Kabbalah for Beginners: Understanding and Applying Kabbalistic History, Concepts, and Practices

by Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks

Gain a better understanding of the Kabbalah path to spiritual transformation and a deeper connection with the Jewish faith

Coming from the Hebrew root that means “to receive,” Kabbalah is known as the “inner” or “esoteric” dimension of Judaism. Kabbalah for Beginners is your introduction to a great spiritual tradition that will help you deepen your experience of the Divine through Kabbalistic portals into the Eternal Present.

Divided into four categories: theosophical, ecstatic, Hasidic, and contemporary, this book explores everything including ancient concepts, core teachings, practices and traditions, and even misconceptions of Kabbalah. Written in a contemporary tone and point of view, this beginner’s guide brings this ancient discipline into the here and now.

In Kabbalah for Beginners you’ll find:


God is existence—The Kabbalist method is that God is not a being, not even the most supreme being, but is rather Being itself.

What is Kabbalah—Get inspired by interspersed quotes from the Torah and frequent sidebars that highlight the Kabbalah’s relevance to readers' experiences.

Spirituality simplified—Learn through a clear straightforward language to bring intuitiveness to deep philosophical concepts.


Discover a contemporary guide to this ancient wisdom and move toward spiritual transformation.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Mysticism, Religion, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Spirituality

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2020

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reb Schachter-Brooks' fairly brief volume, Kabbalah for Beginners, takes the practice of Kabbalah out of the popular celebrity-filled new age realm and explains how it is rooted in Jewish mysticism traditions going back hundreds of years. At its best, this book sets forth some very basic concepts, such as that God is not a being, but is rather Being itself. It relates the meditative practice of Kabbalah to the early mythology of Adam and Eve being driven out of the Garden of Eden, leaving us as humans "out of place" and "out of alignment with reality," which expresses itself in the horrors humans commit against each other and the world. Thus, Schachter-Brooks explains that we are as humans striving to return to "Wholeness."

Not much time in the book is spent on the practice of numerology, of the meanings of the different letters, the sefirot (the ten lights), and such esoteric things. But, as noted before, the focus is on the spirtual aspect of Kabbalah, which says that God is the light and, as humans made in God's image, we strive to be part of the Light and Goodness. Returning again and again to the them of the exile from Eden, Schachter-Brooks explains that, without being thrust out of Eden, we could not have recognized Good and Evil as it is only with the contrast between the two that we can see both.

Every so often throughout the book, there are short meditation exercises of a general spiritual nature, not necessarily a religious nature. Nevertheless, this book is not one which teaches meditation, but rather one which expounds on the underlying philosophy of the practices.

[Jamie Feuerman]

This was a good intro and I’m looking forward to learning more! This truly was an overview that didn’t go too deeply into the details of Kabbalah but I still felt I learned a lot, and it was also nice to get a review and learn new stuff about Jewish practices and beliefs.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 45%

Started this book bc a friend said they were interested in Kabbalah, so I thought do a little reading/study so I could chat intelligently about it haha.

I learned quite a bit from the first half and feel that the author of this book tried to stay balanced and honest in describing their belief system. At a certain point, there were too many words and phrases that were used to convey larger, more complicated concepts and teachings within Kabbalah. I started to lose track of what the phrases mean, to the point that I wasn’t really able to follow what the author was then saying. I’m sure if I’d dedicated myself to it or maybe written notes or even had the physical book, it would have been fine. I feel overall that I learned what I was interested in.

Read from 4/21/24-around 6/24

[Mark Matzeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

One criterion I notice in how valuable a book is to me is how many new books I add to my reading list through reading it. This volume added 21. In plain, easily-understood language Schachter makes principles of Kabbalah accessible to seekers from all traditions. He provides a basis to enter the garden of Eitz Hayim (The Tree of Life, a central symbol of Kabbalah) and some simple exercises for practicing meditation, thus whetting the appetite for ever deeper investigation. (i.e. 21 more books) It's another flavor of mindfulness and awareness, and it's delicious.

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

It is okay. The contents are more about history, Jewish figures, holidays etc. No pronunciations of Hebrew words is contained. The meditations were bland and uninspired. You can find better on the net.

[Michael Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kinda reminds me of a Aryeh Kaplan's book on Jewish meditation with its sections on practical meditations, and a bit of watered down broad overview like Gerschom Scholem's book on Kabbalah. Its not a bad thing, its actually helpful to have Kabbalah broadly discussed in this manner, digestible and memorable. It goes over the sefirot, specific Jewish meditation practices, types of Kabbalah, key texts, and key thinkers. Its great. I tried the meditation practice regarding the Aleph and visualising it, and the energy flowing throughout the body, this gave me an altered state of consciousness which was really neat. I wasn't expecting anything from the meditation, but it definitely has me leaning towards Yosef Schacter's advice and meditations for the future.

