"For the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever." (Deuteronomy 29:29)
Introduction
Throughout the centuries, both Judaism and Catholicism have cherished the mystical dimension of faith: the search for union with the Divine, the experience of hidden mysteries, the contemplation of God's infinite reality. Yet, for many modern minds, Jewish mysticism — particularly Kabbalah — remains a misunderstood or even suspect branch of tradition. Similarly, Catholic mysticism is often marginalized or treated as an esoteric specialty rather than the crown of the Christian life.
This brief essay defends the essential role of Kabbalistic and Jewish mystical traditions within an authentically Catholic mystical framework, particularly as understood from a Torah Observant Hebrew Catholic perspective. It argues that, far from being opposed, Jewish and Catholic mysticism are two branches of the same Tree of Life, both rooted in the revealed Mystery of God's self-communication to His People, Israel.
Kabbalah: The Hidden Torah of Divine Intimacy
Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה), meaning "receiving," refers to the body of Jewish mystical teachings concerned with the inner dimensions of Torah, God, and creation. While post-biblical in explicit formulation, Kabbalistic thought draws heavily on the concealed dimensions hinted at within Scripture itself.
As Rabbi Moses de León wrote in the Zohar:
"Woe to the man who says that the Torah merely tells a simple story... for every word in the Torah contains a higher meaning and a sublime mystery" (Zohar I:33a).¹
Far from being a late medieval innovation, Jewish mysticism represents the flowering of the prophetic and apocalyptic traditions found already in the Tanakh, especially in the visions of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1) and Daniel (Daniel 7). It treasures the belief that God is not only the transcendent Creator but also the Divine Bridegroom who yearns for intimate union with His people.
From a Torah Observant Hebrew Catholic standpoint, Kabbalah safeguards vital truths that were fulfilled, not negated, in the Messiah Yeshua. It guards the vision of creation as an act of divine love, of history as a drama of repair and reunion (tikkun), and of human life as a journey toward deification— all themes richly developed in Catholic mysticism.
Catholic Mysticism: The Fruit of the Same Tree
Catholic mysticism, particularly in the Carmelite and Franciscan traditions, centers on the soul's ascent to union with God through love and purification. Saint John of the Cross, in his Ascent of Mount Carmel, speaks of the "dark night" leading the soul to the Divine embrace.² Saint Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle envisions the soul progressing through mansions of increasing intimacy with the indwelling King.³ Both understand mystical union not as an optional addendum to faith, but as its consummation.
What is striking to a Torah Observant Hebrew Catholic is the profound parallel between Catholic mystical theology and the great currents of Jewish mysticism. The Kabbalistic vision of devekut(דבקות, clinging to God) mirrors Saint Teresa’s vision of spiritual marriage. The Catholic notion of participation in the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4) resonates with the Kabbalistic understanding of the sefirotas emanations through which God draws creation into His infinite life. In fact, Catholic mysticism can be seen as the universalization and Christification of the inner dynamism already present in Jewish mystical thought: the movement from exile to union, from hiddenness to revelation, from fragmentation to oneness.
Integrating the Mystical Traditions: Fulfillment, Not Rejection
It is crucial to emphasize: for a Torah Observant Hebrew Catholic, the relationship between Jewish mysticism and Catholic mysticism is not one of replacement but of fulfillment. The revelation of the Messiah Yeshua did not abolish the mysteries hidden in the Torah and Prophets. Rather, it opened their deepest meanings, revealing the infinite love of the Triune God and the invitation to participate in the divine life through the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection.
Thus, authentic Kabbalistic insights — properly discerned and purified in the light of Christ — enrich Catholic mysticism rather than undermine it. The caution expressed by some Church authorities against Gnostic distortions remains valid; but it is not the authentic tradition of Jewish mysticism that is to be rejected, only its corrupted or occult misuses.
As Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate affirmed:
"The Church draws sustenance from the root of that well-cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles."⁴
Jewish mysticism belongs to that nourishing root.
The Dangers of Severance: When Mysticism Becomes Rootless
Modern appropriations of "Kabbalah" detached from Torah, mitzvot, and Israel’s covenantal identity have produced grave distortions. When Kabbalah is stripped of its grounding in halakhic observance, prayer, and humility before Divine Mystery, it easily devolves into magic, narcissism, or syncretism.
Similarly, Catholic mysticism cut off from the Church's sacramental life and ecclesial discernment risks turning into mere spiritualism. Authentic mysticism, whether Jewish or Catholic, demands obedience, reverence, and fidelity to God's revealed order. A Torah Observant Hebrew Catholic thus approaches mysticism with both boldness and discernment: embracing the treasures of Jewish mystical tradition, while allowing them to be purified and crowned by the light of Messiah Yeshua and His Church.
Conclusion: The Tree of Life Still Blooms
Mysticism — the search for union with the Divine — is not a peripheral curiosity; it is the beating heart of both Judaism and Catholicism. The Kabbalistic tradition, rightly understood, is a profound preparation for, and resonance with, the Catholic mystical life. From the Torah’s whispered mysteries to the Zohar’s luminous images, from Saint John of the Cross’s "dark night" to the Divine Will spirituality of Luisa Piccarreta, the Holy Spirit continues to draw souls into the depths of Divine intimacy. In an age thirsty for authenticity and meaning, the reunion of Jewish and Catholic mystical streams — in and through Messiah Yeshua — offers a powerful witness to the world: that the God of Israel is love, and that His Covenant still lives and bears fruit. As it is written:
"They shall be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, for the display of His splendor" (Isaiah 61:3).Footnotes
Zohar I:33a. Translation adapted from Daniel C. Matt, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. I (Stanford University Press, 2004), p. 204.
Saint John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, trans. E. Allison Peers (Image Books, 1958).
Saint Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, trans. E. Allison Peers (Image Books, 1961).
Vatican Council II, Nostra Aetate, no. 4, October 28, 1965.