Conference taveng::bagels

   Gershom Scholem is the expert on Kabbalah.  I don't remember the names
   of his books offhand, but they're pretty heavy reading.
   
   
   								Terza
   

A weekly Kabbalah class is offerred at our shul, Temple Beth Shalom (the Tremont
St. Shul) in Cambridge on sundays at 7:00 p.m.

David

>   Gershom Scholem is the expert on Kabbalah...they're pretty heavy reading.
   
Boy, and HOW I would agree!  I've never managed, in 5 years, to get
beyond chapter 1.  It's kinda like trying to eek out complex relationships
by reading the Philadelphia telephone book.  There's a much simpler
version around somewhere.  While I was at the UTV a student had it.
I'll try to track him down and add to this note.

-Paul

    Aryeh Kaplan has a book on "Kabbalah and Meditation" that my wife
    gave me for my 40th birthday.   It is quite readable.
    
    Av

       Gershom Scholem is an expert in Kabbalah, but he writes from the
       point of view of an observer and academician.
                            
       
       I would recommend three other authors, all of whom write from
       the point of view of believers in and practitioners of Jewish
       mysticism: 

       A popular writer (from Sudbury, Ma.) is Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
       (not the "When Bad Things Happen..." Kushner).  Anything by him
       would be a good introduction.  There must be somebody from DEC
       who is a member of his congregation and could tell you more about
       his books.  

       Zalman Schecter is a Rabbi who springs from a Hasidic background.
       He has written several good books and articles on the mystical
       aspects of Judaism. I seem to remember a book entitled, "First
       Steps"?  A chapter in this book described the time Zalman, who 
       was attending some sort of religious symposium, went to the hotel
       roof  at dawn to pray. It seems an American Indian, who was also
       attending the conference, did the same thing.  Each could
       empathize somewhat with the other because  they both made use of
       objects made of natural materials and also used writing or
       symbols to help them reach their mystical goals. They each
       understood the purpose and meaning of the others ritual objects.  

       An Israeli genius and mystic who has been extensively translated
       into English is Adin Steinsaltz.  I highly recommend  "The
       Thirteen Petaled Rose." If you read this book, try reading the
       final chapters first and then work your way to the front.  The
       first chapters cover subjects such as the existence and nature of
       other universes. I found these chapters hard to understand
       without the background provided by the discussion of the human
       soul later in the book.

       Julian

       P.S. Spelling of authors' names, etc. could be wrong. I do have 
       the books mentioned above as well as a number of other English
       language books on Jewish Mysticism. If anyone is interested, 
       I could supply publishers' names or other pertinent information.  

>       A popular writer (from Sudbury, Ma.) is Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
>       (not the "When Bad Things Happen..." Kushner).  Anything by him
>       would be a good introduction.  There must be somebody from DEC
>       who is a member of his congregation and could tell you more about
>       his books.  

You are right. There are several of us, myself included. Watch this space
for further information...

Dave

    I have done some studing with a local Rabbi who was ordained by
    Rabbi Schacter, and have found the following to be a great help.
    In the Philadelphia area there is a group called "P'nai Or" who
    specialize in this sort of thing. If you  are interested, give them
    a call at 215-849-5385 for more information. They also have a deep
    interest in computers, and act as a clearing house for Judaica related
    software.

    RE: Note 664.4
    
    The author of "When Bad Things Happen ..." was Rabbi Harold Kushner of
    Temple Israel in Natick, MA not Rabbi Lawrence Kushner. Harold Kushner
    is that author of a number of other books.