Here is the official description from the publisher:

Rabbi Avraham Sabba was born in Castile in 1440 and spent the first 50 years of his life in parts of Spain where Jews lived in prosperity and security. He wrote many books, among them the Torah commentary Tzror HaMor. His genius is evident from the manner in which he selects hundreds of quotations from the Zohar, the most famous mystical text, in which he demonstrates that the author of the Zohar is capable of being understood by the average Jew, (as opposed to scholars) and that the Zohar is helpful in understanding many difficult passages in the Torah.

He was forced into exile to Portugal in 1492, and to North Africa in 1497 after not only being persecuted and seeing many members of his family die for kiddush hashem, but he had to rewrite this commentary completely from memory, as in Fez, Morocco he had no library at his disposal. He died on board a ship on the way to Italy and was buried in Verona in 1510

The translator, Eliyahu Munk, was born in Frankfurt on Main, where he received his education at the Samson Rafael Hirsch Realschule, and the Yeshiva of the late Rabbi Joseph Breuer, of blessed memory. He continued his education at the Yeshiva in Gateshead, England. He served in Jewish education (primarily as a teacher) for almost 30 years in Toronto, Canada.

Hardcover, 5 volume boxed set
$195.00 US
ISBN 978-965-524-013-9

The book claims that there was Jewish influence in Michelangelo’s painting, particularly from the Kabbalah or mystical aspect of Judaism. …The authors also point out that a little-noticed aspect of the Sistine Chapel is that Stars of David — then called Seals of Solomon — adorn the floor of the chapel. In addition, they noted that the Sistine Chapel is built to the exact dimensions of the original Temple in Jerusalem — including the Holy of Holies that only the high priests were allowed to enter on Yom Kippur.

And the preface partially reads,

Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.

The book itself was published by and available from TorahLab. It is “a practical 49 day guide to spiritual refinement through counting the Omer.” Three sample pages can be downloaded from the publisher’s site, to get a sense of its content. 

Shanah Tova!

An explanation and translation of  “The Gate of Unification” by the Mittler Rebbe. This book explains how the physical and spiritual worlds are emanated and created through the contractions of the G-dly, infinite light of the “Chain of Descent” from cause to effect.

Besides purchasing it at lulu.com one can download the entire book as a series PDF files from here. The first of these not just include an introduction, but also a detailed table of contents. Under each chapter heading there is a third/half page explanation of what the chapter is about. That should navigating the book for those who are ready to dive into it.

In a generation that has seen an explosion in popularity of books about mystical and meditative traditions, very little has been published about the rich and fascinating mystical traditions of the Jewish holy days. Passover, the first religious holiday of the Jewish people, particularly rewards a re-viewing from a mystical perspective. A Mystical Haggadah takes readers through the Passover ritual with Kabbalistic meditations and affirmations in a friendly, accessible format. This Haggadah also includes many Hassidic teachings and stories that have never been presented to the English reading audience. The book is especially valuable for its transliterations of all the major prayers and rituals, and is refreshing in its creative and spiritually-based adaptation and translation of the primary Haggadah text.

Klein’s three previous books are already on this site, so I am happy to add this latest one.

• Meetings With Remarkable Souls: Legends of the Baal Shem Tov
• Kabbalah of Creation: The Mysticism of Isaac Luria, Founder of Modern Kabbalah
• Kabbalah of Creation: Isaac Luria’s Earlier Mysticism

A hunger grips the world. It yearns to be filled by the answer to the ultimate question: Why am I alive? The voice is incessant. If it is ignored there will be consequences.

Sometimes climaxing as a “mid-life crisis” which can have dramatic implications; other times surfacing as an “existential crisis” at any age, this unspoken and unanswered question can form the core of wrenching sadness, deep angst and some awful choices. There is an answer. Through sources that span millennia and using examples from real lives, here is a richly woven tapestry using stories, lore, aphorisms and the mystic tradition of Kabbalah. Here are the answers you have been seeking.

Come, drink deeply and walk into life…