Average customer rating:
- very disappointing ending
- Slightly different than her usual, but still an excellent read
- Generally Satisfying
- A guilty pleasure of mine
- A great introduction to a magnificent author
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Light a Penny Candle
Maeve Binchy
Manufacturer: Signet
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The Glass Lake
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This Year It Will Be Different
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London Transports
ASIN: 0451203046
Release Date: 2001-02-06 |
Book Description
As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war-torn London home to a safer life in the small Irish town of Kilgarret. It was there, in the crowded, chaotic O'Connor household, that she met Aisling-who would become her very best friend, sharing her pet kitten and secretly teaching her the intricacies of Catholicism. Aisling's boldness brought Elizabeth out of her proper shell; later, her support carried Elizabeth through the painful end of her parents' chilly marriage. In return, Elizabeth's friendship helped Aisling endure her own unsatisfying marriage to a raging alcoholic. Through the years, they always believed they could survive anything, as long as they had each other. Now they're about to find out if they were right...
Customer Reviews:
very disappointing ending.......2006-02-16
I don't often review books on Amazon, but after finishing this book, I wanted to see what other readers thought about it. I've read most of Binchy's works, and have loved every one of them. I even loved this one -- until the very end. What a melodramatic, "grade B movie" ending! The ending was very much out-of-character for both the main characters, as well as for Binchy herself. The lack of resolution and closure goes beyond what one would anticipate; this one needed a few more pages to deal with some of the issues.
Slightly different than her usual, but still an excellent read.......2005-08-09
As a HUGE fan of Maeve Binchy, I enjoyed this book a lot. It was slightly more mature than her usual, kind of a story of coming of age and of the loss of innocence. But the hopeful message at the ending was just as strong as her usual work, if not stronger because of the dark nature of the events toward the end of the book.
My one complaint is that the last 50 pages or so are very different than Ms. Binchy's usual stuff. She usually is very good about allowing the story to unfold naturally and through dialogue and storytelling. Though the dialogue at the end of the book remains strong, the scenes are quite short as the book builds to its climax, which reads somewhat differently than some of her other novels. A lot of the motivations surrounding some of the characters' actions is not as strong as I usually see.
Nonetheless, this is a great read, and wonderfully true-to-life, as all of her work is.
Generally Satisfying.......2005-03-31
Sometimes, between the serious books, a not-so-weighty novel is in order. With this sentiment in mind, I picked up "Light A Penny Candle." Expecting something romanticized and sugary like a Rosamunde Pilcher book or something with a mindless Danielle Steel feel, I picked this up.
As I worked my way through the book, I found it quite different than my initial expectations. Binchy was not at all flowery; I found myself enjoying her reliance on realistic dialogue and "ordinary" thoughts and settings. It is not the most penetratingly insightful or skillful writing that I have ever read, but for this often simple story, it usually works. This story of Elizabeth White and Aisling O'Connor, their unlikely friendship, and their unusually strong bond resonated with me, as it should with anyone who has a "total" best friend.
The final aspect of "Light a Penny Candle" that struck me was its almost dark feel at times. Unlike other writers of this genre (whatever it may be called) who hesitate to write about any characters who make controversial decisions or deal with issues that seem to have no resolution, Binchy plunges her characters into these situations. Bad relationships and marriages, imperfect families, and abortion are all touched on.
Granted, "Light a Penny Candle" ends on a rushed and somewhat inconceivable note...a note, I'm sorry to say, that is reminiscent of some of the shabbier writing in this genre. Yet Maeve Binchy has undeniable skill at writing about life, frienship, and the things that matter.
A guilty pleasure of mine.......2005-03-19
I read this book about once a year. If you're going to read Maeve Binchy books, just expect a few things. Anyone who doesn't follow the teachings of the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church is going to come to a bad end. If you are living a life of quiet desparation in a stultifying Irish small town, take a class or start a small project and your life will get instantly better! Light a Penny Candle follows the Binchy rules, but it somehow stands out from her other works. The characters are a bit more real, the story a little more complex. Binchy does have a nice way with the rhythms of language in rural Ireland and suburban England and that is one of the great pleasures of her books. I do enjoy this novel.
