Simple Kabbalah

Book excerpt: In Simple Kabbalah, journalist and Jewish scholar Kim Zetter outlines the history of this mystic tradition, the main tenets of its belief system, and explains its central symbol, the Tree of Life. She then shows how to practice the wisdom of Kabbalah in everyday life through meditation and exercises for calming the mind and sharpening awareness. As we gradually absorb this ancient form of knowledge, we see how it affects every aspect of our lives, from attitudes about work and the environment to our social and personal interactions. Despite its popularity at cocktail parties and in the media, few people genuinely understand what Kabbalah is. Unlike traditional Judaism, Kabbalah views God as a divine source of light, energy, and love, ever present in the physical world, rather than a patriarchal diety. Kabbalah practitioners look beyond a literal interpretation of the Hebrew Bible for information about the soul; the nature of God, Creation, and the spiritual world; and humans' relationship to God and to each other.