Kabbalah: popular works Books

Book SynopsisIntegrating numerology, astrology, Kabbalah, and the contemplative life. As John Sandbach illuminates in depth, the Tarot is a portal to realms of wisdom. It not only can provide deep insight through traditional readings but also offers a hands-on way to learn multiple spiritual practices and metaphysical systems, each interrelated through numbers and the ways the systems are worked with to reveal cosmic truths. In this guide, Sandbach explores the deep interconnected meanings of each of the 78 cards of the Tarot and explains how to work with the cards for spiritual healing and growth as well as to synergistically learn other methods of spiritual insight, in particular numerology and astrology. Connecting the traditional, symbolic, psychological, alchemical, astrological, and numerological meanings of each card to its deepest meaning, the one closest to its spiritual core, he shows how exploring the interconnected meanings of the cards allows you to understand the Tarot as an integrated whole and enables you to provide insightful and deeply intuitive readings. He explains how every card is connected to the Tree of Life, an ancient Kabbalistic diagram of the universe, and details how to use the Tarot to calculate the numerological value of names, words, and dates, including birthdays, to reveal their metaphysical significance. He explores the connections between alternative rulerships for the cards and how they allow you to understand astrology at a deeper level. He also demonstrates several types of card layouts that can be used to perform readings for yourself or others, and he provides instructions for Tarot Contemplations to access deeper meanings of the cards. By journeying through the nexus of wisdom connections within each card, you not only are simultaneously learning the ancient wisdom of numerology and astrology, but also opening access to your own inner wisdom.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHidden within the first three chapters of Genesis rests one of the greatest jewels of Western mystical literature. For millennia religious literalism has dominated our understanding of the Bible, imprisoning its subtle inner wisdom within the most coarse and superficial aspects of the narrative. Generations have been led to believe that Genesis 1-3 is only a primitive proto-cosmic history, a mythological explanation of the human moral disposition, a religious fairy tale. But by accepting the text as pure kabbalistic metaphor, the mystical content of Genesis springs forth, revealing the Divine nature of creativity as well as a new understanding of the human mind. Deconstructing each line of Genesis 1-3 with esoteric methods derived from the oral teachings of the Kabbalah, David Chaim Smith reveals how the ten sefirot, collectively known as the Tree of Life, are not simply a linear hierarchy. They are a unified interdependent whole with ten interactive functions, forming the template through which creative diversity manifests. Through acts of creation and creativity, the mind expresses its Divine nature. Through our Divine creative power, we are able to touch upon Ain Sof (the infinite), the lifeblood of all creative expression. Smith's line-by-line examination of Genesis 1-3 reveals a complete model not only of Divine creativity but also of the predicament of the human mind, of the Divine nature of consciousness as well as our inability to recognize the mind's Divinity. With this new interpretation, which removes the concept of a Creator God, we are able to transcend the contrasting notions of "being" and "non-being" at the heart of conventional habits of perception and awaken a new mystical understanding of Unity and the fathomless depth of Divinity.Trade Review“An amazing book--boy does it have chutzpah!” * Hymenaeus Beta, Frater Superior, Ordo Templi Orientis *“A gifted artist who has a deep contemporary understanding of Jewish mystical wisdom, David Chaim Smith takes us into the domain where zero is one, where the all is nothing, and where the creative moment is constantly renewing itself. The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis is not a book simply to read but to contemplate and live with.” * Rodger Kamenetz, author of Burnt Books and The Jew in the Lotus *“A unique mystical voice out of a Blakean tradition, The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis is a mind-expanding spiritual text that will both clarify and transform you. Smith has rethought biblical basics from the ground up (‘with-beginningness’) providing insights into the profound depths of mind, perception, reality, life, creativity, luminosity, and transcendence. . . . This is kabbalistic commentary from a living practitioner that will help us immeasurably to help heal the world.” * John Zorn, musician *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I Window of Manifestation 1 The Essential Nature of Creativity The First Word of Genesis 2 Blueprint of the Creative Process Commentary on the First Chapter of Genesis Part II PriMordial Gnosis and Its Obscuration 3 The EdeNic State Commentary on the Second Chapter of Genesis 4 The CoNsequence of Habit Commentary on the Third Chapter of Genesis Appendix I Kabbalistic SyNopsis of the Three Chapters Appendix II Kabbalistic Array of names Index About the Author

