Kabbalistic Tarot: Hebraic Wisdom in the Major and Minor Arcana [Paperback]

Dovid Krafchow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2005

An introduction to the ancient kabbalistic origins and meanings of the tarot

• Reveals the intimate relationship of the tarot to the esoteric teachings of the Torah and the Kabbalah

• Provides kabbalistic interpretations for all 78 traditional tarot cards

• Includes a detailed kabbalistic reading and interpretation of the Tree of Life spread

When the Greeks invaded Israel and forbade study of the Torah, the Jewish people began a secret method of Toranic study that appeared to be merely a simple way to fill time: playing cards. These first tarot decks enabled study of the Torah without detection. Once the Maccabees expelled the Greeks from Israel and Israel once again became a Jewish kingdom, tarot cards dropped from sight. Fifteen hundred years later, in response to Jewish disputations with Catholic theologians, political and religious persecutions, and ultimately the Inquisition, the cards resurfaced as a secret learning tool of the Torah.

In Kabbalistic Tarot, Dovid Krafchow details how the true meaning of the tarot is locked within the Kabbalah. He shows the correspondence between the 22 Major Arcana cards and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and how the four suits correspond to the four kabbalistic worlds of Briah, Yitzerah, Asiyah, and Atzilut.  He describes the kabbalistic meanings of each of the 78 cards and their relations to the Torah and provides insight into the Tree of Life spread through several kabbalistic readings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Readers intrigued by the currently popular Kabala who also have some familiarity with the use of tarot cards for divination and life guidance will not find a reference book but a compelling work that combines and explains the historical and current use of both traditions.”
(Brad Eden, Library Journal, July 2005 )

"Krafchow has come up with an original approach to interpreting tarot in relationship to the Tree of Life. . . . His book is the best practical manual on reading the Waite/Colman-Smith I have read. . . . To one who has invested much time in these studies, Krafchow’s work represents a major shift in perspective. Any time an author does that he contributes to the body of wisdom in his field, and inspires new lines of thought. . . . He brings to his subject a voice of authority that illuminates rather than obfuscates divine truth. Simple, to the point, yet quite profound, the writing style employed . . . .makes it a pleasure to read and reflect upon. Unlike many other metaphysical texts, this one manages to be highly accessible to a lay reader. I enthusiastically recommend Kabbalistic Tarot as the primary reference book for anyone wishing to begin his study of the Waite/Colman-Smith deck. Krafchow has written a book that contributes to the understanding of tarot and Qabalah and lays groundwork for further exploration."
(Ash?! Journal of Experimental Spirituality, May 2006? )

From the Back Cover

TAROT / KABBALAH

Kabbalistic Tarot is an introduction to the ancient kabbalistic origins and meanings of the tarot that reveals the intimate relationship of the tarot to the esoteric teachings of the Torah. When the Greeks invaded Israel and forbade study of the Torah, the Jewish people began a secret method of Toranic study that appeared to be merely a simple way to fill time: playing cards. These first tarot decks enabled study of the Torah without detection. Once the Maccabees expelled the Greeks from Israel and Israel once again became a Jewish kingdom, tarot cards dropped from sight. Fifteen hundred years later, in response to political and religious persecutions, and ultimately the Inquisition, the cards resurfaced as a secret learning tool of the Torah.

The author shows the correspondence between the 22 Major Arcana cards and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and how the four suits correlate with the levels of the four kabbalistic worlds: Atzilut (Soul), Briah (Intellect), Yetzirah (Emotions), and Asiyah (Action). He explores the kabbalistic meanings of each of the 78 cards and provides insight into the Tree of Life spread through detailed kabbalistic readings.

DOVID KRAFCHOW has studied Kabbalah and practiced the tarot for more than thirty years. He began his study of the Torah at the Hadar Hatorah Institute for Rabbinical Studies in Brooklyn, New York, and lived for ten years in Zefat, Israel, the city where the Kabbalah was received by the Ari Zal (Rabbi Isaac Luria) 500 years ago. He lives in northern California.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (July 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594770646
• ISBN-13: 978-1594770647
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Autism explains a lot to me about myself and why I have the insights into certain very specialized knowledge, mainly the Cabala. It is my belief that autism is a manifestation of a more spiritual being, a perspective I have begun to write about. This sudden knowledge of myself has helped me understand why I am so hesitant to enter the world; therefore, I have decided to publish as many of my 15 books as possible. I write to change the world with unique perspectives delineating a bright future from the geometry of time and space. I have written both fiction non-fiction. My blog CabalisticNews.com puts daily news into a spiritual perspective.

