{"product_id":"the-zohar-pritzker-edition-vol-1-9780804747479","title":"The Zohar: Pritzker Edition  Vol. 1","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first two volumes of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition  translated with commentary by Daniel C. Matt  cover more than half of the Zohars commentary on the Book of Genesis (through Genesis 32:3). This is the first translation ever made from a critical Aramaic text of the Zohar  which has been established by Professor Matt based on a wide range of original manuscripts. The extensive commentary  appearing at the bottom of each page  clarifies the kabbalistic symbolism and terminology  and cites sources and parallels from biblical  rabbinic  and kabbalistic texts. The translators introduction is accompanied by a second introduction written by Arthur Green  discussing the origin and significance of the Zohar. For ancillary materials  including the Aramaic text  please visit SUPs Zohar Home Page www.sup.org\/zohar\/. Further information on the Zohar: Sefer ha-Zohar  \"The Book of Radiance \" has amazed and overwhelmed readers ever since it emerged mysteriously in medieval Spain toward the end of the thirteenth century. Written in a unique Aramaic  this masterpiece of Kabbalah exceeds the dimensions of a normal book; it is virtually a body of literature  comprising over twenty discrete sections. The bulk of the Zohar consists of a running commentary on the Torah  from Genesis through Deuteronomy. This translation begins and focuses here in what are projected to be ten volumes. Two subsequent volumes will cover other  shorter sections. The Zohars commentary is composed in the form of a mystical novel. The hero is Rabbi Shimon son of Yohai  a saintly disciple of Rabbi Akiva who lived in the second century in the land of Israel. In the Zohar  Rabbi Shimon and his companions wander through the hills of Galilee  discovering and sharing secrets of Torah. On one level  biblical figures such as Abraham and Sarah are the main characters  and the mystical companions interpret their words  actions  and personalities. On a deeper level  the text of the Bible is simply the starting point  a springboard for the imagination. For example  when God commands Abraham  Lekh lekha  Go forth... to the land that I will show you (Genesis 12:1)  Rabbi Elazar ignores idiomatic usage and insists on reading the words more literally than they were intended  hyperliterally: Lekh lekha  Go to yourself! Search deep within to discover your true self. At times  the companions themselves become the main characters  and we read about their dramatic mystical sessions with Rabbi Shimon or their adventures on the road  for example  an encounter with a cantankerous old donkey driver who turns out to be a master of wisdom in disguise. Ultimately  the plot of the Zohar focuses on the ten sefirot  the various stages of Gods inner life  aspects of divine personality  both feminine and masculine. By penetrating the literal surface of the Torah  the mystical commentators transform the biblical narrative into a biography of God. The entire Torah is read as one continuous divine name  expressing divine being. Even a seemingly insignificant verse can reveal the inner dynamics of the sefirothow God feels  responds and acts  how She and He (the divine feminine and masculine) relate intimately with each other and with the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45666043723829,"sku":"ByrdShop_0804747474","price":69.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780804747479.jpg?v=1782416607","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-zohar-pritzker-edition-vol-1-9780804747479","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}