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn innovative, spiritual workbook that integrates the Tarot and the Kabbalistic tradition of Counting the Omer • Explores the origins and meaning of the 49-day Kabbalistic meditative practice of Counting the Omer and how it can lead to spiritual revelation, personal insight, and connection with the Divine • Reveals the correspondence of the Tarot’s minor arcana with the Sephirot of the Tree of Life and explains how both relate to the Omer meditation • Provides a daily practice workbook that explores the related Sephirot and Tarot cards for each day, examines their Kabbalistic and spiritual meanings, and provides questions for daily reflection and meditation guidance The 49-day mystical practice known as Counting the Omer is an ancient Jewish ritual observed between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot (also known as Pentecost). As practiced by Kabbalists, it is designed to cleanse and purify the soul in preparation for spiritual revelation and a personal connection with God. The ritual creates a spiritual inner journey that follows the path of the ancient Israelites from the moment of their physical freedom from slavery in Egypt to the establishment of their spiritual freedom forty-nine days later when they arrived at Mt. Sinai. Adeptly integrating this mystical practice with the transformative symbolism of the Tarot, Mark Horn uses the ritual of Counting the Omer as a template for a guided meditative practice that gives readers insight into their personal life journey and help in overcoming the issues that hinder their growth and spiritual awakening. Examining the correspondence of the Tarot’s minor arcana with the Sephirot of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, he shows how using the cards in connection with Counting the Omer can unlock the gates to a deep experience of the sacred. In the detailed daily practice workbook section, Horn provides day-by-day descriptions of the 49-day meditative practice of Counting the Omer. He divides the journey into seven week-long segments, which in turn are broken down into seven daily practices. For each day, he explains the related Sephirot and Tarot cards and their Kabbalistic and spiritual meanings, providing the reader with questions for daily reflection, guidance for meditation, and insight from traditional Jewish texts as well as teachings from Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim traditions. Unveiling the relationship between Tarot and the Kabbalah, Horn shows readers how uniting these two practices can open them to a deeper experience of the Divine.Trade Review“ Tarot and the Gates of Light will undoubtedly rise in ranks to become an authoritative text on Kabbalistic tarot. It is one of the most accessible guides for Counting the Omer. Tarot and the Gates of Light is itself encoded with the power to augment and deepen any tarot practice. Easily one of my favorite tarot books.” * Benebell Wen, author of Holistic Tarot *“This is not a book you will want to part ways with after 49 days, rather it serves as a lifelong guide, emblematic talisman, and faithful companion for your ever-unfolding journey on the path of enlightenment.” * Sasha Graham, author of 365 Tarot Spreads *“Mark Horn’s brilliant new book opened up a new world for me. I was familiar with both fields of tarot and Kabbalah, but I had never viewed them through the larger lens Mark provides. This unique synergy offers rich psycho-spiritual insights and provides practical processes anyone can apply. May it change the lives of millions of readers.” * New York Times bestselling author Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., author of The Big Leap *“Mark Horn has distilled decades of study and practice into a journey of archetypes and images that is powerful, healing, and transformative. Tarot and the Gates of Light is a road map for anyone of any background to follow. So sit, read, study, and follow this step-by-step path from bondage to liberation, and you will find yourself growing into the wise, embodied soul you really are.” * Andrew Ramer, author of Fragments of the Brooklyn Talmud *“Perfect for those who want to follow a spiritual practice that combines tarot, Hebrew Kabbalah, and personal meditation. It is also a great way to explore the deeper meanings of the Minor Arcana.” * Mary K. Greer, author of Tarot for Your Self *“Spiritual disciplines are like prisms, refracting the ineffable light into radiant diversities of human imagination. This makes Tarot and the Gates of Light a prism within a prism, glittering with Mark Horn’s insights, histories, wit, and wisdom.” * Rabbi Jay Michaelson, author of God vs. Gay? *“By using a traditional Jewish devotional system, the 49-day spiritual exercise known as Counting the Omer, and then matching each day with the appropriate tarot images, Mark Horn gives tarot readers a way into both Jewish Kabbalah and the contemporary Jewish Renewal movement and gives concrete form to some of the more abstract ideas about the Tree of Life. This book is rich in both information and practice. A valuable and innovative contribution.” * Rachel Pollack, author of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom *“Mark has given a profound gift and ‘technology’ to the serious seeker: an erudite, yet highly accessible and engaging, compendium of knowledge and wisdom teachings and, most importantly, a dedicated path of transformation--one self, one soul, one day at a time.” * Professor Katherine Kurs, M.Div., Ph.D., editor of Searching for Your Soul *“Offers a spiritual practice for self-transformation, based on the tarot and the mystical practice of counting the 49 days prior to the revelation holiday of Shavuot/Pentecost. For each of the 49 days, Horn offers a combination of tarot cards as a meditative opening to growth and self-knowledge. Horn’s work displays a deep appreciation of tarot as a language for the soul and applies that language to a mystical technology for daily transformation. His book will appeal to diviners and spiritual seekers, Kabbalists and New Age practitioners. The practice laid out in this book is openhearted and challenging, ecumenical and ethically astute. It has the potential to set us on the path to enlightenment.” * Rabbi Jill Hammer, Ph.D., author of The Jewish Book of Days *“Mark Horn courageously provides an autobiographical approach to teaching the Kabbalistic practice of Counting the Omer. Tarot and the Gates of Light gives Jews and Christians alike a powerful, accessible tool for advancing personal spiritual growth and development.” * Rabbi Goldie Milgram, author of Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice *“Horn has shattered the old saying ‘there’s nothing new under the sun’ with this unorthodox and ambitious work. Tarot and the Gates of Light presents the rare opportunity to find liberation through a serious and meaningful ancient practice refined over the centuries. Tarot and Kabbalah are wedded together as never before--in perfect harmony and beauty.” * Angelo Nasios, author of Tarot: Unlocking the Arcana *"Tarot and The Gates Of Light is an artfully creative book that is inspiring in its originality. Blending the ancient wisdom traditions of Judaism and Buddhist practice with the oracle cards in a novel and practical way, it is an essential volume for a wide range of readers--ideal for tarot readers who are new to Kabbalah as well as those, like myself who consider themselves lifelong students of the mystical." * Heather Mendel, author of The Syzygy Oracle, Dancing in The Footsteps of Eve, The Sacred Mandala Tar *"I am deeply impressed by Mark Horn’s book. Although there are many paths to healing the human spirit so that the immanence of the divine becomes apparent, what joins all of them together is heart. If a path has heart, you can follow it with the assurance that its intelligence will guide you well. Mark’s book has heart. You can feel it in the writing, you can hear it in the song that flows through it. It will guide you well." * Jason Shulman, Founder of A Society of Souls *"Horn offers amazing information on both the Tarot and the Tree of Life. His insights and descriptions of his own path of transformation included within the daily essays make for a challenging yet accessible practice that brings profound insights into the Tarot, the Tree, and brings opportunities for substantial personal growth and development. Here is a book that will appeal to Kabbalists, Tarot enthusiasts, and spiritual seekers!" * Raushanna, PaganPages.org *Table of ContentsA Personal Introduction Kabbalah, Tarot Cards, and Counting the Omer-- What’s This All About? The Forty-Nine Steps of Spiritual Refinement How a Biblical Commandment Turned into a Kabbalistic Meditation The Adoption and Adaptation of Pentecost by the Early Christians The Tikkun Prayer Vigil Kabbalah, Cabala, and Qabalah The Tree of Life The SephirotThe Four Worlds The Tarot ConnectionPutting It All Together How to Follow the Daily PracticeThe Ritual Using the Cards How to Use the Key Words to Help Interpret the Cards The Meditation The Blessing: A Nontraditional VersionThe Prayer: A Nontraditional VersionLooking Ahead to the 50th Day Week 1 Chesed Day 1: Chesed of Chesed. Starting the Journey with LoveDay 2: Gevurah of Chesed. Structure and Struggle Held in Loving-kindnessDay 3: Tiferet of Chesed. Holding Hurt and Pain with Love and Compassion Day 4: Netzach of Chesed. Defending Yourself without Falling Prey to Your Defenses Day 5: Hod of Chesed. Finding the Victory in Love by Surrendering the Ego Day 6: Yesod of Chesed. Shining the Light of Love into Our Darkest Places Day 7: Malchut of Chesed. Accepting Love and Being True to Who You Fully Are in Relationship Week 2 GevurahDay 8: Chesed of Gevurah. Creating Structure without Stricture Day 9: Gevurah of Gevurah. Learning Restraint in Judgment Day 10: Tiferet of Gevurah. Seeing the Beauty in StructureDay 11: Netzach of Gevurah. Perseverance Furthers Day 12: Hod of Gevurah. Getting Yourself Out of the Way of Your Self Day 13: Yesod of Gevurah. Intimacy Can Blossom in a Strong Container Day 14: Malchut of Gevurah. Healthy Boundaries Make Healthy Relationships Week 3 Tiferet Day 15: Chesed of Tiferet. Finding Joy in Harmony Day 16: Gevurah of Tiferet. The Role of Judgment in Compassion Day 17: Tiferet of Tiferet. The Heart of the MatterDay 18: Netzach of Tiferet. Finding the Victory in TruthDay 19: Hod of Tiferet. Witness and Withness--Humility in Compassion bYesod of Tiferet. Harnessing the Passion in CompassionDay 21: Malchut of Tiferet. The Dignity in Compassionate Action Week 4 Netzach Day 22: Chesed of Netzach. Love Endures All Things Day 23: Gevurah of Netzach. Endurance Requires DisciplineDay 24: Tiferet of Netzach. Finding Compassion in Victory Day 25: Netzach of Netzach. Passive Endurance vs. Active Endurance Day 26: Hod of Netzach. The Victory That Comes from Surrender Day 27: Yesod of Netzach. The Connection That Fuels CommitmentDay 28: Malchut of Netzach. Nobility in Endurance Week 5 HodDay 29: Chesed of Hod. Overflowing with Gratitude Day 30: Gevurah of Hod. Living in Awe of the Splendor of Creation Day 31: Tiferet of Hod. An Open Heart Is Always Full, but Never Full of Itself Day 32: Netzach of Hod. Finding Endurance in Humility Is Finding Victory in Humility Day 33: Hod of Hod. Glory, Glory HallelujahDay 34: Yesod of Hod. The Connection of I-Thou Begins in HumilityDay 35: Malchut of Hod. When You’re Secure in Your Dignity, Humility Comes Naturally Week 6 YesodDay 36: Chesed of Yesod. The Secret Love Binding the World Together Day 37: Gevurah of Yesod. Setting Boundaries in Intimacy Day 38: Tiferet of Yesod. Truth Is the Foundation of Intimacy Day 39: Netzach of Yesod. The Ongoing Commitment to Intimacy Day 40: Hod of Yesod. Humility Creates the Space for IntimacyDay 41: Yesod of Yesod. Desire as the Foundation for All Spiritual PursuitsDay 42: Malchut of Yesod. Being Fully Present for RelationshipWeek 7 Malchut Day 43: Chesed of Malchut. Directing the Flow with Nobility Day 44: Gevurah of Malchut. Self-Discipline and Restraint Define Sovereignty Day 45: Tiferet of Malchut. Leadership Sets an Example through Compassion Day 46: Netzach of Malchut. The World in a Grain of Sand, Eternity in an Hour Day 47: Hod of Malchut. Balancing the Openness of Humility with Sovereignty Day 48: Yesod of Malchut. The Foundation of Nobility Day 49: Malchut of Malchut. Living in Integrity Is True Sovereignty Pentecost Day 50: The Gates Are Always Open Meditation Instructions Glossary A Note about God LanguageNotes Bibliography Acknowledgments Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisKabbalah Made Easy is a down-to-earth, no-red-strings-attached look at the Judaic mystical system that has been made famous by the Kabbalah Center. The book explains why Kabbalah can seem so complex and breaks the system down into simple, understandable chunks. It examines the different systems that are in operation today including the Lurianic tradition, the Golden Dawn, magical, alchemical and Christian Kabblah as well as the re-emerging Toledano Tradition, which is taking Kabbalah back to its roots while making it accessible to the modern world. The book explains the basics of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life diagram as well as the four worlds of Jacob's Ladder. It includes Kabbalistic lore on angels, astrology and gematria, as well as exercises and meditations that are simple but profound.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Scholem's scholarship betrays an alert presentness... No great textual scholar, no master of philology and historical criticism commands a technique at once more scrupulously attentive to its object and more instinct with the writer's voice. That voices reaches and grips... [M]agisterial."--New Yorker "Immensely important and fascinating... A monumental work of historical scholarship, which recounts in minute detail a moving tragedy of vast dimensions."--The New York Review of Books "Comprehensive... the last word on an astonishing episode of Jewish history."--Times Literary Supplement "A masterful mix of traditional Jewish scholarship and... original insight into the psychology of Judaism."--Boston Globe "Undoubtedly one of the all-time masterpieces of scholarship and intellectual history."--Commonweal "A major contribution not only to the study of messianic movements but also a study enlightening to the history of the Jewish people."--Jewish PressTable of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. i*Table of Contents, pg. ix*List of Plates, pg. xv*Table of Transliteration, pg. xix*Preface, pg. xxi*Introduction to The Princetion Classics Edition, pg. xxix*1. The Background of The Sabbatian Movement, pg. 1*2. The Beginnings of Sabbatai Sevi (1626 - 1664), pg. 103*3. The Beginnings of The Movement in Palestine (1665), pg. 199*4. The Movement Up to Sabbatai's Imprisonment in Gallipoli (1665 - 1666), pg. 327*5. The Movement in Europe (1666), pg. 461*6. The Movement in The East and The Center at Gallipoli Until Sabbatai's Apostasy (1666), pg. 603*7. After The Apostasy (1667 - 1668), pg. 687*8. The Last Years of Sabbatai Sevi (1668 - 1676), pg. 821*Bibliography, pg. 931*Index, pg. 957

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"As with previous volumes in this series, the translation is lucid and accurate....The comprehensive commentary masterfully guides the reader through the thickets, and illumines the underlying sources and ideas. Joel Hecker's translation and commentary continues the highest standards of scholarship that are a hallmark of this series. It is an indispensable resource for the study of the Zohar which achieves the golden mean of accessiblity to the non-specialist, but also as an invaluable resource for the specialist."—Morris M. Faierstein, Reading Religion

