God Is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism

354 Pages·1998·3.79 MB·English

by  David A. Cooper

"Cooeprl'isv perloyas nedh issy ncraetttiitstutod wea rredl imgaikoen
thair se warbdoikno.g"
-PublisWeheekrlsy
"Thaen ciJeenwtit srha diitsdi eotna ailnedd expilnaaw ianyte hdac ta n
beu seidne verylidefa.y"
-The AtlaJnotuar ln-aConstitution
"GodI sVe rpbr oviamd uecsh -negleidmepdis neta ona ll-obrugto-tften
a
Jewish/kabwboarlilsdtvtiihceas wtp eadkisr etcott lhyyee arnoifn gtsh e
spirsieteeurka.l"
-The Quest
"Beauultlwiyrf itwtietnih n tellaingsdek nitclhelii ,assw isbeo oska tiod
opewind e' thcee niteusr-toerlads uhroeu set hoef J emwytsiischta rla di­
tio.n.' F .os rh eer meyjnsyotmiecnaatswl e lalsf o ri ttsr adiJteiwoinsahl
teachingsb,o ottkho i st riesa suar e."
-NaprRae view
"Ihni bse sbto oyke t, Rabbi sDtaovriiindes spt,iie nrlseltssr,g u ucitdse,s ,
anedn lightenst otf eehlie n rdbeyhoa,ed aemrrit n,ad n,sd o uhlo wo ne
ipsa rtnbeyrt ehldei vGinogdi n atdhvee notful reie.f "
-RABBIZ ALMANS CHACHTRE-SHALOMI
"Inundaaswt eea dr ien t haigsbe y i nofrmatwieoc no,m teo c ratvhee
wisdoamn dl ovbeo ronu otf s ileFnocrteh .o osfe autts h jiuscn ture,
DaviCdo opperro viasd uepsbe ,sr entsiivaen,gd e ntgluei de."
-RAM DASSa, uthoofBr e H erNeo w
ALSo BYRA BBID AVIDA .C ooPER
SILENCE , SIMPLICITY, AND SOLITUDE
THE HEART OF STILLNESS
ENTERING THE SACRED MOUNTAIN
RENEWING YouR SouL
A UD IO TA P E S
THE MYSTICAL KABBALAH
KABB ALAH MEDITATION
Is
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K A B B A L A H A N D
T H E P R A C T I CE 0 F
M Y S T I CA L jU D A I S M
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ISBN1 -57322-055-8
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P R E FAC E
E W ISH M Y STICS
havael wabyese rne ticteon t
revteaheles otteeraicch oifn gs
KabbaTlhaeTh al.m uds ays that thetseea cshaeircntergob es et
carefuclolrnyote ldlA.s a resmulati,n stJreewaismsc hh rospl raior
tot htew entcieentthru arryee xlpyl otrhesides g moefnh ti ddkenno wledge.
Moriem portaastn hmtey, s tiicnaslio gfkh atb bawliisstidwcoa mrs e served
for onhlayn daofu flp ractitmioospntee orpsl,e iinnJv uodlavinesedmv er
hatdh oep pournitttoey x peritehwneec aelo tfth h tirse awsiutrhteih tner a­
ditni.o
Duritnhge hlaalosfftt h ciesn yt,gu rresattr ihdaevbsee etna kteoin n ­
vestiagnadmt aek aeav ilahbelreeo troiefn aecscsikbalbeb almiastteirci al.
Many texbtese tnhr aavnesa lnacdto ends aibdlreeer sehaarbsce he unn der­
takaetinn stiotfhu itgehlsee ra rnHionwge.vae g ra,p stiblelt wsettehanen ds
intelleacptpuraelc itahteiesoseno totefer aiccha inntdgsh eiinrt egriantitoon
everyJdeawyip srha ctice.
Pritoorfi t fyy earsa naoygnoes,a i yntgh teh intghsaa tra ed dreisns ed
thbioso mki ghhatv bee eons trabcyi ztrebhadbe i nciocmm unityS.o mree ad­
ers whoauvlbede enr aogutetods eees otdeirsiccu smseiaontntobs e r ead
