Until now, few primary texts on the Kabbalah have been available in English. Under the auspices of the Bronfman Library of Jewish classics, this historic publication of "Gates of Light" allows readers to enter the hidden world of the Kabbalah and its profound and beautiful Biblical interpretation. This central text of Jewish mysticism was written in thirtenth-century Spain, where Kabbalah flourished. Considered to be the most articulate work on the mystical Kabbalah, "Gates of Light" provides a systematic and comprehensive explanation of the Names of God and their mystical applications. The Kabbalah presents a unique strategy for intimacy with the Creator and new insights into the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Kabbalah, aspects of God emanate from a hierarchy of Ten Spheres interconnected by channels that may be disrupted or repaired through human activity.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Brilliant:
Gates of Light is an amazing source for Torah and Kabbalah and the mystical traditions of Judaism. It soars from start to finish.
Classic Medieval Kabbalah:
While this translation of a medieval text can certainly be considered a classic, it did not actually become particularly popular or influential probably because it adds little to the main classics of Kabbalah--especially the Zohar. Yet, Gikatilla was a great Kabbalistic master. On the other hand, Moses de Leon's works have suffered the same fate (you can now read Eliot Wolfson's translation of de Leon's "The Book of the Pomegranete"). While Gershom Scholem attributes authorship of the Zohar to de Leon,... more info
Ian Myles Slater on: An Important Contribution:
This is a full translation of an important, but generally neglected, work of theoretical Kabbalah (the most prominent, although not the only, form of Jewish mysticism). It explains in detail the doctrine of the Sefirot (or Sephirot), the creative emanations of the unknowable God. It arranges them in ascending order (toward Divine Totality), rather than the descending order (toward the Created World) in which they are usually presented. It has been suggested that it could, therefore, at least in theory, be... more info
Understandable Kabbalistic teachings:
This is one of the most straight forward texts on the workings of Kabbalism in print that I've read. The author methodically ascends the Tree of Life, stopping by each sefirot and describing its purpose and how it relates to the unfathomable One. The author describes each sefirot as a gate that leads to further understanding. Within each gate, the author pulls together many scriptures in support of his esoteric interpretation and his belief of how one can properly ascribe their prayers so that they are... more info
