Why is Kabbalah kept secret?
Kabbalah means “receiving,” and one of the connotations of that word is a teaching received directly from a teacher. Today, we are used to obtaining knowledge by reading books, or websites, and it’s rare that we have the time or opportunity to learn from skilled teachers. And even when we do have that chance, it’s rarer still to be able to sit one-on-one, or in small groups, with teachers who are truly masters of their disciplines. Yet this is exactly what the Kabbalistic literature demands of us, from its very inception. Centuries before the medieval Kabbalah came into being, the Talmud stated that the greatest mysteries of creation may only be revealed to one student at a time, and then, only if the teacher believes the student to be wise and understanding. In a sense, everything that has been ever written on the Kabbalah either transgresses this teaching or, more likely, gives only hints and allusions to the truth. Why is this the case? There are several reasons. First, Kabbalah is
