It is, however, a notoriously difficult text, full of hidden codes, concealed meanings, obscure symbols, and ecstatic expression. This illuminating study, based upon the last several decades of modern Zohar scholarship, unravels the historical and intellectual origins of this rich text and provides an excellent introduction to its themes, complex symbolism, narrative structure, and language. A Guide to the Zohar is thus an invaluable companion to the Zohar itself, as well as a useful resource for scholars and students interested in mystical literature, particularly that of the west, from the Middle Ages to the present.

    Catherine Kleier invites us to open our eyes to the phenomenal world of plant life and to the process she calls “Natura Revelata”, the joy of celebrating and learning from the secrets of nature.As Dr. Kleier shares her knowledge with contagious excitement for her subject, she emphasizes the middle ground: Instead of focusing on cell microbiology or the study of ecosystems and habitats, she stresses the basic biology, function, and the amazing adaptations of the plants we see all around us. Dr. Kleier proposes and establishes that there is pleasure to be found in being able to identify and understand the workings of that tree outside the window.With almost 400,000 known species and thousands more identified every year, the variety of plant life is almost overwhelming - from the microscopic to the largest organism on Earth. In this course, you will learn about the fascinating adaptations that have allowed plants to thrive in almost every corner of the world and the unique plants that have evolved as a result.You’ll learn about the latest discoveries regarding plant communication, the myriad ways they manage and shape their own environments, and why botanists are still debating what it really means to be a unique species.

    This textbook, based on the author's own undergraduate teaching, develops general relativity and its associated mathematics from a minimum of prerequisites, leading to a physical understanding of the theory in some depth. It reinforces this understanding by making a detailed study of the theory's most important applications - neutron stars, black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmology - using the most up-to-date astronomical developments. The book is suitable for a one-year course for beginning graduate students or for undergraduates in physics who have studied special relativity, vector calculus, and electrostatics. Graduate students should be able to use the book selectively for half-year courses.

     This explanation of the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, demonstrates clearly and powerfully that the opposite is true. The Bible remains profoundly relevant—both to the great issues of our day and to each individual life. It is the greatest moral guide and source of wisdom ever written. Do you doubt the existence of God because you think believing in God is irrational? This book will give you many reasons to rethink your doubts. Do you think faith and science are in conflict? You won’t after reading this commentary on Genesis. Do you come from a dysfunctional family? It may comfort you to know that every family discussed in Genesis was highly dysfunctional! The title of this commentary is “The Rational Bible” because its approach is entirely reason-based. The reader is never asked to accept anything on faith alone. In Dennis Prager’s words, “If something I write is not rational, I have not done my job.” The Rational Bible is the fruit of Dennis Prager’s forty years of teaching the Bible—whose Hebrew grammar and vocabulary he has mastered—to people of every faith and no faith at all. On virtually every page, you will discover how the text relates to the contemporary world in general and to you personally. His goal: to change your mind—and, as a result, to change your life.

    No matter who we are, we feel fulfillment, happiness, and purpose inside of ourselves. These qualities are not felt outside of ourselves, and cannot be found in external things or circumstances. Similarly, knowledge of ourselves and our purpose cannot be found in external things, but are found inside. By knowing what is in our hearts and minds, by seeing what we usually ignore, we learn not only what we are capable of, but also what prevents us from developing our full potential. By knowing ourselves, we acquire the knowledge of how to change for the better. As we improve ourselves and awaken to our true nature, we spontaneously begin to radiate the light of divinity in everything we do, increasing our own happiness, and spreading it to others. This is how we begin to live the Gnostic message, which states that the light of the Divine is within us. By knowing ourselves, we also learn about that light, and can bring it into the world to benefit everyone. "All things, all circumstances that occur outside ourselves on the stage of this world, are exclusively the reflection of what we carry within. With good reason then, we can solemnly declare that the 'exterior is the reflection of the interior.' When someone changes internally-and if that change is radical-then circumstances, life, and the external also change." - Samael Aun Weor This book reflects and illuminates the spiritual psychology of all genuine religions and mystical traditions. With the practical guidance in this book, anyone can awaken to see the light for the Divine for themselves.

    With Rabbi Yosef Begun's marginal notes. Vowelized, facing Hebrew and English texts.

    First English translation from ancient unpublished manuscripts, with commentary.

