[Dummies 01] • Kabbalah For Dummies by Kurzweil, Arthur -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Title Contents Introduction

About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here

Part I : So, What’s the Big Secret? Unmasking Kabbalah Chapter 1: What Is Kabbalah?

Getting to Know Kabbalah, “The Received Tradition” Hey, What Are the Big Ideas? A Constant Search for God Who Can Study Kabbalah? Different Approaches to the Study of Kabbalah Picking a Kabbalah that Works for You

Chapter 2: Magic, Mishegas, and Other Things that Kabbalah Isn’t

Setting the Record Straight Trying to Figure Out Who’s Legit and Who’s Not

Chapter 3: Looking Back: A Brief History of Kabbalah

Kabbalists in the Bible Kabbalah in the Rabbinic Period Thriving in Spain in the 13th Century Coming of Age in the Mystical City of Tzfat The Bigger You Are, The Harder You Fall: The Shabbatai Tzvi Affair The Great Revival: Hasidism Kabbalah Today

Part II : Cutting to the Core of Kabbalah Chapter 4: The Link between Heaven and Earth: Kabbalah’s Own Top-Ten Countdown

Seeing below the World’s Surface The Ten Fundamental Forces that Sustain the World Ways to Look at the Tree of Life Pulling the Strings of Existence: The Work of the Kabbalist

Chapter 5: Everything (Even a Traffic Jam) Is for the Best

Chapter 6: Our Bodies Don’t Have Souls; Our Souls Have Bodies

A Spark of God in Everyone Getting to the Soul of the Matter Descent for the Sake of Ascension — That’s Life Introducing the Four Worlds of Kabbalah Going Up? The Soul’s Journey of Five Levels

Chapter 7: Like Déjà Vu All Over Again: Reincarnation in Kabbalah

Chapter 8: Instant Karma’s Gonna Get You

Everything Has Meaning — Everything Angels: The Kabbalistic Key to Karma Suffering Hurts but Isn’t Random: The Kabbalistic View

Part III : Livin’ La Vida Kabbalah Chapter 9: Living One Day at a Time

Three Daily Tasks of the Kabbalist Waking Up Getting Washed and Dressed Offering Prayers and Meditation Grabbing a Bite Repairing the World Bed Sheets and Balance Sheets: Ending the Day

Chapter 10: Living One Week at a Time

The End of the Week Is also the Beginning Keeping Your Eye on the Sabbath Preparing to Receive the Gift of the Sabbath Greeting the Sabbath the Kabbalistic Way Transforming the Shabbat Dinner Table into a Holy Altar Observing and Enjoying the Sabbath Saying Goodbye to the Sabbath: A Fond and Fragrant Farewell Gearing Up for the Sabbath All Over Again

Chapter 11: A Year in the Life of a Kabbalist

Ringing in the New Year without a Noisemaker Ten Days in the Early Fall for Introspection and Turning The Day of “At-One-Ment” Acknowledging with Joy That Life Is Temporary Meditating on Light for Eight Days Seeing God in Everything Liberating Oneself from Narrowness A 49-day Kabbalistic Meditation on the Ascent to God Receiving God’s Teachings Constantly Mourning the Loss of Wholeness Celebrating Birthdays Kabbalisticly

Chapter 12: A Kabbalist’s Life Cycle

Beginning with a Bang: Birth Coming of Age Kabbalistically Kabbalistic Marriage Death and Dying in Kabbalah

Part IV : Fine-tuning the Essential Skills of the Kabbalist Chapter 13: Discovering the Kabbalistic Books that Really Matter

The Essential Kabbalah Library Other Classic Books Worth Adding to the Collection Don’t Forget a Few Hasidic Books

Chapter 14: Hitting the Books — and Kissing Them: Studying Like a Kabbalist

When Kabbalists Hit the Books, They Really Hit Them! Understanding the Importance of Study in Kabbalah Where and When Do I Begin? Can I Study Kabbalah in English? (You Already Are!) When the Student is Ready: Finding a Good Teacher Pairing with a Study Buddy Studying Ancient Scripture: The Torah Discussing Life’s Issues with the Sages: The Talmud

Chapter 15: Praying Like a Kabbalist

An Overview of Prayer in the Life of a Kabbalist How to Imagine an Unimaginable God While Praying Addressing God Directly Speaking Most Public Prayer in the Plural Inner Attitude Is What Counts The Kabbalist’s Prayer Book A Kabbalist’s Daily Prayer Routine

Chapter 16: Knowing the Unknowable God

Part V : The Part of Tens Chapter 17: (Almost) Ten Myths about Studying Kabbalah

You Have to Be a Man You Have to Be Married You Have to Be an Orthodox Jew You Have to at Least Be Jewish You Have to Be Over 40 You Have to Buy Expensive Books in Hebrew You Have to Follow a Dress Code You Have to Know Hebrew

Chapter 18: Ten Great Kabbalists in History

Adam Abraham Rabbi Akiva Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Holy Ari The Shelah HaKodesh, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov The Vilna Gaon Rabbi Adin Steinstaltz What? How Could You Have Left Out . . .

Chapter 19: Ten Places that Kabbalists Visit

Jerusalem Tzfat Meron, Israel Holy Gravesites in the Holy Land Holy Gravesites in Europe A Holy Gravesite in the United States The Mikvah The Synagogue The Bedroom Here and Now

Part VI : Appendixes Appendix A: Books and Authors You’ll Thank Me for Recommending