Meaning of “Kabbalah”

Q: What are the sources you usually cite regarding the meaning of Kabbalah?

A: The Kabbalist Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, author of the Sulam commentary on the Zohar, begins his article, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” with the following definition: “… this wisdom is no more and no less than a concatenation of roots that descend by way of cause and consequence, with fixed, determined rules, that combine to one exalted goal being the ‘the revelation of His Godliness to His creatures in this world.”