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Acknowledgments The prehistory of this book began in 1982 in the Mekor Barukh neighb borhood of Jerusalem. It was there, at Yeshivat ha-Hayyim ve ha-Shal lom , that I began attending the afternoon seminars or shiurim in Luria anic Kabbala (kitvei ARI) by the renowned Jerusalem kabbalist Ha-Rav Mordechai Attia. During the three years I studied with Rav Attia I gained preliminary access to the complex world of Lurianic Kabbala and its literature according to the tradition he received from his grandf father and Ha-Rav Mordechai Sharabi of Beit El. I am eternally grateful to Rav Attia for the breadth and depth of his knowledge and, as import tant , his generosity of spirit. During that period Shabbatei Teicher was a true friend, teacher, and guide and thus deserves recognition. The history of this book began with an essay I published on Luria anic Kabbala and the Garden of Eden that appeared in AJS Review in 1996. It was then that I began to think seriously about a larger project on Lurianic Kabbala and the interpretation of Scripture. There are many people who deserve thanks and recognition from the years this book took shape. A few chapters were written during a sabbatical year in Paris where I was fortunate to have made the acquaintance of Paul Fenton. Moshe Mykoff remains a cherished havruta, even from afar. His journey remains inspiring. Menahem Kallus has been generous with his knowledge of the Lurianic tradition and its sources and the many conv versations with him are greatly appreciated. Elliot Wolfson has been supportive throughout and was always willing to offer advice and sugg gestions from his deep knowledge of Kabbala and philosophy. His succ cinct comments on chapter 4 were particularly instructive. Ben Somm mer ’s corrections and comments on the biblical portion of my survey of Lurianic myth saved me from some embarrassing errors. For the past three years Nathaniel Berman has been a steady study partner in Kabb bala (and beyond) and has enriched my own understanding of the Zohar and its commentaries. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi has been a true teacher and friend. His trust and support are greatly cherished. Many have commented on drafts of chapters or have simply been a part of the larger intellectual and spiritual process that resulted in this book. They are: Daniel Abrams, Aryeh Cohen, Alan Cooper, James Diam mond , Jason Fickel, Lawrence Fine, Talya Fishman, Yehuda Gellman, Pinhas Giller, Aubrey Glazer, Gloria Greenfield, Joel Hecker, Shai Held, Boaz Huss, Moshe Idel, Zvi Ish-Shalom, Martin Kavka, Kathryn Lofton,  Acknowledgments Yehuda Mirsky, David Novak, Peter Ochs, Andrea and Steve Peskoff, Or Rose, Miryam Segal, Eliezer Shore, Ely Stillman, and Yossi Turner. I came to Indiana University in the middle of this project. The Relig gion Department and Borns Jewish Studies Program at IU have been rich intellectual homes and have given me the opportunity to see this through to completion. In particular I would like to thank David Brakke, Constance Furey, David Haberman, Richard Miller, Michael Morgan, Jeffrey Veidlinger, Mary Jo Weaver, and Steven Weitzman. Many thanks to Herb Marks, editor of the series on biblical interpretat tion at Indiana University Press and professor of Comparative Literat ture at IU for seeing this project for what it was and for his meticulous critique and comments, particularly on chapter 5. Thanks to Janet Rabinowitch and Dee Mortensen of IU Press, to Joyce Rappaport for her copyediting, and to Hila Ratzabi, again, for the index. To my partner Nancy Levene for always pushing me to places unk known and for going there with me. To my adult children Yehuda, Chisda, and Miriam, for finding their own way and for our cherished Kinn neret , for helping us find ours. This book is dedicated to Dovid Din (d. 1985), may his memory be a blessing, a unique figure whose short but int tense life touched many more people than he even knew. To me he was a friend, a teacher, a guide, a fellow traveler, someone who feared nothing of the spirit. Like masters of a previous era, he wrote almost nothing yet his words and his presence still resonate more than twenty years after his death. Sometimes I think he was born too late, sometimes I think he was born too early. In any case, without him I would be a completely different person. This is my belated gift to him. ...

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