Kabbalah For Dummies

Study, pray, and celebrate the Kabbalah way Understand the spiritual and ethical teachings of the practice Curious about Kabbalah? This friendly, plain–English guide clears up the common misconceptions about this mystical tradition, showing you how to incorporate its wisdom into your daily life. You′ll explore the history of Kabbalah and its major texts, understand the mystical tree of life, examine Kabbalah controversies and conflicts, and see how Kabbalists grow closer to God. Discover how to How to live life like a Kabbalist The big "secret" of Kabbalah What Kabbalah is — and isn′t The importance of karma and reincarnation The contributions of great Kabbalists

Introduction. Part I: So, What’s the Big Secret? Unmasking Kabbalah. Chapter 1: What Is Kabbalah? Chapter 2: Magic, Mishegas, and Other Things that Kabbalah Isn’t. Chapter 3: Looking Back: A Brief History Of Kabbalah. Part II: Cutting to the Core of Kabbalah. Chapter 4: The Link between Heaven and Earth: Kabbalah’s Own Top–Ten Countdown. Chapter 5: Everything (Even a Traffic Jam) Is for the Best. Chapter 6: Our Bodies Don’t Have Souls; Our Souls Have Bodies. Chapter 7: Like Déjà Vu All Over Again: Reincarnation in Kabbalah. Chapter 8: Instant Karma’s Gonna Get You. Part III: Livin’ La Vida Kabbalah. Chapter 9: Living One Day at a Time. Chapter 10: Living One Week at a Time. Chapter 11: A Year in the Life of a Kabbalist. Chapter 12: A Kabbalist’s Life Cycle. Part IV: Fine–tuning the Essential Skills of the Kabbalist. Chapter 13: Discovering the Kabbalistic Books that Really Matter. Chapter 14: Hitting the Books — and Kissing Them: Studying Like a Kabbalist. Chapter 15: Praying Like a Kabbalist. Chapter 16: Knowing the Unknowable God. Part V: The Part of Tens. Chapter 17: (Almost) Ten Myths about Studying Kabbalah. Chapter 18: Ten Great Kabbalists in History. Chapter 19: Ten Places that Kabbalists Visit. Part VI: Appendixes. Appendix A: Books and Authors You’ll Thank Me For Recommending. Appendix B: Patriarchs, Swindlers, Prophets, and Sinners: Meet 100 Torah Characters. Appendix C: A Glossary of Everything Kabbalah. Index.

Arthur Kurzweil is known as America′s foremost Jewish genealogist. The author/editor of several books, he lectures extensively on the subjects of Judaica, magic, and mysticism.