Finalist—National Jewish Book Award,
Modern Jewish Thought!
What can Kabbalah teach us about our lives
today?
What can it teach us about our future?
What can it teach us about our future?
According to the Jewish mystical tradition
of Kabbalah, Ehyeh, or “I shall be,” is the
deepest, most hidden name of God. Arthur Green, one of the most
respected teachers of Jewish mysticism of his generation, uses
this simple Hebrew word to unlock the spiritual meaning of
Kabbalah for our lives.
When Moses experienced his great moment of
call at the Burning Bush, he asked God, “When people ask
me, ‘What is His name?’ what should I say to
them?” God answers with this mysterious phrase, “I
shall be what I shall be,” and says to Moses, “Tell
them that ‘I shall be’ sent you.”
God’s puzzling answer makes the
conversation sound like a koan-dialogue between a Zen master
and disciple…. Like the koan, the text here is reaching
to some place beyond words, seeking to create a breakthrough in
our consciousness. What is it trying to tell us?
—from the Introduction
Blending Jewish theology and mysticism,
Arthur Green invites us on a contemporary exploration of
Kabbalah, showing how the ancient Jewish mystical tradition can
be retooled to address the needs of our generation.
Drawing on the Zohar and other kabbalistic
texts, Green examines the fundamental ideas and spiritual
teachings of Kabbalah, encouraging today’s modern seeker
to stretch to new ways of thinking with both heart and mind,
setting us on a rewarding path to the wisdom Kabbalah has to
offer.
“If you read this as I did, with a
pen in hand, underlining sentences and writing
‘Yes!’ in the margins each time your heart echoes
back a resounding confirmation, you will end up as I did, with
a completely underlined book, an uplifted heart, renewed
zeal—and instructions—for the spiritual practice of
life.”
—Sylvia
Boorstein, author of Pay Attention, for Goodness’ Sake
“Arthur Green rescues Kabbalah from
fundamentalists on the one hand and faddists on the other.
Drawing on forty years of intense textual study and profound
inner search, he fashions a revolutionary Kabbalah for those
who yearn for a genuine spirituality, who cherish both heart
and mind.”
—Daniel
C. Matt, author of Zohar: Annotated & Explained
“If you only have time to read one
book on Jewish mysticism, this is it. Arthur Green, surely one
of the great teachers of our generation, has brought the
Kabbalah (back) to life. His book is informed,
passionate, and wise. It is the first door.”
—Lawrence
Kushner, author of The Way Into Jewish Mystical Tradition
