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Review
"Dan has given us the best concise history of Jewish mysticism.... As a 'very short introduction' to this sublime treasure house, Joseph Dan's book is warmly recommended."--Benjamin Balint, Commentary
"This survey of Kabbalah offers deep history in succinct fashion, resulting in a fascinating and highly readable effort."--Publishers Weekly
"In a little more than a hundred pages, Dan races through more than a thousand years of Jewish religious texts, explaining a vast, amorphous body of beliefs and practices that have influenced Freemasons, Hasidim, Carl Jung, New Age gurus and, more recently, Hollywood celebrities. It's quite a performance, carried off with only a few stumbles."--William Grimes, The New York Times
"A lucid history and explanation of Kabbalah, covering its key periods, texts, figures, and theories. Dan knowledgeably and expertly untangles the complexity of the tradition, specifically addressing misconceptions by discussing what Kabbalah is and what it is not.... This primer is scholarly yet accessible to the lay reader; it's 'Kabbalah for Dummies' sans the cheeky humor."--Library Journal
"Even someone who knows nothing more than the celebrity connection will come away with a nuanced understanding."--Dallas Morning News
"Professor Dan is one of the leading scholars of Jewish mysticism in the world today. He combines deep erudition with methodological sophistication and clarity of exposition. He is the ideal person to write a short introduction to the study of the Kabbalah."--Shaye J. D. Cohen, Harvard University
"Culling over fifty years of Kabbalah research, Joseph Dan presents a schematic introduction to Kabbalah, its major periods, personalities, and ideas. This slim volume is a window into the intriguing history of this esoteric wisdom-- its Christian and Islamic influences, the proliferation of Christian Kabbalah, its influence on modern philosophy, and the important periods of Jewish heresy. From the ancie
Product Description
In Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction, Joseph Dan, one of the world's leading authorities on Jewish mysticism, offers a concise and highly accurate look at the history and character of the various systems developed by the adherents of the Kabbalah. Dan sheds light on the many misconceptions about what Kabbalah is and isn't--including its connections to magic, astronomy, alchemy, and numerology--and he illuminates the relationship between Kaballah and Christianity on the one hand and New Age religion on the other. The book provides fascinating historical background, ranging from the mystical groups that flourished in ancient Judaism in the East, and the medieval schools of Kabbalah in Northern Spain and Southern France, to the widening growth of Kabbalah through the school of Isaac Luria of Safed in the sixteenth century, to the most potent and influential modern Jewish religious movement, Hasidism, and its use of kabbalistic language in its preaching. The book examines the key ancient texts of this tradition, including the Sefer Yezira or "Book of Creation," The Book of Bahir, and the Zohar. Dan explains Midrash, the classical Jewish exegesis of scriptures, which assumes an infinity of meanings for every biblical verse, and he concludes with a brief survey of scholarship in the field and a list of books for further reading. Embraced by celebrities and integrated in many contemporary spiritual phenomena, Kabbalah has reaped a wealth of attention in the press. But many critics argue that the form of Kabbalah practiced in Hollywood is more New Age pabulum than authentic tradition. Can there be a positive role for the Kabbalah in the contemporary quest for spirituality? In Kabbalah, Joseph Dan debunks the myths surrounding modern Kabbalistic practice, offering an engaging and dependable account of this traditional Jewish religious phenomenon and its impact outside of Judaism.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
These short introductions are decent , I have read over a dozen now . Written by leading academics in a nice flowing style in my opinion . Kabbalah is more complex than I had realised and I'm very pleased to have read about it's origins and evolution . I would think anyone who has an interest in belief systems and/or comparative religion would enjoy it . I always reread these Short introductions , usually about 6 months later . Very good value I think
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Excellent; concise, yet covers a lot of ground.
16 Jan 2006
Format:Hardcover
This is perhaps the best short introduction to the Kabbalah that I've seen. Unlike many popular introductions to the subject, this book does not pretend to make you a Kabbalist or teach you supposedly Kabbalistic techniques and practices. And, unlike many scholarly treatises, it gets right to the point and makes the subject accessible to the average reader.
But don't get me wrong - Joseph Dan - a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - has impressive scholarly credentials, including his previous works "The Early Kabbalah" and "The Teachings of Hassidism."
Dan describes the competing theories of the origins of the Kabbalah, and traces its development through the Middle Ages and on into modern times. There are chapters on the Christian Kabbalah, the Safed school and Lurianic Kabbalism, and on the controversial "false Messiah," Shabbatai Zevi. Dan also explores the impact of the Kabbalah on Hasidism and the Habad movement, and recounts the often hostile attitude towards the Kabbalah within the rabbinical schools.
Finally, Dan explores the continuing impact of the Kabbalah in popular culture and the New Age movement.
Illustrated with black-and-white woodcuts and illuminations, this book is an excellent introduction to a topic notorious for its obscurity.
But don't get me wrong - Joseph Dan - a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - has impressive scholarly credentials, including his previous works "The Early Kabbalah" and "The Teachings of Hassidism."
Dan describes the competing theories of the origins of the Kabbalah, and traces its development through the Middle Ages and on into modern times. There are chapters on the Christian Kabbalah, the Safed school and Lurianic Kabbalism, and on the controversial "false Messiah," Shabbatai Zevi. Dan also explores the impact of the Kabbalah on Hasidism and the Habad movement, and recounts the often hostile attitude towards the Kabbalah within the rabbinical schools.
