The Zohar

This third volume of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition completes the Zohars commentary on the book of Genesis. Here we find spiritual explorations of numerous biblical narratives, including Jacobs wrestling with the angel, Josephs kidnapping by his brothers, his near seduction by Potiphars wife, his interpretation of Pharaohs dreams, and his reunion with his brothers and father.

Throughout, the Zohar probes the biblical text and seeks deeper meaning—for example, the divine intention behind Josephs disappearance, or the profound significance of human sexuality. Divine and human realities intertwine, affecting one another.

Toward the end of Genesis, the Bible states: Jacobs days drew near to die—an idiomatic expression that the Zohar insists on reading hyperliterally. Each human being is challenged to live his days virtuously. If he does, those days themselves are woven into a garment of splendor; at death, they "draw near," enveloping him, escorting him to the beyond.

Sefer ha-Zohar (The Book of Radiance) has amazed and overwhelmed readers ever since it emerged mysteriously in medieval Spain toward the end of the thirteenth century. Written in a unique Aramaic, this masterpiece of Kabbalah exceeds the dimensions of a normal book; it is virtually a body of literature, comprising over twenty discrete sections. The bulk of the Zohar consists of a running commentary on the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy.