The Book of Letters [Deluxe Edition] [Hardcover]

Lawrence Kushner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1990

In calligraphy by the author. Folktales about and exploration of the mystical meanings of the Hebrew Alphabet. Open the old prayerbook-like pages of The Book of Letters and you will enter a special world of sacred tradition and religious feeling. More than just symbols, all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet overflow with meanings and personalities of their own. Rabbi Kushner draws from ancient Judaic sources, weaving Talmudic commentary, Hasidic folktales, and Kabbalistic mysteries around the letters. Each letter is illuminated and, together with the comments, is presented in the author s original calligraphy, recalling the look and feel of ancient medieval manuscripts.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Book of Letters: A Mystical Alef-Bait is written in English, but the format is classically Talmudic. The book opens from right to left, ending on the page where most readers are accustomed to beginning. Lawrence Kushner, a Massachusetts rabbi whose writings have helped restore a mystical dimension to popular Judaism in America, wrote The Book of Letters in beautiful calligraphy that is reproduced on every page of this finely bound edition. The text does not so much analyze or explain the letters of the Hebrew alphabet as play with them, teasing their forms and functions for hints of their significance. Noting that aleph, the unpronounceable first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is also the first letter of the names of the first man (Adam), the first Jew (Abraham), and the herald of the last man (Elijah), as well as the first letter of the first commandment, Kushner notes that "The most basic words there are begin with the most primal sound there is." The Book of Letters is full of seriously playful insights like this. It's a marvelous guide to meditation, a primer for students of Hebrew calligraphy, and a fun introduction to learning Hebrew. --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

"A valuable resource for all students of American spiritual life. As an introduction to Jewish literature and history, it is a particularly engaging, informing and informed volume. Essential for special and private collections; highly recommended for public and academic libraries serving Jewish constituents or religious communities." -- MultiCultural Review, April 1992 --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing; Deluxe edition (December 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187904501X
• ISBN-13: 978-1879045019
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,519,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Every Time I Read It, September 9, 2000

By 

wisdomseeker "smatlins" (Woodstock, VT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet (The Kushner series) (Hardcover)

I borrowed this book and read it for the first time about 15 years ago. How could such a slim volume have so much wisdom and power and poetry in it? Both my wife and I found it deeply moving and enlightening as we explored what it meant to be Jews in a modern world, while part of a faith and tradition that had deep and ancient roots. When I tried to buy a copy, I learned that it was out of print and had been for a while. We decided that this was an unacceptable situation. We heard about so many people who loved this book and wanted to share it with others. So, we started Jewish Lights Publishing to bring it back into print. Read it and you'll understand why, whether you are Jewish or Christian or just seeking. And, the whole thing is in calligraphy from Larry Kushner's own hand -- just the icing on this mystical treat.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime!, October 15, 1997

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet (The Kushner series) (Hardcover)

Though I have returned to this book again and again, it always seems fresh. Pure gestalt! Kushner's design and words are elegant in their unassuming simplicity, often inducing the mental equivalent of a double-take. This book is full of wonderful inspiration for use in a meditative practice.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, August 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet (The Kushner series) (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful book. I look at it from time to time and remember the beauty of the hebrew alphabet and words that can be formed. We all need to be reminded of the beautiful creation of the world from time to time.