Finally, Dan explores the continuing impact of the Kabbalah in popular culture and the New Age movement.
Illustrated with black-and-white woodcuts and illuminations, this book is an excellent introduction to a topic notorious for its obscurity.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A short scholarly introduction to 'Kabbalah'
4 April 2006
Format:Hardcover
Joseph Dan is one of the world's great academic experts on 'Kabbalah'. As he explains in the opening of the book , the word 'Kabbalah' has many meanings in everyday life. It can mean ' the reception' of a hotel, or a 'receipt' for a bill paid. But its meaning in religious terms is 'the reception of religious teaching' of the Torah in its entirety, including the Oral Torah, the Mishna, Gemara and also subsequent mystical texts such as 'The Zohar' and 'The Bahir.'
Dan traces the changing meanings of 'Kabbalah' from the second century on down. He provides brief descriptions of its major teachers, from Shimon Bar Yohai to the Ari. He explains how the Lurianic Kabbalah which developed in Safed become a dynamic transformative element in Jewish history when it helped bring about that spiritual revolution in Jewish Life called 'Hasidism'. Dan also relates to contemporary misusings and cheapenings of the whole concept of Kabbalah in so - called 'New Age' teachings.
He above all shows how the teachings of Kabbalah have been a major element in Jewish spiritual development down the centuries.
This is an excellent summary, and a very good place to study and begin to learn what 'Kabbalah' is truly about.
Dan traces the changing meanings of 'Kabbalah' from the second century on down. He provides brief descriptions of its major teachers, from Shimon Bar Yohai to the Ari. He explains how the Lurianic Kabbalah which developed in Safed become a dynamic transformative element in Jewish history when it helped bring about that spiritual revolution in Jewish Life called 'Hasidism'. Dan also relates to contemporary misusings and cheapenings of the whole concept of Kabbalah in so - called 'New Age' teachings.
He above all shows how the teachings of Kabbalah have been a major element in Jewish spiritual development down the centuries.
This is an excellent summary, and a very good place to study and begin to learn what 'Kabbalah' is truly about.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Short, Precise, Informative
23 Aug 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Kabbalah has been in the news quite a bit lately, primarily due to the influence of several celebrities who claim to have embraced it as their religious practice. However, the fascination with Kabbalah has a very long history, and the term has come to be associated with mystical, secretive and even sinister practices. In the English language for instance the word "cabal" denotes a secretive collusion. With all these ideas floating around, it is very hard to discern what the "true" Kabbalah is all about, and sort out fact from fiction. The aim of this very short introduction is to set the record straight as much as possible, and this book largely succeeds in that regard.
The very term Kabbalah seems to have many different meanings, and it has come to be associated with various practices throughout the centuries. Kabbalah is purported to originate in the ancient Jewish mysticism, but the actual transmission of these ancient practices is at best vague. In fact, the author questions the very appropriateness of the term "mysticism" in a Jewish context, arguing rather that it's a projection of other religions and their attempt to draw parallels between their and Jewish practices. This line of argument feels a bit like hair-splitting, and may have more to do with academic definitions of "mysticism" than with the common understanding of the term. After reading this book I am still fairly comfortable thinking of Kabbalah as a mystic practice.
Kabbalah as we know it today had its origins in the middle ages. This is when (according to most scholars) Zohar, the main work of Kabbalistic literature, was composed. Kabbalah has evolved throughout the ensuing centuries, and one of its developments was the advent of Christian Kabbalah. In modern times among traditional Judaism, Kabbalah is mostly practiced amongst Hasidic sects. Outside of mainstream Judaism many New Age groups have claimed various aspects of Kabbalah, and this book takes a look at some of them.
Overall, this is a very well written and informative book that tries to make clear what Kabbalah is and what it's not. In his attempt to bring some clarity to this subject, the author can at times be a bit pedantic, but this is necessary in order to avoid confusion and write as accurate of an introduction to Kabbalah as possible.
The very term Kabbalah seems to have many different meanings, and it has come to be associated with various practices throughout the centuries. Kabbalah is purported to originate in the ancient Jewish mysticism, but the actual transmission of these ancient practices is at best vague. In fact, the author questions the very appropriateness of the term "mysticism" in a Jewish context, arguing rather that it's a projection of other religions and their attempt to draw parallels between their and Jewish practices. This line of argument feels a bit like hair-splitting, and may have more to do with academic definitions of "mysticism" than with the common understanding of the term. After reading this book I am still fairly comfortable thinking of Kabbalah as a mystic practice.
Kabbalah as we know it today had its origins in the middle ages. This is when (according to most scholars) Zohar, the main work of Kabbalistic literature, was composed. Kabbalah has evolved throughout the ensuing centuries, and one of its developments was the advent of Christian Kabbalah. In modern times among traditional Judaism, Kabbalah is mostly practiced amongst Hasidic sects. Outside of mainstream Judaism many New Age groups have claimed various aspects of Kabbalah, and this book takes a look at some of them.
Overall, this is a very well written and informative book that tries to make clear what Kabbalah is and what it's not. In his attempt to bring some clarity to this subject, the author can at times be a bit pedantic, but this is necessary in order to avoid confusion and write as accurate of an introduction to Kabbalah as possible.
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