The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom [Paperback]

Rav P.S. Berg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2004

For thousands of years, no book has been more shrouded in mystery than the Zohar, yet no book offers us greater wisdom. The central text of Kabbalah, the Zohar is a commentary on the Bible’s narratives, laws, and genealogies and a map of the spiritual landscape. In The Essential Zohar, the eminent kabbalist Rav P. S. Berg decodes its teachings on evil, redemption, human relationships, wealth and poverty, and other fundamental concerns from a practical, contemporary perspective. The Zohar and Kabbalah have traditionally been known as the world’s most esoteric sources of spiritual knowledge, but Rav Berg has dedicated his life to making this concentrated distillation of infinite wisdom available to people of all faiths so that we may use its principles to live each day in harmony with the divine.

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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (April 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609807315
• ISBN-13: 978-0609807316
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Jewish Texts > Zohar

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom (Hardcover)

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.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, October 2, 2002

By 

"lemle" (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom (Hardcover)

Rav Berg is the best teacher of spiritual concepts in a day to day language, and this book is the best simple explanation of passages of the Zohar yet. If one wants to really know what Kabbalah is about, this is a MUST.

26 of 28 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 review is from: The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom (Hardcover)

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.