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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
193 of 199 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of the 'Kabbalah',
By A Customer
This review is from: Kabbalah (Meridian) (Paperback)
I read the 'Kabbalah' for the 1st time in the early '90's. I can still open it up, to this day, and learn something brand new.Gershom Scholem was a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem until his death in 1982. Among his works are 'Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism', 'The Messianic Idea in Judaism', 'Origins of the Kabbalah', 'Kabbalah', 'On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism', 'On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead', and 'Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah'. Every book is a treasure in and of itself. Mr. Scholem put the Kabbalah back on the 20th century map. His studies on the 'Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation)', 'The Bahir (Bright)', and 'The Zohar (Splendor)' show the brillance of this unique individual. The 'Kabbalah' is written in 3 parts. The 1st is the Kabbalah itself; from the beginings of mysticism up to modern times (including the disaster brought on by Sabbatai Sevi, that very nearly destroyed Judaism for 250 years afterwards). He also shows the Hasid's (the Ultra-Orthadox Jews) and how the Kabbalah and the Zohar influance their teachings and beliefs. He also shows why regular Orthadox Jews avoid the Kabbalah (calling it Jewish withcraft) and why they considear the Hasid's to be cultists of a sort (even though the Kabbalah WAS Orthadox Judaism for 300 years before the advent of Sabbatai Sevi - which Mr. Scholem painfully points out). He also shows the inept handling by the 'Christian Kabbalists' and occultists in general - neither group prepared to do the initial research that was needed. Both groups had different agendas and used the Kabbalah to further those particular goals. The 2nd part is chocked full of enough goodies to make you swear off dieting for good. The Zohar, the Shabbatean movement, the Frankists, demonology, gemaria (bible codes that change what the Torah says to something else entirly [the book 'The Bible Code' is an excellent example] to eventualy write a '6th Book of Moses' written entirly out of codes is the Kabbalists eventual goal), how to make a Golem, Thrown (merkabah) mysticism, and much much more. Lastly, it has the peaple and their histories that make this book such a delight to read. Azriel of Gerona, Moses Cordovero, Joseph Gikatilla, and many more. The 'Lion' and his 'Cubs' give their roar as well. If you have to buy one book on the Kabbalah, then this is the book to get. You will not be sorry in the least. Sincerly, Shawn W. Ooten
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Encyclopedic Survey of Kabbalah,
By
This review is from: Kabbalah (Meridian) (Paperback)
The great historian/scholar of Kabbalah, Gershom Scholem, wrote a huge entry on Kabbalah to be used in an encyclopedia of Judaism. This was later published in book form--this is that book. It is NOT a good first-timer, entry-level book on Kabbalah. It IS a wonderful reference work on the subject--probably the best in existence. It's entries are voluminous, even exhaustive. He includes short biographies of major Kabbalists as well as chapters on the main concepts of Kabbalah, origins, etc. etc. etc. Kabbalah, by its very nature, is not a unified study or set of beliefs, but the thinking of many, varied mystics over centuries. Many of the ideas evolved, and like virtually all of Judaism, includes disagreements, antithetical arguments, and historical developments (see the Talmud or even, to a smaller extent, the Zohar). As Scholem stated elsewhere in reference to the Kabbalists, "Like all mystics, they were at once conservatives and radicals" in "The Messianic Idea in Judaism" Schocken Books NY 1971 page 48. Furthermore, as he stated in "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism" (Schocken Books NY 1972) on page 229, "The study of mysticism is similar to the attempt to imagine the content of a shell whose core has never been seen by the scholar" quoted by Moshe Idel in "Kabbalah: New Perspectives" (Yale University Press New Haven, CT 1988) on page 37. Thus, while this book is a work of art (or at least of scholarship), is not a practitioner's manual. However, practicing Kabbalists would do well to absorb the important concepts, background, and context provided so well in this and other Scholem works. As Knowledge Management teaches us, you don't have knowledge without context, and knowledge is actionable, information is not.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ultimate Text In Kabbalah,
This review is from: Kabbalah (Meridian) (Paperback)
While working on my BA in Religious Studies at CSUF in '74 I took a course in 'Jewish Mysticism' taught by the distinguished and late Rabbi Joseph Kalir. Our one and only textbook for that class was Gershom Scholem's 'Kabbalah.'
This is not an easy read by any means, not one of those recent releases that have become so popular in the last couple of years. One of those, 'Living Better Through Kabbalah' pieces of trash. This is the real thing. 'Kabbalah' will demand your time and attention to read and understand, but if you put in the supreme effort you will be rewarded with real knowledge and depth of what awaits for the true devotee. It's a book you'll keep in your library and refer back to over and over again because there's no way to remember so much. One of the essential texts on the subject. If you haven't read this, you aren't a kabbalist.
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