Mystic Tales from the Zohar
Translated with notes and commentary by Aryeh Wineman

Paper | 1998 | $19.95 / £11.95
184 pp. | 6 x 9

Shopping Cart | Reviews | Table of Contents

LEARN MORE ABOUT PRINCETON'S SPECIAL SALE

Zohar, or "brilliant light," is the central text of Kabbalah. In Jewish mystical tradition, it is the meeting of midrash (storytelling that expands on events in the Bible) and myth. This selection offers original translations of eight of the most well developed narratives in the Zohar along with notes and detailed commentary. The tales deal with the themes of sin and repentance, death, exile, redemption, and resurrection. Most importantly, they are stories, they are literature, and here they are finally analyzed as such. Using comparative information, Aryeh Wineman places the tales in their historical and etymological contexts. He cites a variety of theorists of myth, including Otto Rank, C. G. Jung, Mircea Eliade, and Joseph Campbell, all of whom sought to connect the motifs of the Zohar to universal motifs. He ties the stories to the tenets of Kabbalah, to one another, and to the world's universal symbols and meanings.

Review:

"There has been a recent upsurge of interest in Jewish mysticism, and the material in this book, while scholarly, can be readily understood by interested lay readers."--Library Journal

Endorsement:

"Rather than merely identifying literary motifs in the stories, Wineman explains how these motifs convey metaphysical beliefs.... The volume is lovingly composed, meticulously edited and lucidly illustrated.... One could hardly ask for a fuller analysis.... A more reader-friendly book would be difficult to imagine."--Robert Segal, University of Lancaster

Table of Contents:

	Acknowledgments
	Introduction: On the Zoharic Story	3
	Grief, Triumph, Expulsion	19
	The Book of Adam: Two Accounts	35
	The House of the World	57
	Death Postponed	73
	The Bridegroom's Silence	89
	A Retelling of Jonah	107
	A Tale of Sin and Repentance	127
	A Child's Tears and His Father's Resurrection	143
	About the Papercut Art: The Ten Sefirot	159
	Glossary	167
	Bibliography	173

Series:

• Mythos

Subject Areas:

• Jewish Studies
• Mind, Body, Spirit
• Religion

Hardcover published by the Jewish Publication Society in 1997

Shopping Cart:

Special online sale for customers in the U.S. & Canada only

For customers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Asia, and Australia
Paper: $19.95 ISBN13: 978-0-691-05833-7

For customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India
Paper: £11.95 ISBN13: 978-0-691-05833-7

Prices subject to change without notice

File created: 9/3/2008

Questions and comments to: webmaster@press.princeton.edu
Princeton University Press