Description
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 hav
Trade Review
Welcome 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 Contents
List 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