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisRav Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag ("Rabash") changed the course of studying Kabbalah by integrating the concept of unity in our world to reach spiritual attainment. Rabash''s father and teacher was the great Kabbalist, Rav Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag, (known as Baal HaSulam) who wrote commentary on The Book of Zohar. While Baal HaSulam gave us insight on the spiritual worlds, it was Rabash who articulated the human essence of Kabbalah for our generation. Rabash gave us the practical advice on how to realise spirituality by simply forming study groups and using unity and love as our tools for attaining spirituality in in our time. The writings in this book aren''t just for reading, the reader can utilise the book as a guide in his everyday life and within his study group. By following the advice Rabash gives us in the book, the student will discover new insights in his studies. Rabash shows how to utilise the Wisdom of Kabbalah to find true spirituality in our life.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book offers contemplations from the ocean of wisdom contained in the wisdom of Kabbalah, touching upon topics such as pleasure, ego, love, men and women, education, Nature, The Book of Zohar, and spirituality. Just open the book wherever you wish, and begin to read, and the words within will serve you as a "glimpse of the Light" illuminating the profound emotions and perceptions we can all attain.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisRevealing how the ancient spiritual tradition known as the Kabbalah can be applied to the art of writing, award-winning author Sherri Mandell presents a mystical system for developing creativity and harnessing divine inspiration in your storytelling and other written works. Sharing insight from her own spiritual journey and her years of teaching writing, Mandell explains how the characteristics of the 10 sefirot--the channels of divine creative life force that make up the elemental spiritual structure of the world--can be used to think about and develop writing in a profound way and give you the power to grow as a person and a writer. She explores each sefira in detail and how it can be used to manifest creative visions through words. Showing how writing can be healing and redemptive, she provides writing exercises and imaginative techniques to help you create a writing practice that allows you to appreciate the richness of life, retrieve its divine beauty, and share your unique wisdom. Revealing how writing can become a spiritual path, a pilgrimage to discover the sacred stories within, Mandell shows that sharing your inner truth and expressing your personal gifts of imagination through writing is part of your individual spiritual mission as well as an essential part of the spiritual evolution of the world.Trade Review"Mandell offers an inventive exploration of the Kabbalah as a resource to help readers improve their memoir and essay writing practices, and to discover the 'divine beauty' of their lives. This thoughtful guide balances practical advice with emotional insight, without being overtaken by mystic overtones. Aspiring writers with a spiritual bent will appreciate Mandell’s unique approach." * Publishers Weekly *“Whether you are new on your spiritual path or think you have seen and read it all, The Kabbalah of Writing will guide you down fascinating new avenues of spiritual awakening using simple, easy-to-accomplish tools and writing prompts to help you create the life of your dreams. A treasure trove of a book just waiting to be discovered by those ready to take their spiritual understanding and practices to brilliant new heights!” * Royce Christyn, author of Scripting the Life You Want *“Sherri Mandell is brilliant, captivating, and relentlessly honest. Her book is a must for anyone who loves to write and wants to learn to write better.” * Brian Kiley, comedian, Emmy Award-winning writer, and head monologue writer for Conan O’Brien *“Sherri Mandell takes us on a breathtaking journey through the spiritual energy of the ten sefirot and shows how each one opens a new doorway into the practice of writing. This is a world where kindness honors our inner voices, boundaries help us edit and focus, and harmony creates moments of insight. Mandell collects guidance from poets, essayists, psychologists, philosophers, and sages alike in a conversation that engages literary wisdom with sacred texts. Bursting with wisdom and practical advice, inspiration and writing prompts, Mandell shows us how to reveal and give voice to our own unique stories.” * Jane Medved, author of Deep Calls to Deep and Olam, Shana, Nefesh *“The Kabbalah of Writing is rich with the most practical suggestions for writers, simple to follow, and abundant with possibility. Mandell shows us by example how to live a reading and writing life every day. Her book is a welcome guide for anyone seeking to link spiritual growth with literary experiment.” * Ilana M. Blumberg, Ph.D., author and associate professor of English at Bar-Ilan University *“The Tree of Life is a map of the Divine’s creative process, and a core Kabbalistic teaching is that we are partners with the Divine in completing and perfecting our part in that process. Sherri Mandell has given writers a great gift as she teaches us how to use the Tree of Life in our creative process, revealing our work to be the holy partnership that it is and enabling us to reach new creative depths and heights.” * Mark Horn, author of Tarot and the Gates of Light *“I have never read a book that accomplishes so many goals without overwhelming the reader or oversimplifying the material. The Kabbalah of Writing incorporates a serious treatment of the sefirot interspersed with an illuminating survey of ‘writers writing about writing,’ peppered with personal anecdotes that warm the heart, and topped with an adventurous array of writing exercises.” * Sarah Yehudit Schneider, author of Kabbalistic Writings on the Nature of Masculine and Feminine *“Highly original, beautifully conceived, The Kabbalah of Writing is a gift not only to aspiring writers but to anyone seeking to enhance their creative and spiritual potential.” * Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute *“Such poetic, light, penetrating wisdom riffles through these pages like an evening breeze in Jerusalem. This book contains just about everything I need to know to write better and live more richly.” * Ruchama King Feuerman, author of In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist *“This book is a psycho-spiritual manual that applies the wisdom of the sefirot to the sacred art of creative writing. Freewheeling anecdotes, from personal experience, from Torah, and a multitude of celebrated writers, are sure to help us live more deeply, with greater courage and humor.” * Jean-Pierre Weill, author of The Well of Being *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Will / Keter 2 Inspiration / Chochmah 3 Comprehension / Bina 4 Kindness / Chesed 5 Boundaries / Gevurah 6 Harmony / Tiferet 7 Endurance / Netzach8 Surrender / Hod9 Creativity / Yesod 10 Rulership / Malchut A Final WordBibliography Index About the Author

Read more less

Book Synopsis• Shares 159 short exercises and practices to tap instantly into your subconscious mind and receive answers to your most important questions • Explains how to dialogue with and understand the imagery and metaphors that arise during these practices • Offers powerful practices to discover your areas of “stuckness” and quickly clear them, thus releasing past traumas and ancestral patterns and freeing the flow of the imagination for enhanced creativity and joy in life In this step-by-step guide to kabbalistic practices to connect with your natural inner genius and liberate the light within you, Catherine Shainberg reveals how to tap instantly into the subconscious and receive answers to urgent questions. This method, called the Kabbalah of Light, originated with Rabbi Isaac the Blind of Posquieres (1160-1235) and has been passed down by an ancient kabbalistic family, the Sheshet of Gerona, in an unbroken transmission spanning more than 800 years. The modern lineage holder of the Kabbalah of Light, Shainberg shares 159 short experiential exercises and practices to help you begin dialoguing with your subconscious through images. The images that pop up during these practices are unexpected and revelatory, and she discusses how to open them to greater understanding. At first, they may show you aspects of yourself you don’t like. But seeing them serves as both a diagnosis and a direct path to transformation. Fast and simple, the practices can help you discover your areas of “stuckness,” release past traumas and ancestral patterns, free the imagination, and open the way to the bliss promised us in the Garden of Eden. Beginning this fertile dialogue with your inner world leads you to uncover your soul’s purpose and manifest your dreams in this world. Once your inner dream world and outer reality have merged, you will be able to see your superconscious--your soul’s ­blueprint--and experience the ecstatic illumination of a heart-centered life.Trade Review“This book is a gift to dreamers, to Kabbalists, to meditators, and to the world. Amid the fascination with Kabbalah, seekers have thirsted for a way into the mystical experience. The Kabbalah of Light is that way in.” * Rabbi Jill Hammer, Ph.D., author of Undertorah *“Catherine Shainberg teaches us how our dreams can become real and the unknowable known. Her book will give you courage to learn from the creativity of your dreams.” * Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus *“In her wonderful new book Catherine Shainberg inspires us to plunge deep into the ocean of dreams and access gifts of the great unconscious. She declares with informed passion that dreaming is a royal road to enlightenment and shows us that it opens doors to many worlds.” * Robert Moss, author of Conscious Dreaming *“Catherine’s done it again, assembling the hidden ingredients of mindfulness and brewing them in a cauldron of ancient and early medieval Hebraic mystery wisdom. An excellent guide whose magic we have yet to fathom and of which, through the book’s many exercises, we might finally catch a glimpse.” * Rabbi Gershon Winkler, author of Magic of the Ordinary *“Catherine Shainberg’s new book is serious, delightful, and tinged with the magical, as is the author. It is a creative effort, filled with wonderful practices and exercises to raise the great Leviathan from the depths of the unconscious so as to awaken our creative imagination and life force. Shainberg’s readings into biblical and Kabbalistic myth are wonderfully creative.” * Melila Hellner-Eshed, author of A River Flows from Eden *“The Kabbalah of Light is an audacious endeavor to present the esoteric wisdom of the Jewish mystical tradition as the science of letting the unconscious speak. The guidance in this book is to lead one to spiritual enlightenment and psychic well-being, the experience that Kabbalists call dveikut, cleaving to the divine, the highest rung on the ladder of dreams.” * Elliot Wolfson, Marsha and Jay Glazer Chair in Jewish Studies, University of California, Santa Barba *“In this brilliant book, Catherine has given us a great gift. Not only is this work dazzling in its depth and beauty, it is also eminently useful and practical. Catherine guides us on a grand journey, a voyage of self-discovery. There lies buried treasure--the riches of a more fulfilling transformed life, illumined by the golden sunlight of divine revelation.” * Kevin Melville Jennings, past contributor of The Daily Scope for Vogue.com *“In her thrilling new book, Catherine Shainberg’s treasure trove of playful and profound ‘inductions’ will guide you to plunge deeper and deeper into the innermost realms of your soul. What a gift this book is to all seekers of light and delight. The Kabbalah of Light is mind-expanding. It’s fun and fabulous!” * Didi Conn, actress and playwright *"This book is so full of spiritual practices that it must be the most applicable use of Jewish mysticism ever published in a single volume. Never have we seen a book that presents Kabbalah with so many exercises designed to enhance understanding. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are 160 numbered exercises from 'Awake while Falling Asleep' (#1) to 'Oneness' (#160)." * Jon M. Sweeney, Spirituality & Practice *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction PART I The Leviathan, Great Beast of the DeepFishing in the Ocean of the Subconscious 1 The Mystery of Dreams 2 Tikun and a Ladder to the Light 3 Incubation and Saphire Imagery 4 The Creative Act 5 Signs of Transformation: The Grammar of the Imagination 6 Symbol or Metaphor PART IITaming the Leviathan Interactions with the Subconscious7 Playing with Manifestation 8 Dreamfields and Complexes 9 Ancestral Patterns 10 The Inner Child: From Duality to Singularity11 Misery and Splendor: Restoring Relationships 12 Time and Choice 13 Healing: Will It Be Leprosy, Wellness, or Wholeness? PART III Raising the Leviathan The Serpent of the Deep, Your Superconsciousness or, as the French Like to Call it, Your Sur-nature14 The Heart-Centered Way 15 Prayer and the Leviathan GlossaryNotes Bibliography Learn More Index LIST OF EXERCISES PART I The Leviathan, Great Beast of the Deep1 The Mystery of Dreams 2 Tikun and a Ladder to the Light 3 Incubation and Saphire Imagery 4 The Creative Act5 Signs of Transformation: The Grammar of the Imagination6 Symbol or MetaphorPART II Taming the Leviathan 7 Playing with Manifestation8 Dreamfields and Complexes 9 Ancestral Patterns 10 The Inner Child: From Duality to Singularity11 Misery and Splendor: Restoring Relationships 12 Time and Choice 13 Healing: Will It Be Leprosy, Wellness, or Wholeness?PART III Raising the Leviathan 14 The Heart-Centered Way 15 Prayer and the Leviathan

