Customer Reviews

The Way: Using the Wisdom of Kabbalah for Spiritual Transformation and Fulfillment

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book is an incredible book. If you were ever curious about Kabbalah this book is the answer. Michael Berg provides the reader with a clear interpretation of the meaning of Kabbalah, the meaning and purpose of life, and practical steps toward transformation. However, by no means should a reader look to Kabbalah as some kind of magic nor should a reader expect instant transformation. True transformation takes understanding, patience, time and a lot of work. Nevertheless, after reading this book one will realize that Kabbalah is a philosophy of truth and when studied will provide its students with a purpose in this world. There are a lot of Kabbalah books on the market today yet only a handful are worth the read. Michael Berg's contribution fills a void. He avoids an academic approach and goes directly to the heart, beauty and meaning of Kabbalah without getting bogged down in ecsoteric meanings, terms and definitions. Buy this book, put it in your personal library and return to it on a periodic basis. Let this book be the springboard on your way to personal and in turn to global transformation. Please note that this reviewer is in no way affiliated with the Kabbalah Center. In fact, this reviewer has some misgivings about the center which thrives by selling fairly expensive courses and products. For those serious students, stick to their free information on their website Kabbalah.com and another website called Kabbalah-web.org.

I've studied Kabbalah for 6 years. I could not put this book down. It puts everything I studied together. The amazing thing is that it is an introductory book and is a good entry into the path of Kabbalah for anyone.

Things you should know: Philip Shraga Berg, a former insurance salesman, claimed to be a rabbi and started his own Kabbalah religion called "The Kabbalah Centre". All of Berg's books on Kabbalah are full of terrible translations, censored and edited texts, and horrible commentary. His "explanations" are rejected by all Jewish authorities, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, religious and academic.

Finally, he isn't even accepted as a rabbi or as a Kabbalist by any of the Jewish denominations, and his work is rejected as totally inaccurate by modern-day scholars. Now his sons are writing books using the same phony, non-Kabbalah ideas in order to make a profit. This really insults those who wish to truly learn about this topic. So instead of reading his nonsense, please check out books on this subject by real authorities and good writers:

Read, for instance, "The Jewish Mystical Tradition", by Ben Zion Bokser; "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism", by Gershom Scholem; "Zohar: Annotated & Explained" by Daniel Chanan Matt and Andrew Harvey

I would also suggest "The Wisdom of The Zohar: An Anthology of Texts", Ed. Isaiah Tishby, and translated from the Hebrew by David Goldstein.

I can truly say that my life was changed by this unbelievable book! Michael Berg took the intangible and made it tangible. After reading this book I feel that I have practical tools to use to change and grow- not just mystical concepts that seem irrelevant in my daily life. I hope I dont have to wait too long for the next book that I am sure will continue to blow my mind!

I started reading this book on a flight from New York to Los Angeles with the intent to glance through it for about half an hour. Next thing i knew the plane was landing at LAX. Overflowing with gleaming pearls of wisdom, Michael Berg has deciphered the mysteries of Kabbalah so that everyone and anyone can embark on the ultimate path of spirituality and transformation. While most books on Kabbalah offer a discourse that is usually overly-intellectual and academic, The Way captures the heart and soul of Kabbalah, gracefully illustrating its relevance to our contemporary world and daily existence. While one may be a brilliant scholar of classical music, only a Mozart can compose a symphonic masterpiece. Michael Berg is truly a virtuoso of Kabbalistic wisdom. And this book is his first masterpiece.

This is a watered-down, overly simplified book about a subject worthy of much more serious and accurate commentary. The author has taken one tenet of Kabbalah (receiving for the sake of sharing) and basically written a whole book that repeats the same thing over and over. This is true of all of the books published by the Kabbalah Centre, an organization of questionable origins and fundraising methods. Beware of the underlying yet hidden message in this book-give the Kabbalah Centre your money and you will get more "light".

Please do yourself a favor and read serious works by authentic Kabbalists like Rav Michael Laitman and Rav Yehuda Ashlag. This book trivializes Kabbalah and its true teachings.

To read this book really gave me what any book never gave me before. Inspirational, very deep and at the same time very easy to understand, can practically help us improve our lives. Everyone should wish to have a spiritual teacher like him. I highly recommend it to anyone that has interest in any kind spirituality.

Looking thru seas of spiritual sites and literature it's a hard decision to make about what path to take. This book showed me how simple it can be to connect to what I am and where I'm going. How can I know I'm going forward to my ultimate goal and not in the opposite direction? "The Way" taught me so many great lessons and so many revelations about myself and everybody around me. Many thanks for this great book!

I am in the midst of reading this book. It was recommended by a friend, and well, I had to check out what everyone is yapping about. Apparently Kabbalah is the new Pilates. I love this book. It reminds me of what my mom used to teach me as a child--metaphysics---basically about being a better person and looking at the bigger picture of how your behaviour affects others. I would highly recommend this book. It is a great alternative to those who are wary of or who have grown weary of hard-line religions. Very refreshing.

I'm so happy to have found The Way and the teachings of Kabbalah. This book has really given my life a new sense of purpose and spirituality. The book is beautifully written and a real inspiration, and I plan to give it as a gift to several friends who I think would really appreciate the lessons in this book.