Simple Kabbalah: A Simple Wisdom Book

To convert complex spiritual ideas to clear, lucid terms, Conari Press established the Simple Wisdom series. Simple Kabbalah follows comparable books on Feng Shui and Meditation in attempting to make esoteric topics readily accessible. Kabbalah, or ""received tradition,"" is the Jewish mystical answer to all questions about God, people and the universe, supposedly hidden within the Hebrew Scripture. Kabbalists devote themselves to unraveling these secrets. Zetter, a journalist who specializes in Jewish affairs, began studying Kabbalah 10 years ago when she lived in Israel. She provides a straightforward explanation of Kabbalah and then offers a brief history, beginning in the 12th and 13th centuries, when the canonical text of Kabbalah, the Book of Zohar, appeared. Next, she sets forth key principles of Kabbalah and examines the text of Genesis to demonstrate the techniques Kabbalists use to unearth deeper meanings in received traditions. A chapter is devoted to the Tree of Life, the crucial symbol of Kabbalah, and the book concludes by exploring Kabbalah's significance for human behavior. The labyrinthine mysteries of Kabbalah remain perplexing, but this book is a useful introduction for those who wish to investigate arcane elements of Jewish theology and philosophy. (Nov.)