Kabbalah: The Mystic Quest in Judaism

by David S. Ariel

Today, many people from all faiths are exploring the Kabbalah. What were once controversial and esoteric teachings from medieval Jewish mystics now is becoming one of the latest spiritual trends sweeping across America. In the wake of this renewed interest comes David Ariel's The Mystic Quest in Judaism , a thoroughly updated edition of his classic best selling book, The Mystic Quest . Ariel beautifully presents the complex elements of Jewish mysticism's major ideas in clear, understandable, and accessible language for Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike. Hailed as "brilliant" by Publishers Weekly, the book has a completely revised Introduction that sets a contemporary context for understanding Jewish mysticism, given the current fascination with Kabbalah in today's culture. Several chapters are substantially revised, making key ideas less abstract and more comprehensible to readers. Because it can be easy to misunderstand the intricate teachings of Jewish mysticism, the book now includes a section called the "10 Main Conceptual Principles" of Jewish mysticism, putting the main concepts in clear, easy to grasp, modern language. Concluding with how Kabbalah can be incorporated into our daily lives, The Mystic Quest in Judaism , is an intellectually sophisticated yet straightforward book studded with deep insights on what Jewish mystical thought is all about.

Genres: Occult

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2005

Reviews

[Ella Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that was a gift from @Comrade_Yui a while back. To be clear, I knew next to nothing about Jewish belief going in and had only the most surface level exposure to Kabbalistic ideas. This is a fantastic book written as an introduction to Kabbalah for an audience including gentiles, though it probably helps to have some knowledge of Jewish tradition, belief, the old testament if you have a Christian upbringing, etc. I truly wish that more books about theological/philosophical topics were written in the beautifully clear and concise way this book was. I learned about some really interesting stuff in terms of historical schools of thought and gained a clearer picture of what Kabbalah is on the whole. This book served its purpose perfectly in terms of providing breadcrumbs that lead to other books and investigations if the reader so desires.

[Neal Spadafora · Rating 3 out of 5]

A three-star review is obviously quite critical; however, this book just left quite a bit to be desired. I found Scholem's work on the topic to be more in touch with primary source material. Additionally, Ariel has some confessional beliefs that I find troubling (e.g., Zionism) and the forthright manner in which he articulates these beliefs was frustrating. This is not to say, as Habermas might, that one need to sideline religious presumptions in order to speak in a public manner, but I think that Ariel should be more self-reflexive in his own scholarship.