A great introduction to a magnificent author.......2004-12-17
This was the first novel of Maeve Binchy's that I read, and I quickly went through the rest after reading it. I was shocked when I started reading this book, I had never read anything so well-written. It's the kind of reading where you forget that you're reading. I know that all writers are alleged to have this ability, but Maeve Binchy truly does. Not many authors write about every day life like she does. She doesn't avoid tragedy or disappointment, but they aren't shoved in your face either. Often I am as shocked as the characters when disaster strikes. I literally could not put this down, I read it all the time, I stayed up nights, I got the pages wet in the bathtub, I missed stops on the train... There is nothing romanticized about these two women, it is really a slice of life. In reading the book I felt as if I had become the best of friends with them, and was as upset when the book ended as I would be if I had to say goodbye to two real people. I probably sound ridiculous, but I cannot stress enough how truly amazing Maeve Binchy is. It would be difficult for me to tell you why to read this book and not her others, because of course I would tell you to read every last one. What I can say is that the tone and ending of this book are the saddest and most depressing (in a satisfying way, if that makes sense), and if you start with this one, the endings only get happier.
Average customer rating:
- Not Great Literature But Important Theme Nonetheless
- Weak, with unbelieveable plot
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City Lights Country Candles
Penny Hayes
Manufacturer: Naiad Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1562801953 |
Book Description
Laurie has left her hectic life in Cleveland for a welcome vacation at her best friend Eveleen's beautiful home. Each evening, Eveleen's 102-year-old-great grand-mother insists on telling Laurie about the women she has known in her lifetime. Eveleen is waiting patiently... frightened that Laurie will not understand what Grandma is trying to tell her- and terrified that she will!
Customer Reviews:
Not Great Literature But Important Theme Nonetheless.......2001-03-06
This novel tells of an important historical fact, one rarely written about. Well into the 20th century, women could be locked up for their entire lives in mental asylums for their sexual orientation or just about any reason their male family members wanted. The stories of these incarcerations are fascinating. However, what those stories have to do with the romance between the main characters is not readily apparent. As a lesbian romance, this book doesn't do well. That part of the book is a little silly. Very much in the "NO! No. no...yesssss" vein. Yet, though the book is uneven, it is worth reading for its historical perspective.
Weak, with unbelieveable plot.......1998-04-26
City Lights, Country Candles is Penny Hayes 7th novel. For some unknown reason she falls down badly on this one.
This novel is one of those stories within a story, that rarely work well.
In this case we begin with Laurie who lives with herboyfriend, Joe.
The year is 1960.
Laurie goes on a vacation without Joe. She goes to visit her long time, best friend, Eveleen, who lives on a ranch.
Once there, Laurie is coerced into sitting up until the wee hours of the morning listening to stories of several women that Eveleen's Great, Great Grandmother is determined to tell Laurie about.
Great, Great Grandmother is 102 years old, and time is running out for her.
Grandma's voice as narrator is dropped, thankfully, as each of these women's stories is told.
The stories are all quite similiar--each woman "gets caught" by some unreasonable man: a brother, husband or father who is displeased with the woman's non-traditional thoughts and actions, and sees to it that she is carted off to a mental institution.
As we progress thru these women's stories, each story becomes less detailed, and less shown.
By the time we get to the last character, Sadie, the story becomes so lacking in detail, one can only wonder what led the character into her concluding situation.
When Laurie begins hearing the voices of these women from the past--the story really gets goofy.
The only part of this book I liked was that the women in Grandma's stories were all from the eighteen hundreds.
Average customer rating:
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Light a Penny Candle
Maeve Binchy
Manufacturer: Dell
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Binchy, Maeve
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ASIN: B000GRCMIA |
Average customer rating:
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Light a Penny Candle
Maeve Binchy
Manufacturer: Dell Pub Co
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Binding: Paperback
Binchy, Maeve
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ASIN: B000UXVC7M |
Average customer rating:
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Light a Penny Candle
Maeve Binchy
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Binchy, Maeve
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ASIN: B000NSF9XC |
Average customer rating:
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Light a Penny Candle
Maeve Binchy
Manufacturer: Viking Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Binchy, Maeve
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ASIN: B000NTB9E4 |
Average customer rating:
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Light a Penny Candle
Maeve Binchy
Manufacturer: London, United Kingdom: Arrow Books, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Binchy, Maeve
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ASIN: B000KH7T5C |
Book Description
With her flame gold-hair and azure eyes, Skye Kinsdale was a prize beyond compare. Betrothed to a lord she'd never met, she set sail for America sworn to reject him on sight until the infamous pirate Silver Hawk seized her ship and banished all other men from her life. Burning with rage and passion, she was determined to destroy the arrogant buccaneer, to be free at any cost...
