Schwartz - Tree of souls: the mythology of Judaism

TREE OF SOULS

BY HOWARD SCHWARTZ

Poetry

Vessels

Gathering the Sparks

Sleepwalking Beneath the Stars

Signs of the Lost Tribe

Fiction

A Blessing Over Ashes

Midrashim

The Captive Soul of the Messiah

Rooms of the Soul

Adams Soul

The Four Who Entered Paradise

Editor

Imperial Messages: One Hundred Modern Parables

Voices Within the Ark: The Modern Jewish Poets

Gates to the New City: A Treasury of Modern Jewish Tales

The Dream Assembly: Tales of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Elijahs Violin & Other Jewish Fairy Tales

Miriams Tambourine: Jewish Tales from Around the World

Liliths Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural

Gabriels Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales

Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism

Essays

Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis

Childrens Books

The Diamond Tree

The Sabbath Lion

Next Year in Jerusalem

The Wonder Child

A Coat for the Moon

Ask the Bones

A Journey to Paradise

The Day the Rabbi Disappeared

Invisible Kingdoms

Before You Were Born

THE MYTHOLOGY OF JUDAISM

HOWARD SCHWARTZ

Illustrated by
Caren Loebel-Fried
Foreword by
Elliot K. Ginsburg

Oxford New York
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Copyright 2004 by Howard Schwartz

Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.

Foreword 2004 by Elliot K. Ginsburg
All Rights Reserved

Illustrations 2004 Caren Loebel-Fried
All Rights Reserved

The diagram of The Ten Sefirot on page 529 is by Tsila Schwartz

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schwartz, Howard, 1945
Tree of souls : the mythology of Judaism / Howard Schwartz.
p. cm.
Retellings of nearly 700 Jewish myths.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-10: 0195086791
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-508679-9
1. Legends, Jewish.
2. Jewish mythology.
I. Title.
BM530.S472 2004
296.1dc22 2003022934

Acknowledgments:

Some of these myths and commentaries have previously been published in Parabola, The Forward, the Learn Torah With series, Lilith Magazine, Natural Bridge, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Most of the quotations from the Bible are reprinted from the Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures According to the Traditional Hebrew Text 1985, The Jewish Publication Society with the permission of the publisher, The Jewish Publication Society.

The following parables of Franz Kafka were newly translated by Henry Shapiro: Before the Law, Leopards in the Temple, Paradise, The Building of the Temple, and The Coming of the Messiah. Translations 2004 Henry Shapiro. All Rights Reserved.

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

For my son, Nati Zohar

Rabbi Yose taught: God has a tree of flowering souls in Paradise. This tree is surrounded by the four winds of the world. From the branches of this tree sprout forth all souls, for they grow upon this tree, as is written: I am a cypress tree in bloom; your fruit issues forth from Me. (Hos.14:9). And from the roots of this tree sprout the souls of all the righteous ones whose names are inscribed there. From this we learn that all souls are the fruit of the Holy One, blessed be He.

Ha-Nefesh ha-Hakhamah
Moses ben Shem Tov de Leon

Book One Myths of God
Gods Throne of Glory

6. Gods Crown of Prayers
Sefirotic Myths

12. The Ten Crowns of God
Gods Existence

19. Gods Day
Gods Mystery

25. The Holy Spirit
Gods Attributes

35. Gods Back
The Names of God

39. Gods Robe of Glory
The Warrior God

41. Gods Sword
Gods Voice and Word

45. The Elders of Israel Behold God
God Studies the Torah

50. God Expounds the Torah
The Suffering God

56. God Considers Ending All Existence
God Walks in the World

61. The Cottage of Candles
Early Incarnations of the Shekhinah

63. Mother Zion
Myths of the Bride of God

82. The Shekhinah Within
Visions of the Bride of God

84. A Vision at the Wailing Wall
God Defers to the Earthly Court

Book Two Myths of Creation
Before the World Was Created

94. Seven Things Created before the Creation of the World
The Creation of the World

105. The Order of Creation
The Primordial Light

112. The Light of Prophecy
The Work of Creation

120. Creation According to Philo
The Cosmic Seed

128. The Divided World
Myths of Origin

133. The Roots of Everything
Myths of the Sacred Waters

137. The Spirit of the Firmament
Rebellions against God

143. Satans Bargain with God
Myths of the Sun and Moon

146. A Garment for the Moon
Creation by Angels

152. The Angel Who Created the World
The Wheel of Creation

156. Creation by Broken Vessels
The Creation of Man

175. God and the Spirits of the Unborn
Adam and Eve

180. The First Wedding
Mythological Creatures

188. The Ram Sacrificed at Mount Moriah
The Unfinished Creation

Book Three Myths of Heaven
The Translation of Enoch

193. The Metamorphosis and Enthronement of Enoch
The Treasury of Souls

204. How to Grasp a Soul
Heavenly Journeys

214. A Jewish Icarus
The Divine Chariot

216. Mysteries of the Chariot
The Seven Heavens

225. The Wings of Heaven