Kania Ireneusz, Tales of the Zohar / On the Kabbalah and the Zohar

Kania Ireneusz, Tales of the Zohar / On the Kabbalah and the Zohar, Oficyna Literacka, Krakow 1994, pp. 80 + 216, dimensions 25.5 x 17 cm. Cover design and graphic design by Dmitry Shevionkov-Kismilov. Publisher's hardcover. Minor rubbing of the cover.

The canonical books of the great monotheisms rarely attempt to answer questions about what God really is and where He "came from," what is the true cause, nature and purpose of the created world, what evil is and where it comes from, etc. "Official" explanations on these issues to inquisitive minds often seem unsatisfactory, naive even. The Sefer ha-Zohar, or "Book of Splendor," perhaps the most well-known and popular book of Kabbalah (written in Spain in the 13th century), attempts to uncover the deepest, hidden layers of Torah meanings. It is an extraordinarily rich, colorful and dramatic story of God's inner life - the "bible" of Jewish theosophy and mysticism. But not only that: the depth of intuition, originality of linguistic speculation and powerful poetic expression also make the Zohar a great work of world religious literature.