He Was Her Keeper...And Her Slave
The black prince of the seas, he was feared by pirate and privateer alike. Silver Hawk vowed he would have the vixen, make her crave his savage embrace. She was his -- by law of the sea. The man who commanded a Caribbean kingdom swore he would teach his wild temptress to love, to surrender to the lawless thrill of...
A Pirates Pleasure
Customer Reviews:
A Definite Page Turner.......2006-07-14
I love every thing pirates and when I came across this book, I couldn't pass it up. I was definitely not disappointed! I thought it would be a usual pirate book, but several twists and turn in the book keep you glued to the book. I love how strong willed Skye is and how courageous she could fight. This is definitely a keeper!
A great pirate story..........2004-05-10
I thought this book was awesome! I enjoyed the pirate theme and the battle of wills between Roc and Skye. I thought they were funny and interesting. I caught myself wishing I would be kidnapped by a pirate like Roc and fighting him tooth and nail like Skye. Great plot twist towards the end.
A Great Read!!.......2004-02-10
One of the few romance novels that has any substance. The characters are real and the writting takes you into the world of pirates and the pleasures they desire. If you want a tame lame read keep looking, but if you want an adventure filled with lust and passion buy it now, you won't regret it!
One of the better pirate romances.......2004-01-27
I felt similar to the person who left their review before me when first getting into this one, but it all comes out right in the end and has one of the best pirate story lines. Good twists and turns. There weren't any rapes as suggested by the previous reviewer. It's a pirate book and it's 1700s era! Read it, it's a good one.
Absolutely apalling.......2003-07-17
Amazon's review policy won't let me reveal "crucial plot elements" so I can't go in-depth into all the awful things about this book. I will say, however, that after reading this book I had to go burn it in my kitchen sink. Not in a censorship kind of way, more like a spiritually cleansing kind of way. I know some of the older romance novels often included a rape scene as a convenient way to explain why a character lost her virtue (and therefore could continue to sleep with the hero) but the rape in this book (which does not come at the hands of the pirate) is beyond belief. The fact that the main character is content to stay and fall in love with the man who rapes her goes against all my feminist sensibilites. This book is a gigantic waste of time. Read it at your own risk.
Average customer rating:
- Pirate's Lady on the High Seas
- A book full of adventure and romance!
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Pirate's Pleasure
C. Bennett
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0821718223 |
Customer Reviews:
Pirate's Lady on the High Seas.......2002-05-21
Great-loved it gave me a view into the male mind of our species. Miles was a hard guy but very sensitive towards Alexa. And what a guy! He fought for what was right and he fought for her honor. But a note aganist him-he didn't believe her and that caused both of them a ton of pain if he had just faced the ghosts that he should have... Read it it's great!!!!
A book full of adventure and romance!.......2000-04-02
Where to start? There's so many things that's great about this book. For this time period, women were suppose to be weak and reliant on men. It's nice to see a change where a woman made a difference. Alexa and Miles were great together. They had great chemistry. The plot was exceptional. I loved the passion. The suspense had me flying through the pages to see what happened next. This book isn't like any I've read before. I recommend this to everyone and especially those who love the pirates and passion.
Average customer rating:
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A Pirate's Pleasure
HEATHER GRAHAM
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Graham, Heather | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000BYPK3C |
Customer Reviews:
couldn`t put it down!.......2007-01-09
I am a bit new to this genre of books, but am addicted nonetheless. I have read a few, but this one I just could not put down. I actually have a party I am not gonna go to tonight, so I can get home and finish it!
