The Practical Kabbalah Guidebook

Rating:
Summary: Too many diagrams not enough text
Review: A simplistic text which uses artwork and diagrams to dumb down the scriptural basis of Kaballah. This short read is full of pictures and diagrams that try to walk the reader through the mysteries of Kaballah, explaining the many aspects of it and illuminating its basics to the reader. The problem here is that the book does not give a full picture of Kabalistic works. The Zohar, one of the prime texts of Kaballah, is not shown to be a biblical commentary, which is it, but rather this book portrays Kaballah almost as if it were Yoga or some esoteric mystical faith, not founded securely in Jewish thought and religion. Probably this book might be a bare minimum of introduction but it requires more reading for one to appreciate what Kaballah really means. Danny Matt's 'Zohar' is a for more acceptable read.

Rating:
Summary: Good basics
Review: The editorial review is a little harsh and I have no doubt that for the experienced Kabbalah reader it doesn't do much for them. For myself, someone just trying to get some basic information on it, it was a great primer. It lays out the Kabbalah, the Tree of Life and the Ladder of Light and their associations fairly clearly. There were many times I was left with lots of questions, but that only makes me want to read more. I don't think that the author intended this to be an indepth analysis of the Kabbalah. The visual characteristics are clear and help visually to explain what he is talking about. There is also a good brief history and how other areas of mysticism link to the Kabbalah. It's a good place to start, but not one where you would want to end.