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Merkavah movement is widely recognized as the first full-fledged expression of Jewish mysticism, one that had important ramifications for classical rabbinic Judaism. This title offers a look at the history of Jewish mysticism from the book of "Ezekiel" to the Merkavah mysticism of late antiquity.Trade Review"Peter Schäfer, Winner of the 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation"Table of ContentsAcknowledgments XI Abbreviations XIII Introduction 1 Mysticism 1 Jewish Mysticism 9 1 Phases of Jewish Mysticism 9 2 Unio mystica 17 Origins 20 The Origins of Jewish Mysticism 23 Chapter 1: Ezekiel's Vision: The Cosmos as Temple 34 Chapter 2: Enoch and His Circle: Ascent to Heaven 53 The Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36) 53 The Testament of Levi67 Similitudes of Enoch (1 Enoch 37-71) 72 2 Enoch 77 Chapter 3: Enoch's Companions: From the Community to the Individual 86 Apocalypse of Abraham 86 Ascension of Isaiah 93 Apocalypse of Zephaniah 99 Apocalypse of John 103 Chapter 4: Qumran: Communion with the Angels 112 A Community of Priests 113 Communion with the Angels in the Holy War 116 Liturgical Communion with the Angels 122 The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice 130 The Self-Glorification Hymn 146 Summary 151 Chapter 5: Philo: The Ascent of the Soul 154 Philo's Concept of God 155 Body and Soul, Senses and Mind 160 The Soul's Vision of God 164 Chapter 6: The Rabbis I: Approaching God through Exegesis.175 Reading and Expounding the Torah 176 The Cycle of Seven Stories 185 1 Yohanan b Zakkai and Eleazar b Arakh: Teacher and Student 186 2 Chain of Transmission 195 3 Four Entered a Garden 196 4 Parable of the King's Garden 203 5 Parable of the Middle Course 206 6 Ben Zoma and Creation 207 7 Creation 209 Summary 210 Chapter 7: The Rabbis II: The Merkavah in Context 214 Yerushalmi 214 Bavli 222 Chapter 8: The Merkavah Mystics 243 Hekhalot Rabbati 244 1 The Gedullah Hymns 245 2 The Qedushah Hymns 254 3 The Ten Martyrs Narrative 256 4 The Apocalypses 257 5 Qedushah Hymns and Hymns of Praise 259 6 The Ascent Accounts 268 Hekhalot Zutarti 282 1 335-374: Ascent Accounts 283 2 375-406: Metatron 294 3 407-427: The Test of the Mystic and His Ascent 298 4 489-495: The Book of the Mysteries of the Divine Names 304 5 498-517: The Magic of the Name 305 Shi'ur Qomah 306 3 Enoch 315 1 Ishmael's Ascent 316 2 Enoch Is Metatron 318 Summary 327 Chapter 9: Conclusions 331 Ezekiel and the Ascent Apocalypses 331 Hekhalot Literature 339 Qumran 348 The Rabbis 350 Philo 352 Mysticism 353 Bibliography 357 Source Index 373 General Index 391

Read more less

Book SynopsisHasidism, a controversial, mystical-religious movement of Eastern European origin, has posed a serious challenge to mainstream Judaism from its earliest beginnings in the middle of the eighteenth century. Decimated by the Holocaust, it has risen like a phoenix from the ashes and has reconstituted itself as a major force in the world of ultra-OrthodTable of ContentsIntroduction to the 2016 Edition ix Editor's Introduction xxiii Book I HASIDISM AND MODERN MAN 1 Part I 1 Part II 5 Part III 12 Part IV 14 Book II MY WAY TO HASIDISM 16 Book III THE LIFE OF THE HASIDIM 31 Hitlahavut: Ecstasy 31 Avoda: Service 37 Kavana: Intention 44 Shiflut: Humility 51 Book IV THE WAY OF MAN, ACCORDING TO THE TEACHINGS OF HASIDISM 60 Introduction 60 I Heart-Searching 61 II The Particular Way 65 III Resolution 69 IV Beginning with Oneself 73 V Not to Be Preoccupied with Oneself 77 VI Here Where One Stands 80 Book V THE BAAL-SHEM-TOV'S INSTRUCTION IN INTERCOURSE WITH GOD 85 Introduction 85 Of Knowledge 86 Of Fervor and of Work 88 Of the Holy Sparks and Their Redemption 89 How One Should Serve 90 Of Distance and Nearness 91 Of Secrecy 92 A Parable of Prayer 93 Of True Intention 94 Of the Might of Words 95 Of Devotion 96 Of Binding 96 Of Distracting Thoughts 97 Of Good and Evil 98 Of Pride and Humility 99 Of the Twofold Movement .101 Explanatory Notes .101 Book VI LOVE OF GOD AND LOVE OF NEIGHBOR 108 Part I 108 Part II 113 Part III 120 Part IV 128

Read more less

Book SynopsisTake your Pagan practice to new heights with this guide to Hermetic Qabalah from a Wiccan perspective. Presents easy-to-follow exercises, meditations, rituals, and journal prompts that help integrate Qabalah into the reader s modern Wiccan practice

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a study of Isaac Luria (1534-72), one of the most remarkable and influential figures of late-medieval and early-modern Jewish mysticism. It looks primarily at Luria as a real historical figure, in the context of his relationship with his circle of disciples in the Galilean city of Safed, the great center of kabbalistic thought and teaching.Trade Review"...among the finest works of recent Judaic scholarship." -- The Forward"We come away from this book awed by Fine's scholarship, and with a better understanding of how Rabbi Isaac Luria, who wanted his writings to be concealed after his death, nevertheless produced ideas so powerful that they transformed the nature of Judaism for centuries." -- San Diego Jewish Journal"Through masterly synthesis and organization, the author has produced the first accessible account of Luria and his kabbalah in English—or any language—that is also richly detailed and historiographically up to date." -- American Historical Review"[Physician of the Soul] is the worthy capstone of a distinguished career spent studying the kabbalistic ideas of the sixteenth century and their importance for social and intellectual history." -- Histoire Sociale/Social History"Lawrence Fine has written extensively on Lurianic thought and practice and with this eminently readable and well-researched book has produced a welcome addition to the scholarship on Kabbalism in general and Luria in particular...This book is a necessary source for anyone who wants to know something about Kabbalah and its important representatives other than the travesty of this fascinating side of Judaism that is espoused by today's popular culture." -- ARC

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis third volume of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition completes the Zohar's commentary on the book of Genesis.Trade Review"Daniel Matt's translation of the Zohar is a masterful approach to one of the most enchanting and intriguing texts of religious literature. . . . This new volume will be read and reread with delight and fervor by teachers and students alike."—Elie Wiesel"An epochal event. . . . This work of learning will free us from the errors and misrepresentations that have long existed in almost all the popular accounts of the Zohar. We shall have this text in which the Zohar appears in all of its spiritual depth."—Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg"Daniel C. Matt is giving us what I hardly thought possible: a superbly fashioned translation and commentary that opens up the Zohar to the English-speaking world. . . . The lucidity and overwhelming relevance of Matt's Zohar . . . will provide both common and uncommon readers with access to a work capable of changing the consciousness of those who enter it."—Harold Bloom, Yale UniversityTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc4:Foreword iii @tocca:Margot Pritzker @toc4:Translator's Introduction iii @tocca:Daniel C. Matt @toc4:Acknowledgments iii Diagram of the Ten Sefirot iii Introduction iii @tocca:Arthur Green @toc2: Haqdamat Sefer ha-Zohar 000 Parashat Be-Reshit 000 Parashat Noah 000 @toc4: List of Abbreviations 000 Transliteration of Hebrew and Aramaic 000 Glossary 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000 Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Bible, O, T, Pentateuch Commentaries Early works to 1800, Cabala Early works to 1800, Zohar