I come from the Bay Area returning from the road after 45 years to live in the North Beach part of San Francisco. I wanted to be a writer so I went out and lived-the writing came along later. My experience in life given my predilections was unusual, but to me life is much more spiritual than it is physical. One thing I have learned is no one owns knowledge.

I began educating myself while in the Navy at the beginning of the Vietnam War reading classics, I got out in 1965 while LSD was still legal; from 1965 until 1970 I hitch-hiked 30,000 miles before finding my path in life in Brooklyn New York where I began my studies in the Torah. After marrying I drove a truck in New York, ran a print shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan before moving to Israel where I lived in Sfat, the place the cabalists arose from 500 years before.

I returned to America after being divorced and took on being a Tarot card reader. I won a first amendment decision from a federal court for the right to read cards in Woodstock, New York. I returned to California a few years ago sick and broke; thinking I was dying I wrote two books a year and with each book I felt better and until I was cured. I moved to San Francisco three years ago to pursue my aspirations as a writer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tree of Life, March 14, 2010

By 

Julia D. "queen of cups" (NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kabbalistic Tarot: Hebraic Wisdom in the Major and Minor Arcana (Paperback)

If you are studying the tarot and want to know more on the cards. This book shows you where the cards stand in the Kabbala. The tree of Lfe and the four spirit worlds of which each major arcana is present. It also shows how the other cards connect and are part of the tree a well. It is a more deeper reading in to where the cards come from and how they interact with the tree. It is very interesting ang helpful in getting to know your cards. Only if you want to go in the direction of the Kabbala, and the meaning of the tree of life. Don't confuse it with the Madonna way and the other celebrities. Enjoy reading about the four spirit worlds, why the cards are the worlds they are in.Yud-Hey-Vau-Hey

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, December 16, 2008

By 

M. Pollero "TediBare" (Henderson, NV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kabbalistic Tarot: Hebraic Wisdom in the Major and Minor Arcana (Paperback)

I love this book and use it all the time in reference. The author has taken the very complex concepts of Kabbalah and tarot and combined them in very easy to understand ways. It is not comprehensive, but I do not think he meant it to be, that would take volumes. But it is a start and a base to begin to see the connections between Kabbalah and Tarot.

He also sheds some additional light to more layers in tarot, numerically and also through the court cards as well as the associations he shows us through the body and Kabbalah and tarot.

I found this book very helpful and use it frequently when teaching and illustrating Kabbalah and how it connects with the tarot.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and original insights, November 8, 2006

By 

Gary Jaron "Gray Raven" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kabbalistic Tarot: Hebraic Wisdom in the Major and Minor Arcana (Paperback)

Rabbi Dovid has written an excellent book with some orignal insights into the Tarot. By combining his knowledge of Chabad Hassiditic mytstical Kabbalah to the Tarot he offers some new and interesting perspectives on the Cards. As well as giving the reader knowledge of Chabad Kabbalah.

My only Cavet with the book is his claim that the Tarot's origins shows sign of Jewish Rabbis influences. This claim upon examination does not hold up. The Tarot came out of a European world with the earliest versions of the deck being published in Italy and France.

Rabbi Dovid is correct that we can bring many different insights into the interpretation of the meaning of the symbols of the Tarot, which is what he has done with Chabad Kabbalah in this book. This does not mean that the creators of the Tarot had these ideas in mind when they made the cards, which is what he is claiming when he alleges Jewish Rabbis as a source of the origin of the Tarot. At least this is one reader who is not convinced that there is a connection with the creation of the Tarot and Rabbis.

But, I can easily overloook that one small claim in his book. This short book is a treasure trove of new and unique insights into how we can now examine the Tarot.