cover image THE MYSTERY OF LOVE

THE MYSTERY OF LOVE

Marc Gafni, . . Atria, $25 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-7434-4220-6

From the author of Soul Prints comes this book about the profound link between sex and spirituality. Gafni, a Kabbalah scholar, television host and rabbi, argues thoughtfully and thoroughly that the erotic and the holy are one and the same. If readers can get past the initial shock of Gafni's claim that the cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies were in fact locked in sexual embrace (a provocative suggestion supported by some Kabbalistic texts), then the book is sure to be a mind opener. Gafni writes: "the secret of the cherubs is that sex is our spiritual guide." He carefully reclaims the word "eros," broadening it from the narrow sexual meaning it has today to encompass a larger life force: eros is "the source of all creativity and pleasure." In this context, eros is synonymous with the divine and the sacred. Sexuality (e.g., as portrayed in the Old Testament's Song of Solomon) is a model for the larger concept of eros and holiness. Gafni meticulously builds on this central argument with generous helpings of parables and stories from mystical texts, observing that we often lead nonerotic (although not necessarily nonsexual) lives. He invites readers to learn to fill their emptiness with eros rather than its pale imitations. Those frustrated with the spare documentation of his argument can look forward to his upcoming two-volume scholarly work expanding on the material in this fascinating book. (Apr.)

Forecast:What's not to like about merging sex and spirituality? Gafni will promote the book at his own speaking engagements and during a five-city author tour, which should help move its initial print run of 25,000 copies.