An old, crumbling binding of a 16th-century book of the Zohar was nearly lost to oblivion in the National Library’s archives. A few faint pencil markings on the cover caught the eye of a librarian, revealing surprising secrets about the book it once encased. Join us on a fascinating, almost detective-like journey through the pages and bindings of this remarkable book, uncovering its perilous, winding path before it reached the National Library.
When Judaism and Buddhism Meet
Why does the National Library of Israel have a collection of more than 100 pieces of Buddhist art? Why are so many Jews drawn to Buddhism? Why did the Dalai Lama attend a Passover Seder? The answer to all these questions can be found by exploring the fascinating connections between the two religions.
The False Messiah: Shlomo Molcho’s Fascinating Life
When Portuguese crypto-Jew Diogo Pires met the daring adventurer David Reubeni, his life took an unexpected course. Converting to Judaism, Pires set off around the globe, learning Kabbalah, inspiring the greatest of Rabbis, attempting to create a Jewish army, and most famously, appointing himself as the Messiah.
The Kabbalistic Tree: The Map of God
The second commandment states that “You shall not make for yourself a statue or any image”. The Jewish Kabbalists found a rather unique and complicated way to circumvent this prohibition…
The First, Last, and Only Female Hasidic Rebbe
Would you break all the traditions of your society, turn against the will of your family, and shatter all the boundaries that you have known to be true in order to follow your destiny? Chana Rochel Verbermacher did just that – breaking out of all the known gender stereotypes to make her own way in a world dominated by men, Chana decided to become the first, and only, Hasidic female Rebbe.
Did Medieval Jewish Kabbalists Design the Tarot Deck?
Until the 18th century, tarot cards were simply playing cards. It was then that occult researchers became convinced that these cards in fact held magical properties, and that they contained a secret truth that originated in ancient Egypt and was preserved in Jewish mysticism…
Revealed: The Renowned Kabbalist’s ‘Hidden’ Letter
Message sent to ‘The Holy Ari’ reflects his influence at the time, outside the mystical realm
Kwisatz Haderach: Translating “Dune” into the Original
A new cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic was a great opportunity to speak with Emanuel Lottem, who translated Dune into Hebrew. The result was a fascinating conversation about fantasy literature in Israel and how Lottem came to translate the book while enlisting the help of his colleagues at the Foreign Ministry…
The Temple Menorah in Kabbalistic Manuscripts
Kabbalistic literature looked for ancient symbols through which it could express its daring innovations. It found such a symbol in the Menorah…
Introducing Naamah, the “Mother of All Demons”
How the biblical figure of Naamah evolved into a terrifying demon that rises from the depths of the sea to seduce the men of the world