    Their lives are tragically filled with heartache and desperation as they continuously struggle against overpowering temptation, physical and mental illness, and a myriad of catastrophic events. Usually, they are unaware that their plight is the result of an unbroken curse that has been placed upon them and perhaps upon their families.Some of the CausesHatred and jealousyTrespassing on the devil’s territoryHandling unholy thingsInherited cursesBreaking vows to GodThe Solution The Bible specifically instructs every believer to avoid curses and to recognize and break them. Yet, an astonishing number of Bible-believing Christians have either not read or do not remember these essential spiritual principles. Thus, many believers live under the affliction of unbroken curses. This book will show you the necessary biblical steps to recognize, prevent, and break every type of curse.

     But, when he starts to get lonely, he sets out to tame an ocelot or a wolf for a pet. And that is when things start to go horribly wrong with his plans for a nice, quiet life. When a mysterious stranger pays him a visit, things really start to get weird. This Diary of a Werewolf Steve is creepy and eerie. Read it if you dare!

    With magisterial learning and the elan of a born storyteller, Pagels turns Satan's story into an audacious exploration of Christianity's shadow side, in which the gospel of love gives way to irrational hatreds that continue to haunt Christians and non-Christians alike.

    Includes: Love Handles Love Letters Love Lately Each steamy sweet short story has an handsome man, curvy woman and happily ever after.

    After mulling over the lessons he's learned, the places he's been, and all the miracles and strange occurrences he's witnessed over the course of an enduring career in Hollywood and on the stage, he arrived at one simple rule for living a long and good life: don't die.It's the only one-size-fits-all advice, Shatner argues in Live Long and..: What I Might Have Learned Along the Way, because everyone has a unique life--but, to help us all out, he's more than willing to share stories from his unique life. With a combination of pithy humor and thoughtful vulnerability, Shatner lays out his journey from childhood to peak stardom and all the bumps in the road. (Sometimes the literal road, as in the case of his 2,400-mile motorcycle trip across the country with a bike that didn't function.)William Shatner is one of our most beloved entertainers, and he intends never to stop entertaining. His funny, provocative, and poignant reflections offer an unforgettable read about a remarkable man.

    When 1st published, the book elicited hostile criticism because of its blunt & frank detail of his sexual exploits, beginning in childhood. A biographer of Oscar Wilde & Shakespeare, Harris fought the US government & postal service over the content of his publications--battles included herein along with his blunt, colorful depictions of his sexual exploits with willing Victorian Age debutantes. My Life & Loves remains a landmark in erotic literature, as relevant & provocative today as it was when 1st privately printed in Paris.

    Abraham Joshua Heschel's philosophy of religion is not a philosophy of doctrine or the interpretation of a dogma. He erects his carefully built structure of thought upon foundations which are universally valid but almost generally ignored. It was Man Is Not Alone which led Reinhold Niebuhr accurately to predict that Heschel would "become a commanding and authoritative voice not only in the Jewish community but in the religious life of America." With its companion volume, God in Search of Man, it is revered as a classic of modern theology.

    In Biblical Literacy, Telushkin turns his attention to the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament), the most influential series of books in human history. Along with the Ten Commandments, the Bible's most famous document, no piece of legislation ever enacted has influenced human behavior as much as the biblical injunction to "Love your neighbor as yourself." No political tract has motivated human beings in so many diverse societies to fight for political freedom as the Exodus story of God's liberation of the Israelite slaves--which shows that God intends that, ultimately, people be free.The Bible's influence, however, has conveyed as much through its narratives as its laws. Its timeless and moving tales about the human condition and man's relationship to God have long shaped Jewish and Christian notions of morality, and continue to stir the conscience and imagination of believers and skeptics alike.There is a universality in biblical stories:The murder of Abel by his brother Cain is a profound tragedy of sibling jealousy and family love gone awry (see pages 11-14).Abraham',s challenge to God to save the lives of the evil people of Sodom is a fierce drama of man in confrontation with God, suggesting the human right to contend with the Almighty when it is feared He is acting unjustly (see pages 32-34).Jacob's, deception of his blind father, Isaac raises the timeless question: Do the ends justify the means when the fate of the world is at stake (see pages 46-55).Encyclopedia in scope, but dynamic and original in its observations and organization, Biblical Literacy makes available in one volume the Bible's timeless stories of love, deceit, and the human condition; its most important laws and ideas; and an annotated listing of all 613 laws of the Torah for both layman and professional, there is no other reference work or interpretation of the Bible quite like this Stunning volume.