This third volume of ''The Zohar: Pritzker Edition''
completes the ''Zohar'''s commentary on the book of
Genesis. Here we find spiritual explorations of numerous
biblical narratives, including Jacob's wrestling with
the angel, Joseph's kidnapping by his brothers, his near
seduction by Potiphar's wife, his interpretation of
Pharaoh's dreams, and his reunion with his brothers and
father. Throughout, the ''Zohar'' probes the biblical
text and seeks deeper meaning--for example, the divine
intention behind Joseph's disappearance, or the profound
significance of human sexuality. Divine and human
realities intertwine, affecting one another. Toward the
end of Genesis, the Bible states: ''Jacob's days drew
near to die''--an idiomatic expression that the
''Zohar'' insists on reading hyperliterally. Each human
being is challenged to live his days virtuously. If he
does, those days themselves are woven into a garment of
splendor; at death, they ''draw near,'' enveloping him,
escorting him to the beyond. ''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. |
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