Preface vii Chronological Table ix An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism 1 CHAPTER 1 The Bible and Early Rabbinic Period c1900 BCE- c.CE 900 27 CHAPTER 2 Medieval Jewish Mysticism c.900- c.1300 61 CHAPTER 3 Post- Medieval Mysticism c.1300-c.1750 95 CHAPTER 4 Modern Mysticism c.1750- 20th century 125 CHAPTER 5 Contemporary Kabbalah 21st century 151 Further Reading 169 References 171

Jewish mystics believed that through ‘Kabbalah’, we embark upon a spiritual quest to discover God, our souls and the nature of the world. "Rabbi Cohn Sherbok deserves applause for the clarity and brevity of this slim, engrossing introduction to Jewish mysticism." - Publishers Weekly "A concise and readable anthology of Jewish mystical documents arranged in a clear chronological order." – Library Journal Kabbalah is often associated with pop-stars, their distinctive red wrist bands, and media scepticism. In this fascinating work, Dan Cohn-Sherbok bypasses the hype, exploring the mystical tradition’s spiritual and textual development from the early rabbinic period to the present day. Beginning with an illuminating introduction to its history, Cohn-Sherbok chronologically presents the significant texts which underpin Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism. Providing detailed supporting explanations to help readers unfamiliar with the subject and including a chapter on contemporary Kabbalah, Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism will help the reader garner a true understanding of this esoteric spiritual quest. Rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok is Professor of Judaism at the University of Wales, Lampeter. He is the author of over forty books on Jewish History and Beliefs.