Is there a "book of Kabbalah"?

Bitter Almond

I know it's an ignorant question, but I've been surfing around looking for the original Kabbalah that I can read for myself instead of just reading what others have written on the topic, but I can't seem to find it.

There's a lot of talk about "oral knowledge" as opposed to "written knowledge", but if something is to last as long as the Kabbalah, it must have been written down at some time... Where can I read it? Is it a part of the Torah? An alternate way of examining the Torah? I read that it was contained in the first five books of the old testament; is this true?

How can I learn the Kabbalah for myself? Which books on the topic do you recommend?
 

bradford

Best to get a couple of good overview books to get a big picture.
I would try to pick one from the Jewish tradition (spelled Kabbalah)
and another from the Western Mystery or Hermetic tradition (spelled
Qabalah). They both have good things to offer, except that most of
the Jews don't think so. I would avoid books from the Research
Center of Kabbalah.
But I would start with some good links - there are a bunch of
these on my site at http://www.hermetica.info/TongLink.htm
labeled so a short way down the page
There is no Book of Qabalah, but there are several key texts, especially
Sefer Yetzirah (very brief and obsvure)
Sefer ha Bahir
The Zohar (very long and complicated)
Sha’are Orah: Gates of Light
Tomer Devorah
 

kwaw

Joseph Dan: The early kabbalah:
http://www.amazon.com/Early-Kabbalah-Classics-Western-Spirituality/dp/0809127695

Kaplan: Sefer Yetzirah:
http://www.amazon.com/Sefer-Yetzira...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270111795&sr=1-1

Bahir:
http://www.amazon.com/Bahir-Illumin...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270112531&sr=1-1

Something annoted with explanatory text on the Zohar, lke Daniel Mat:
http://www.amazon.com/Zohar-Annotat...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270111846&sr=1-4

Not key texts but good introductions to the subject are:

His Essential Kabbalah is also very good basic introduction:
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Kabbalah-Mystical-Classics-World/dp/096506476X/ref=sid_dp_dp

as is Joseph Dan's A very brief introduction:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...resnum=1&ved=0CAkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Gerhsom Scholems ‘On the kabbalah and its symbolism’:
http://www.amazon.com/Kabbalah-its-...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270112148&sr=1-2

and ‘on the mystical shape of the godhead’:
http://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Shap...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270112148&sr=1-4

There is a searchable online version of the Zohar at the Kabbalah Center:
http://www2.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=zohar/zohar
 

firecatpickles

Three of my favorites are A Kabbalistic Universe, by Halevi; Meditation and Kabbalah, and Jewish Meditation, by Kaplan.
 

Healing Spirit

Bitter Almond said:
I know it's an ignorant question, but I've been surfing around looking for the original Kabbalah that I can read for myself instead of just reading what others have written on the topic, but I can't seem to find it.

There's a lot of talk about "oral knowledge" as opposed to "written knowledge", but if something is to last as long as the Kabbalah, it must have been written down at some time... Where can I read it? Is it a part of the Torah? An alternate way of examining the Torah? I read that it was contained in the first five books of the old testament; is this true?

How can I learn the Kabbalah for myself? Which books on the topic do you recommend?

Firstly, you need to be aware that there are several schools of Kabbalah so it's easy to become confused! The easiest to find books on today appear to be the Lurian school and the Toledano.

Toledano books are exemplified by, among others, Halevi, while a lot of the Lurian school writings are based on, in modern times, Rabbi Yehudah Lev Ashlag.

To learn Kabbalah for yourself, many books in the Lurian tradition offer exercises for you to experience spiritual development.

It's a bit like the Tarot - you can read books giving loads of correspondences, attributions and meanings and learn them by heart. Or you can develop more intuitively wich takes longer but it means that you really develop a "feel" for the cards.

Let me know which approach you prefer vis Kabbalah and I can add some recommendations to those already in this thread.

Blessings, Light and Love,

Nic
 

ZenMusic

The Essence of Kabbalah, by Brian L. Lancaster.
I have 20-30 books on Kabbalah, this is easily the best introduction. It, more than any other introductory texts, gives a real insight into what Kabbalah is, how it "works" as a path, and provides an entry into the real study of Kabbalah. If you don't intend to actually study the texts, this is the closest you can get to the Spirit of Kabbalah.

Any by Kaplan are good.

I've read through the Zohar 3 times; If you intend to read it, I can not recommend highly enough..

