The Way: Using the Wisdom of Kabbalah for Spiritual Transformation and Fulfillment

by Michael Berg

"The simple and practical wisdom I have gained by reading this book and studying Kabbalah is immeasurable."--Madonna "This book will inspire your soul. Michael Berg has accomplished the monumental task of translating the eternal truths of life into spiritual common sense. Without a doubt, The Way will become one of the sacred texts of your own life."-Caroline Myss, Ph.D., author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Sacred ContractsThe spiritual way of Kabbalah has grown from a hidden treasure into a widespread mainstream movement that has helped people from every walk of life, all around the world, to improve their lives. In this bestselling book, Michael Berg of The Kabbalah Centre-the world's leading educational institution teaching the wisdom of Kabbalah-shows you how to recognize and understand the key spiritual laws in order to improve your life and the lives of everyone around you. The Way will teach you meditation and prayer techniques and how to reduce emotional chaos and increase personal harmony. At once groundbreaking and so clearly written that it is accessible to anyone following any spiritual path, The Way provides the spiritual power tools to attain true fulfillment and happiness.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Jewish, Philosophy

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Rabbi Michael Berg (born June 29, 1973) is the co-director of the Kabbalah Centre, alongside his mother Karen Berg. He is the son of Philip Berg, the founder of the Kabbalah Centre. Michael edited an unabridged English translation of the Zohar. He is also a cofounder of Raising Malawi.

Michael Berg is the author of several books on Kabbalah. Included among them are Secrets of The Zohar, Becoming Like God, The Way, The Secret, Well of Life, What God Meant, and Days of Connection.

In 2010, Michael launched an online learning platform called UKabbalah aimed at making the study of Kabbalah more accessible to the wider public.

Reviews

[Lingui5t · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something about the winding, disorganized way the ideas are communicated turned me off.
Not only was it very easy to drift off into space when reading this and have to reread sections, but also it felt like 50% of the material was promises that the tools of Kabbalah will give you results and do X and Y for you... okay, WHAT ARE THEY?

It's not a book I'll likely be returning to, when there are so many other introductory books available.

[Hal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Read on a complicated subject.

I have had an interest in learning more about the mystical side of Judaism, but found my initial book selections about Kabbalah to be too detailed for me to keep my focus. "The Way", in contrast, was an easy read, very understandable, and gave me enough information to want to explore the more challenging books that scared me off initially.

[Kimberlie Currier · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of this book has truths about God that are essential to know for those who desire spiritual transformation. One major concern I have with this book is that the author - as well as kabbalistic teachings themselves - claim that the Torah, the first five books of the Bible - came straight from the Creator's own mouth to Moses; and yet the author then discounts Creator's own specific words two Moses by continuously promoting the theory of evolution and spends a great amount of time forcing kabbalistic beliefs into his own evolutionary worldview - something that is not found in the older works of the Kabbalistic great masters. If he so reveres the Creator as well as the great masters of old, what is so hard to believe, for him, that the Creator created the world in just the manner HE said HE did to Moses? Be great cabalistic masters of old do not share this disbelief nor do they attempt to force their beliefs (and Creator's Words) into their own worldview. There is a plethora of scientific evidence that supports the Creator's account of His creation of this world - and nowhere in the Creators account of his creation does He mention a big bang. The author claims belief in the Creator's word and in the teachings of the great Kabbalistic masters of old, yet fundamentally changes the Creator's own words to fit his own worldview. Unfortunately, this change of the Creator's own words to fit the author's own view of the world also fundamentally changes the truth of his teachings from true Kabbalism two and altered form of cabalistic teachings in which the very foundation of his teaching is inherently flawed, thus affecting the whole of his teachings. Kabbalistic beliefs must be built upon the foundation of truth and the Creator gave us the truth in the Torah. The Hebrew word "Yom" is used for the word "day" in the Creation account and "Yom" ever and only means a literal 24- hour day. On day one of creation, the Creator tells us that He created energy - the entire electromagnetic spectrum which includes but is not limited to visible light. This energy is the building blocks of all of creation. The creator then went on to create the rest of His creation over the next 5 days and set apart and made holy the seventh day as a time to spend building a relationship with our Creator, connecting to the Light. This is a beautiful truth that the great kabbalistic masters of old new and accepted but which this author fundamentally attempts to destroy. The author also rightly portrays the Creator as nothing but love and goodness, but then also attributes evil to Him, supposedly test His creation who have free will. But who actually does that to their child? It makes much more sense to understand that which is found in the Creator's word, that mankind was created with free will to prove Lucifer's lies about the Creator as nothing but lies. The Creator long for being with whom he could have relationships. Relationships cannot be forced. Thus, we were created with free will, able to choose the Creator and His love, or love of self. The author admits this but contradicts himself by asserting that the Creator does evil to test us. No loving parent actually does this. Only abusive parents engage in this type of activity. The Creator is not responsible for the evil in this world anymore than He is responsible for our own choices. That is common sense. These are the fundamental truths that our Kabbalistic understanding and practice have to be built on, and it cannot be changed to fit inside the modern construct and worldview that this author attempts to force them into. Also, while Kabbalah teaches the theory of reincarnation, this is not a theory that can be found anywhere in the Torah or even in the rest of the Bible. It also cannot be found in classical rabbinic literature. This is a fairly modern idea that came about with Kabbalah during the dark ages during the 12th to 13th century Spain and Southern France. Original Jewish mysticism was more true to the actual words proceeding from the mouth of our Creator then this theory invented by pagan religions and adopted into Kabbalistic practice during the Dark Ages. The Torah is clear that once we die we sleep in death until the return of our Creator. So, the rest of the book goes. Life changing truth intermixed with grievous error. I wish I could recommend this book and the teachings within but because I long to know and share the truth about our Creator, I am unable to recommend this book unless you go into it fully grounded in the truths that our Creator gave us from His own mouth in the Torah and you are able to recognize the error when you see it.

