Tree of Souls (Schwartz)

645 texts · Page 1 of 72

Texts from Howard Schwartz's Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, a landmark anthology gathering myths and legends spanning the full arc of Jewish tradition, from the creation of the world to the coming of the Messiah.

Isaiah's Vision

Tree of Souls

The prophet Isaiah did. And his vision, described in the Book of Isaiah (6:1-8), has shaped Jewish understandings of God, heaven, and the very nature of holiness for millennia. Ima...

AngelsHeavenPatriarchsAdam & Eve

Daniel's Night Vision

Tree of Souls

The prophet Daniel had such a dream. It's recorded in the Book of Daniel, and it's a vision that’s puzzled and inspired readers for centuries. "As I looked on," Daniel recounts, "t...

CreationAngelsHeavenPatriarchs

God's Throne Of Glory

Tree of Souls

Jewish mystical tradition offers us some pretty mind-blowing imagery. We're talking about God's Throne of Glory – not just any chair, but a cosmic command center. A vision of ultim...

AngelsHeavenAdam & EveHoly Land

The Descent Of God's Throne

Tree of Souls

Jewish tradition is rich with visions of the future, of the Olam Ha-Ba, the World to Come. And some of those visions are, well, breathtaking. Imagine this: a day when the very thro...

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The Crown Of God

Tree of Souls

We often think of God as formless, beyond human comprehension, but our tradition is full of rich, imaginative descriptions. And one of the most striking is the image of God wearing...

AngelsTempleHoly Land

God's Crown Of Prayers

Tree of Souls

Jewish tradition offers a stunningly beautiful image: Our prayers, all of them, rise up and become a crown for God. The image comes to us from several sources, each adding its own ...

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The Thirty-two Paths Of Wisdom

Tree of Souls

Jewish mystical tradition offers a stunningly beautiful answer: the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom. It’s a concept that's both incredibly simple and mind-bogglingly complex. Think of i...

Mysticism

The Ten Sefirot

Tree of Souls

For centuries, mystics have explored this idea, and one of the most profound expressions of it is the concept of the ten sefirot. What exactly are they? Imagine ten points of divin...

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The Twenty-two Letters

Tree of Souls

Kabbalistic tradition teaches us that the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet aren't just symbols; they are the very building blocks of existence. They are, as Rabbi Isaac Lu...

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