Editing Kabbalah (section)

==== In the Period of the Rishonim ====
At the end of the Geonic period, Rabbi Aharon ben Shmuel HaNasi, a sage from Bavel who migrated to Italy, is known to have transmitted Toras HaSod to Italy. Rabbi Moshe ben Kalonymus received the secrets of Kabbalah from him, and after his family, the Kalonymus family, moved from Italy to Ashkenaz - a tradition of transmitting Toras HaSod developed among Ashkenazic scholars, up to [[Rabbi Shmuel HaChassid]] and his son Yehudah HaChassid, as well as Rabbi Elazar of Worms, the Rokeach, who established a circle of "Chassidim" who engaged in this Torah (now known as "Chassidei Ashkenaz").

Another circle of Kabbalists during the period of the Rishonim was in Provence. Among them, Rabbi Avraham ben David of Posquières (the Raavad of the Hasagos) was famous, who transmitted this Torah to his son, the Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak. Through Rabbi Yitzchak, who moved to Spain, Kabbalah was also transmitted there, and many Spanish scholars engaged in this wisdom. The most famous among them was the Ramban, as well as Rabbeinu Bachya ben Asher, Rabbi Peretz HaKohen author of "Maarechet HaElokut," the Rashba, and others.

The Rebbe Maharash told his son, the Rebbe Rashab, during one of their lessons in Moreh Nevuchim, that he had a tradition from rebbe to rebbe back to the Baal Shem Tov that the Rambam was a great Kabbalist, and the reason he didn't reveal this (even by hint, like Rashi) was because it was a dangerous time to reveal matters of Kabbalah even by hint