Introduction to Kabbalah, Meditation and Prophecy
The first part of this book is based on a series of classes that R. Aryeh Kaplan z'l gave to a small group of students at his home in Brooklyn, from August 10 to November 2, 1981. Thinking of eventually developing them into a book, Rabbi Kaplan had the classes taped and transcribed. Such being the origin of this book, the editor was reluctant to tamper with the sometimes colloquial style, for it brought vivid memories of the author discussing these profound concepts with the unique clarity and simplicity that characterized him. The second part of this book is an independent series of lectures on the first chapter of the book Ezekial that were given from January 18 to March 15, 1982. In these lectures, Rabbi Kaplan developed the theme of meditation as it manifests itself in prophecy. In this sense, it is a sequel to the posthumous Jewish Mediation (Shocken, 1985). It seemed logical to join this section to the first part of this book rather then publish it as a separate volume because it would be useless to a beginner without the knowledge of the basic principles of Kabbalah expounded in the first part. In addition, they supplement the first part in that they translate Kabbalistic concepts into our everyday life. It is our hope that many readers will be inspired to return to the faith of their fathers as the mystical reasons behind the commandments are progressively unveiled to them and that this will be a source of benefit for the soul of our dear departed teacher, Amen.
by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
