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The Oracle of Kabbalah: Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters
 
 
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The Oracle of Kabbalah: Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters [Hardcover]

Richard Seidman (Author), Lawrence Kushner (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

0312241739 978-0312241735 September 8, 2001 1st
The twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the Aleph Beit, are not merely the building blocks of a language, but something far more profound. Each letter is an ancient key that can help unlock the great secrets of the spiritual world, a set of powerful symbols that can grant insight into the mysteries of our own souls. The Aleph Beit are part of Kabbalah, the teachings and wisdom of Jewish mysticism, and have been a closely guarded secret for centuries. According to the earliest known book on Jewish mysticism, The Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Creation), the entire universe was formed through the combinations of these twenty-two letters, and ancient mystics, drawing on the divine power residing in the letters, would meditate upon their forms, using them as portals through which they could discover the secrets of the past, the future and the human soul.

Inspired by the tarot, another mystic system of divination and meditation, Richard Seidman has created The Oracle of Kabbalah. To unlock the power of the letters, the reader draws a card at random from the deck, and then, using the book as a guide, meditates upon the card's symbol. When one is uncertain or afraid, the cards will bring guidance and support. When one has questions about how to act, the cards will show you the path that is already deep inside you. And when one has questions about what is yet to come, the cards will reveal the answers already printed on your soul.

As Seidman writes in his introduction, "Each letter is an archetype and each letter is a koan and each letter is a dream and each letter is a poem." These twenty-two letters, infused with the wisdom and philosophy of Kabbalah, form the basis of The Oracle of Kabbalah. Each of the twenty-two cards features one of the original Hebrew letters, and serves as both a guide and a teacher, initiating us into deeper levels of intuition and spiritual understanding, while helping us to discover the mystic potential the lies within us all.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Divination--telling the future by magical means--is a dodgy business. Deuteronomy deemed it "repulsive to God." And yet Jews have always attempted to discern the future in various ways, including the casting of lots and meditation upon the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the Aleph Beit. Richard Seidman presents a primer for the latter form of divination in The Oracle of Kabbalah. A brief historical overview of Jewish divination--beginning with the fact that the Hebrew word for letter, ot, also means "sign, symbol, or miracle"--leads to direct instruction on using Hebrew letters as a means of divination.(The letters printed on a deck of cards are included with this book.) The basic technique is as follows: "Take three slow, deep breaths from the belly. Formulate a question ... pray for inspiration and receptivity," pick a card, look up the description of the letter you've drawn, meditate on that letter's meaning, and "be receptive to any glimmers of intuition that arise." --Michael Joseph Gross

Review

Readers of all world views should find this book to be spiritually rich. -- The Tampa Tribune, March 3, 2002

Seidman's book is a manual of practice that once can turn to again and again. -- The Jewish Review, November 1, 2001

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (September 8, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312241739
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312241735
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Compassionate and Accessible, November 25, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Oracle of Kabbalah: Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters (Hardcover)
Richard Seidman's Oracle of the Kabbalah is a gift for those seeking to apply traditional wisdom to their everyday lives. The ancient meanings of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are presented along with inspirational discussions that run the gamut from the humorous to the profound and draw on other wisdom traditions. The author's personal reflections help anchor the teachings to our common experiences.

Rabbi Kushner's foward and the author's introduction ground one in the history and application of these mystical letters. The book and its companion set of cards are very user friendly, providing one with an insightful and welcome perspective when seeking direction.

I'm grateful to Richard Seidman for providing me with both a compassionate form of guidance and a readily accessible introduction to these sacred letters. This is a book that I'll refer to again and again.

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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Mr. Seidman!, September 30, 2001
By 
Ruth Codier (Tacoma, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Oracle of Kabbalah: Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters (Hardcover)
Richard Seidman's ORACLE OF THE KABBALAH is a profound, joyful, and beautiful set of divination with accompanying text. Using the model of THE MEDINCE CARDS and others that have followed, Seidman raises the art to a new level. He illuminates the spirituality and magic of the ancient hebrew letters to engage us in the modern tasks of inner decision making and spiritual transformation in our lives for the new millienium. His take on the mystical meanings of the hebrew letters is both Jewish and not, integrating strands of thought from his own varied spiritual and philosophic explorations. THE ORACLE OF THE KABBALLAH raises the genra of divination cards to a seriously ecumenical level of mysticism, witty, touching, helpful and profound.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep mysticism, October 3, 2001
This review is from: The Oracle of Kabbalah: Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters (Hardcover)
Usually people don't think of Jews as being mystics, but many of us are. Jewish mysticism is different from New Age mystricism in that Jewish mysticism is grounded in text -- and letters. From there, it takes flight. This book is a good start for Jews and non-Jews alike, especially if you have trouble with the conventional idea of Big-Guy-in-the-Sky God. If the idea of hidden depths in Hebrew letters intrigues you, also take a look at Larry Kushner's "The Book of Letters" ....
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Aleph and aluph, Hebrew for "leader" or "chieftain," share the same root, . Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mayim chayim, suggested action
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aleph Beit, Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Nachman, Ein Sof, Holy One, Ultimate Nothingness, Reb Zusya, Simchat Torah, Baal Shem Tov, Brother Blue, Lamed-vav Tzaddikim, Mount Sinai, Net of Indra, The Oracle of Kabbalah, The Zohar, Rabbi Luria, Sefer Yetzirah
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Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
The Torah by W. Gunther Plaut
Zohar by Rav Berg
 

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