Window of the Soul: The Kabbalah of Rabbi Isaac Luria - Hardcover

Dunn, James David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1578634288 ISBN 13: 9781578634286

Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser, 2007

Synopsis

In this deep and powerful book, the Kabbalah of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572) is translated from the original passages of Hebrew. These luminous and sacred passages reveal the most profound teachings of the understanding of God and of our universe, inspired by the truth of the Torah. Some 400 years before Albert Einstein proposed his Theory of Relativity of the outer universe to the scientific community, Luria disclosed to his students his theory of the inner universe and its evolution within the mind of the Ineffable. Seventy-seven years after the exile from Spain of the Jewish people, in a small settlement in upper Galilee called Safed, Isaac Luria was to answer not only the Jewish people's deepest questions of exile and homelessness, but to explain the inner worlds of the spirit and of their evolution that led to the ultimate birth of our cosmos. It is this evolution that reflects the origin and history of souls, according to the teachings of Rabbi Luria.
Whether we are the result of cosmic intention or accident, God has connected us to these answers and to the drama of creation that has made us. Window of the Soul is the first and only comprehensive selection of Isaac Luria's teachings from the original passages of Hebrew. It is beautifully written, it is original Kabbalah, and it opens doors in the human heart that have been locked for thousands of years.

About this title

Synopsis

Some 400 years before Albert Einstein proposed his Theory of Relativity of the outer universe to the scientific community, a Rabbi named Isaac Luria disclosed his theory of the inner universe and its evolution within the mind of the Ineffable. In 1492, the Jewish people had been driven from Spain, and there occurred the greatest growth and transformation ever known to Kabbalistic mysticism. Although these events cannot be proven to be necessarily connected, no one should doubt the impact that this historical atrocity had upon the minds of the Jewish people in the generations that followed. Seventy-seven years after the exile, in a small Jewish settlement in upper Galilee called Safed, Isaac Luria was to answer not only the Jewish people's deepest questions of exile and homelessness, but with a vision given only to the most gifted of Kabbalistic mystics.The very structure of his thesis was to explain the inner worlds of the spirit and of their evolution that led to the ultimate birth of our cosmos. It is this evolution that reflects the origin and history of souls, according to the teachings of Rabbi Luria.

According to Luria, every creature feels the absence, emptiness and mark of imperfection that must necessarily be handed on to it. The ultimate calling in this lifetime or in future lifetimes is to re-harmonize (and hence remove) inherent imperfections through proper heart and works among all creatures (tikkun). ""Window of the Soul" is a good introduction to this complex theology and allows the reader to experience the ideas through primary sources. It can be recommended as a fine introduction to Lurianic Kabbalah" - Dr. Rabbi Morris M. Fairerstein, author of "Jewish Mystical Autobiographies".

About the Author

James Dunn is professor of foreign languages at San Antonio College in San Antonio, Texas. His private and most passionate work for over 25 years has been Judaic mysticism and Jungian depth psychology. He is also a retired intelligence officer, who was decorated many times for distinguished military service.

Edition details

• Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1578634288
• ISBN 13: 9781578634286
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224