The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom (Hardcover)

by Rav P.S. Berg (Author) "The Zohar is the central text of Kabbalah, and Kabbalah is the spiritual heritage of all humankind..." (more)
Key Phrases: father sojourned, spiritual circuitry, sixty breaths, Rabbi Aba, Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Yosi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Kabbalah, often defined as a Jewish mystical tradition, actually encompasses "the spiritual heritage of all mankind," according to Rav P.S. Berg in The Essential Zohar. Berg, the dean of the Kabbalah Centre (whose members include celebrities such as Madonna and Mick Jagger), has concentrated a core of teachings from the central kabbalistic text, the Zohar, in a single volume that makes kabbalistic wisdom accessible to readers of all religious traditions. The Zohar, which dates back to the second century B.C.E., offers tools for doing the work of kabbalah: "transforming chaos and fragmentation into unity and completion." The Zohar's biblical commentaries and rabbinical stories of apparently "surprise happenings, sudden insights, and full-blown epiphanies" are intended to help readers open themselves to similar revelations. And Berg explains that all of the Zohar's rarified spiritual stories have potential for practical application, to help readers "replace doubt with certainty and darkness with Light." --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly
Berg, the dean and director of the Kabbalah Centre, writes accessibly about the Zohar, a free-flowing mystical commentary on the Bible, as a way people can tap into cosmic energies that are available for personal and universal salvation. For this to happen, however, the reader must believe that the Bible is a literal history of real personalities and, on the other hand, accept claims that Cham castrated his father, Noah, or that the "biblical golden calf could walk, talk, dance, and even change its shape" midrashic assertions that are not in the Bible. Berg's introduction to the Zohar is often insightful, noting, for example, that awe can be the beginning of wisdom in a world distracted by the "golden calves" of computers and cars. But there are also risks. Although "analyzing" a book on the Zohar is a contradiction in terms, this commentary can be disorganized and illogical. Berg admits that people may be uncomfortable with the notion that we can use "whatever means... necessary to create the spiritual circuitry of our universe," especially if that explains such misdeeds as King David murdering Uriah so he could take Batsheva as his wife. But comforting the reader is not the goal here; Berg succeeds in providing readable access to an esoteric Jewish mystical text. Whether he has also established that "only through Kabbalah will we forever eliminate war, destruction and man's inhumanity to his fellow man" is not so clear.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harmony/Bell Tower; 1 edition (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609609270
• ISBN-13: 978-0609609279
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #291,550 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Source Of Information, April 11, 2003

By A Customer

If I could rate this title with 10 stars I would. This book is amazing. I've never felt the need to write a review before but I believe that this title is deserving of my first.

The explanation of the tree of life alone, is reason enough to purchase this title. I own many different Kaballahs and I understand the material within them, but some of the concepts always seemed rather vauge until I read this book. This book has explained the material to me in a way that I didn't think was possible. It was as if the author took the time to hold the readers hand. Everything is explained in a clear and consise manner. This title is definatly worth a look.

81 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible translation, incorrect commentary., May 15, 2005

By	R. Kaiser (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't understand all the positive reviews for this book; they must have been written by people who are literally ignorant of this topic. Frankly, all of Berg's books on Kabbalah are full of terrible translations, censored and edited texts, and horrible commentary. His "explanations" are rejected by all Jewish authorities, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, religious and academic. Berg is attempting to create a non-Jewish and for-profit version of Kabbalah, and it is just embarassing. Instead of reading his nonsense, please check out books on this subject by real authorities and good writers:

Read, for instance, "The Jewish Mystical Tradition", by Ben Zion Bokser; "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism", by Gershom Scholem; "Zohar: Annotated & Explained" by Daniel Chanan Matt and Andrew Harvey

I would also suggest "The Wisdom of The Zohar: An Anthology of Texts", Ed. Isaiah Tishby, and translated from the Hebrew by David Goldstein.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most impactful book on kabbalah, April 15, 2002

By	Debbie (New York) - See all my reviews

This is the most clear and consise book that I have ever read on the Zohar. It is now very clear to me how and why to use the Zohar to better my life. I loved reading this book. I feel that it has changed my life in such a profound way. Something that I have been looking for for such a long time is now accessible. The invaluable wisdom of this book has already helped me to remove a lot of the chaos I have been experiencing until now. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who has any questions about life.