Kabbalistic Tarot: Hebraic Wisdom in the Major and Minor Arcana - Paperback

by Dovid Krafchow (Author)

An introduction to the ancient kabbalistic origins and meanings of the tarot

- Reveals the intimate relationship of the tarot to the esoteric teachings of the Torah and the Kabbalah

- Provides kabbalistic interpretations for all 78 traditional tarot cards

- Includes a detailed kabbalistic reading and interpretation of the Tree of Life spread

When the Greeks invaded Israel and forbade study of the Torah, the Jewish people began a secret method of Toranic study that appeared to be merely a simple way to fill time: playing cards. These first tarot decks enabled study of the Torah without detection. Once the Maccabees expelled the Greeks from Israel and Israel once again became a Jewish kingdom, tarot cards dropped from sight. Fifteen hundred years later, in response to Jewish disputations with Catholic theologians, political and religious persecutions, and ultimately the Inquisition, the cards resurfaced as a secret learning tool of the Torah.

In Kabbalistic Tarot, Dovid Krafchow details how the true meaning of the tarot is locked within the Kabbalah. He shows the correspondence between the 22 Major Arcana cards and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and how the four suits correspond to the four kabbalistic worlds of Briah, Yitzerah, Asiyah, and Atzilut. He describes the kabbalistic meanings of each of the 78 cards and their relations to the Torah and provides insight into the Tree of Life spread through several kabbalistic readings.

Back Jacket

TAROT / KABBALAH Kabbalistic Tarot is an introduction to the ancient kabbalistic origins and meanings of the tarot that reveals the intimate relationship of the tarot to the esoteric teachings of the Torah. When the Greeks invaded Israel and forbade study of the Torah, the Jewish people began a secret method of Toranic study that appeared to be merely a simple way to fill time: playing cards. These first tarot decks enabled study of the Torah without detection. Once the Maccabees expelled the Greeks from Israel and Israel once again became a Jewish kingdom, tarot cards dropped from sight. Fifteen hundred years later, in response to political and religious persecutions, and ultimately the Inquisition, the cards resurfaced as a secret learning tool of the Torah. The author shows the correspondence between the 22 Major Arcana cards and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and how the four suits correlate with the levels of the four kabbalistic worlds: Atzilut (Soul), Briah (Intellect), Yetzirah (Emotions), and Asiyah (Action). He explores the kabbalistic meanings of each of the 78 cards and provides insight into the Tree of Life spread through detailed kabbalistic readings. DOVID KRAFCHOW has studied Kabbalah and practiced the tarot for more than thirty years. He began his study of the Torah at the Hadar Hatorah Institute for Rabbinical Studies in Brooklyn, New York, and lived for ten years in Zefat, Israel, the city where the Kabbalah was received by the Ari Zal (Rabbi Isaac Luria) 500 years ago. He lives in northern California.

Author Biography

Dovid Krafchow has studied Kabbalah and practiced the tarot for more than 30 years. He began his study of the Torah at the Hadar Hatorah Institute for Rabbinical Studies in Brooklyn, New York, and lived for ten years in Zefat, Israel, the city where the Kabbalah was received by the Ari Zal (Rabbi Isaac Luria) 500 years ago. He lives in northern California.