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| The Book of Letters: A Mystical Alef-Bait (The Kushner series) | 
 enlarge | Author: Lawrence Kushner
Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $9.49
You Save: $15.46 (62%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $9.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  (12 reviews)
Sales Rank: 93985
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 2#15th Anniversary#e.
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 80
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 0.5
ISBN: 1879045001
Dewey Decimal Number: 492.411
EAN: 9781879045002
ASIN: 1879045001
Publication Date: September 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In calligraphy by the author. Folktales about and exploration of the mystical meanings of the Hebrew Alphabet. Open the old prayerbook-like pages of The Book of Letters and you will enter a special world of sacred tradition and religious feeling. More than just symbols, all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet overflow with meanings and personalities of their own. Rabbi Kushner draws from ancient Judaic sources, weaving Talmudic commentary, Hasidic folktales, and Kabbalistic mysteries around the letters. Each letter is illuminated and, together with the comments, is presented in the author s original calligraphy, recalling the look and feel of ancient medieval manuscripts.
Amazon.com Review
The Book of Letters: A Mystical Alef-Bait is written in English, but the format is classically Talmudic. The book opens from right to left, ending on the page where most readers are accustomed to beginning. Lawrence Kushner, a Massachusetts rabbi whose writings have helped restore a mystical dimension to popular Judaism in America, wrote The Book of Letters in beautiful calligraphy that is reproduced on every page of this finely bound edition. The text does not so much analyze or explain the letters of the Hebrew alphabet as play with them, teasing their forms and functions for hints of their significance. Noting that aleph, the unpronounceable first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is also the first letter of the names of the first man (Adam), the first Jew (Abraham), and the herald of the last man (Elijah), as well as the first letter of the first commandment, Kushner notes that "The most basic words there are begin with the most primal sound there is." The Book of Letters is full of seriously playful insights like this. It's a marvelous guide to meditation, a primer for students of Hebrew calligraphy, and a fun introduction to learning Hebrew. --Michael Joseph Gross
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Letter of Illumination October 28, 2008
For beginners and advanced readers of Hebrew alike, this is an exceptional book for your collection.
 short and sweet May 10, 2008
The book was hand written which gave it an artistic appeal. However, I expected a little more detail. The book was cute though and I enjoyed reading it. It is a keeper nonetheless!
Really Good April 6, 2007
THE BOOK IS VERY GOOD; SIMPLY AND DIRECT TO THE CUESTION; A VERY GOOD GUIDE TO THE MISTYCISM IN THE HEBREW AND JEWISH.
The Book Of Letters March 29, 2007
Fun Book to read , the Author has a sense of humor and I believe this is a much better way to learn.
GGold
Eh... January 22, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I enjoy Rabbi Kushner's books, but Sefer Otiyot is frankly a bit of a disappointment. Not that there's nothing good about the book -- no; in fact, it is arty and would make a very nice gift book for someone. But if you really want to study the "mystical meaning" of Ketav Ashurit, then I would go with Rabbi Monk's book instead.
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