Read more less

Book SynopsisCovers the first half of "Exodus". This book discusses the mystical explorations of Pharaoh's enslavement of the Israelites, the birth of Moses, the deliverance from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the Revelation at Mount Sinai. It probes the biblical text and seeks deeper meaning of the nature of evil and its relation to the divine realm.Trade Review"A monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought." —Koret Jewish Book Award, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Volumes I and II"Daniel C. Matt is giving us what I hardly thought possible: a superbly fashioned translation and commentary that opens up the Zohar to the English-speaking world The lucidity and overwhelming relevance of Matt's Zohar will provide both common and uncommon readers with access to a work capable of changing the consciousness of those who enter it."—Harold Bloom, Max Sterling Professor of Humanities, Yale University"Daniel Matt's work is superior to any other available translation of the Zohar because of its superb poetic language, the exegetical contribution of its copious notes, and its superior underlying Aramaic text, which was specially prepared by Dr. Matt from numerous original Zohar manuscripts and serves as the basis for his translation. Both the general English reader and scholars in the field of religious studies will benefit tremendously from this new series of volumes." —Moshe Idel, Max Cooper Professor of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University of JerusalemTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc4:Foreword iii @tocca:Margot Pritzker @toc4:Translator's Introduction iii @tocca:Daniel C. Matt @toc4:Acknowledgments iii Diagram of the Ten Sefirot iii Introduction iii @tocca:Arthur Green @toc2: Haqdamat Sefer ha-Zohar 000 Parashat Be-Reshit 000 Parashat Noah 000 @toc4: List of Abbreviations 000 Transliteration of Hebrew and Aramaic 000 Glossary 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000 Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Bible, O, T, Pentateuch Commentaries Early works to 1800, Cabala Early works to 1800, Zohar

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book explores a prominent medieval kabbalist's approach to prayer, meditative contemplation, and the transmission of mystical wisdom.Trade Review"Fishbane presents a carefully parsed analysis of Issac's world view, which remain in many respects a template for the spirituality of the Zohar in which the kabbalist is enmeshed in a consciousness defined by the interactions of the tropes of the Jewish canon, the images of the phenomenal world, the demands of the law, and the larger sweep of history." -- Pinchas Giller * AJS *"Eitan P. Fishbane's compelling study of Isaac of Akko shines a light on one of medieval kabbalah's most unique thinkers. Fishbane's book contributes mightily to a wide range of issues in kabbalah scholarship: sociology of knowledge, kabbalistic hermeneutics, mystical practice, mystical experience, and mystical union. Throughout, Fishbane treats the reader with his engaging and sophisticated style, a fecund reading of this kabbalist's oeuvre, and impressive erudition. Moreover, the author brings a wide variety of methodological approaches that deepen and enrich the scholarly conversation." -- Joel Hecker * H-Net *"Isaac of Acre, a fascinating, even unique medieval kabbalist, finally receives the broad scholarly treatment that he deserves in As Light Before Dawn. Eitan Fishbane's work is marked by extraordinary erudition, sophisticated methodologies, and a richly textured, nuanced analysis of this important contemplative mystic. This superb book is a distinguished contribution to the study of medieval Jewish mysticism." -- Professor Lawrence Fine, Irene Kaplan Leiwant Chair of Jewish Studies * Mt. Holyoke College *"Isaac of Akko, a seminal figure in the history of Jewish mystical thought, is here rescued from obscurity. The richness of his teachings combines with Fishbane's deeply creative scholarship to offer a true delight to students of Kabbalah, of meditative practice, and of the transmission of esoteric traditions in prior ages. Critical and comparative perspectives are well used to bring ancient wisdom to life in this model scholarly work." -- Arthur Green, Irving Brudnick Professor * Hebrew College *"Isaac of Akko is one of the few early kabbalists who described, and reflected on, his own mystical experiences. Here Eitan Fishbane presents a dazzling, erudite analysis of Isaac's writings, exploring his theory and practice of contemplation. This book captures the excitement and creativity of Kabbalah by expertly presenting one of its boldest pioneers, who spanned the Mediterranean world and imbibed wisdom wherever he journeyed. A superb work of scholarship, sophisticated yet fully accessible." -- Daniel Matt * editor and translator of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition *"Eitan Fishbane's As Light Before Dawn: The Inner World of a Medieval Kabbalist is a major contribution both to the study of Jewish mysticism and to the wider world of comparative mystical research. Although Isaac of Akko has long been known as an important Kabbalist, this is the first systematic presentation of one of the most challenging and rewarding mystical teachers of Kabbalah. With impressive command of the sources, penetrating analysis of difficult texts, and, above all, with a masterly ability to to reveal the inner dynamics of Isaac's spiritual teaching, Fishbane presents us with a full account of a mystic whose teaching on topics such as authority and tradition, theurgy and devotion, as well as contemplation and union with God, show him to be a true sage of Judaism, as well as a significant conversation partner for students of other mystical traditions." -- Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus, Divinity School * University of Chicago *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Without Matt's clarifications in his running commentary at the bottom of every page, the mysteries that unfold from the rabbis' discussions would be too esoteric for my humble brain. Matt, [...], is an amazing decoder of the mysteries that the kabbalistic rabbis herein reveal."—Tim Boxer, 15 Minutes Magazine"A monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought."—Koret Jewish Book Award"A superbly fashioned translation and commentary that opens up the Zohar to the English-speaking world. The lucidity and overwhelming relevance of Matt's Zohar will provide both common and uncommon readers with access to a work capable of changing the consciousness of those who enter it."—Harold Bloom, Max Sterling Professor of Humanities, Yale University"Daniel Matt's landmark translation of the Zohar . . . is a tour de force of scholarship and linguistic imagination. An English Zohar that sounds like literary Aramaic in the same way that Ezra Pound invented an English poetry that sounds like Chinese."—First Things"Daniel Matt's work is superior to any other available translation of the Zohar because of its superb poetic language, the exegetical contribution of its copious notes, and its superior underlying Aramaic text, which was specially prepared by Dr. Matt from numerous original Zohar manuscripts."—Moshe Idel, Max Cooper Professor of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University of JerusalemTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc4:Foreword iii @tocca:Margot Pritzker @toc4:Translator's Introduction iii @tocca:Daniel C. Matt @toc4:Acknowledgments iii Diagram of the Ten Sefirot iii Introduction iii @tocca:Arthur Green @toc2: Haqdamat Sefer ha-Zohar 000 Parashat Be-Reshit 000 Parashat Noah 000 @toc4: List of Abbreviations 000 Transliteration of Hebrew and Aramaic 000 Glossary 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000 Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Bible, O, T, Pentateuch Commentaries Early works to 1800, Cabala Early works to 1800, Zohar

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book inquires into the wondrous and complex world of mystical experience in the Zohar, the jewel in the crown of Jewish mystical literature.Trade Review"A River Flows From Eden is replete with insights and delights. It is without a doubt one of the most engaging books on Jewish mysticism in general, and the Zohar in particular. Melila Hellner-Eshed is an accomplished scholar of kabbalistic literature and an excellent guide into the intricacies of one of its most challenging works. A River Flows From Eden is truly rewarding for the novice and expert alike." -- Mark Verman * Shofar *"A fascinating and richly textured work that combines linguistic and literary acumen with a historian of religion's interest in the phenomenology of mysticism and a poet's sensitivity to language. Simply put, this is one of the most exciting works of scholarship I have encountered in recent years. . . . This is the rare book that should matter equally to specialists in the field and to serious lay readers and students." -- Elliot K. Ginsburg * University of Michigan *"Dr. Hellner-Eshed's book is a truly groundbreaking study of the mystical dimension of the Zohar, the masterpiece of Kabbalah. The scholarship reflected in this book is superb. . . . I rate it as one of the most significant academic studies of the Zohar in the past decade." -- Daniel Matt * editor and translator of The Zohar, Pritzker Edition *"[Hellner-Eshed] has written a book sure to become a basic contribution to the study of Kabbalah and the Zohar. Interested faculty should read it and assign it to their student ... Highly recommended." -- S. T. Katz * Choice *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, Gershom Scholem guides the reader through the central themes in the intricate history of the Kabbalah, clarifying the relations between mysticism and established religious authority, the mystics' interpretation of the Torah and their attempts to discover the hidden meaning underlying Scripture, the tension between the philosophical and the mystical concepts of God, and the symbolism employed in mystical religion.With a new foreword by Bernard McGinn

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisProvide a sense of the historical range of Kabbalah

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplores the complex gender symbolism that permeates Kabbalistic literature. Focusing on the nexus of asceticism and eroticism, the author seeks to define the role of symbolic and poetically charged language in the erotically configured visionary imagination of the medieval Kabbalists.Trade Review"Wolfson subjects the sexual elements to an unprecedented, and radical examination. This book is sure to be controversial and generate much discussion." -Choice Elliot R. Wolfson's _Language, Eros, and Being_ is a prodigy of scholarship. From the book's core, the construction of sexuality in religious consciousness and practice, three voices radiate: Continental philosophy and psychoanalysis; mysticism in Hellenistic, Christian; Islamic, and Buddhist traditions; and the esoteric dimension within Judaism known as Kabbalah. Because of the artful way in which Wolfson orchestrates the polyphony of their fugue-like conversation, the voices converge, dissolving into concord, without ever losing their definitive particularity. Read one way, Wolfson allows Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Derrida, Jacques Lacan, and Maurice Blanchot to introduce and clarify the poetics of Sufi or Kabbalistic thought. Read another way, Wolfson allows Zen masters, Gnostic myths, Ibn al-Arabi, Rabbi Hayyim Vital and authors of the Zohar to introduce and clarify poststructuralism. Throughout the conversation, Wolfson never indulges in apologetics or New Age gobbledygook. He never stumbles into the trap of ahistorical, apolitical, disembodying "mystocentrism." He never loses sight of his polemical focus on Judaism's lamentable androcentrism. He never compromises the most rigorous demands of historical-philological argumentation. Making the opposites of diverse discourses to coincide, Wolfson has rendered Kabbalah intelligible and useful to the world of critical learning. -- -Kalman P. Bland Duke University "In Wolfson's work each tradition and each field of thought retains its specificity and yet they all come together on the page to talk with each other." -Modern Theology "One is tempted to say that Wolfson's Language, Eros, Being is alchemical: Amazingly, it transforms the base metals of hermetically sealed Jewish studies into the gold of exoteric humanities." -AJS Review "Elliot Wolfson's new volume is massive in every respect: it is massive in scope, in intellectual reach, in methodological range, and in thematic sweep. Readers will be especially interested in his formulation of a poetics of Jewish mystical language, and in the new and strong articulation of his insights into the topics of gender and the dialectics of absence and presence in the sources. This is a major work that will certainly stimulate much discussion and interest." -- -Michael Fishbane Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies The University of Chicago The University of Chicago Divinity School

