Editing Kabbalah (section)

=== Distinction between Jews and non-Jews ===
One point of view is represented by the Hasidic work ''[[Tanya (Judaism)|Tanya]]'' (1797), in order to argue that Jews have a different character of soul: while a non-Jew, according to the author [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]] (1745–1812), can achieve a high level of spirituality, similar to an angel, his soul is still fundamentally different in character, from a Jewish one.<ref>סידור הרב, שער אכילת מצה</ref> A similar view is found in ''[[Kuzari]]'', an early medieval philosophical book by [[Judah Halevi|Yehuda Halevi]] (1075–1141).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_Kuzari?lang=bi|title=Sefer Kuzari|website=www.sefaria.org|access-date=2018-02-09|archive-date=2018-02-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210010518/https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_Kuzari?lang=bi|url-status=live}}</ref> Another rabbi, [[Abraham Yehudah Khein]] (1878–1957), believed that spiritually elevated Gentiles have essentially Jewish souls, "who just lack the formal conversion to Judaism", and that unspiritual Jews are "Jewish merely by their birth documents".<ref>ר' אברהם חן, ביהדות התורה</ref>

David Halperin argues that the collapse of Kabbalah's influence among Western European Jews over the course of the 17th and 18th century was a result of the [[cognitive dissonance]] they experienced between the negative perception of Gentiles found in some exponents of Kabbalah, and their own positive dealings with non-Jews, which were rapidly expanding and improving during this period due to the influence of [[the Enlightenment]].{{sfnp|Halperin|2012}} [[Pinchas Elijah Hurwitz]], a Lithuanian-Galician Kabbalist of the 18th century and a moderate proponent of the Haskalah, called for brotherly love and solidarity between all nations, and believed that Kabbalah can empower everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike, with prophetic abilities.<ref>Love of one's Neighbour in Pinhas Hurwitz's Sefer ha-Berit, Resianne Fontaine, Studies in Hebrew Language and Jewish Culture, Presented to Albert van der Heide on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday, p.244-268.</ref>

The works of [[Abraham Cohen de Herrera]] (1570–1635) are full of references to Gentile mystical philosophers. Such approach was particularly common among the [[Renaissance]] and post-Renaissance [[Italian Jews]]. Late medieval and Renaissance Italian Kabbalists, such as [[Yohanan Alemanno]], [[David Messer Leon]] and [[Abraham Yagel]], adhered to humanistic ideals and incorporated teachings of various Christian and [[Paganism|pagan]] mystics.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

A prime representative of this humanist stream in Kabbalah was [[Elijah Benamozegh]], who explicitly praised Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, as well as a whole range of ancient pagan mystical systems. He believed that Kabbalah can reconcile the differences between the world's religions, which represent different facets and stages of the universal human spirituality. In his writings, Benamozegh interprets the [[New Testament]], [[Hadith]], [[Vedas]], [[Avesta]] and pagan mysteries according to the Kabbalistic theosophy.<ref>Israel and Humanity, Elijah Benamozegh, Paulist Press, 1995</ref>

E. R. Wolfson provides numerous examples from the 17th to the 20th centuries, which would challenge the view of Halperin as well as the notion that "modern Judaism" has rejected or dismissed this "outdated aspect" of the religion and, he argues, there are still Kabbalists today who harbor this view. He argues that, while it is accurate to say that many Jews do and would find this distinction offensive, it is inaccurate to say that the idea has been totally rejected in all circles. As Wolfson has argued, it is an ethical demand on the part of scholars to continue to be vigilant with regard to this matter and in this way the tradition can be refined from within.{{sfnp|Wolfson|2006|loc=ch. 1}}