The Bahir [Paperback]

Aryeh Kaplan (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1989

The first book in any language ever to reveal the methodology of the ancient Kabbalists, this is one of the oldest and most important of all ancient Kabbalistic texts. All references, both to manuscripts and printed material are carefully cited, and the complete Hebrew text of The Bahir is included.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Hebrew (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan was born in New York City and was educated in The Torah Voda'as and Mir Yeshivot in Brooklyn. After years of study at Jerusalem's Mir Yeshiva, he was ordained by some of Israel's foremost rabbinic authorities. He also earned a master's degree in physics and was listed in Who's Who in Physics in the United States. In the course of a writing career spanning only twelve years, Rabbi Kaplan earned a reputation as one of the most effective, persuasive, scholarly, and prolific exponents of Judaism in the English language. He died on January 28, 1983, at the age of 48. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 269 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (April 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877286183
• ISBN-13: 978-0877286189
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Jewish Texts > Kabbalah

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Early Kabbalistic Literature, March 9, 2002

By 

A. J. Valasek (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bahir (Paperback)

As far as the study of Kabbalah is concerned, this book is necessary and the only English version I'm aware of. This is certainly not light reading and very esoteric in nature. Without the commentary of Mr. Kaplan, this text would be incomprehensible to all but the very elite of the Kabbalistic scholars, which I'm not. Extreme patience and focus is required when reading and I highly recommend that one read the commentary for each of the 200 points as you go. Of course this makes for lots of page turning, but much easier comprehension. With that said, one can find many gemstones within the pages of this book that are largely allegorical in nature. Although I find the gematria a bit of a stretch at times, I certainly can't definitively discount the exegesis either. The work along the sefirot and the meditative implications I thought were the most useful of the teachings in these pages, but not intended for the beginner. The commentary on the levels of the soul and universes I also thought were particulary interesting and useful for understanding some of the Hebraic connotations of the Bible.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Interpretation of The Ancient Kabbalistic Classic, June 5, 2000

By 

David Kidybinski - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bahir (Paperback)

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, of blessed memory, has accomplished much in the field of Judaic studies during his lifetime. By far the most amazing are his Kabbalistic works, like this, the Bahir. The Bahir is one of the oldest texts of the Kabbalah. Tradition assigns it to Rabbi Nehuniah Ben Ha-Kana of the first century CE. This fantastic book not only presents an accurate translation of the text, but also an interpretation which relates it to modern Judaism and as a supplement, the original Hebrew text. The Bahir is a revolutionary book; the Zohar and subsequent Kabbalah is literally based on its foundation. It is the oldest known book that actually presents the array of the Sefirot (Divine Emanations) and it deals largely with interpretations of the Bible.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Text, November 4, 2004

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bahir (Paperback)

Before his tragic death, Rabbi Kaplan was a practicing Kabbalist who wrote several ground-breaking books on Kabbalah. Notably, he wrote 3 books on Jewish Meditation and commentaries on both the Sefer Yetzirah and the Book Bahir. His "Bahir" provides considerable commentary and explanation of the text, though much of it is still a mystery--so don't expect a complete exposition of a definitive sort. None exists at least in English as far as I can determine. But, this one is a terrific start. The origins of the 3 greatest Kabbalah books (Yetzirah, Bahir, and Zohar) are shrouded in mystery. They are attributed to ancient Masters (pseudoepigraphic) which is actually not unusual in medieval times. Gershom Scholem popularized Kabbalah through his academic studies (though he may not have meant to do this at all) though he was not a Kabbalist. He was an historian-great historical data but absurd personal opinions. Not so for Aryeh Kaplan who is obviously a practitioner not just an academic. Nevertheless, "Bahir" is replete with esoteric symbolism. Symbols (as opposed to signs) do not have a definitive meaning. They aren't supposed to. They have many "meanings." Thus, this text, though obviously very heavy duty metaphysically, is very difficult to understand today. It's relationships to the other 2 main texts in Kabbalah is highly relevant and interesting. So, along with the Sefer Yetzirah, this is a book for the serious student of Kabbalah to ponder and meditate upon for a long, long...time.