Gates of Light: Sha'are Orah (Sacred Literature Series) [Paperback]

Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sacred Literature Series | Publication Date: January 29, 1998

Until now, few primary texts on the Kabbalah have been available in English. Under the auspices of the Bronfman Library of Jewish classics, this historic publication of Gates of Light allows readers to enter the hidden world of the Kabbalah and its profound and beautiful Biblical interpretation. This central text of Jewish mysticism was written in thirteenth-century Spain, where Kabbalah flourished. Considered to be the most articulate work on the mystical Kabbalah, Gates of Light provides a systematic and comprehensive explanation of the Names of God and their mystical applications. The Kabbalah presents a unique strategy for intimacy with the Creator and new insights into the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Kabbalah, aspects of God emanate from a hierarchy of Ten Spheres interconnected by channels that may be disrupted or repaired through human activity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (January 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761990003
• ISBN-13: 978-0761990000
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,401,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gates of Light, July 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Gates of Light: Sha'are Orah (Sacred Literature Series) (Paperback)

Translated in shockingly exoteric and readable fasion Gikatillia's "Shaareh Orah" uncovers the key's to the ten spheres. The book takes each of the ten and explicitly explains the name that it is attached to, and the cognomens that are used in reference to that sphere in the Tanakh. The book is eclipsed historicaly in importance by the Book of Splendor (Zohar), but it should not be overlooked. Indeed while the Zohar is hidden and recondite Gikatillia sets much of the same subject matter forth in clear 13th century philosophical style. A most important English translation of a classic Kabbalistic text.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Myles Slater on: An Important Contribution, October 12, 2003

By 

Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gates of Light: Sha'are Orah (Sacred Literature Series) (Paperback)

This is a full translation of an important, but generally neglected, work of theoretical Kabbalah (the most prominent, although not the only, form of Jewish mysticism). It explains in detail the doctrine of the Sefirot (or Sephirot), the creative emanations of the unknowable God. It arranges them in ascending order (toward Divine Totality), rather than the descending order (toward the Created World) in which they are usually presented. It has been suggested that it could, therefore, at least in theory, be used as a meditation guide, although it does not seem to have been considered even devotional reading. (Descriptions of Kabbalistic meditation practices were rarely committed to writing, so the absence of evidence on this point may not be evidence of absence, but so far as I know this is only a reasonable speculation.)

"Gates of Light" is a clear exposition (well, clear for mystical theology), rather than a series of parables to be interpreted, which may account for its being studied, but not often quoted, and not being the subject of commentaries by later Kabbalists. It also suffered from being known as the work of a "modern" writer, in medieval Spain, instead of being offered, like the "Zohar," as a rediscovered text from the time of the Talmudic sages. "Gates of Light" may still be too sparse in language to appeal to devotional readers, but I would hope that those with a personal, spiritual, interest in Kabbalah would use it to improve their grasp of the intellectual foundations of the movement.

Students of the history of Kabbalah, to whom the translation seems mainly directed, will find this translation of great interest. So will students of Kabbalah in history (a slightly different topic). Although the book was eclipsed in fame in its own time and later by the "Zohar," an abridged Latin version was influential in Christian circles during the Renaissance, when ultimately Neo-Platonic theories of divine emanations were extremely popular. Its availability in English is therefore of importance outside the circles of those interested in Judaica, or in Kabbalah in particular.

I have one, relatively minor, objection to this version. For some reason, the translator has chosen to render the technical term for emanations, "Sefirot" (singular form "Sefirah"), as "Spheres," as though it derived from the Greek "sphaira." As Gershom Scholem, among others, demonstrated at length, the actual origin is the root "sfr," originally referring to counting or numbers. The word "sefer," meaning "book" (i.e., an account of things) is the most generally familiar form to those with a little Hebrew. "Sefirah" was also linked, as a significant word-association, with the Biblical word "sappir," meaning a gem (Greek and Latin "sapphire," but not necessarily the modern stone). The pun on "sphaira," the Greek word for "ball" does eventually appear in the literature, but it does not seem likely to have had much currency in thirteenth-century Spain. The translator's decision makes for easier reading, but it could suggest extraneous associations, such as the crystalline spheres of medieval astronomy (and some sort of Kabbalistic astrology). This is indeed a minor objection, but the reader unfamiliar with the field may find the choice confusing, and the subject is already esoteric.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Understandable Kabbalistic teachings, March 1, 2003

By 

A. J. Valasek (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gates of Light: Sha'are Orah (Sacred Literature Series) (Paperback)

This is one of the most straight forward texts on the workings of Kabbalism in print that I've read. The author methodically ascends the Tree of Life, stopping by each sefirot and describing its purpose and how it relates to the unfathomable One. The author describes each sefirot as a gate that leads to further understanding. Within each gate, the author pulls together many scriptures in support of his esoteric interpretation and his belief of how one can properly ascribe their prayers so that they are heard on high. Although not easy reading by today's standards, it certainly is much easier to comprehend than the Zohar for example and accessible to those with some patience. For those studying the history of Kabbalah, this text helps the reader understand the teachings and development of the Kabbalistic sect in and around the 13th century. However, this is certainly not an introductory text and should only be read after student has at least a rudimentary understanding of Kabbalism and an intermediate grasp of the Tanakh.