The River of Light: Spirituality, Judaism, Consciousness (Jewish Lights Classic Reprint) [Paperback]

Lawrence Kushner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Jewish Lights Classic Reprint | Publication Date: May 1991

A manual for all spiritual travelers who would attempt a spiritual journey in our times. Taking us step-by-step, Kushner allows us to discover the meaning of our own quest: to allow the river of light the deepest currents of consciousness to rise to the surface and animate our lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

All those who enjoyed Lawrence Kushner' s Honey from the Rock will plunge into his River of Light and emerge from it enchanted: The author's imagination is matched only by the reader's desire to enter the hidden world of their common mystical memory.

From The New Yorker

Philosophy and mystical fantasy...exhilarating, speculative flights launched from the Bible....Anybody - Jewish, Christian, or otherwise...will find this book an intriguing experience.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing; 2nd edition (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879045036
• ISBN-13: 978-1879045033
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,001,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flowing Jewish Mysticism, December 28, 2004

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The River of Light: Spirituality, Judaism, Consciousness (Jewish Lights Classic Reprint) (Paperback)

This is a lovely book about Jewish mysticism but written so as to be useful to anyone interested not only in understanding Jewish mysticism (or the spirit of Kabbalah) but also in valuing and understanding mysticism and relationships with the Divine in general. Kushner has a great deal of sensitivity and creativity in his representations. He has also written "Honey from a Rock" which I have yet to read. There are several fine quotes in the book that I've added to my collection:

p. 18 Disgust and dread are the sorts of feelings we frequently marshal to conceal deeper layers of our psyche. "If an element appearing in a myth or in a dream belongs to a much earlier phase of development and is not part of the conscious frame of reference at the time of the final formation of the myth, this element often carries with it the quality of dread and awfulness." Quoting Erich Fromm

p. 108 Humanity, one might say, is the organ of consciousness in the universe. We are the result of consciousness's desire to become aware of itself. As Jung observed, "If the Creator were conscious of himself, he wouldn't have needed us." Being speaks of and listens to itself through humanity... Of course, there is no consciousness in the universe without humanity. Humanity is the organ of consciousness in the universe and for this reason we hold our Creator hostage; without our eyes the Holy One of Being would be blind. Insensate.

2.0 out of 5 stars Confused and confusing, June 14, 2010

By 

Eric Maroney (Trumansburg, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The River of Light: Spirituality, Judaism, Consciousness (Jewish Lights Classic Reprint) (Paperback)

Here Kushner sets out to make connections between Jewish mysticism (the Kabala), psychoanalysis, and dream interpretation.

These are all worthy subjects of esoteric study, but he takes on more than the length or style of this book can handle, and the product in confusing and flat. What he is trying to tell the reader is in no way clear; it is almost as if this commentary on texts needs its own commentary.

There is also far too much time taken linking science and the kabala. While this is a pursuit that many feel is worthy, attempts to reconcile the two almost always seem bumpy and uneven. The Kabala is myth; science is a set of empirical observations tested with a method that can be verified by others. This is like trying to compare sight with sound.