Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women's Wisdom by Rabbi Tirzah Firestone

"Receiving" is the literal translation of the word Kabbalah, the body of Jewish mysticism that has been passed down from men to men for centuries. Ironically, the art of receiving, that is, opening to the divine spirit as it manifests in the here and now, is one of the undocumented mysteries of women's spirituality. Now, respected rabbi and Jungian therapist Tirzah Firestone sets out to correct the enormous error of history that has omitted the contribution of Jewish women mystics, sages, and holy women from the Jewish annals. In what might be called an act of spiritual archaeology, Firestone searches for the traces of the divine feminine in the Jewish tradition in order to answer the question, "What is a woman's way to God?" Drawing on the remarkable stories of seven historical holy women--who, despite tremendous obstacles, found ways to embrace the sacred feminine in their lives--Firestone teaches us the mysteries of Jewish Kabbalah from a woman's vantage point."

This book is very helpful in understanding some of what predicated such deep schism between spirit and matter in the Western world and what is needed from the feminine to heal this deep divide.