Average customer rating:
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Pirate's Pleasure
Manufacturer: Zebra Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSGV0Y |
Amazon.com
While technically the fourth book in the Preacher series, Ancient History isn't part of the main Preacher story line and doesn't even use any of the main characters (Reverend Jesse Custer, his girlfriend, Tulip, and his vampire buddy Cassidy). Instead, this collection of side stories delves into the freakish, perverse, and downright mythic supporting characters. The main feature is the 106-page demonic Western featuring the "Saint of Killers." In many ways this guy--and the spirit of the ruthless frontier he represents--is the soul of the Preacher series. Writer Garth Ennis said, taking all of the characters of the series into account, "I felt one more character was needed to round out the cast: someone who would directly represent the Old West, who had walked straight out of history, and who brought with him the horror and terror of those times." If this is the soul of the book, then its heart is the "Story of You Know Who," a reference to the character Arseface, whose self-imposed shotgun wound to the face has left him rather disfigured. This boy's abusive family is so overblown, his tragedy so all-encompassing, that a lesser writer would let this swerve into complete silliness. Ennis's talent is to pull pathos out of such outrageousness. He succeeds here again. --Jim Pascoe
Book Description
While technically the fourth book in the Preacher series, Ancient History isn't part of the main Preacher story line and doesn't even use any of the main characters (Reverend Jesse Custer, his girlfriend, Tulip, and his vampire buddy Cassidy). Instead, this collection of side stories delves into the freakish, perverse, and downright mythic supporting characters. The main feature is the 106-page demonic Western featuring the "Saint of Killers." In many ways this guy--and the spirit of the ruthless frontier he represents--is the soul of the Preacher series. Writer Garth Ennis said, taking all of the characters of the series into account, "I felt one more character was needed to round out the cast: someone who would directly represent the Old West, who had walked straight out of history, and who brought with him the horror and terror of those times." If this is the soul of the book, then its heart is the "Story of You Know Who," a reference to the character Arseface, whose self-imposed shotgun wound to the face has left him rather disfigured. This boy's abusive family is so overblown, his tragedy so all-encompassing, that a lesser writer would let this swerve into complete silliness. Ennis's talent is to pull pathos out of such outrageousness. He succeeds here again. --Jim Pascoe
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Detailed Academic Translation of the Zohar
- It is Safe to make the case: A Landmark, Scholarly, Authoritative, EnglishTranslation by a world-class Scholar. Period.
- The Divine Shekhinah, From the Concealed to the Revealed
- Years of waiting
- The best English translation
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The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 1
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
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The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 2
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Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation
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Bahir
ASIN: 0804747474
Release Date: 2003-10-29 |
Book Description
The first two volumes of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, translated with commentary by Daniel C. Matt, cover more than half of the Zohar’s commentary on the Book of Genesis (through Genesis 32:3). This is the first translation ever made from a critical Aramaic text of the Zohar, which has been established by Professor Matt based on a wide range of original manuscripts. The extensive commentary, appearing at the bottom of each page, clarifies the kabbalistic symbolism and terminology, and cites sources and parallels from biblical, rabbinic, and kabbalistic texts. The translator’s introduction is accompanied by a second introduction written by Arthur Green, discussing the origin and significance of the Zohar. Please see the Zohar Home Page for ancillary materials, including the publication schedule, press release, Aramaic text, questions, and answers.
Further information on the Zohar:
Sefer ha-Zohar, "The Book of Radiance," has amazed and overwhelmed readers ever since it emerged mysteriously in medieval Spain toward the end of the thirteenth century. Written in a unique Aramaic, this masterpiece of Kabbalah exceeds the dimensions of a normal book; it is virtually a body of literature, comprising over twenty discrete sections. The bulk of the Zohar consists of a running commentary on the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. This translation begins and focuses here in what are projected to be ten volumes. Two subsequent volumes will cover other, shorter sections.
The Zohar’s commentary is composed in the form of a mystical novel. The hero is Rabbi Shim’on son of Yohai, a saintly disciple of Rabbi Akiva who lived in the second century in the land of Israel. In the Zohar, Rabbi Shim’on and his companions wander through the hills of Galilee, discovering and sharing secrets of Torah.
On one level, biblical figures such as Abraham and Sarah are the main characters, and the mystical companions interpret their words, actions, and personalities. On a deeper level, the text of the Bible is simply the starting point, a springboard for the imagination. For example, when God commands Abraham, Lekh lekha, Go forth... to the land that I will show you (Genesis 12:1), Rabbi El’azar ignores idiomatic usage and insists on reading the words more literally than they were intended, hyperliterally: Lekh lekha, Go to yourself! Search deep within to discover your true self.
At times, the companions themselves become the main characters, and we read about their dramatic mystical sessions with Rabbi Shim’on or their adventures on the road, for example, an encounter with a cantankerous old donkey driver who turns out to be a master of wisdom in disguise.
Ultimately, the plot of the Zohar focuses on the ten sefirot, the various stages of God’s inner life, aspects of divine personality, both feminine and masculine. By penetrating the literal surface of the Torah, the mystical commentators transform the biblical narrative into a biography of God. The entire Torah is read as one continuous divine name, expressing divine being. Even a seemingly insignificant verse can reveal the inner dynamics of the sefirot—how God feels, responds and acts, how She and He (the divine feminine and masculine) relate intimately with each other and with the world.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Detailed Academic Translation of the Zohar.......2007-09-07
Quite the academic representation! Tedious but highly informative reference book and exhaustive translation from Hebrew Zohar.
