texts, gives a real insight into what Kabbalah is, how it "works" as a path, and provides an entry into the real study of Kabbalah. If you don't intend to actually study the texts, this is the closest you can get to the Spirit of Kabbalah.
I've read through the Zohar 3 times, there are many other source texts, most I found of infinite worth. I carefully outlined it, as I read it.. and I had a very Wise tutor/translator
I can not recommend highly enough..
The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, by Daniel Matt
A wonderful translation, deeply annotated. The best English version (still in progress, so far the first four volumes have been printed)
The Zohar (and Kabbalah in general) is very difficult to read on your own, theses annotations help. It's like having a mentor guide you... (pick up a volume in the bookstore and read the first page's footnotes...)
Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation: In Theory and Practice by Aryeh Kaplan
All books by Aryeh Kaplan are exception. This is essential reading. The first source text to read, this will get you in touch with the Kabbalah system.
Bahir: Illumination by Aryeh Kaplan
Another great translation of an essential Kabbalistic text by Kaplan.
Most of the Zohar consists of a running commentary on the Torah (The 5 Books of Moses), so then you might be interested in The Jewish Study Bible: featuring The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH , Translation .. To be able to read the scriptures that are being referenced.
For the study of the Hebrew alphabet.. The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet..
maybe Kabbalah is just a trap.. to capture the mind, heart and soul for the Divine... to slowly release us from the other traps we'd fallen into.. to restore our soul, at the same time to restore God to Its position... and our relationship
... this is just a glimpse