Sefer ha-Zohar, "The Book of Radiance," has amazed and overwhelmed readers ever since it emerged mysteriously in medieval Spain toward the end of the thirteenth century. Written in a unique Aramaic, this masterpiece of Kabbalah exceeds the dimensions of a normal book; it is virtually a body of literature, comprising over twenty discrete sections. The bulk of the Zohar consists of a running commentary on the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. This translation begins and focuses here in what are projected to be ten volumes. Two subsequent volumes will cover other, shorter sections. The Zohar's commentary is composed in the form of a mystical novel. The hero is Rabbi Shim'on son of Yohai, a saintly disciple of Rabbi Akiva who lived in the second century in the land of Israel. In the Zohar, Rabbi Shim'on and his companions wander through the hills of Galilee, discovering and sharing secrets of Torah. On one level, biblical figures such as Abraham and Sarah are the main characters, and the mystical companions interpret their words, actions, and personalities. On a deeper level, the text of the Bible is simply the starting point, a springboard for the imagination. For example, when God commands Abraham, Lekh lekha, Go forth... to the land that I will show you (Genesis 12:1), Rabbi El'azar ignores idiomatic usage and insists on reading the words more literally than they were intended, hyperliterally: Lekh lekha, Go to yourself! Search deep within to discover your true self. At times, the companions themselves become the main characters, and we read about their dramatic mystical sessions with Rabbi Shim'on or their adventures on the road, for example, an encounter with a cantankerous old donkey driver who turns out to be a master of wisdom in disguise. Ultimately, the plot of the Zohar focuses on the ten sefirot, the various stages of God's inner life, aspects of divine personality, both feminine and masculine. By penetrating the literal surface of the Torah, the mystical commentators transform the biblical narrative into a biography of God. The entire Torah is read as one continuous divine name, expressing divine being. Even a seemingly insignificant verse can reveal the inner dynamics of the sefirot―how God feels, responds and acts, how She and He (the divine feminine and masculine) relate intimately with each other and with the world.

The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 2 (Volume 2)

Religion & Spirituality

Daniel C. Matt

Christian Books & Bibles

Stanford University Press

Kabbalah emerged as a distinct movement within Judaism in medieval Europe, and from the beginning is was both committed to traditional observance and profoundly radical. The kabbalists made the fantastic claim that their mystical teachings derived from the Garden of Eden. This suggests that Kabbalah coveys our original nature: the unbounded awareness of Adam and Eve, which we have lost as the inevitable consequence of tasting the fruit of knowledge. The kabbalist years to recover that primordial tradition, to regain cosmic consciousness, without renouncing the world. The Essential Kabbalah offers insightful accounts of the primary aspects of Jewish mysticism, including Ein Sof (the radical transcendence of God), the Sefirot (the ten divine attributes), and the Shekhinah (the feminine aspect of God). A crucial and momentous contribution to the normally esoteric world of Jewish mysticism. The Essential Kabbalah is a rich and vital recourse for the contemporary spiritual seeker.

The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism (Mystical Classics of the World)

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Books by Daniel C. Matt

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The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 2 (Volume 2)

The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism (Mystical Classics of the World)