Seekers of the Face

Melila Hellner-Eshed has been a Professor of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and is Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute. She is the author of A River Flows from Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar (Stanford, 2009).

Part One, Chapter 1: Introduction to the Idra Rabba Part One, Chapter 2: The Language of Divine Faces Part One, Chapter 3: The Gaze Part One, Chapter 4: Reflections on Ze'eir Anpin Part One, Chapter 5: Literature, Mysticism, Praxis Part One, Chapter 6: Overarching Themes in the Idra Rabba Part One, Chapter 7: What Is the Idra Rabba Trying to Communicate? Part Two, Chapter 8: Entering the Idra Rabba Part Two, Chapter 9: The Kings of Edom: The First Appearance Part Two, Chapter 10: Arikih Anpin: Origins Part Two, Chapter 11: Arikh Anpin: Features of the Face Part Two, Chapter 12: Arraying Arikh Anpin's Beard Part Two, Chapter 13: The Kings of Edom: The Second Appearance Part Two, Chapter 14: Ze'eir Anpin Comes into Being Part Two, Chapter 15: Ze'eir Anpin's Head and Its Features Part Two, Chapter 16: The Tiqqunim of Ze'eir Anpin: The Language of Flowing Bounty Part Two, Chapter 17: The Ancient of Ancients and Ze'eir Anpin: All Is One Part Two, Chapter 18: Forming the Male and Female Body Part Two, Chapter 19: The Kings of Edom: The Third Appearance Part Two, Chapter 20: Separation and Coupling Part Two, Chapter 21: Sweetening Judgment Part Two, Chapter 22: Emerging from the Idra Rabba

"Melila Hellner-Eshed's deep grasp of some of the most complicated and elusive parts of the zoharic literature is palpable and highly impressive, matched by her ability to convey the striking wisdom of the Idra Rabba in a wonderfully lucid, engaging, and evocative manner. Her love for the Zohar is contagious."-Eitan P. Fishbane, The Jewish Theological Seminary, author ofThe Art of Mystical Narrative: A Poetics of the Zohar "Having read this book, I know that I will never read the Zohar in the same way again. All students of Kabbalah will come to view Seekers of the Face as a prerequisite, with its unique and innovative synthesis of the Jewish tradition, Jungian theory, mysticism, and feminist thought."-Pinchas Giller, American Jewish University, author of Kabbalah: A Guide for the Perplexed "The Zohar is the masterpiece of Jewish mysticism, and one of its greatest narratives is the Idra Rabba. For seven centuries, this intricate tale has perplexed readers-but now Melila Hellner-Eshed, a brilliant Israeli scholar of Kabbalah, has decoded the Idra Rabba, revealing its deepest secret: how God needs us."-Daniel Matt, translator of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition "The personal way that Hellner-Eshed connects with her subject and draws her readers into this astonishing realm makesSeekers of the Faceparticularly captivating... By means of her sensitive and methodical approach, Hellner-Eshed has made accessible one of the most difficult and abstruse medieval Jewish texts. Written for a general readership but replete with invaluable insights and wide-ranging references to the contemporary scholarship on her subject,Seekers of the Faceis well worth reading by any and all."-Mark Verman, H-Judaic