byo nlasy e lefcwet.Ae lda rnguem bweorul dh ave ilblae tee answi et hT orah
Prfaece
-8:::> VII
interprfeortmaa tnei goatnlasir piearns ipveSect.toi tllh weoruslh da vfeou nd
thmey stictaela chionfg stZ hoheaq ru istter angien, sawonamdyea s l ittle
tocol ofsorec omforttoE astbeerline f.
Thusr,e sIo ndaeteep lyt hwifetee hl inegxsep rssbeydR abbAir yeh
Kaplanm,o spttrh oel miofidce cronm mentoanJt eowri msysht icwihsom ,
opeonnseo f h ibso okMsed,i taatnKidabo abnl awhit,th h feoll oiwnsgt ate­
men"tI:it ws i tghr etaertp idatthiaootnn be e ginwsr itatwo eo rsku cahs
th.i.s" . .
Io tfeenn couonjbteeicrot ntsoe lemenmtysatriJyce awlit seha chbiyn gs
flleowJ ewwsh oa ruen afmilwiiatrh scthoaepn ed broefta hdetoihwr nt ra­
diitoTny.pi lclatyh,e ayri end eniIha alv.be e etno ltdh amte ditatiisno ont
Jewibsehli;ie nrf e incarinnsao Jttei wohinp;s r ayailnogin nseo tth Jee wish
wayT.h ese paeromepi lset aIknedne.Je edw,im syhts iciissapm r ooufndly
sensnuaatlu,r e-cosnpnierpcirttaeucdatt lhi oacptee ndliys cuasnsgeeasln sd
demosnosu,jl osrun'e aytfsed re artehi,n carrneasetucirtorina,on ntd,h g eo al
ofa chiemveisnsgi caonniscc ioTuhsionstfe esinsas s. o urocfce o indserable
embarrafsorss moemnet JteewaicsThhhe erdyso .n li'ktte o t alakb osuutc h
things.
Yeto noef btihgeg ceosmtp laoifpn etospi lnte h Wee stJe,w isnp artic­
ulairts,h oatur re gliiotursa diatrieo nnso t esnpoiu.Wrg eih wtaunattlof eel
ac onnecwtiiotnh thuen kgnroewwaent ; w atnoet x peritehsneec ecetro sf
othreeria tliaentsdh mee aninlgei W.feo wfant sppirraictttuihactaleot s u ch
thhee art and nouWer wiasnhatp ltahocefse a snocutlwu.ha errwyee c an
geatr espfriotme tbhuesw yo ralodru nud.s
Oury earntion gr ecwointnoheu ecrst s ennattiutarrlea nstcheleni dms­
itosf tihnlet eelcItt. cfroommea sp laocfie n nkenro witnhgat th eirfsera
morteo tlihfeam na tewreilaatlWh e. k nodwe epwlityh in tthmheya stt er­
ieosfc reastpieoiannak l angutahgcaeatb n e a bsboerodn ltyh ro"ubgehi ng"
ratthhearbn yd oionrg thinking.
Westerrenlo iugtsir aidoiantn mdy tholaorgbeyu ilt tuhfpeouo nnd a­
tion toefa tchhoeift n hges TOesltda mMeanntoy.f t hetseea ncghbsie came
ossilfioenadgg ionfix edb eelisft;oc halltehnegmmee anttob ee xcommu­
nicaNtoewds .p irlietaudaielnr sWt ehset hhaavtdeh ceo urtaogs eu ggest
dieffrepnots lsiitbfiiorue nsd erstaanncdiitelnanegTts h .i s wnaeyow fl ook­
inagtt hinogpse tnhsge a tfeors tphoet enotfai p aalr adsihgtitm fh awti ll
chanoguer vtehroyu ght apnrodou crreea sltsi onwsihttihhp De i vine.
Thibso ocko ntmaainnaysn ciiedneetax spe rssienmd o delrann guage.
Istu ggweasytossfi nterpbriebtliincga tlh acstotr noofrntitre asd ipteiro­nal
spectAlil ovfet shm.ea teprrieasle ntbeedet nhh oarso urgehlsye aarncdh ed
citteodar n oynien terwehsowt oeudl lidk teo i nquiinrtteoh s eo urces.
viii Prfaece
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