The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, by Daniel Matt
A wonderful translation, deeply annotated. The best English version (still in progress, so far the first six volumes have been completed (sixth about to be published)

The Zohar (and Kabbalah in general) is very difficult to read on your own, theses annotations help. It's like having a mentor guide you... (pick up a volume in the bookstore and read the first page's footnotes...)
 

barbaragraver

The most well known Kabbalistic text is the Zohar and Daniel Matt's translation is incredible if dense. I have the first three volumes. I can't imagine myself reading them cover to cover but I love to look things up, read short passages and reflect on the text. I agree with others in recommending "The Essential Kabbalah" by the same author. Also his other books - especially "God and the Big Bang" which is one of my personal favorites.
 

Barleywine

The most well known Kabbalistic text is the Zohar and Daniel Matt's translation is incredible if dense.

Once I got past the numerous Tree of Life texts that came out of the Western Mystery Tradition, I found the next step to be a VERY dense undertaking. Looks like "The Essential Kabbalah" by Matt can be had cheaply right now, and would be worth a look.
 

flyingwind66

sefer yetzirah (various translations)
tree of life by aleister crowley
and one I'm reading that's a great intro is qabalah by john bonner who also has some recommended reading in his intro/history prologue in the book

also the golden dawn if you want to get in the 'exercises, practical uses and rituals'
 

hoomer

by no means comprehensive...could add a few more but..


http://magdelene.wordpress.com/kabbalah-literature/


Traditional Kabbalah:

“Path of the Kabbalah” by David Sheinkin

"Inner Space: Introduction to Kabbalah, Meditation and Prophecy” by Aryeh Kaplan

“Kabbalah: The Way of the Jewish Mystic” by Perle Epstein

“Fundamentals of Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah” by Ron H. Feldman

“Opening the Inner Gates: New Paths in Kabbalah and Psychology” by Edward Hoffman

“The Heavenly Ladder” by Edward Hoffman

“The Way of Splencor: Jewish Mysticism and Modern Psychology” by Edward Hoffman

“Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow” by Arthur Green

“Seek My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology” by Arthur Green

“Honey from the Rock” by Lawrence Kushner

“The Thirteen Petalled Rose” by Adin Steinsaltz

“Seeing God: Ten Life-Changing Lessons of the Kabbalah” by David Aaron

“The Secret Life of God: Discovering the Divine Within You” by David Aaron

“God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness and Embodied Spiritual Practice” by Jay Michaelson

“The Way of Flame: A Guide to the Forgotten Mystical Tradition of Jewish Mysticism” by Avram Davis

“Judaic Mysticism” by Avram Davis & Manuela Dunn Mascetti

“God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism” by David A. Cooper

“The Kabbalah of Food” by Nilton Bonder

“The Kabbalah of Money” by Nilton Bonder

“The Kabbalah of Envy” by Nilton Bonder

“The Unifying Factor: A Review of Kabbalah” by Nekhama Schoenburg

“God, Sex and Kabbalah” by Allen S. Maller

“Kabbalah and the Art of Being” by Shimon Shokek


“The Essence of Kabbalah” by Brian L. Lancaster

“The Kabbalah Handbook: A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism” by Gabriella Samuel





tree of life Christian Kabbalah:

“Pico della Mirandola’s Encounter with Jewish Mysticism” by Chaim Wirszubski

“De Arte Cabalistica: On the Art of the Kabbalah” by Johann Reuchlin

“Giordano Bruno and the Kabbalah: Prophets, Magicians and Rabbis” by Karen Silvia de León-Jones

“Alchemy of the Word: Cabala of the Renaissance” by Philip Beitchman

“Christian Hebraists and Dutch Rabbis” by Aaron L. Katchen




Sefirotic studies:

“The Mystical Qabalah” by Dion Fortune.

“Qabalistic Concepts” by William G. Gray. This book, originally intended as a textbook of the Sangreal Sodality, is a very basic and excellent Kabbalah study programme.

