Customer Reviews

God Is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism

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Most works on Kabbalah are too cryptic, too obscure, very difficult to understand. Rabbi Cooper offers one of the most inspiring and clearest explanations of the Jewish mystical path that I have read. Anyone who has found greater depth of spiritual experience through exploring Eastern religions owes it to him/herself to read this incredibly beautiful explanation of the Oneness of God, the universe, the process of creation, and the meaning of life in general. Rabbi Cooper's explanation of "God-ing" just blew me away!

Simply put, this book is a terrific introduction to the mystical side of Judaism. Although I've been a student of religion for some time now, I've only recently started to make the transition from reader to do-er, joining some friends at Temple and at a Passover Seder; I've been very much impressed at how alive the Jewish faith is, and God Is a Verb only reinforces that impression. The author does a tremendous job of explaining the basics of the religion, the basics of the mystical side of the religion, and the basics of actual Jewish meditative practice. Perhaps the best aspect of this book is all the wonderful Hasidic stores Rabbi Cooper uses to illustrate his points. I could not recommend this work more highly. It has given me the confidence to now try and crack some more esoteric and scholarly works on Kabbalah.

This book may be read and appreciated by anyone interested in the subject. It is of particular use, though, and interest to Jewish people interested in the religion of their forbears who find that there is nothing at all spiritual in most modern Jewish practice. I found that this book really delivered on this front. Reb Cooper draws excellent analogies to mystical Eastern traditions with which he is very familiar as well as mystical Islam (sufism) and Christianity (also called Cabbalah). Along the same lines, "The Jew and the Lotus" also gives a good glimpse of more spiritual aspects of Judaism with which most modern Jews (like me) are, unfortunately, wholly unfamiliar. I so enjoyed this book that I bought an older series of tapes with meditations by Reb Cooper. The tapes were not half as enjoyable to me as this book (and much of the material was repetitive of the book). I recommend this book to anyone looking for more/some "spirituality" in Judaism. It will not disappoint. Reb Cooper's Hasidic tales are enjoyable for their own sake and add greatly to the book's great readability.

This is a great overview for those beginning their mystic study of the Kabballah. However, for those looking for hardcore information on Kabballah, you may need to search for a different source. Reb Cooper's view of Kabballah is consistent with hermetic kabballah, which views the spiritual journey as the most significant aspect of Kabballah. However, others not in Reb Cooper's tradition, may choose to pursue Kabballah as a search for theological answers, and if this is your quest, try another book on Kabballah.

This is a very well written book on Kabbalah, including some stories, exercises, etc. for the aspiring student practitioner. It well-illustrates that Judaism had and still has a mystical core. He included a wondrous quote I've added to my collection, on page 217, "Inner silence means having the ability to perceive the feathers weight of the subtlest thoughts that can arise in the mind." I'd recommend a more basic book first (perhaps Halevi's "Introduction to Cabala" (sic), then this one, then onto Halevi's "Kabbalah and Exodus," Kaplan's three meditation books ("Meditation and the Bible," "Meditation and Kabbalah," and lastly, "Jewish Meditation" for more experiential work and Gershom Scholem's many works (especially, "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism"). After these one might tackle Kaplan's commentaries on the Book Bahir and Sefer Yetzirah. Finally, (after absorbing all of the above) you might tackle the Simon & Sperling translation (2000 pages in 5 volumes) of the Zohar. Have fun.

Rabbi David A. Cooper's, 'God Is A Verb' succeeds in being both a highly accessible primer for those uninitated into the kabbalistic mysteries while at the same time containing enough depth of material to attract the attention of the well-trained practitioner.

This 333 page paperback takes the reader on a wonderful mythic journey through 3,000 years of haggadic tales and imagery. The mystical understanding you will glean from these ancient myths and legends of the Jewish faith will become the essential building blocks to your mystical understanding of the cosmos. Come climb the 'Tree of Life', the adventure awaits!

A must read for the novice mystic and a valuable refresher course for the adept.

Highly Recommended!

I was hoping that "God Is a Verb" would enlighten me on the Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. Unfortunately, I didn't come away with a much better understanding, but it was an interesting read.

A warning--"God Is a Verb" is tough reading, particularly the first 2/3rds of it. Be prepared to take it slow, because there is an awful lot to absorb.

What the book does well is set out a pathway toward not necessarily enlightenment, but a better way to live life. It gives readers the hope that they can, at any time, turn their lives around and make them better by paying more attention to what is truly important.

The major drawback of the book is that it seems to assume some sort of background knowledge of Kabbalah. In addition, I am advised by friends who have studied Kabbalah that the book represents more of the author's own ideas than those represented in the Kabbalah.

With that warning, the book does set forth some wonderful exercises designed to prod the reader into relaxing and focusing on what is important. It also incorporates wonderful stories--Jewish mythology of sorts--that are a delight to read.

An interesting book, but not an entryway into the Kabbalah.

Cooper does a wonderful job of describing God not as the anthropomorphic deity that many people believe in but in the sense of being that he is viewed as by the followers of kabbalah. In this sense God is a verb unlike us who are in one place at one time. Trust me he explains it much more lucidly. Furthermore, he does an incredible job in describing a way in which you can experiment with the Kabbalah. This comprises the third part of the book and is completely seperate if you don't wish to read it. Before this he delivers with a simple easy to understand description of Kabbalah. (no small feat considering the enormous complexity of the situation.) A good read for any interested in the subject.

Rabbi Cooper's book is the finest intro book on Kabbalah I've read. This book is not for those interested in an indepth understanding of theoretical, speculative Kabbalah. However, most people get so bogged down in theory that 10 years and 20 books later they still have no real idea WHAT Kabbalism means or how to apply it. So if you want to actually learn how to APPLY Kabbalah in your daily life, and not just learn to spout strings of esoteric jargon, buy THIS book.

I have been a student of the Kabbalah for the past 12 years. Rabbi David A. Cooper's Book is a great light in the sea of confusion which the study of Kabbalah can bring. It allows for the seeker to find understanding with out the costly classes which some perscribe. The book allows one to gain a deep understanding into the Kabbalah on a personal level and clears much of the haze which a paradoxical system can cause.