From a hidden wisdom to an open one.
The ideas on this site come from a long chain of teachers. The modern, practical form you’ll find here was shaped above all by one man: Rav Philip Berg.
Rav Philip S. Berg
Born Shraga Feivel Gruberger in Brooklyn, New York, Rav Berg was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi and first worked in insurance. On a trip to Israel he met Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein, a leading Kabbalist and the brother-in-law and close student of Rav Yehuda Ashlag. Brandwein became his teacher, and the encounter redirected his life.
From the mid-1960s, Rav Berg set out to do something his tradition had rarely attempted: teach Kabbalah openly, in plain language, to anyone who wanted to learn, regardless of religion, gender or background.
With his wife, Karen Berg, he built the organization that became the Kabbalah Centre, which grew into an international network. He published and republished Kabbalistic texts, wrote books for general readers such as Kabbalah for the Layman, Wheels of a Soul and Kabbalistic Astrology, and framed Kabbalah as a practical “technology” for transforming everyday life.
His signature ideas – the Light and the Vessel, Bread of Shame, reactive versus proactive behavior, Restriction and the Zohar as a tool for everyone – form the backbone of this site. He died on September 16, 2013, at 86.
Karen Berg
Co-founder of the Kabbalah Centre alongside her husband, and its spiritual leader after his death. She championed opening Kabbalah to women and to people of every faith, and wrote God Wears Lipstick: Kabbalah for Women.
Michael Berg
Rav Berg’s son, who produced the first complete, unabridged English translation of the Zohar, published in 23 volumes with commentary. He is also the author of The Way, a practical introduction to the teaching.
The lineage, as this school tells it
Kabbalah has always been passed from teacher to student. Rav Berg’s school traces its wisdom through these figures. Historians debate some of the links – the authorship of the Zohar above all – and we’ve noted that where it matters.
- Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai2nd century. Traditionally credited with the Zohar; most historians date its composition to 13th-century Spain.
- Rabbi Isaac Luria, “the Ari”1534–1572, Safed. Taught Tzimtzum, the shattering of the vessels and tikkun.
- Rav Yehuda Ashlag, “Baal HaSulam”1885–1954. Wrote the Sulam (“Ladder”) commentary on the Zohar; framed Kabbalah around the will to receive.
- Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein1903–1969. Ashlag’s brother-in-law and student; completed parts of his Zohar commentary; teacher of Rav Berg.
- Rav Philip Berg1927–2013. Opened the teaching to a worldwide, general audience.
A short reading list
The books behind these teachings, in a sensible reading order. Look for them at your library or any bookseller.
The Way
A clear, practical introduction to using Kabbalah for spiritual transformation.
God Wears Lipstick
Kabbalah for women – relationships, the feminine and spiritual strength – from the Centre's co-founder.
The Zohar (23 volumes)
The first complete, unabridged English translation, with commentary.
Kabbalah for the Layman
Rav Berg's classic foundation: Creation, the Vessel and Bread of Shame.
Wheels of a Soul
Reincarnation and tikkun – why souls return and what they come to correct.
Kabbalistic Astrology
Kabbalistic astrology: "the stars impel, they don't compel."
The Essential Zohar
An accessible doorway into the Zohar's key ideas.
An honest note on the debate
Rav Berg’s approach has devoted students around the world, and it also has serious critics. Many traditional rabbis object to teaching Kabbalah outside a life of Torah study and observance, and academic scholars dispute some of the school’s historical claims. The Kabbalah Centre as an organization has faced public criticism and legal disputes over the years, including over its fundraising.
Kabbalist.org is independent and not affiliated with The Kabbalah Centre. We share these ideas because many people find them practical and life-changing, and we think you deserve the full picture while you explore them.