“The Ladder of Lights” by William G. Gray. Whilst “Qabalistic Concepts” was written long after “The Ladder of Lights,” it is in fact an introduction to this text, which deals with the ten Sefirot within the “Four Worlds” of Kabbalah in great detail.

b.”The Novena of the Tree of Life: A Short Manual on Practical Kabbalah” (WG GRAY)













Practical Kabbalah:

a. Meditation:

“The Miracle Tree: Demystifying the Qabalah” by R.J. Stewart

“Discovering Jewish Meditation: Instruction and Guidance for Learning an Ancient Spiritual Path” by Nan Fink Geffen

The Work of the Kabbalist by Z’Ev Ben Shimon Halevi



“Meditation and Judaism: Exploring the Jewish Meditative Paths” by DovBer Pinson

“Everyday Kabbalah: A Practical Guide to Jewish Meditation, Healing, and Personal Growth” by Melinda Ribner

“Ecstatic Kabbalah” by David A. Cooper




“Kabbalistic Healing: A Path to an Awakened Soul” by Jason Shulman

“Visions of the Night: A Study of Jewish Dream Interpretation” by Joel Covitz. This work contains a translation of Pitron Chalamot (Interpretation of Dreams) by Solomon Almoli.

“Kabbalah and the Power of Dreaming: Awakening the Visionary Life” by Catherine Shainberg



Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide by Aryeh Kaplan

“The Universal Meaning of the Kabbalah” by Leo Schaya

“The Sefirot: Ten Emanations of Divine Power” by Y. David Shulman



“The Enneagram and Kabbalah: Reading Your Soul” by Howard A. Addison

“Cast in God’s Image: Discover Your Personality Type using the Enneagram and Kabbalah” by Howard A. Addison

“Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism” by Gershon Winkler




“Invoking Angels: For Blessings, Protection, and Healing” by David A. Cooper

“An Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism” by Geoffrey W. Dennis

“Magical Ritual Methods” by William G. Gray

“Inner Traditions of Magic” by William G. Gray

“Meditation and the Bible” by Aryeh Kaplan

“Meditation and Kabbalah” by Aryeh Kaplan


b. Magical Traditions:

“Scholastic Magic: Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism” by Michael D. Swartz

“Ritual Practices to Gain Power: Angels, Incantations and Revelations in Early Jewish Mysticism” by Rebecca Macy Lesses



“Sepher ha-Razim: The Book of the Mysteries” by Michael A. Morgan

“The Sword of Moses: An Ancient Book of Magic” by M. Gaster.


“Jewish Magic and Superstition” by Joshua Trachtenberg

“Hebrew Amulets” by T. Schrire

“Amulets and Talismans” by E.A. Wallis Budge

“Amulets and Magic Bowls” by Joseph Naveh and Shaul Shaked




“Magic Spells and Formulae” by Joseph Naveh and Shaul Shaked

“Magic, Mysticism and Hasidism: The Supernatural in Jewish Thought” by Gedalyah Nigal

“Golem: Jewish Magical and Mystical Traditions on the Artificial Anthropoid” by Moshe Idel

“Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and Magic” by Moshe Idel




Primary Texts:

“The Poetics of Ascent: Theories of Language in a Rabbinic Ascent Text” by Naomi Janowitz




“The Shi’ur Qomah: Texts and Recensions” by Martin Samuel Cohen

“Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and in Practice” translated by Aryeh Kaplan

“Sefer Bahir: Illumination” translated by Aryeh Kaplan

“The Hidden and Manifest God: Some Major Themes in Early Jewish Mysticism” by Peter Schäfer

“The Zohar: Pritzker Edition” translated by Daniel C. Matt.

“Gates of Light: Sha’are Orah” by Joseph Gikatilla translated by Avi Weinstein

“Moses Cordovero’s Introduction to Kabbalah: An Annotated Translation of His Or Ne’erav” by Ira Robinson






“The SecretGarden: An Anthology in the Kabbalah” edited by David Meltzer

“Understanding Jewish Mysticism: A Source Reader Volume I: The Merkabah Tradition and the Zoharic Tradition” by David R. Blumenthal

“Understanding Jewish Mysticism: A Source Reader Volume II: The Philosophic-Mystical Tradition and The Hasidic Tradition” by David R. Blumenthal

“The Books of Contemplation: Medieval Jewish Mystical Sources” by Mark Verman

“Early Kabbalah” edited and translated by Joseph Dan and Ronald C. Kiener

“The Heart and the Fountain: An Anthology of Jewish Mystical Experiences” by Joseph Dan




“Safed Spirituality: Rules of Mystical Piety and The Beginning of Wisdom” translated by Lawrence Fine

“Jewish Mystical Autobiographies: Book of Visions and Book of Secrets” translated by Morris M. Feierstein




“Kabbalah: Selections from Classic Kabbalistic Works from Raziel HaMalach to the Present Day” by Avraham Yaakov Finkel



Academic Studies:

