The first two volumes of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, translated with commentary by Daniel C.
At times, the companions themselves become the main characters, and we read about their dramatic mystica. 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.
For example, when God commands Abraham, Lekh lekha, Go forth...
On a deeper level, the text of the Bible is simply the starting point, a springboard for the imagination.
On one level, biblical figures such as Abraham and Sarah are the main characters, and the mystical companions interpret their words, actions, and personalities.
In the Zohar, Rabbi Shim\'on and his companions wander through the hills of Galilee, discovering and sharing secrets of Torah.
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.
The Zohar\'s commentary is composed in the form of a mystical novel.
Two subsequent volumes will cover other, shorter sections.
This translation begins and focuses here in what are projected to be ten volumes.
The bulk of the Zohar consists of a running commentary on the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy.
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.
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.
Please see the Zohar Home Page for ancillary materials, including the publication schedule, press release, Aramaic text, questions, and answers.
The translator\'s introduction is accompanied by a second introduction written by Arthur Green, discussing the origin and significance of the Zohar.
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.
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.
Matt, cover more than half of the Zohar\'s commentary on the Book of Genesis (through Genesis 32:3).
The first two volumes of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, translated with commentary by Daniel C
