New Penguin Classic "The Kabbalistic Tradition"

Lleminawc

A collection of kabbalistic texts concentrating on the literature of the Zohar, the Lurianic corpus and the Chasidic mystical tradition, edited and translated by Alan Unterman, ISBN 978-0-140-43799-7.

Unterman comes from an orthodox Jewish background and is dismissive of Philip Berg's proselytising while not even mentioning Christian or Hermetic approaches. However the book looks to be a valuable resource for anyone interested in studying primary texts, even if it does contain passages explaining that "Jews, not Gentiles [are] called 'Man'" or that women are not reincarnated.
 

Greg Stanton

Lleminawc said:
A collection of kabbalistic texts concentrating on the literature of the Zohar, the Lurianic corpus and the Chasidic mystical tradition, edited and translated by Alan Unterman, ISBN 978-0-140-43799-7.

Unterman comes from an orthodox Jewish background and is dismissive of Philip Berg's proselytising while not even mentioning Christian or Hermetic approaches. However the book looks to be a valuable resource for anyone interested in studying primary texts, even if it does contain passages explaining that "Jews, not Gentiles [are] called 'Man'" or that women are not reincarnated.
Philip Berg is a con man (anyone who charges $30 for six pieces of string is a con man), and should be treated with contempt by anyone with a mind and morals.

As for the antiquated attitudes -- and sadly, all religions, unless they were invented yesterday, are rife with them -- they should be understood for what they are, and be quietly set aside in the reader's mind.

Penguin is the best publisher of paperback books. How wonderful that this material is made available for roughly $15.
 

Gavriela

There's also The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism by Daniel Chanan Matt. That's $10 or $11 and I can give it an unqualified recommendation. He very rarely loses the meaning to keep the poetry, but it's worth it if you want an overview of kabbalistic thought in English.

Haven't read the Penguin yet, but I've been lusting for Luzatto's elucidations of Luria. And somewhere out there is a copy of the Avot with Rabbi Loew's full commentary (unlike the Artscroll edition which conveniently strips out all the kabbalistic bits to keep from 'confusing' the reader - grrr!)
 

Lleminawc

Greg Stanton said:
Penguin is the best publisher of paperback books. How wonderful that this material is made available for roughly $15.
Indeed, Penguin have been showing an impressive commitment to their Classics line of late. They've produced a new collection of Buddhist Scriptures for instance, finally retiring Edward Conze's volume of the same name, as well as a new translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
 

bradford

Frankly, I would not trust such an ethnocentric approach even to Kabbalah.
That discipline is paranoid enough as it is. Neither would I trust a book where the advertising will not show the table of contents or an index.
 

Sophie

bradford said:
Frankly, I would not trust such an ethnocentric approach even to Kabbalah.
That discipline is paranoid enough as it is. Neither would I trust a book where the advertising will not show the table of contents or an index.
:bugeyed: - in other words - you don't trust a Kabbalah book that contains only Jewish sources? So the Jews are not to publish books about their own sacred beliefs? Rather mind-boggling, as an idea.

How about a Yi Jing book that would consist only of classical Chinese sources? Or a book on Navajo spirituality that would only contain Navajo sources and writers? Would that be equally ethnocentrically unacceptable in your eyes?

If there is any paranoia around the subject, it is rather to be found in the two lines I quoted above.


I think it's wonderful that such a sourcebook is made available in English at such a modest price.
 

bradford

Fudugazi said:
:bugeyed: - in other words - .

In other words is right. You have twisted it all around. I said "ethnocentric" not ethnic, and about the approach, not the subject matter. Do you always overreact like that? Maybe you want to get all your wisdom from someone who thinks he's the chosen of God. But there's not much of that there. There's enough on QBLH out there by people, even Jews, with some perspective.
 

Sophie

bradford said:
In other words is right. You have twisted it all around. I said "ethnocentric" not ethnic, and about the approach, not the subject matter. Do you always overreact like that? Maybe you want to get all your wisdom from someone who thinks he's the chosen of God. But there's not much of that there. There's enough on QBLH out there by people, even Jews, with some perspective.
You haven't answered...

... right now I am laughing at this sentence: Maybe you want to get all your wisdom from someone who thinks he's the chosen of God.

Hmm. Maybe you know people who only own one book and take their entire wisdom from it. I have a few more sources than that, as do you, no doubt. No need for the war of words. To attack one single book that will make a valuable addition to a library on the grounds that its sources are "ethnocentric" - meaning, in this context, that a Jewish editor has decided to select only Jewish sources for a Jewish subject - is rather odd. To get on your high horse because someone calls you on a rather unconsidered remark is not only odd, it's ludicrous.

It'll stand as a good sourcebook among many others, I have no doubt. But if you've no wish to fork out those $15, that's your choice entirely :)