“Origins of the Kaballah” by Gershom Scholem

“Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism” by Gershom Scholem



“Kabbalah” by Gershom Scholem




“On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism” by Gershom Scholem

“On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah” by Gershom Scholem

“Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah” by Gershom Scholem

“The Messianic Idea in Judaism, and other Essays on Jewish Spirituality” by Gershom Scholem

“Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism and Talmudic Tradition” by Gershom Scholem

“The Ancient Jewish Mysticism” by Joseph Dan

“Beholders of Divine Secrets: Mysticism and Myth in the Hekhalot and Merkavah Literature” by Vita Daphna Arbel

“Kabbalah: New Perspectives” by Moshe Idel

“The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia” by Moshe Idel

“Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah” by Moshe Idel

“Messianic Mystics” by Moshe Idel




“Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism: Pillars, Lines, Ladders” by Moshe Idel

“Mirror of His Beauty: Feminine Images of God from the Bible to the Early Kabbalah” by Peter Schäfer

“Joseph Karo: Lawyer and Mystic” by R.J. Zwi Werblowsky

“Kabbalah, Magic, and Science: The Cultural Universe of a Sixteenth-Century Jewish Physician” by David R. Ruderman

“Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship” by Lawrence Fine




“Through a Speculum that Shines: Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism” by Elliot R. Wolfson

“Alef, Mem, Tau: Kabbalistic Musings on Time, Truth, and Death” by Elliot R. Wolfson

“The Soul of the Matter: A Jewish-Kabbalistic Perspective on the Human Soul Before, During and After ‘Life’” by Gershon Winkler

“Good and Evil in Jewish Thought” by Shalom Rosenberg





Angel related Books:

Leaves from the Garden of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Tales by Howard Schwartz;

Gabriel’s Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales by Howard Schwartz;

Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism by Howard Schwartz;

Before You Were Born by Howard Schwartz;

Ascending Jacob’s Ladder: Jewish Views of Angels, Demons, and Evil Spirits by Ronald H. Isaacs;

Imagining the Fetus: The Unborn in Myth, Religion, and Culture (Cultural Criticism) by Jane Marie Law & Venessa R. Sasson;

The Legends of the Jews: Index to Volumes 1 through 6 by Louis Ginzberg

Kabbalah: Selections From Classic Kabbalistic Works From Raziel Hamalach To The Present Day by Abraham Yaakov Finkel;



All the Names of the Lord: Lists, Mysticism, and Magic by Valentina Izmirlieva;






Mystical Fiction:

“Dybbuk” by Gershon Winkler

“The Sacred Stones: The Return of the Golem” by Gershon Winkler

“The Seventh Telling” by Mitchell Chefitz

“Shelomo Molho” by Aaron Abraham Kabak





ZOROASTRIANISM:

The Kabbalah: The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews. Translated From The French.

Kabbalah and Modernity (Aries Book Series)

Renaissance and Rebirth: Reincarnation in Early Modern Italian Kabbalah (Studies in Jewish History and Culture)







MUSIC:

Music, Mysticism and Magic: A Sourcebook (Arkana)

The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music

The Mystery of the Seven Vowels: In Theory and Practice

Cosmic Music: Musical Keys to the Interpretation of Reality

The Spiritual Dimensions of Music: Altering Consciousness for Inner Development

Music Power Harmony: A Workbook of Music and Inner Forces

Music and Kabbalah

Inner Rhythms : The Kabbalah of Music

Mystical Power of Music

Jewish Musical Traditions (Jewish Folklore and Anthropology)






Contemporary Jewish religious thought : original essays on critical concepts, movements, and beliefs

The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia (S U N Y Series in Judaica)

The Kabbalah of the Soul: The Transformative Psychology and Practices of Jewish Mysticism




Kabbalah and Gnosticism:

Gershom Scholem: Kabbalah and Counter-History



The Early Kabbalah (Classics of Western Spirituality)

Kabbalistic Metaphors: Jewish Mystical Themes in Ancient and Modern Thought



Gnostic Return in Modernity

Kabbalah: New Perspectives



Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and Magic (Suny Series in Judaica: Hermeneutics, Mysticism, and Religion)

Old Worlds, New Mirrors: On Jewish Mysticism and Twentieth-Century Thought (Jewish Culture and Contexts)

Religious Apologetics – Philosophical Argumentation (see Idel’s Essay entitled “On the Theologization of kabbalah in modern Scholarship”)