[Ala · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kabalah for Beginners" by Brian Yosef offers a clear and accessible introduction to Kabbalah, making complex ideas understandable for newcomers. The book breaks down Judaism and its intrinsic parts, including where Kabalah sits, and includes practical exercises, helping readers apply Kabbalistic concepts in their daily lives. While it provides a solid foundation, those seeking more advanced insights may need to explore further resources.

[Carl Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction.

Provided clarity on kabbalah. I learned a great deal on Jewish spirituality as it relates to kabbalah. I reccomend this book to all interested in spiritual life.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the book was strong as it provided a nice and concise history to the rise of Kabbalah, however it also was weaker near the end as it became more application and use of its practices.

[Angie Franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es el libro perfecto para introducirse en el mundo de la kabbalah

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introduction

I think this is an easy to understand introduction to Kabbalah. I was looking for more information on Jewish mysticism and this book was a great choice.

[Timothy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew very little about Kabbalah and read this book for a class. I found the subject interesting and I would recommend this book for anyone that likes reading spirituality and religion.

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read because I was curious about Jewish mysticism.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to Jewish spirituality.

Oh enjoyed this book a great deal. It made done very abstract concepts n much me accessible. A great introduction to Jewish spirituality.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have given 4 stars to the written book, but I am reviewing the audiobook which suffers from a few issues, mainly that the narrator cannot pronounce Hebrew words correctly.

Note: The author expressed his gratitude to Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, now of blessed memory. While I have found some of the Rabbi's mystical ideas helpful (and I still use them) he is the founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement and I have opposed the Jewish Renewal movement in the past. Specifically, I've disagreed with his co-founder, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, over and over again. Nothing personal. We just disagreed.

I came to this review skeptical and expecting not to like the book. Luckily, I was surprised. It was pretty good. I have my complaints, of course, but over all, it was a good start on Kabbalah for Jews. I'm not sure non-Jews would get much out of it.

OK, my biggest complaint and why this review dropped a star was the narrator... good voice. Nice and clear, but he could not say Lecha Dodi properly to save his life... nor chesed, nor a few other words. It was weird. Now, let me tell you that there are several community traditions for pronouncing Hebrew words. I've heard several. This narrator seemed to drift between Ashkenazi and Sephardic with maybe some Lubavitcher thrown in. But then he was using some system of his own that I had never heard before. When he tried to say Lecha Dodi I just about choked.

Now, some minor complaints: The author mistranslates some Hebrew words. By the translation I assume he was trying to be inclusive and avoiding Hebrew words that translated into English as "Master" or "Lord". He used the name "Divine" as a substitute which I don't have an objection to if one first explains that he is going to be doing stuff like that. Otherwise it becomes misleading and when the reader comes across a more accurate translation of the same prayer they are going to think that oppressive males are attempting to impose their view point on society. (FYI, I am using the pronoun "they" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun as per Professor Anne Curzan's recommendation.)

I don't want to give the wrong impression. I thought the author's change in the translation was a gentle way to get around a possible boundary for the reader. It was a kind thing to do, but he should have had an asterisk around somewhere telling us he was doing that. (Hey. Maybe he did and I missed it. Sorry if I did.)

The other complaint is when the author outlined a Shabbat evening home observance. It was bare bones, but that is not my complaint. Again... the author seemed OK, but the narrator seemed unaware that he should not voice God's name in a blessing unless he was actually performing the commandment that he was reciting the blessing for. For example... the narrator recited the blessing to light the Shabbat candles... but unless he was actually lighting candles, it was a blessing said in vain. One might excuse this because he was teaching. After all, if you've never heard these blessings before, how would you learn to pronounce them unless someone told you? Right?

If you are interested in Kabbalah you should already have a baseline understanding of a few Jewish fundamentals. If you don't, you need to work on that. Kabbalah can be a little tricky. It is easy to be misled.

OK... so... Author, thumbs up. Narrator, thumbs down.

I doubt I will return to this book. There are others that I like more... like:

0 "Practical Kabbalah: A Guide to Jewish Wisdom for Everyday Life" by Laibl Wolf.

o "Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide" by Aryeh Kaplan.

o "Nine and a Half Mystics: The Kabbala Today" by Herbert Weiner.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kabbalah has become popular among celebrities.  Because of this, many more have now heard of this Jewish tradition.  For those who are interested in understanding more about Kabbalah, this book is a very good starting point.  It covers the main concepts along with providing some history and ways to practice.  The author begins the book with the personal experiences that led to exposure to Kabbalah.  From there, in a readable style much information was provided.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title.  All opinions are my own.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got two books about Kabbalah and this was the one that didn’t remind me on every other page that Kabbalah was for Jewish people only, so I liked it right away. Very informative. I especially liked the instructional/meditation sections. Would recommend to anyone who would like to know what it’s all about.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad starting point for those who want to know more (beyond the Kabbalah Center & Madonna). I wish they had a book like this for me when I was in Hebrew School. I didn't find the meditations all that helpful (nor the overview of all Jewish holidays)

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delivers exactly what is promised by the title, hence the 5 stars. Despite the intricate nature of the topic, the concepts are explained in a simple way that motivates a beginner learner.