As a carpenter employs tools to build a home, so G-d utilized twenty-two letters of the Alef-Bais to form the heaven and earth. They are the metaphorical wood, stone and nails, the cornerposts and crossbeams of our earthly and spiritual existence.In Letters of Light, Rabbi Aaron Raskin explores the essence of these holy letters, and how by their very nature they continue to be a source of creation, reflection, prayer and inspiration in our everyday lives. Each letter is examined in terms of its graphic design, its Gematria and its Hebrew meaning. Rabbi Raskin?s insights are themselves guided by the rich foundation of Chassidus and particularly by the illuminations of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe. The result is an original and insightful examination of how Torah ? indeed the very letter of the law ? can inform every aspect of our lives, both religious and secular.

This collection of essays is a tribute to Rachel Elior’s decades of teaching, scholarship and mentoring. If a Festschrift reflects the individuality of the honoree, then this volume offers insights into the scope of Rachel Elior’s interests and scholarly achievements in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish apocalypticism, magic, and mysticism from the Second Temple period to the later rabbinic and Hekhalot developments. The majority of articles included in the volume deal with Jewish and Christian apocalyptic and mystical texts constituting the core of experiential dimension of these religious traditions.

Arabic script is one of the world's most widely used writing systems, for Arabic and non-Arabic languages alike. J.R. Osborn traces its evolution from the earliest inscriptions to digital fonts, from calligraphy to print and beyond. Students of communication, contemporary practitioners, and historians will find this narrative enlightening.

Letters of Light is a translation of over ninety passages from a well-known Hasidic text, Ma'or va-shemesh, consisting of homilies of Kalonymus Kalman Epstein of Krakow, together with a running commentary and analysis by Aryeh Wineman. With remarkable creativity, the Krakow preacher recast biblical episodes and texts through the prism both of the pietistic values of Hasidism, with its accent on the inner life and the Divine innerness of all existence, and of his ongoing wrestling with questions of the primacy of the individual vis-a-vis that of the community. The commentary traces the route leading from the Torah-text itself through various later sources to the Krakow preacher's own reading of the biblical text, one that often transforms the very tenor of the text he was expounding. Though composed almost two centuries ago, Ma'or va-Shemesh comprises an impressive spiritual statement, many parts of which can speak to our own time and its spiritual strivings.

The world was startled in 2007 by revelations that Mother Teresa of Calcutta's spiritual life was full of serious doubts and personal suffering for nearly 50 years. The other great saint of the last half century - Padre Pio - offers similar revelations of his own in this enlightening collection of short excerpts from his letters. Many books have been written on the life and works of Padre Pio, but Words of Light is not a book about what others think or say about him. Here, he speaks for himself. If you are interested in the complexities and challenges of contemporary faith, you will benefit from these short teachings, counsels, and recollections culled from some of Padre Pio's most personal writings. In these letters I quickly discovered the same states of soul that were described by the great mystics. Padre Pio's own 'dark night' was in no way inferior to that described by John of the Cross, and equally the 'living flame' of his love for God dazzles the reader and allows them to catch a glimpse of another world. - Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, from the Introduction

Esteemed first lady of Bishop John Bryant in the AME Church and an honored pastor in her our right, Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant has complied a collection of letters that mentor other first ladies of the church, letters rich in comfort, encouragement, and challenge. Written in the tradition of Pauls pastoral epistles and crafted by Rev Cs own poetic voice, each chapter addresses a woman who is wrestling with a particular issue common to first ladiescovering topics such as church conflict, financial stress, self esteem, discouragement, and the death of a pastoral spouse. One letter even offers advice to the woman whose husband is the pastors spouse. A practical and inspirational resource that offers self-help with spiritual depth and honest practicality.

As an "omniscient and obnoxious" teenager in 1969, Alan Richardson wrote to the occult author William G. Gray in pursuit of instant magical enlightenment. While he didn't quite get that, it was the beginning of a correspondence lasting many years in which Gray generously shared his magical knowledge and experience. Gray's letters, witty, ascerbic and blunt, contain a wealth of hints and tips on working and using Qabalah, his views on Dion Fortune, sex magic, initiation, joining magical groups, and how to stay on the straight and true path to Light regardless of what life flings at you. How does free-will relate to Destiny? Why do many great Adepts behave like idiots if they're in contact with Higher Powers? Is sex incompatible with a spiritual path? He addresses the questions which weigh on the mind of every magical seeker - always with the proviso that true wisdom can only be reached from within oneself. The letters are a delight to read and show the humour and understanding which shine through Gray's famously unsentimental character. They will be of direct practical value to anyone pursuing a magical path of any kind, Qabalistic or otherwise, and his advice to his young apprentice is every bit as pertinent today as it was back then.

Hebrew language utilizes an alternate letters in order when contrasted with English language. The Jewish alphabet is frequently called the "alefbet," in light of its initial two letters. The Hebrew letter set comprises twenty-two letters. They are intriguing and captivating to find out about in light of the fact that each letter in the Alefbet contains various implications and imageries.Each letter is a symbol, brimming with numerous and more profound implications, from strict direct significance, to internal otherworldly importance. Understanding the letters gives basic knowledge into the more profound implications of the Torah and the Holy book.The in and out significance of the Hebrew letters goes beyond the sound for which they stand. The letters form the core of the Jewish language and that of the religion.The twenty-two (22) letters of the Hebrew letters in order each has an emblematic importance. Each letter in Hebrew likewise has a specific numerical value known as "Gematria." A profound investigation on the more inciting implications of the letters can change, widen and develop our learning and can lead us to more profound degrees of otherworldly experience. This book is a small section point into a more extensive and more profound field of study, which could be followed for a lifetime.

Including the original text and a new introduction telling how the book was discovered by the editor, a first-person account of life after death reveals what the author learned from a dead man through "automatic writing." IP.

With this collection of ancient Greek letters--written on papyrus and discovered in Egypt--John L. White provides a "comparative body of texts for studying the style of early Christian letters in the New Testament and the early church fathers." He seeks, as well, to contribute to an understanding of socio-political and economic factors within Greco-Roman Egypt and to illuminate broad environmental factors that help in understanding both Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman period.