Kabbalah: The Mystic Quest in JudaismRowman & Littlefield, 2006 - 257 pages Today, many people from all faiths are exploring the Kabbalah. What were once controversial and esoteric teachings from medieval Jewish mystics now is becoming one of the latest spiritual trends sweeping across America. In the wake of this renewed interest comes David Ariel's Kabbalah: The Mystic Quest in Judaism, a thoroughly updated edition of his classic best selling book, The Mystic Quest. Ariel beautifully presents the complex elements of Jewish mysticism's major ideas in clear, understandable, and accessible language for Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike. Hailed as "brilliant" by Publishers Weekly, the book has a completely revised Introduction that sets a contemporary context for understanding Jewish mysticism, given the current fascination with Kabbalah in today's culture. Several chapters are substantially revised, making key ideas less abstract and more comprehensible to readers. Because it can be easy to misunderstand the intricate teachings of Jewish mysticism, the book now includes a section called the "10 Main Conceptual Principles" of Jewish mysticism, putting the main concepts in clear, easy to grasp, modern language. Concluding with how Kabbalah can be incorporated into our daily lives, Kabbalah: The Mystic Quest in Judaism, is an intellectually sophisticated yet straightforward book studded with deep insights on what Jewish mystical thought is all about. |
Contents
Seekers of Unity The Nature of Mysticism | 1 |
Visionaries Mystics and Kabbalists The History of Jewish Mysticism | 23 |
The Hidden and the Revealed The Infinite God of Jewish Mysticism | 43 |
The Calculus of the Divine World The Teaching of the Sefirot | 65 |
The Shekhinah The Feminine Aspect of God | 95 |
Entering the Garden The Meaning of Torah | 113 |
The Oneness of Being The Destiny of the Soul | 129 |
The Mystic Drama The Religious Life of the Jewish Mystic | 149 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abraham abyss according achieve ascend aspect believed Besht Bible biblical Binah Blessed body called century conception consciousness created creation described devekut divine realm earthly emanation essence Essential Kabbalah everything exile existence explains Ezekiel Gershom Scholem God's Hasidism heaven heavenly Hebrew letters Hesed hidden Hokhmah Holy human individual Infinite Isaac Israel Jerusalem Jewish mysticism Jewry Jews Kabbalah Kabbalists Keter king Kook Lekhah Dodi light Luria Maimonides Malkhut masculine and feminine meaning meditation Messiah Midrash Mishnat ha-Zohar Moses mystery mystic quest mystical experiences Nahmanides nefesh neshamah notion Oral Torah palace passage perfection prayer presence primordial Rabbi Rabbi Akiva relationship religion religious experience revealed ritual Rosh ha-Shanah Sabbath Sages Sefer Sefirah Sefirot sexual Shabbetai Tzvi Shavuot Shekhinah Sinai soul sparks spiritual symbolizes synagogue Talmud teachings Temple theurgic thought Tiferet Tiferet and Malkhut tion Tishby tradition transcendent Tzimtzum union unity universe verse vessels wisdom Yesod YHVH Zohar