A book from Jewish Lights, SkyLight Paths’ sister imprint
Blending Jewish theology and mysticism, shows how ancient Jewish mystical tradition can address the needs of our generation. Encourages today_s modern seeker to stretch to new ways of thinking with both heart and mind through the wisdom of Kabbalah.
Arthur Green
Paperback
6 x 9, 224 pp | 978-1-58023-213-5
What can Kabbalah teach us about our lives today?
What can it teach us about our future?
“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
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.”
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.
Praise for Arthur Green’s Work
“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
Confession, by Way of a Preface ᠩx Introduction: Ehyeh as a Name of God ᠱ PART I: REREADING THE OLD TRADITION 1 Kabbalah Old and New ᠹ 2 There Is Only One ᠱ9 3 Torah: Creation's Truth Revealed ᠲ9 4 Sefirot: The One and the Ten ᠳ9 5 'Olamot: Four Steps to Oneness ᠶ1 6 Shemot: The Way of Names ᠷ4 PART II: LOOKING TOWARD TOMORROW 7 Seeking a Path ᠹ1 8 Great Chain of Being: Kabbalah for an Environmental Age ᠱ06 9 All about Being Human: Image, Likeness, Memory ᠱ20 10 What about Evil? ᠱ38 11 The Life of Prayer ᠱ53 12 Community: Where Shekhinah Dwells ᠱ66 Afterword: To Keep on Learning—Where Do I Go from Here?