[Yaryna Zhukorska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Майкл Берг, «Мудрість Кабали: Шлях до щастя і задоволення через духовне перетворення»

Видання 2007 року.
І має цей неповторний запах бібліотеки 🫶🏻
На моїй книжковій полиці воно чекало майже 20 років.
Скільки разів я брала його в руки, й ніяк.

І таки недарма чекало.
Не перестаю повторювати, деякі книги знаходять нас самі - саме тоді, коли потрібно)

📍 Всі ми приходимо в світ, щоб виконати в ньому якусь роботу.

📍 Все, що набувається мимохідь, позбавлене реальної цінності, адже отримане без зусиль, наміру та відчуттів.

📍 Ризик програшу - ось що робить перемогу бажаною.

📍 Труднощі та життєві виклики - це шанс для росту, а не негаразди.

📍 Можливість вибору - ось прояв істинної свободи волі.

📍 Ми в одному човні. Якщо тоне хтось один, - значить, тонуть усі.

📍 У духовній сфері взаємозвʼязок між причиною і наслідком прихований, адже це необхідно для збереження людської свободи вибору.

📍 Біль - дорогоцінна можливість скорегувати свою поведінку.

📍 Істина в нашому світі рідко буває на видноті.

📍 Трапляється з нами лише те, що мало трапитися, і стикаємося ми лише з тим, з чим і мали стикнутися.

📍 Допомогти хоча б одній єдиній людині - те ж саме, що врятувати цілий світ.

📍 Ніщо з того, чим ми володіємо, дійсно нам не належить.

📍 Ми завжди отримуємо саме те, на що заслужили і чого потребуємо.

📍 Гнів - завжди реакція его.

📍 Найкорисніше для нас набагато менш привабливе, ніж безумовно шкідливе.

📍 Чудеса відбуваються тоді, коли ми не лише чекаємо їх, але й починаємо планувати.

📍 Саме сумніви - причина всіх видимих перепон, а не щось у зовнішньому світі.

#451deepreading

[Annotaré · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring and informative book by Rav Michael Berg.

His easy to read explanations leave no confusion as to what the author means. No punches here, and you will find yourself in deep introspection reading the 244 page book.

Kabbalah is a science that may fill-in blanks left from other paths. It is not magic. It is not mysticism. It is practical and the only concern any one from any religious or spiritual belief should have...is that it works. To undertake the study of authentic Kabbalah, and I say authentic because as in all genre's the false and flakey grow their weeds among the vines. Rav Berg is authentic. The Way is a power-packed work showing how to recognize and understand the key spiritual laws—that if undertaken—will have an impact on your life and ripple to family, friends, associates.

