Endless Light: The Ancient Path of Kabbalah » (Reprint)

In his book Endless Light, David Aaron, the distinguished head of the world-famed Isralight Institute in Jerusalem, explores the most fundamental and universally troubling questions we all ask at some point in our lives: Who am I? Why am I? What is life all about? What do I need to do to love and be loved? After years of careful study, David Aaron provides the answers to those questions as revealed in the Kabbalah, the mystical teachings that interpret the five books of Moses - the Torah. Rich in stories of David Aaron's own personal experiences as a husband, father, teacher, and spiritual mentor, Endless Light offers us a new and deeper awareness of ourselves, our inner conflicts, and the choices we must make to understand and receive life's bounteous gifts. The author also retells the familiar stories of the Torah - the Creation, the Expulsion from Eden, and many others - clarifying their mysterious meanings and deciphering what they teach us about ourselves and how to fulfill our purpose in life. He shares the Kabbalah's wisdom about how to truly love and be loved; he addresses the conflict between the powers of fate and free will. And he describes the steps along the path of life that will lead us to spiritual growth, creativity, freedom, happiness, and inner peace.

Publishers Weekly

In this religious self-help manual, David Aaron, who is the head of Jerusalem's Isrealight Institute as well as a rabbi and pianist, taps the great mystical power of the Kabbalah to offer insights into living everyday life with love and power. In a number of meditations on the Kabbalah and the spiritual life, Aaron teaches that "to embark on the spiritual path is to seek to explore the very depths of heart and soul to learn to receive their unified light." Aaron believes that the spiritual path is not a path apart from one's everyday life. The key to life, according to Aaron, is love, and he believes that love, once it is received, can motivate the world to acts of kindness and justice. Using illustrations from Torah and Kabbalah as well as anecdotes from his own life, Aaron recounts the path of Kabbalah to personal transformation. At the end of each chapter, he offers questions to guide reflection on the matters discussed in the chapter. While Aaron's meditations are grounded solidly in the Jewish Kabbalistic tradition, they are generic enough (e.g., "The essence of life is love") to appeal to a broad audience. (Sept.)