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat does lived religion look like in the 21st century? Against the polarizations of old and new, religion and secularism, theory and practice, a cadre of internationally renowned scholars interrogate the ways spiritual ideas and practices remain transformative in contemporary society. Concepts of self, community, education, aging, love, law and morality, of inner and outer modes of action and experience, abound. The Jewish mystical tradition, especially the contemporary movement of Habad Hasidism, embodies an intersection of the particular and the universal that speaks to wider crises in the governing assumptions of western culture and scientific disciplines. These essays exemplify the kind of radical interdisciplinarity that can move through these crises and beyond them, militating against academic hegemonies through the inclusion of indigenous Hasidic voices who speak with equal authority.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBecause a welter of details sometimes conceals the Torah ’s aura of holiness, Jewish mystics and spiritual teachers have for centuries attempted to reveal that aura through creative interpretation of the Torah text. The Aura of Torah explores these attempts in an effort to bridge the gap between the Torah text and the modern Jewish spiritual quest.Trade Review"The Chasidic pioneers, ever concerned to prevent religion sliding into dull routine, refreshed Torah with their creative readings. As this book amply demonstrates, Jewish spirituality remains rooted in the text."—Simon Rocker, Jewish Chronicle"The Aura of Torah is more than interesting and thought-provoking readings of biblical commentaries. The exegeses, taken from the heart of Kabbalah and the writings of Hasidic masters, have much historical value and give the modern reader insights into the ways eighteenth and nineteenth century Eastern European rabbis wanted their congregations to think about life and the Torah."—Fred Reiss, San Diego Jewish World"[The Aura of Torah is] an enormously valuable collection of commentaries from the mystical viewpoint, which will enrich our understanding of the weekly parashah, and present fodder for much discussion on the timeless words of Torah."—Dov Peretz Elkins, Jewish Media Review“The Aura of Torah is an important and useful contribution to the emergent literature of spiritual companions to the parashah. There is nothing quite like it on the shelf. Tabick assembles mystical teachings for the general reader with insight, creativity, and obvious spiritual depth.”—Lawrence Kushner, author of Honey from the RockTable of Contents Introduction: The Aura of TorahThe World’s Aura: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism and KabbalahGenesisB’reishit[1] Genesis 1:1 Unfinished Business—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[2] Genesis 2:24 The Soul’s Mate—Yitzchak Mordechai ben Yisra’el Aharon Podvah[3] Genesis 5:22,24 The Enoch Enigma—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem TovNoa?[4] Genesis 6:13 Wisdom or Cleverness?—Hayyim of Krasna[5] Genesis 8:15,20 Misplaced Anger—Zohar, Sitrei Torah[6] Genesis 9:20–21 The Wine of Torah—Avraham ben Shmuel AbulafiaLekh Lekha[7] Genesis 12:1 “Go for Yourself”—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[8] Genesis 13:17 Going About for Wisdom—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava[9] Genesis 17:1 God Fills and Surrounds All Things—Mordechai of ChernobylVa-yera’[10] Genesis 18:17 Lovingkindness in All That Happens—Yitzchak of Vorki[11] Genesis 20:11 Fear of God—Pinchas of Koretz[12] Genesis 21:17 Silent Screaming—Menachem Mendel of Vorki?ayyei Sarah[13] Genesis 24:1 For All—Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev[14] Genesis 24:44 Kindness and Compassion—Zevi Elimelech of Dinov[15] Genesis 24:62 God Sees Me—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovToledot[16] Genesis 25:25–26 Falsehood and Truth—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of Sudylkov[17] Genesis 26:15,18,20–22 Digging Our Own Wells—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[18] Genesis 28:9 Positive from Negative—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of IzbicaVa-yetse’[19] Genesis 28:12 You Are a Ladder—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[20] Genesis 29:17 “The Young Woman with No Eyes”—Naftali Hertz ben Ya’akov Elchanan Bacharach[21] Genesis 31:40 Coming and Going in Thought—Uri of StreliskVa-yishla?[22] Genesis 32:4 Prayers Are Messengers—Aharon (II) ben Asher of Karlin[23] Genesis 33:17 Houses for the Soul—Shalom Rokeach of Belz[24] Genesis 34:19 How to Love God—Hayyim ben Menachem Mendel of KosovVa-yeshev[25] Genesis 37:2 Renewed Each Day—Aharon (II) ben Asher of Karlin[26] Genesis 37:32 Rebound—Reuven Hoeschke, based on Zohar I, 144b[27] Genesis 39:2 The Double Test—Simchah Bunam of PshischeMikkets[28] Genesis 41:1 The Light of Consciousness—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[29] Genesis 42:1–2 Broken Torah—Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk[30] Genesis 44:17 The Importance of Truth—Aryeh Leib, Shpole ZaydeVa-yiggash[31] Genesis 44:18 Ways of Coming Closer—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[32] Genesis 45:16 The Voice of Prayer—Zohar I, 209b–210a[33] Genesis 46:2 The Level of Israel, the Level of Jacob—Aharon (II) ben Asher of KarlinVa-ye?i[34] Genesis 47:28–29 Body and Soul—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava[35] Genesis 49:8 Being a Jew—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of Sudylkov[36] Genesis 49:28 The General and the Particular—Simchah Bunam of PshischeExodusShemot[37] Exodus 1:7 Bodies of Holiness—Meir ben Chalifa Bikayam[38] Exodus 3:5 Habits Get in the Way—Yosef ben Yechiel Michal of Yampole[39] Exodus 5:22–23 Joining with the Pain of the Shechinah—Elimelech of LyzhanskVa-’era’[40] Exodus 6:5 Service for Positive Reasons—Moshe ben Yisra’el Polier of Kobrin[41] Exodus 7:9 Performing Signs—Shalom Rokeach of Belz[42] Exodus 8:22 Sensitivity to Others—Mordechai of NeschizBo’[43] Exodus 10:22–23 Darkness between Us—Yitzchak and Menachem Mendel of Vorki[44] Exodus 12:3 How to Eat—Moshe Cordovero[45] Exodus 13:2 The Firstborn Thought—Yisra’el Friedman of RuzhynBe-shalla?[46] Exodus 13:18 Going Up—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[47] Exodus 14:15 Turn to Israel First—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[48] Exodus 17:16 The War against Amalek—Natan of (Nemirov) BreslovYitro[49] Exodus 18:1 Reacting to Fear—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[50] Exodus 19:5 The Greatest Treasure—Moshe ben Yisra’el Polier of Kobrin[51] Exodus 20:2–3 Your Physical Being, Your Spiritual Being—Mordechai of ChernobylMishpatim[52] Exodus 21:24 Whose Eye?—Menachem ben Binyamin Recanati[53] Exodus 22:13–14 Soul on Loan—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[54] Exodus 24:7 “Who Is This Life Force?”—Menachem Nachum of ChernobylTerumah[55] Exodus 25:1–2 Not Just Now—Ze’ev Wolf of Zhitomir[56] Exodus 25:31 Becoming a Menorah—Mordechai of Neschiz[57] Exodus 27:1 Your Body Is an Altar—Hayyim Yosef David AzulaiTetsavveh[58] Exodus 28:4 The Ideal Jew—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[59] Exodus 28:32 Everyone Is a Priest—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[60] Exodus 29:46–47 God Is Still Our God—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn AttarKi Tissa’[61] Exodus 30:12 Ransoming Yourself—Pinchas of Koretz[62] Exodus 33:20 Seeing the Face of God—Mordechai of Chernobyl[63] Exodus 34:17 The Danger of Generalizations—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of IzbicaVa-yak’hel[64] Exodus 35:3 Fiery Anger—Tikkunei HaZohar[65] Exodus 35:30,31,33 Stone or Wood?—Yisra’el ben Shmuel of Modzhitz[66] Exodus 38:8 Seeing Yourself in a Mirror—Ya’akov Yosef of PolonnoyePekudei[67] Exodus 38:21 Submitting an Account—Mordechai of Chernobyl[68] Exodus 39:42 Work or Service?—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava [69] Exodus 40:36 Removing the Cloud—Avraham Yissachar Ber HaCohen of RadomskLeviticusVa-yikra’[70] Leviticus 1:1 Going to Your Head?—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[71] Leviticus 2:13 A Union of Opposites—Efraim Shlomo ben Aharon of Luntshits[72] Leviticus 5:17 Turning Good Deeds to Naught—Levi Yitzchak of BerditchevTsav[73] Leviticus 6:2 Harnessing Our Drives—Ya’akov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, Seer of Lublin[74] Leviticus 7:37 Torah Is What We Make of It—Yisra’el Friedman of Ruzhyn[75] Leviticus 8:29 Sanctifying Sight—Yisra’el ben Shmuel of ModzhitzShemini[76] Leviticus 9:6 It Depends on You—Ya’akov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, Seer of Lublin[77] Leviticus 10:1–2 Refining Your Plans—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[78] Leviticus 11:45 Dedicated to God—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem TovTazria‘[79] Leviticus 12:2 We All Receive—Yisra’el Friedman of Ruzhyn[80] Leviticus 13:23 Spirituality: Moving or Stationary?—Ya’akov Zevi Yolles[81] Leviticus 13:59 The Affliction of the Shechinah—Avraham Yissachar Ber HaCohen of RadomskMetsora‘[82] Leviticus 14:4 Humility at the Wrong Time—Yitzchak Meir of Gur[83] Leviticus 14:35 What Is Love?—Zevi Hirsh ben Shmuel Zanvil Minkovitz of Semyatitch[84] Leviticus 15:31 Separation for the Sake of Cleansing—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov’A?arei Mot[85] Leviticus 16:2 Charity Begins at Home?—Uri of Strelisk[86] Leviticus 16:30 Self-Cleansing—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[87] Leviticus 18:5 Putting Life into the Commandments—Menachem Mendel of KotzkKedoshim[88] Leviticus 19:2 Infinite Progression—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[89] Leviticus 19:36 An Honest “Yes” and “No”—Yehudah ben Shmuel HeHasid of Regensburg[90] Leviticus 20:7 Always Be Prepared—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov’Emor[91] Leviticus 21:1–2 Priests in Thought—Ze’ev Wolf of Zhitomir[92] Leviticus 23:2 Keeping Festivals Holy—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[93] Leviticus 24:19 It Will Come Back on You—Yisra’el ben Shmuel of ModzhitzBe-har[94] Leviticus 25:2 Trust Only in God—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[95] Leviticus 25:23 Only Passing Through—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of Sudylkov[96] Leviticus 25:35,36 Taking No Personal Interest—Elimelech of LyzhanskBe-?ukkotai[97] Leviticus 26:3 Making God—Zohar III, 113a[98] Leviticus 26:13 “Two Structures”—Mordechai of Chernobyl[99] Leviticus 27:33 The Love of Inferior Things—Dov Ber, Maggid of MezritchNumbersBe-midbar[100] Numbers 1:1 The Spread of Torah—Naftali Zevi Horowitz of Ropshitz[101] Numbers 2:2 Advice against Greatness—Avraham Yissachar Ber HaCohen of Radomsk[102] Numbers 4:20 Cheap Imitations—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovNaso’[103] Numbers 4:46–47 Joy Is Also a Mitzvah—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava [104] Numbers 6:26 A Gift from a King—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[105] Numbers 7:9 Exertion Required—Menachem Mendel of KotzkBe-ha‘alotekha[106] Numbers 8:3 Keeping It Fresh—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[107] Numbers 9:18 Moving On with the Help of God—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[108] Numbers 12:3 Accepting Yourself—Simchah Bunam of PshischeShela?-Lekha[109] Numbers 13:32 Beyond the Earthly—Ze’ev Wolf of Zhitomir[110] Numbers 14:13–16 Why God Can Forgive—Moshe Leib of Sasov[111] Numbers 15:39 Not Even If You Have a Good Heart—Menachem Mendel of KotzkKora?[112] Numbers 16:1 The Ongoing Struggle—Ya’akov Zevi Yolles[113] Numbers 16:22 The Spirit in Flesh—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[114] Numbers 17:23 Producing Blossoms and Almonds—Simchah Bunam of Pshische?ukkat[115] Numbers 19:2 The Secret of the Red Heifer—Menachem Mendel of Vorki[116] Numbers 20:14 Brothers on the Inside—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[117] Numbers 21:17–18 Prayer as Meditation—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben ChlavaBalak[118] Numbers 22:23 The Soul Can See Everything—Uri of Strelisk[119] Numbers 23:9 Turning Things Around—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov[120] Numbers 24:5 The Internal Takes Precedence—Avraham Noach HaLevi Heller of DolinaPin?as[121] Numbers 25:12 Inner Conflict—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[122] Numbers 27:16 Leaders: Military and Spiritual—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[123] Numbers 28:2 Feeding God—Pinchas of KoretzMattot[124] Numbers 31:2 Moses Never Has Left Us—Pinchas of Koretz[125] Numbers 31:21 The War after War—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[126] Numbers 32:22–23 Becoming Pure before God—Menachem Mendel of RymanovMase‘ei[127] Numbers 33:1–2 Journeys of Purification—Yisra’el ben Shabbetai Hapstein, Maggid of Koznitz[128] Numbers 34:2 Conquering Evil Within—Elimelech of Lyzhansk[129] Numbers 35:6–7 Repairing What We Have Damaged—Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of AptaDeuteronomyDevarim[130] Deuteronomy 1:17 Overcoming Doubt—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[131] Deuteronomy 1:31 No Two the Same—Elazar ben Yehudah of Worms[132] Deuteronomy 2:24 Concentration and Humility in Prayer—Menachem Mendel of RymanovVa-’et?annan[133] Deuteronomy 4:39 Nothing but God—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[134] Deuteronomy 5:5 Ego Gets in the Way—Kalonymos Kalman HaLevi Epstein[135] Deuteronomy 6:4 The Meaning of Divine Unity—Moshe Alsheich‘Ekev[136] Deuteronomy 8:3 The Spirituality of Eating—Hayyim Vital[137] Deuteronomy 9:15–17 The Weight of the Law—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[138] Deuteronomy 10:21 Prayer Is Divine—Pinchas of KoretzRe’eh[139] Deuteronomy 11:26 Today—Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev[140] Deuteronomy 13:4 Testing Times—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem Tov[141] Deuteronomy 15:22 Why Eating Is Like Sleeping—Ya’akov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, Seer of LublinShofetim[142] Deuteronomy 16:18 Judgment Within—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[143] Deuteronomy 18:13 Raising Love and Fear to God—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem Tov[144] Deuteronomy 19:14 Making God Real—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovKi Tetse’[145] Deuteronomy 21:10 The War against Evil—Moshe Teitelbaum of Ujhely[146] Deuteronomy 23:19 Praying without Desire—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[147] Deuteronomy 25:19 Blotting Out Amalek Within—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem TovKi Tavo’[148] Deuteronomy 26:11 How to Rejoice—Mordechai of Neschiz[149] Deuteronomy 26:16 Timeless Prayer—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[150] Deuteronomy 28:31 Backward Curses—Pinchas of KoretzNitsavim[151] Deuteronomy 29:9 Standing before God—Yisra’el Friedman of Ruzhyn[152] Deuteronomy 29:28 The Hidden and the Revealed—Hayyim Vital[153] Deuteronomy 30:11–12,14 The Shechinah in Our Mouths—Baruch ben Yechiel of MedzibodzVa-yelekh[154] Deuteronomy 31:1 Controlling Our Words—Elimelech ben Hayyim Meir Yechiel of Grodzhisk[155] Deuteronomy 31:12 Fixing Holiness in Our Minds—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[156] Deuteronomy 31:18 When God Is in Hiding—Simchah Bunam of OtvotzkHa’azinu[157] Deuteronomy 32:1 Without Knowing What We Say—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov[158] Deuteronomy 32:18 Forgetting God—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[159] Deuteronomy 32:47 The Torah as Advice—Meshullam Feibush HaLevi Heller of ZbarazhVe-zo’t Ha-berakhah[160] Deuteronomy 33:1 The Never-Recurring Now—Hayyim ben Menachem Mendel of Kosov[161] Deuteronomy 33:18 Business and Study—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[162] Deuteronomy 34:12 Returning to the Beginning—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovAppendix 1: Original TextsAppendix 2: The Teachers

