God is a Verb [antikvár]

PREFACE -ewish mystics always been reticent to reveal the esoteric teachings of Kabbalah. The Talmud says / F that these secret teachings are to be carefully controlled. As a result, mainstream Jewish scholars prior to the twentieth century rarely explored this segment of hidden knowledge. More important, as the mystical insight of kabbalistic wisdom was reserved for only a handful of practitioners, most people involved in Judaism never had the opportunity to experience the wealth of this treasure within the tradition. During the last half of this century, great strides have been taken to investigate and make available heretofore inaccessible kabbalistic material. Many texts have been translated and considerable research has been undertaken at institutes of higher learning. However, a gap still stands between the intellectual appreciation of these esoteric teachings and their integration into everyday Jewish practice. Prior to fifty years ago, anyone saying the things that are addressed in this book might have been ostracized by the rabbinic community. Some readers would have been outraged to see esoteric discussions meant to be read by only a selected few. A large number would have been ill at ease with Torah Preface 'So vii