Weil Andrew - Daily kabbalah: wisdom from the tree of life

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The Place Where You Are Standing Is Holy: A Jewish Theology on Human Relationships

They Called Her Rebbe: The Maiden of Ludomir

The Sacred Stones: The Return of the Golem

The Secret of Sambatyon

The Hostage Torah: A Thrilling Blend of Espionage, Suspense, and Spiritual Confrontation That Stirs the Souls of Three Young Men in the Holyland

Dybbuk: A Glimpse of the Supernatural in Jewish Tradition

The Soul of the Matter: A Jewish-Kabbalistic Perspective on the Human Soul Before, During, and After Life

The Golem of Prague: A New Adaptation of the Documented Stories of the Golem of Prague

Copyright 2004, 2009 by Gershon Winkler. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

Published by
North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712

Cover images: Foreground from The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes by John Gerard. Reproduced by permission of the Royal College of Physicians, London. Background from Sefer HaSheymot HaKedoshim by seventeenth-century Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Zacuto. Cover design Ayelet Maida, A/M Studios.

Daily Kabbalah: Wisdom from the Tree of Life is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

Previously published as Kabbalah 365: Daily Fruit from the Tree of Life by Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City, 2004.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Daily Kabbalah : wisdom from the tree of life / [collected and translated] by Gershon Winkler; foreword by Andrew Weil.
p. cm.
Summary: With 365 extracts from original sources of Jewish sacred literature, Daily Kabbalah offers readers a page of rare wisdom and beauty to contemplate and treasure every day of the yearProvided by publisher.
eISBN: 978-1-58394-479-0
1. Cabala. 2. MysticismJudaism. I. Winkler, Gershon, 1949
BM525.A2D35 2009
296.16dc22
2009005941

v3.1

I dedicate this book to my beloved partner Ravi Miriam Maron,
a woman of amazing beauty and even more amazing wisdom;
a devoted mother and inspiring teacher;
a skillful mentor and heartfelt healer
who has gifted me with a depth of love and joy
I had never imagined possible.

In my work as a health professional I have found that healing is not so much about fixing as it is about restoring balance and perspective, and getting past old patterns. Daily Kabbalah is a unique book that I believe can help get us unstuck. Gershon Winkler has gleaned his information from many sources, mostly from ancient and early medieval Hebraic and Aramaic texts, to compile a unique collection of aphorisms and stories. Each daily reading is meant to remind us of the magic of being alive and the profound gifts that each moment can bring. As he does in his workshops and seminars, Rabbi Winkler renders user-friendly the more cryptic teachings of lesser-known kabbalistic source texts and oral traditions in order to inspire and inform our lives.

Readers of all backgrounds, religious or not, will discover in this book a body of wisdom that shows that nothing is etched in stone and everything is far more than it appears. Moreover, these teachings and parables free up our imagination, enabling us to discover, each in his or her own individual way our own kabbalistic experience of the magic of this life. Kabbalah literally means Receiving. It exists to encourage us to remain always open to receive anew the wisdom that waits to be discovered in ourselves, in each other, and in the beings with whom we share this planet.

I have long been drawn to the Kabbalah but have rarely found the time and stamina to wade through the few available English renditions of its dense and often cryptic texts. But here, at last, is a book that recasts these very same teachingsincluding a great many more that I never knew aboutinto a readable vernacular that remains true to the spirit and intention of the original sources. Did you know, for example, that when birds fly, their wings slice through the ether, allowing divine energies to enter our world? Did you know that if you see an eagle it is a sign of compassion? Did you know that the winds of the four directions gift us with healing, vision, mystery, and balance? Or that the very first thing the Creator made was a rock, and from that rock all of the universe emerged? Did you know that deep within the very obstacles that stand in the way of your journey toward enlightenment is precisely where enlightenment waits to be discovered? These and so many more useful teachings await you within these pages.

The teachings in this book were translated by the author into user-friendly renditions from sources that include but are not limited to the following Aramaic and Hebraic sources: Babylonian Talmud, Batei Midrashot, Etz HaChayyim, Jerusalem Talmud, Kitvei HaAri, Likuttei HaMaHaRaN, Mirat Eynayim, Midrash HaHeychalot, Midrash HaNeelam, Midrash Pesikta DRav Kahana, Midrash Pesikta Rabatti, Midrash Pliyah, Midrash Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma, Midrash Tehilim, Nefesh HaChayyim, ReiSheet Chochmah, Sefer HaBahir, Sefer HaRazim, Sefer HaRokeach, Sefer Hashlah Hakadosh, Sefer HaZohar, Sefer Ruach HaKodesh, Sefer Soday Razeya, Sefer Yetzirah, Shoshan Ysod Olam, Sifrei HaMaharal, Tanakh, and various oral traditions.

Daily Kabbalah is a unique collection of rare Jewish mystery wisdom gathered mostly from original Hebraic and Aramaic sources. Some are accessible in various English translations; however, most remain untranslated and often in manuscript form, hidden away in academic library archives. These selected readings for every day of the yearly cycle are intended to be contemplative, inspirational, and at times entertaining. They are also replete with kernels of wisdom that are pragmatic and timeless, cryptic and evident. Many of these nuggets are presented here for the first time in the English language, and all are phrased in the contemporary vernacular. Even more of them are based largely on lesser-promulgated kabbalistic texts that both teachers and students of the Kabbalah will find fresh and unparalleled in their studies to date.