God is a Verb (David A. Cooper)
Good, Exoteric Guide to Jewish Mysticism
[My 3-star Amazon review (NDA) of “God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism” by David A. Cooper.]
“God is a Verb” is, as bestselling Buddhist author Jack Kornfield describes it, a “broad and accessible” text on the Jewish mystical tradition. And it is also the last Kabbalah book I plan to read—unless someone can point me to a truly deep non-academic one—because, quite frankly, I am tired of encountering the same exoteric, error-laden, “broad and accessible” Kabbalah in one Jewish mysticism text after another.
I would summarize this book as a well-written general guide to Jewish mysticism that emphasizes parables and inspiring stories in order to make the Kabbalah appealing to a mainstream audience. The book also provides practical spiritual exercises, but if you are already familiar with Buddhist and/or Hindu meditation techniques, you probably won’t find the methods in the text to be of particular interest.
This book falls apart, as most Kabbalah texts do, when the author attempts to tackle the Tree of Life. Rabbi Cooper’s understanding of the Sephirot and how they relate to en-Light-enment is deeply flawed. And, unfortunately, none of the other Kabbalah (or Qabalah) texts I’ve read (see my Amazon.com reviews) is any better at explaining the Tree of Life.
In short, “God is a Verb” is a good, basic, chicken soup for the soul-type text on Jewish mysticism—but if you are already familiar with Kabbalah and looking for profound and penetrating insight into its mysteries, you won’t find it in this book.
[My 3-star Amazon review (NDA) of “God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism” by David A. Cooper.]
“God is a Verb” is, as bestselling Buddhist author Jack Kornfield describes it, a “broad and accessible” text on the Jewish mystical tradition. And it is also the last Kabbalah book I plan to read—unless someone can point me to a truly deep non-academic one—because, quite frankly, I am tired of encountering the same exoteric, error-laden, “broad and accessible” Kabbalah in one Jewish mysticism text after another.
I would summarize this book as a well-written general guide to Jewish mysticism that emphasizes parables and inspiring stories in order to make the Kabbalah appealing to a mainstream audience. The book also provides practical spiritual exercises, but if you are already familiar with Buddhist and/or Hindu meditation techniques, you probably won’t find the methods in the text to be of particular interest.
This book falls apart, as most Kabbalah texts do, when the author attempts to tackle the Tree of Life. Rabbi Cooper’s understanding of the Sephirot and how they relate to en-Light-enment is deeply flawed. And, unfortunately, none of the other Kabbalah (or Qabalah) texts I’ve read (see my Amazon.com reviews) is any better at explaining the Tree of Life.
In short, “God is a Verb” is a good, basic, chicken soup for the soul-type text on Jewish mysticism—but if you are already familiar with Kabbalah and looking for profound and penetrating insight into its mysteries, you won’t find it in this book.