RECOMMENDED for Seekers with an Open Mind

[Wendy Matta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need To Change Your Perspective on Life

This book had answered a lot of the questions i ask myself frequently... what is the meaning of my life... I don’t feel as lost as I was before i picked up this book... Been finding ways to help me heal my inner wounds... as well as Reiki, Shamanism, Mindful Living... Found I am a healer... which is ironic or was ironic... being that 6 years ago i was bed ridden and wanted to hurt myself often... Now I am enjoying each day for what it has to offer... I recommend this book if youre lost... I substitute the word Creator for Universe due to my belief... even though its not part of my religion, it is a very enlightening, awakening, livening book... You’ll see... Aloha Blessed Be & Be Safe...

[Carlos Caceres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro que sabe introducirnos a los conocimientos de la Kabbalah. El autor no pretende vincularse con una religion en especifico, solo busca dar a conocer las herramientas para entender el vinculo de Dios con su creacion. Sin duda, un libro de simple lectura, esta lleno de historias y ejemplos que permitiran entender conceptos muy complicados.

[Johannes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer the speculative thought of Jewish mysticism over the practical application of it, but this was still a worthwhile read insofar as it includes some midrash that I hadn't yet come across before.

[Andy Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise book on the Kabbalah Centre’s interpretation of this mystic wisdom.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro sencillo de leer, interesante desde el principio hasta el final. Recomendable. Volveré a leerlo.

[Robert Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine switched his spiritual inclinations from BK to Kabbalah and he told me a little about it. He seemed happy as a result of the changeover. He also said some stuff about winning a chess competition, which he attributed to studying Kabbalah - something about reading some of the scriptures in their original language (without understanding it).

I was kind of intrigued.

Having read the book, I'm still a little intrigued, but enough to make me want to read books in a language I don't understand - even if it did grant me the power to win chess matches, and the myriad other benefits that this book lays out.

I guess it seems too much like the occult to me. It might well work - but I consider myself sensible enough not to go there. Plus - I'm happy enough with my own level of spiritual progress and I don't really need that many more material benefits for it to be worth a whole new set of studying.

That's not to say that I've closed myself to whatever benefits that come my way - no - the universe can positively benefit me in whichever way it chooses. Maybe I believe that I have to work for it though. What you give is what you get, and all of that.

The book is well written and easy to understand. It seems to cover just about everything you would need for an introduction to the subject and to be able to decide if you want to take it up.

Just because I choose not to be transformed and fulfilled in this way doesn't mean that you shouldn't give it a try.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

For years, I have been studying the Kabbalah, often thought of as the book of Jewish mysticism. That's sort of like calling Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" a book on the mysticism of the kitchen. Both are books explaining intricate and complex topics--and both give examples, tips, tell stories with the hope of enhancing your ability to nurture yourself and your life.

Reading the Kabbalah will not make you a mystic any more than reading "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" will make you a skilled cook. What the Kabbalah does is make you aware of the necessity of practice, failure, more practice in understanding your own life and your purpose in the world.

If you adhere to one religion, you may well realize that you already practice some universal principals. If you hate religion, you will realize that ethical behavior realizes some deeply ingrained principals that have existed since the beginning of time.

This book offers some practical exercises for spiritual seekers. You don't need to be Jewish to appreciate or learn from the book. It's not an Old Testament/New Testament division. Instead, it offers practical steps to enhancing your spirituality and creativity.

[Michele Harrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this utterly inspiring, and being that I am anti all controlling religions, this rang true to me on every level. I followed up with the Power of Kabbalah, and found it very interesting that most of the founding work or writings of Kabbalah was written prior to any of today's religions and is the basis of all of them, and also foretold, (4000 years ahead of its time, no less) most of the scientific findings of the last 4-5 centuries. Superb stuff. Will certainly lead me to further reading and study.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting look into the mystical arm of judaism.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really allows you to understand the Kaballah without having to drink the water or wear the bracelet. Honestly, good insight - usable in everyday life.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

good intro to Kabbalah but felt that it was stuff most of us are living by anyways. But its a good reminder considering we could always use a little reminder from time to time.

[Linda Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good reread of the book. I needed to be reminded of some of the information

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mega Noice ! Must read for all those who are in search of Spiritual fulfilment..

[Jazzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some ideas/philosophies I found I didn't agree with and some were cool to think about.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always wanted to know more about the Kabbalah. Now I know a bit about e tip it the ice burg. I love how all religious traditions truly dove tail together and form a whole of truth and oneness.

[Rmychal21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspectives on the wisdom of Kabbalah. Worth the read.

[Shayna Abrams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book for those of us with a lot of questions regarding a tough subject to grasp.