Schocken Books Inc Zohar: The of Splendor: Basic Readings from the Kabbalah

nice read wets the appetite for more

A wonderful sneak-peek into the Zohar. Scholem did a great job picking these passages from the extant Zohar texts, and the translation is also very well done. The interpretations and explanations of the Torah, though controversial to the believes and teachings of contemporary (13th century) Judaism, happen to make the old Testament vividly graspable in a way that is part mysticism and part philosophy. An exquisite read.

The book is very short - only about 125 pages. Yet, it is written in very easy to understand English by a well known scholar on the subject - Gershom Scholem, and provides the reader with a nice introduction to some of the more prominent and interesting components of the Zohar. The introduction to the book sets the stage for the reader by providing sufficient background and explanation so that the reader, once immersed in the Zohar translation itself, has a framework to understand and evaluate the context. The excerpts from the Zohar will make the reader think, and provide a glimpse into some of the more esoteric Jewish rabbinical thought. A good intro on the subject.

It's the Zohar. A magical, mystical book that nobody is able to decode without taking kabbalah classes. Personally, I find The Hermetica more approachable and understandable. But that's just my opinion.

This is a nice book the only problem is there is it came with a dent in it.