The
Zohar (, lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as
Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the
Torah (the five books of
Moses) and scriptural interpretations as well as material on
mysticism, mythical
cosmogony, and mystical
psychology. The Zohar contains discussions of the nature of
God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, redemption, the relationship of Ego to Darkness and "true self" to "The Light of God", and the relationship between the "universal energy" and man. Its scriptural
exegesis can be considered an
esoteric form of the
Rabbinic literature known as
Midrash, which elaborates on the Torah.