Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Extremelly useful and detailed May 20, 2008
For someone who is interested in religion and who is taking his/her Kabbalah studies one step beyond the book is delightful. It includes around five different versions of the Sefer Yetzirah and it comments you the reading fragment by fragment, therefore providing you a full understanding of the whole text and also a detailed, useful, and interesting explanation of Kabbalah as a whole, even providing you with spiritual exercises or a way to practice what the text says
Sefer Yetzirah May 19, 2008
Most impressive representation. While the subject is deep and extremely thought provoking, the writer has made every attempt to explain the subject in explicit detail.
I especially appreciated the use of root words in Hebrew to further clarify definitions. As well as the explanation of pronunciation of Hebrew terms, as in where to place the tongue to make the correct sound.
I would like for there to have been more direct instructions for meditation.
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Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation--a review January 26, 2008
I am not Jewish, nor am I an expert on Kabbalistic text, but I know a precious gem when I find one. As others have said here, this is NOT for the beginning student of Kabbalah. I really enjoyed how Aryeh Kaplan included the Hebrew text, along with a translation, then followed by extensive interpretations of each line. It is an intense read--really enjoyed the section on the 231 gates (ironically, I nearly flunked geometry in high school).
If you are truly ready for more intense study of Kabbalah, then this translation of the Sefer Yetzirah may be exactly what you are looking for.
Not for a beginner! December 2, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Rabbi Kaplan does a wonderful job (as he does in all of his works) of explaining the primary text says and of opening the way for further study (through his copious footnotes).
The diagrams are extremely helpful, as are the recommendations concerning the "practical" use of Sefer Yetzirah.
However, even for those grounded in Jewish studies (as a spiritual path, not as an academic field), this work is NOT recommended as a "first step" in the esoteric. Try Rabbi Kaplan's "Innerspace."
I own two copies... January 24, 2007
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
One copy is at my bedside. One copy is in my study scrawled with notes, quotes and notations! I found the second copy at a bookstore bargain table! I didn't even blink, it was bought by me. I knew a second copy would give me one to share. This book is what Kabbalah is. An amazing book. Simply, amazing.
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