The Beginning of Wisdom: Unabridged Translation of the Gate of Love from Rabbi Eliahu de Vidas' Reshit Chochmah

Reshit Chochmah, one of the classics of East European and Sephardic Jewry, has appeared in numerous editions. A combination of spiritual and moral advice in a deeply kabbalistic framework, it provides an irresistible model of personal redemption that is integral to the process of cosmic redemption. By improving oneself, one redeems the world. The popularity of Rabbi Eliyahu de Vidas's work has continued into modern times, and it was one of the first Hebrew books reprinted after the Holocaust. The current translation from the original Hebrew of one of its most significant parts, The Gate of Love, now appears together with an extended introduction. This introduction defines vital kabbalistic terms and concepts, and sets the entire work within its kabbalistic context. With these aids, this classic of Jewish spiritual guidance will be accessible to the modern reader who might otherwise find Rabbi de Vidas's exposition very difficult to follow.