My analysis brings the interpretation a little to the left, or right, whichever way you might define certain "political" aspects of religion, but the discerning reader will be able to easily analyze that level.
I found the majority of the translations to be pretty fair representations of the basic Zohar ideology/theology, coinciding with most of my previous research, although there are several translations and descriptions with which I tend to disagree...in some instances, wholeheartedly! (I also disagree with a few of Gershom Sholem's interpretations in a few instances with his translations, to give you a reference point. Leave a comment if you wish to correspond.)
This is an excellent reference book, as well as academic representation with an excellent overall historic background included in the 89 page Introduction written by Arthur Green; with pages that will even help to teach readers Roman Numerals!
Students of Hebrew, the Zohar and Kabbalah will either love or hate the complexity of this book, depending on how deep one wishes to delve!
The only downside I have found is in translations...I wish there were more references and extended examples of "possible translations" making this book THE most EXCLUSIVE translation of Zohar available!
It is Safe to make the case: A Landmark, Scholarly, Authoritative, EnglishTranslation by a world-class Scholar. Period........2007-09-04
The first of three volumes of a projected 12-volume comprehensively annotated English translation by noted world-class scholar Daniel C. Matt and the Stanford University Press. The first cloth volume is 536 pages and covers just the first 16 chapters of Genesis. Matt based in Berkley and Jerusalem has unearthed many of the major surviving manuscripts of the original language. The extensive commentary, appearing at the bottom of each page, clarifies the Kabbalistic symbolism and terminology, and cites sources and parallels from biblical, rabbinic, and Kabbalistic texts. The translator's introduction is accompanied by a second introduction written by Arthur Green, discussing the origin and significance of the Zohar.
This work has justifiably won the Koret Jewish Book Award for Philosophy and Thought, 2003-2004 for both The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Volumes I and II.
The Zohar ('Splendor, radiance') is accepted as the most important work of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism and is one of the greatest hidden works of Judaism and Western culture. Revered next to the Torah and Talmud, the Zohar is not one book, but a span of awesome, esoteric literature, a Midrash, homily on the Torah written in the form of a mystical novel. In it a group of rabbis (the "Hevrah") wander through the hills of Galilee, discovering and sharing secrets of Torah,(the five books of Moses) whose linguistic character is medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew. A dazzling mystical dialectic of the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, sin, redemption, good and evil, suffering and related topics
The Zohar assumes four kinds of Biblical exegesis: Peshat ("simple/literal meaning"), Remez ("hint/allusion"), Derash ("interpretative/anagogical), and Sod ("secret/mystic"). The initial letters of these letters (P, R, D, S) form together the word PaRDeS ("Paradise/orchard"), which became the designation for the fourfold meaning of which the mystical sense is the highest part.
The mystic allegory in the Zohar is based on the principle that all visible things, including natural phenomena, have both an exoteric, visible(Niglah) reality and an esoteric, hidden (Nistar) reality, the latter of which instructs Man in that which is invisible.
This principle is the necessary the fundamental doctrine of the Zohar. According to that doctrine, as the universe is a gradation of emanations, it follows that the human mind may recognize in each effect the supreme mark, and thus ascend to the cause of all causes. The Ein Sof, the Endless one.
The Zohar first appeared in Spain in the 13th century, by a Jewish writer named Moses de Leon. De Leon himself ascribed the Zohar to a rabbi of the second century Tannah, Shimon bar Yochai. The Talmud records Rabbi Shimon's true and rash words caused him to hide in a cave for 13 years studying the Torah with his son, Elazar. During this time he was inspired by Elijah the Prophet to write the Zohar. Scarcely fifty years had passed since its appearance in Spain before it was quoted by many Kabbalists, including the Italian mystical writer Menahem Recanati. Its authority was so well established in 15th century Sepharad that Joseph ibn Shem-Tov drew from it arguments in his attacks against Maimonidean rationalism. It is worth noting that most of the major Traditional Halachic authorities accept the Zohar as authentic and/or have written works on the Kabalah. This includes R' Yosef Karo, R' Moses Isserles, R' Solomon Luria, R' Yechiel Michel Epstein, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, The Vilna Gaon and R' Yisrael Meir Kagan.
