From an early age Besserman rebelled against the idea, fostered in her ultra-Orthodox yeshiva
(school), that "Jewish women served God by having sons and being 'footstools' to their husbands in heaven after they died." She didn't want to be anyone's footstool—she wanted to see God. Unfortunately, because she was female, those men with the answers refused to acknowledge, much less answer, her questions on spirituality and mysticism, leading her to seek answers in hatha yoga, Zen, the Bhagavad Gita and other Eastern texts, until she finally met a rabbi willing to teach her. Besserman has spent a lifetime honing, teaching and writing of a deep intrinsic spirituality that has gripped her soul from childhood—expertise that shines through in this step-by-step Kabbalah guide for women. She recognizes that for women to be empowered with a strong sense of self, they must overcome the illusions they've been fed of inferiority, as well as remember the "Talmudic claim that the ways to Truth are as numerous and varied as human faces." There is an everywoman quality to Besserman's quest—one that instills an instant camaraderie among women readers seeking spiritual answers, and that makes her meditations and suggested paths seem natural and intuitive. Don't judge this book by its pop iconic cover—it's thoughtful, insightful and deeply spiritual. (Jan.)
