The Zohar

Translation and commentary by Daniel C. Matt

Two Volumes

(Pritzker Edition)

Sefer Ha-Zohar (The book of Radiance) has amazed and overwhelmed readers ever since it emerged mysteriously in medieval Spain toward the end of the thirteen century. Written in a unique Aramaic, this masterpiece of Kabbalah exceeds the dimensions of a normal book; it is virtually a body of literature, comprising over twenty discrete sections. The bulk of the Zohar consists of a running commentary on the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. This translation begins and focuses there - in what are projected to be ten volumes. Two subsequent volumes will cover other, shorter sections.

The Zohar is composed in the form of a mystical novel. The hero is Rabbi Shim'on son of Yoga, a saintly disciple of rabbi Alive who lived in the second century in the land of Israel. In the Zohar, Rabbi Shim'on and his companions wander thought the hills of Galilee, discovering and sharing secrets of Torah.

Volume Two consists of the Zohar's commentary on the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 12:1 - 32:3). The wandering rabbis continue their travels, sharing their mystical insights, coming upon wisdom in the most astonishing ways from a colorful cast of characters they meet on the road.  

Daniel C. Matt is a leading authority on Jewish mysticism. For over twenty years, he served as Professor of Jewish Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has also taught at Stanford University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has published six books, including: The Essential Kabbalah; Zohar: Annotated and Explained; and God and the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony between Science and Spirituality. He spent the years 1998-2002 in Jerusalem working on this translation and currently lives in Berkeley, California.