The Bahir The Brightness: A New Translation with New Insights into One of the Most Important Books of the Kabbalah

The Bahir is one of the primary sources of the Kabbalah. It first appeared in the late twelfth century and was published in 1651 in Amsterdam. This is a translation of this edition. The 1651 edition differs somewhat to other versions, as it still includes many principles of the original Kabbalah, which later Kabbalists changed or rejected. Contemporary Kabbalists consider the Bahir to be a mystical work, whereas the ancient Kabbalists considered it to be a cosmological work. The Bahir is full of rich symbolism which conveys a profound cosmology. Although the symbolism of the Bahir is generally simple in its form, few have been able to penetrate its mysteries. Consequently, many Kabbalists have described the Bahir as one of the most obscure works of the Kabbalah. But the Bahir is not obscure; it is clear and bright. It clearly describes, through various symbolic forms, the creation and constitution of the universe, besides many other important mysteries. The Bahir is a spring of wisdom waiting for those that thirst for true wisdom to come and drink from it.