The Gift of Kabbalah: Discovering the Secrets of Heaven, Renewing Your Life on Earth [Paperback]

Tamar Frankiel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

Jewish mysticism--Kabbalah--has long fascinated people of all faith traditions and spiritual backgrounds. At least in name, this ancient teaching is familiar to practically everyone.

Kabbalah is primarily a path of action, one that enables us to transform the world.

This accessible, intelligent guide to Kabbalah is designed to quench your curiosity with learning and depth of spiritual insight. Frankiel introduces you to this ancient wisdom and invites you to use Kabbalah to tap into a richer spiritual perspective than the one to which most of us unconsciously limit ourselves.

The Gift of Kabbalah gives you the vocabulary and the tools to begin to understand this long-standing mystical tradition. It shows that the intricate world of Kabbalah is not a passing fad or only for scholars, but an enduring wisdom--a gift--for people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kabbalah, the tradition of Jewish mystical wisdom, has found popularity of late among New Age gurus and Hollywood celebrities like Madonna. In The Gift of Kabbalah, Tamar Frankiel offers a practical guide for reclaiming Kabbalah's religious meaning, beginning with its origins in ancient times. The word's Hebrew root means "to receive"; Kabbalah means "the received tradition," which probably originated several centuries B.C. Until the Middle Ages, the tradition was shrouded in secrecy. Since then, it has become increasingly public, notably in the Hasidic movement, which began in 18th-century Ukraine. Frankiel guides readers through the primary concerns of Kabbalah (its theology, cosmology, and anthropology). And practical exercises draw readers' attention to Kabbalah's imperative: "Bring God into the world. You and I, each one of us personally, has the job of bringing God in, daily, nightly, weekly, yearly." In plain language, this book describes the awesome responsibility and great pleasure of receiving Kabbalah's gifts, and makes some of Judaism's greatest mysteries more accessible to readers of all religious traditions. --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The daunting challenge of explaining the complexities of Jewish mysticism is vigorously but unsuccessfully tackled by Frankiel, who teaches the history of religions at the University of California, Riverside. A frequent lecturer on Kabbalah, Frankiel has authored and coauthored books on this and related topics (The Voice of Sarah, Minding the Temple of the Soul and Entering the Temple of Dreams). She refers to this book as an "invitation to study Kabbalah," a beginner's guide for Jews and non-Jews alike. After a brief history of Kabbalah, Frankiel plunges into her explanation but quickly loses readers by strained definitions of anthropology and cosmology, followed by arcane Kabbalistic concepts and language. Throughout, she struggles to personalize Kabbalah as a "path of action" for individuals, promising self-discovery and life enrichment. To this end, the book's final section delineates a variety of practices including meditation, contemplation, prayer and affirmations. Frankiel concludes with an abstruse discussion of Kabbalistic astrology, replete with signs, planetary placements, degrees and colors. This final presentation is so labored and esoteric as to underscore Frankiel's failure to meet her own objective of clarifying and simplifying Kabbalah. Instead, readers will continue to be bewildered about Kabbalah, even if they manage to wade through the entire book.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580231411
• ISBN-13: 978-1580231411
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #726,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gift, June 30, 2001

By 

Connie Kaplan (Santa Monica, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gift of Kabbalah : Discovering the Secrets of Heaven, Renewing Your Life on Earth (Hardcover)

This book is truly a gift. Most books on Kabbalah available to the non-Hebrew speaking public focus on the "mystery" of the Tree of Life. Instead, Dr. Frankiel discusses in clear, precise, uncluttered language, how the cosmic energies of Creator descend into manifestation.

Many books on Kabbalah indicate that deep study of the Tree of Life is reserved for married Jewish males over forty. Instead, Dr. Frankiel makes the sefirot available to any student of mystical truth. She offers a generous and refreshing sip from the Jewish well. She refers to non-Jewish sources (Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry) as liberally as she refers to the rabbinical tradition. She uses non-Jewish people as examples of the sefirot at work in the manifest world (Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi) as freely as she refers to the Jewish sages.

Most importantly, Dr. Frankiel gives the reader concrete exercises which allow and encourage one to feel -- to embody -- the energies of the Tree of Life. I think the section which is filled with exercises, meditations, and "homework" is the most valuable aspect of the book. Rather than telling me what to think about the Tree of Life, she teaches me how to experience it for and in myself. In other words, rather than giving me a fish, she teaches me how to fish...

