The Kabbalah has been transmitted orally from masters to disciples since the days of the prophets and recorded in such seminal works as the Book of Splendor (Sepher Ha Zohar) and the Book of Creation (Sepher Ha-Yetzira). Best-selling author and professor Marc-Alain Ouaknin has written a lively text that clearly introduces Kabbalah--the mystical and secret and often baffling tradition of Judaism. In Mysteries of the Kabbalah he explains the ancient myths and symbols that have so profoundly influenced both the Jewish and non-Jewish world.

Among the fascinating topics the author presents are the hearing of angels' voices; Chokmah (a form of transcendental wisdom); the four divine names and the five modalities of being; the light of infinity; as well as the significance of each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. He also explores the vital influence of Kabbalah on art, literature, music, architecture, psychoanalysis, and health. The final chapter covers meditation and prayer. Supplementing the text are more than a hundred illustrations of letters, art, and sculpture.

Mysteries of the Kabbalah will appeal to anyone interested in Judaism, spiritualism, and history.

Rabbi Marc-Alain Ouaknin is a prefessor of comparative studies at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv and Director of the Aleph Center for Jewish Studies in Paris. He is the author of over two dozen works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that have been translated into more than 15 languages.