Yet the arguments of Elijah Delmedigo, in his Bechinat ha-Dat endeavored to show that it could not be attributed to Shimon bar Yochai. His objections were;
1. If the Zohar was the work of Shimon bar Yochai, it would have been mentioned by the Talmud, as has been the case with other works of the Talmudic period and the Zohar contains names of rabbis who lived at a later period than that of Simeon;
2. Were Shimon ben Yochai the father of the Kabbalah, knowing by divine revelation the hidden meaning of the precepts, his decisions on Jewish law would have been adopted by the Talmud earlier but this has not been done;
3.. Were the Kabbalah a revealed doctrine, there would have been no divergence of opinion among the Kabbalists concerning the mystic interpretation of the precepts (Bechinat ha-Dat ed. Vienna, 1833, p. 43).
These arguments and others of the same kind were used by Leon of Modena in his Ari Nohem. A work devoted to the criticism of the Zohar was written, Mipaat Sefarim, by Jacob Emden, who, waging a polemical war against the remaining adherents of the Sabbatai Zevi movement, endeavored to show that the book on which Zevi based his doctrines was a forgery. Emden persausively demonstrates that the Zohar misquotes passages of Scripture; misunderstands the Talmud; contains some ritual observances which were already ordained by later rabbinical authorities; mentions the crusades against the Muslims (who did not exist in the second century); uses the expression esnoga, which is a Portuguese term for "synagogue,"; and gives a mystical explanation of the Hebrew vowel-points, which were not introduced until long after the Talmudic period by the Masoretic Scribes.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz, zl' the noted controversial professor of philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, claimed that "It is clear that the Zohar was written by de Leon as it is clear that Theodore Herzl wrote Medinat HaYehudim ("A State for the Jews")."
Bottom Line. Scholars can argue but Get it. The Zohar is Canonically amazing and you can't buy a better translation and while a legitimate teacher is ideal for serious study, this is an excellent, valid, legitimate start.
The Divine Shekhinah, From the Concealed to the Revealed .......2007-05-15
This volume series is my favorite reading on the Zohar. I know far less about the Zohar in its earlier mystical understandings than I do on Kabbalah generally in its later mystical understandings. Every time I go back to read through the Zohar writings, I discover something new that was still concealed to me during earlier readings. Even though I posses no experience or prowess on Aramaic and linguistics in general, I felt that the author provided a well written translation of the text by how I was able to process the intellectual commentaries of the author in relation to the mystical essence of the Zohar manuscript. The Ten Sefirot reveals the relationship and balance between the transcendent Masculine-Feminine Divine Shekhinah of the Higher world and the "feminine from masculine" Shekhinah of the lower world. The Masculine Shekhinah of the Higher world, Tif'eret is needed for the feminine Shekhinah of the lower world, Malkhut the Sabbath Queen to bridge the gap between the Creator and His creation. This book opened my entire being up to the Light of Heaven so that I would come to understand the balance of my own soul. I believe that the Zohar was written to help us understand the Torah better, and to help us understand our own true spiritual nature as human beings for which the human soul is in the spiritual likeness of our Creator. The human soul is complete when the masculine (man) makes a sacred union with the feminine (woman), thus becoming "one" in the spiritual likeness of our Creator, the One and Eternal Ein Sof. This "oneness" is balance and harmony, the source of Life, Love, and Light. This is what I got out of this first book of "The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, vol. 1". This volume series of the Zohar is a must for anyone who seeks to understand the concealed Light of the Torah.
Years of waiting.......2007-03-30
I read selections of the Zohar 12 years ago as an undergraduate theology student and was entranced. Since then, I have sought out selections and different translations and not been satisfied with many of them. For the most part, they were aimed at a less scholarly audience and didn't explore the text in as much depth as I would have liked. The Pritzker edition is what I have been searching for. I ordered the first 3 volumes and anticipate it'll take me a few years to really get through them. Even though I am a voracious reader, I have forced myself to take a great deal of care and time reading these books. I'm a month and 86 pages into the first volume and am still finding more and more to contemplate. I highly recommend these books to anyone who is in search of a deeper understanding of the text and a more profound treatment than is widely available.
The best English translation .......2006-12-14
The 'Zohar'is one of the major Jewish mystical works. I have not really delved much in 'Jewish Mysticism' and am no expert on the subject. But from looking at the Translation and especially the Notes I have that sense that this is a first- class scholarly rendition of the work. The notes enable the reader to better understand what is by its very nature, a problematic, difficult, multiple-meaning text.
This volume is the first in a long enterprise undertaken by Matt in which he hopes to translate and annotate the whole of the 'Zohar'.
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