Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow

by Arthur Green

What can Kabbalah teach us about our lives today? What can it teach us about our future? According to the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah, Ehyeh, or "I shall be," is the deepest, most hidden name of God. Arthur Green, one of the most respected teachers of Jewish mysticism of his generation, uses this simple Hebrew word to unlock the spiritual meaning of Kabbalah for our lives. When Moses experienced his great moment of call at the Burning Bush, he asked God, “When people ask me, 'What is His name?' what should I say to them?” God answers with this mysterious phrase, “I shall be what I shall be,” and says to Moses, “Tell them that ‘I shall be’ sent you.”
God’s puzzling answer makes the conversation sound like a koan-dialogue between a Zen master and disciple…. Like the koan, the text here is reaching to some place beyond words, seeking to create a breakthrough in our consciousness. What is it trying to tell us?
―from the Introduction Blending Jewish theology and mysticism, Arthur Green invites us on a contemporary exploration of Kabbalah, showing how the ancient Jewish mystical tradition can be retooled to address the needs of our generation. Drawing on the Zohar and other kabbalistic texts, Green examines the fundamental ideas and spiritual teachings of Kabbalah, encouraging today’s modern seeker to stretch to new ways of thinking with both heart and mind, setting us on a rewarding path to the wisdom Kabbalah has to offer.

Genres: Judaism, Judaica, Jewish, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Robert Teeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve read serious works about Kabbalah, the first half of this book will be a review. (If not, then it’s a good introduction.) The second half is a guide to the world from a modern Kabbalist’s point of view — why there is evil in the world and how to live a good life.

Unlike most books on Kabbalah you might find, this one is neither full of abstruse concepts nor easy new ageisms. This is the real deal.

[Carolyn Snyder]

Amazing meditations.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This was just awe-inspiring. You will want to read this book contemplatively. A very accessible introduction to Kabbalah's key elements to inspire your personal practice and creativity, and how they can inform Judaism, as a whole, into the future. This is a great, easy on ramp to learning about Kabbalah.

[Nia · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did not give this book all of the attention it deserves, I did find the question that Green poses to be one worth pondering, rather than mere idle speculation as he puts it: what would have happened had no one responded Na'aseh ve Nishmah to the offer/threat of accepting Torah?

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my Kabbalah class this semester. Fascinating material.

[Bryan Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great introduction to Kabbalah and Art Green's theology. It gave voice to various things I felt connected to, but could not discuss with various people in my life.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer the first, more historical section to the second (practical), but Green is an erudite, affable, abd reliable scholar of mystical Judaism.