Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: On the Zoharic Story3Grief, Triumph, Expulsion19The Book of Adam: Two Accounts35The House of the World57Death Postponed73The Bridegroom's Silence89A Retelling of Jonah107A Tale of Sin and Repentance127A Child's Tears and His Father's Resurrection143About the Papercut Art: The Ten Sefirot159Glossary167Bibliography173

Promotional Information

Rather than merely identifying literary motifs in the stories, Wineman explains how these motifs convey metaphysical beliefs... The volume is lovingly composed, meticulously edited and lucidly illustrated... One could hardly ask for a fuller analysis... A more reader-friendly book would be difficult to imagine. -- Robert Segal, University of Lancaster

About the Author

Aryeh Wineman is a Rabbi at Temple Beth-El in Troy, New York.

Reviews

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

"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."--Library Journal