This is a very good book. It is well researched, it is fresh, it is clear, and it is written by a spiritual practitioner who lives her teachings. I strongly recommend it.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharing in "The Gift of Kabbalah", August 16, 2001

By 

Patricia Cassaro (Alta Loma, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gift of Kabbalah : Discovering the Secrets of Heaven, Renewing Your Life on Earth (Hardcover)

Dr. Frankiel invites readers to join her on a journey through the worlds of Kabbalah. During this journey one discovers that there is more to life than the everyday world of action. Frankiel encourages her fellow travelers to seek meaning and purpose for their existence by forming a connection with the Divine Creator through study, prayer, meditation, and action. Through a connection between Divine will and human action we are able to fulfill our purpose by becoming an integral part of the infinite process of creation. Furthermore, Frankiel encourages us to realize our full potential in the creation process through her presentation of the Ten Sefirot, the branches of the Tree of Life that lives within the center of the Jewish mystical landscape. She informs us that according to Jewish mystical teachings we embody the Tree of Life, which consists of the ten Divine qualities that are manifested in each creative act. Frankiel offers that as human beings, formed in the Divine image, we are the only creation born with the ability to consciously create because we have been blessed with Divine gifts that include wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Through these gifts we are given the honor and responsibility to manifest the Divine presence in the world of action. Thus, as Frankiel proposes, the human purpose is creation in accord with Divine will. Although Frankiel presents the possibility of perfection as a goal we can all strive for, she is quick to point out that Jewish teachings focus on the journey toward perfection rather than its ultimate attainment. Along with Divine qualities we have also inherited the freedom of choice from our primordial father and mother who chose to separate from the Divine realm, which opened the door for evil to enter the world. Frankiel suggests, after numerous generations of separation from our Divine homeland many of us have forgotten our connection to our Creator. Hence, many actions in the world reflect our egotistical human will and separation from the Divine energies that lay dormant within us. However, there is hope for a better world. Recently, in the last forty years, it appears that there has been a renewed interest in spirituality, especially in the United States. It arose when many people were experiencing feelings of depression, emptiness, and alienation despite economic prosperity and technological advancements that afforded a more leisurely lifestyle and increased life expectancy. Indeed, the human fascination with something beyond physical existence is evident throughout history. As Frankiel proposes, our fascination in realms beyond the material world may be caused by an eternal longing of the heavenly spirit or soul that lives within each one of us for our common Divine heritage. Sadly, along with our human longing for meaning, purpose, and fulfillment comes our ability to choose drug abuse, alcoholism, and chronic depression as escape routes from the pain of alienation. However, there are other avenues we can travel that lead to a fulfilling, purposeful, and meaningful life. Dr. Frankiel offers us a way, within the framework of Kabbalah, to realize our potential with the aid of spiritual and physical practices that can unlock our imagination and creative powers. In recognizing and experiencing our connection to the Divine that lives within us, we are able to begin the process of discovering and cultivating our unique talents. Nonetheless, Dr. Frankiel warns us that personal spiritual practice and cultivation, although seemingly rewarding and satisfying, is only part of the process leading toward realizing our full human potential. Through the discovery and utilization of our unique abilities to manifest Divine will, we simultaneously fulfill our Divine mission of creation and perhaps, if only for moments at a time, we will experience the intense joy of being one with the Creator and all creation. Dr. Frankiel reveals her unique talents for spiritual insight and compassionate communication to give readers of all faiths the opportunity to share in "the gift of Kabbalah."

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Inspiring Book!, January 9, 2012

By 

Peggy A. Kornegger - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gift of Kabbalah: Discovering the Secrets of Heaven, Renewing Your Life on Earth (Paperback)

As someone who knew very little about Kabbalah before reading this book, I found it to be an excellent, clearly written overview of these wonderful ancient teachings at the heart of Jewish mysticism. I was not raised in any particular religious tradition, and I have been eclectic in my spiritual exploration as an adult. The teachings of Kabbalah touched something very deep and universal within me. I was moved to tears at times by the eloquence of Dr. Frankiel's descriptions of the Tree of Life, which is complex and multidimensional, yet very grounded in the human experience on Earth. Kabbalah wisdom reminds us that we are "vessels of the Divine" and "co-creators with God." Ideally, human beings go within to find a deep connection to the Divine and then move outward to embody that Divinity in "caring involvement in the world." I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore a profound, expansive spiritual view of the universe and our place in it. The last section of the book, "Techniques for Spiritual Growth," includes meditations, prayers, and affirmations to personalize the teachings on a daily basis.
Peggy Kornegger
author of Living with Spirit, Journey of a Flower Child