The Zohar

At last, we have an authoritative version of one of the most significant, misunderstood, brilliant, difficult texts in the whole of the Jewish tradition, a translation that fulfills the wishes and scholars and seekers alike. -- The Forward Daniel Matt's landmark translation of the Zohar from the original tongues into English is a tour de force of scholarship and linguistic imagination-in the service of heaven. -- Laurance Wieder University of Virginia in Charlottesville While translation may be an art, it can also be genuine scholarship of the highest order... Restoring the Zohar to our comprehension, these volumes are a monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought. -- Koret Jewish Book Award,Philosophy and Thought 2003-2004,The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Volumes I and II Daniel Matt's translation of, and commentary to, the Zohar is a powerfully poetic rendition of this spiritual masterpiece. It is a book to be studied, not read. As one who has pondered and taught the Zohar for many years, I found Matt's interpretation learned, insightful, and very beautiful. Often, his translation and commentary changed my understanding of passages I thought I had already mastered. -- David R. Blumenthal Journal of the American Academy of Religion [Matt's] text is the most authoritative English translation and the only English edition that goes directly to the source, unearthing many of the major surviving manuscripts of the original language. Library Journal Pinchas of Koretz once said that the Zohar saved his soul, and a great many other Jews down through the centuries would agree. The Zohar was considered by many pious Jews to be part of the holy triad by which they lived: the Bible, the Talmud, and the Zohar. And so it is good to have it accesible to a new generation of Jews, who will learn much from it, if they are willing to confront it, to wrestle with it, and to engage in the study of it with mind and soul. Rabbi Jack Riemer Slow and meticulous study of the original text along with Matt's brilliant translation and extensive commentary will prove ultimately rewarding. The Pritzker Edition should find its place in any serious Judaica library together with all of the other major texts of Judaism. -- Paul Howard Hamburg Associaition of Jewish Libaries ...Thanks to Matt's achievement the English reader is able, for the first time, to appreciate the depth and complexity of this innovative and, at the same time, canonical mystical text. -- Journal of Jewish Studies A powerfully poetic rendition of this spiritual masterpiece... Matt's new Zohar is a classic already in its first two volumes. The edition alone, or the translation alone, or the commentary alone would be a major contribution. The whole is a work of art. -- Journal of the American Academy of Religion More than a translation, this projected twelve-volume Pritzker edition amounts to an encyclopedia of the Zohar and is set to become one of the single most important contributions to the topic in teh English-speaking world. -- Times Liiterary Supplement