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn unprecedented annotated anthology of the most important Jewish mystical works, A Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism Reader is designed to facilitate teaching these works to all levels of learners in adult education and college classroom settings. Daniel M. Horwitz’s insightful introductions and commentary accompany readings in the Talmud and Zohar and writings by Ba''al Shem Tov, Rav Kook, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and others. Horwitz’s introduction describes five major types of Jewish mysticism and includes a brief chronology of theirdevelopment, with a timeline. He begins with biblical prophecy and proceeds through the early mystical movements up through current beliefs. Chapters on key subjects characterize mystical expression through the ages, such as Creation and deveikut (“cleaving to God”); the role of Torah; the erotic; inclinations toward good and evil; magic; prayer and ritual; and more. Later chapters deal with Hasidism, Trade Review"Horowitz offers a very readable and enjoyable introduction to the broad expanse of Jewish mystical literature from biblical to modern times."—Mark Verman, Religious Studies Review"Rabbi Horwitz has done a masterful job of collecting important excerpts from the vast storehouse of mystical literature, and annotated each selection with a perceptive analysis. This collection will remain the classic book of study on kabbalah and Jewish mysticism for decades to come."—Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins“A gateway into the world of Jewish spirituality. . . . An important resource, very well done.”—Rabbi Jack Riemer, editor of The World of the High Holy Days“Rabbi Horwitz has written a fine book of accessible scholarship, one that will be welcomed by rabbis, educators, and adult education classes. Strongly recommended.”—Rabbi Judith Abrams, the late former head of Maqom, School for Adult Talmud Study, and coauthor of The Messiah and the Jews“Very solid, carefully thought-out, and well researched, making a very complicated subject quite accessible.”—Rabbi Dr. Byron L. Sherwin, the late former Distinguished Service Professor, Spertus Institute Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefaceLandmark Dates and Key Figures in Jewish Mysticism Part 1. The Roots of Jewish Mysticism1. What Is Jewish Mysticism?2. Mysticism in the Bible Part 2. Early Mystical Pursuits3. Mysticism in the Talmud: Entering the Pardes4. Song of Songs and Ma’aseh Merkavah5. The Temple: The Meeting Place for God and His People6. Ma’aseh Bereshit, Sefer Yetzirah, and Sefer ha-Bahir: The Roots of Kabbalah7. Hasidei Ashkenaz: Mystical Moralism Part 3. Basic Concepts in Kabbalah8. The Ein Sof: That Which Is Endless9. The Sefirot: Perceiving God10. Deveikut: Cleaving to God11. Tzorekh Gavoha: The Divine Need Part 4. Further Developments in Kabbalah12. Prophetic-Ecstatic Kabbalah: Abraham Abulafia13. The Role of the Torah14. Sexuality in Jewish Mysticism15. Sin, Teshuvah, and the Yetzer ha-Ra: Tikkun16. Lurianic Kabbalah17. The Problem of Evil in Kabbalah18. Mystical Experiences, Ascetic Practices Part 5. Additional Issues in Kabbalah19. Four Worlds, Four Levels of Soul: Death and Transmigration20. Magic21. Messianism22. Prayer and Ritual in the Mystical Life Part 6. Hasidism23. The Ba’al Shem Tov and His Teachings24. The Role of Prayer and the Ba’al Shem Tov’s Successors25. The Growth of Hasidism and Its Search for Truth26. Chabad Hasidism Part 7. Mysticism, Action, and Reaction27. Three Twentieth-Century Mystics28. Concealment and Distortion of Jewish Mysticism Suggestions for Further ReadingNotesGlossaryBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis groundbreaking presentation of Neo-Hasidic philosophy gathers and analyzes the writings of its progenitors: five great twentieth-century European and American Jewish thinkers—Hillel Zeitlin, Martin Buber, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Shlomo Carlebach, and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi—along with a young Arthur Green. Trade Review"A New Hasidism describes the renewal of Jewish life that I and so many of our colleagues have found to be meaningful. It draws us into an important conversation that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we touch as teachers and rabbis."—Rabbi Laura Geller, CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly"A compelling, enjoyable book and a centrally important contribution to the study of Neo-Hasidism. We are seeing with this book the early stages of an exciting new field of study, toward which Green and Mayse do an excellent job orienting us, particularly by providing for us an initial set of questions, texts, and suggestions for further reading. Although this book is recommended especially for audiences in Jewish and Jewish studies settings, it is accessible—and likely quite interesting—to broader audiences, both in the academy and outside it."—Steven Kaplin, Reading Religion“After reading these two intellectually informative and spiritually rich works, we ask how indeed twenty-first-century Jews living in comfort, in freedom, in modernity in an age of feminism and egalitarianism, at a time when they draw close to those who have been ‘other’ will adapt the spiritual teaching of their eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ancestors. Judaism will be much enhanced by such adaption as has been this reader.”—Michael Berenbaum, Jewish Journal “For more than a hundred years, people in search of religious renewal who are not Hasidic have found inspiration in Hasidism. Now Arthur Green and Ariel Mayse, both scholars of Hasidism and committed spiritual seekers, have assembled critical texts for the fashioning of Neo-Hasidism in the twenty-first century. The result is a landmark contribution to Jewish spirituality.”—David Biale, Emanuel Ringelblum Distinguished Professor of Jewish History at the University of California, Davis, and editor in chief of Hasidism: A New History“A New Hasidism is a treasure for the heart and mind. With this superb two-volume anthology in hand, contemporary seekers and scholars have a broad spectrum of spiritual wisdom with which to contemplate the history and contemporary character of Neo-Hasidism. The first volume provides the ‘roots’ of the modern reinterpretation of Hasidism in Europe and America; the second displays the ‘branches’ spreading over Jewish life in the United States and Israel in our times. Together they mark a major moment of our Jewish religious renaissance.”—Michael Fishbane, Nathan Cummings Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Chicago“In two sequential volumes, the diamonds of Hasidic spiritual teaching have been skillfully recut and set to offer seekers of all backgrounds entry into a challenging and soul-expanding opportunity. You are invited to enter a multigenerational conversation, deeply engage with the most inspiring teachings of Hasidic and contemporary teachers, build upon these insights, and carry them forward.”—Rabbi Marcia Prager, director and dean of the ALEPH Ordination Program and author of Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Abundance of the Divine“The impact of Neo-Hasidism on contemporary Jewish life cannot be overstated; its influence has penetrated farther and wider than is usually acknowledged. Yet what is Neo-Hasidism really—what are its main teachings, and where do those ideas stem from? Here, brought together for the first time, are the essential texts of Neo-Hasidism, from forebears like Hillel Zeitlin and Abraham Joshua Heschel, and from recent and contemporary thinkers like Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Arthur Green. Whatever their own relationship to Neo-Hasidism, students of Jewish thought and contemporary religious life cannot afford to miss these volumes. They are a veritable feast for seeker and scholar alike.”—Rabbi Shai Held, president and dean of the Hadar Institute and author of The Heart of Torah: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion“Over the past century, a number of creative spirits have reimagined Hasidism—infusing it with new energy, liberating it from its insularity and dynastic power structure, and translating its radical wisdom into a modern idiom. Now, for the first time, one of those creative spirits, together with his brilliant disciple, have chronicled that transformation and assembled its foundational documents (or ‘roots’) along with many of its recent literary ‘branches.’ Dip into these volumes to experience the renewal of Jewish spirituality.”—Daniel Matt, author of The Essential Kabbalah and the annotated translation, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition“Just when we are in such dire need of old/new tools for truth telling and loving kindness (chesed ve’emet), we receive these wise, passionate, intellectually compelling essays that continue the unfolding of the Neo-Hasidic revolution in our own times. These volumes will open minds, hearts, and even souls.”—Rabbi Lisa Goldstein, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality“Green and Mayse have masterfully crafted a living tree of Neo-Hasidic worldview and practice spanning the sources of Neo-Hasidic thought and their manifestations in contemporary Neo-Hasidism. These two wonderfully innovative volumes reveal a creatively alive Judaism informed by a deep legacy.”—Melila Hellner-Eshed, senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and author of A River Flows from Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction Editors’ Note 1. Hillel Zeitlin Introduction What Is Yavneh? (Untitled Manuscript, ca. mid-1920s) What Does Yavneh Want? (1924) Admonitions for Every True Member of Yavneh (1924) The Fundaments of Hasidism (1910) Mystery of Thought (1928) Suggestions for Further Reading 2. Martin Buber Introduction The Life of the Hasidim (1908) Spirit and Body of the Hasidic Movement (1922) Interpreting Hasidism (1963) Suggestions for Further Reading 3. Abraham Joshua Heschel IntroductionPikuah Neshamah: To Save a Soul (1949) Hasidism as a New Approach to Torah (1972) Dissent (Date Unknown) Suggestions for Further Reading 4. Shlomo Carlebach Introduction Introduction to “The Torah of the Nine Months” The Torah of the Nine Months (Undated, 1970s) Suggestions for Further Reading 5. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi Introduction Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism (1960) Toward an “Order of B’nai Or”: A Program for a Jewish Liturgical Brotherhood (1964) Foundations of the Fourth Turning of Hasidism: A Manifesto (2014) Selections from an Interview with Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (ca. 2000) Suggestions for Further Reading 6. Arthur Green Introduction Notes from the Jewish Underground: On Psychedelics and Kabbalah (1968) After Itzik: Toward a Theology of Jewish Spirituality (1971) “Where Are We Going?”: An Address to the Neo-Hasidism Conference, New York City (2003) Suggestions for Further Reading Source Acknowledgments Notes

