The 13th-century Zohar, consisting of theosophical theories concerning the Godhead and the Torah, is the central text of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. Woven through it are several narrative passages or stories. Rabbi Wineman, a specialist in Jewish mystical studies, presents eight of these stories in his own translation, with notes and commentary. The tales deal with the themes of sin and repentance, death, exile, redemption, and resurrection. Wineman's commentary expertly elucidates these esoteric stories. He includes excellent essays on the Zohar and Kabbalistic theory, especially an explanation of the ten Sefirot, or aspects of the deity. There has been a recent upsurge of interest in Jewish mysticism, and the material in this book, while scholarly, can be readily understood by interested lay readers.?Robert A. Silver, formerly with Shaker Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
There has been a recent upsurge of interest in Jewish mysticism, and the material in this book, while scholarly, can be readily understood by interested lay readers. -- Review
Wineman's book, comprising eight narratives from the Zohar, is a remarkable example of how a modern scholar interprets a medieval text using a multitude of Jewish sources and modern scholarly tools such as etymology, historical contexts, and parallels. (Many of the parallels and historical notes cited by Wineman point to the fact that the author of the Zohar lived hundreds of years after Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is traditionally credited with being the author of this most popular kabbalistic work.) One is amazed at Wineman's phenomenal knowledge in arriving at his interpretations and his highly readable original English translation of these stories. Even people familiar with the Bible and Talmud must marvel at the way he explains the zoharic narratives by citing midrashim which may even have escaped the eyes of rabbis and others who possess a good background in this literature. -- Joshua J. Adler, The Jerusalem Post, February 18th, 2000 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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