Zohar (Daniel C. Matt)
An Overrated Canonical Spiritual Text
[My 3-star Amazon review (NDA) of “Zohar: Annotated and Explained” by Daniel C. Matt.]
Several years ago, when I first began to investigate Jewish mysticism (after having devoted decades to studying, practicing, and teaching various Hindu and Buddhist traditions), I purchased this small book to sample the Zohar. I enjoyed the foreword by Andrew Harvey, but I felt no affinity for the Zohar itself. And I’m a guy who usually enjoys reading mystical literature, especially if it’s Kashmir Shaivism, Tibetan Buddhism, Christian Hermeticism, Daism (the teachings of Adi Da), or Ramana Maharshi (a great Advaita Vedanta guru). I put the Zohar in storage with my other books, and headed out of the country.
A few weeks ago, I received most of my storage books, and I decided to have another go at the Zohar. Well, it’s the same as before: I simply do not find the book particularly accessible, interesting, or enlightening. I’ll take the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Teh Ching, and the Buddha’s Dharma over the Zohar, and none these teachings are favorites of mine. It’s hard for me to accept that the Zohar is the canonical text of Jewish mysticism. From my perspective, this reflects the weakness of the Jewish mystical tradition. I’m a Jew, but I’ve got to call a spade a spade and admit that Hindu and Buddhist mysticism beats what Judaism offers.
In addition to Andrew Harvey’s fine foreword, this book has helpful annotations and explanations across the page from the Zohar selections, which makes for a smoother easier read. Even though I don’t care for this book, I give it three stars because it’s nicely designed and the Zohar is, after all, a canonical text. However, as writer of mystical literature, I will not include it in the Recommended Reading List in my books.
[My 3-star Amazon review (NDA) of “Zohar: Annotated and Explained” by Daniel C. Matt.]
Several years ago, when I first began to investigate Jewish mysticism (after having devoted decades to studying, practicing, and teaching various Hindu and Buddhist traditions), I purchased this small book to sample the Zohar. I enjoyed the foreword by Andrew Harvey, but I felt no affinity for the Zohar itself. And I’m a guy who usually enjoys reading mystical literature, especially if it’s Kashmir Shaivism, Tibetan Buddhism, Christian Hermeticism, Daism (the teachings of Adi Da), or Ramana Maharshi (a great Advaita Vedanta guru). I put the Zohar in storage with my other books, and headed out of the country.
A few weeks ago, I received most of my storage books, and I decided to have another go at the Zohar. Well, it’s the same as before: I simply do not find the book particularly accessible, interesting, or enlightening. I’ll take the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Teh Ching, and the Buddha’s Dharma over the Zohar, and none these teachings are favorites of mine. It’s hard for me to accept that the Zohar is the canonical text of Jewish mysticism. From my perspective, this reflects the weakness of the Jewish mystical tradition. I’m a Jew, but I’ve got to call a spade a spade and admit that Hindu and Buddhist mysticism beats what Judaism offers.
In addition to Andrew Harvey’s fine foreword, this book has helpful annotations and explanations across the page from the Zohar selections, which makes for a smoother easier read. Even though I don’t care for this book, I give it three stars because it’s nicely designed and the Zohar is, after all, a canonical text. However, as writer of mystical literature, I will not include it in the Recommended Reading List in my books.