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the most fascinating books ever published in Kabbalah. It is a journey in time from the past to the future, in situations we might all experience at some point. Anyone who wants to learn how to make the most of every moment in his or her life, anyone who wishes to find a happy, fulfilling life, will find the answers in this book. Since the days of The Zohar and the Tree of Life, the language of Kabbalah has never been as clear as it is in this moving piece. It is worthwhile contemplating the answers in the text, experiencing them in the simplest meaning of the word. Any student of Kabbalah, novice or advanced, will find this book to be a wonderful companion and a great reference for a fountain of genuine knowledge.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a clearly-written, user-friendly guide to making sense of the surrounding world while achieving inner peace. Each of the six chapters in this book focuses on a different aspect of the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah, shedding new light on a teaching that has too often been shrouded in mystery and misconceptions. A subtle, yet profound idea weaves the book''s chapters into a coherent and concrete whole. The first three chapters tell us why the present world is in a state of crisis, explaining how our growing desires promote progress as well as alienation, and why the biggest deterrent to achieving positive change is rooted in our own spirits. Chapters Four to Six offer a prescription for positive change. Therein, we learn how we can use our spirits to build a personally peaceful life in harmony with all of Creation. For the first time ever, the timeless principles of Kabbalah are explained for a general readership by a world-renowned scholar of Kabbalah -- Rav Michael Laitman, PhD. F

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisHarry Freedman, author of The Talmud: A Biography and The Murderous History of Bible Translations, explores the mysterious Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. Kabbalah is popularly known as a fashionable system for personal and spiritual insight, a Jewish mystical tradition popularized by devoted celebrities like Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, and Britney Spears. But behind the hype and simplicity of pop-Kabbalah lies an ancient, complex and very profound system that can take a lifetime to master. Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul is a short introduction that untangles the complex history and spiritual tradition behind the phenomenon. Kabbalah is difficult to define. The very phrase story of Kabbalah is as opaque and mysterious as the topic itself. This of course is its appeal. The word itself means received. For over half a millennium, individuals and movements with no attachment to Judaism havTrade ReviewWelcome to the curious but fascinating world of Harry Freedman’s Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul, a cheerfully non-partisan, no-frills attempt at demystifying one of the world’s most mysterious, opaque and esoteric spiritual traditions. * Spectator *Freedman navigates the story with great skill and good judgment […] In a secular age such as our own, when popular theological literacy is at an all-time low [he] has undoubtedly done a great service by rescuing Kabbalah from the pile * Daily Telegraph *This comprehensive guide to an important religious tradition will appeal to both readers of Jewish history and general readers of spirituality * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Introduction The Origins of Kabbalah Out of the East The Beginning of Kabbalah Radiance Christian Cabala The City of Mystics Cabala and the Occult Sciences Golem Good, Evil and the life of the Soul Critics and Crisis Decline and Revival Hasidism The Occult Revival Towards Modernity The New Age Appendix: A Very Brief Outline for the Sefirot Glossary Notes Bibliography Index A Note on the Author Plates

Read more less