The Zohar is the central work of the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. Traditionally attributed to the second-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the Zohar’s authorship has been subject to debate from the time it first appeared in 13th-century Spain. The work centers around Rabbi Shimon and his students as they travel the land of Israel and interpret the Torah esoterically. Written primarily in a cryptic form of Aramaic, the Zohar discusses topics such as the nature of God, the soul, and the creation of the world.