The Mystery of Love

The Mystery of Love opens the view to a passionate universe and God. Both scholarly and passionate himself in his approach, Gafni masterfully points the way to revitalize the Kabbalah and Christianity, with its foundations in the hebrew tradition. How profound, and how fun to read! From Gafni's view, while sexuality may be a model for passion, there is more to passion than sex. There is an opportunity fore real community -- with God and with one another. "On the New Year, our [jewish] tradition teaches that those who merit are inscribed in the Book of Life. At this moment, the universe is judging who will live and who will die. Here at the Genesis Festival of love, we will not allow God or his angels that choice. We will not allow judgment to separate us from each other. So I ask each one of you to turn to the person next to you and say - "I refuse to be written in the Book of Life .... Without you!" (p 140)

Marc writes an interesting and romantic notion of sex. There's two kinds-1.Love inside 2.Lola from the bathroom wall bible. Marc distinguishes between the two, but.. I'm glad another,especially a woman-Karen Bentley review-had the same mixed signals that I did when reading this. It's not really fear as much as the notion that something doesn't ring true with our modern easy come easy go attitude of marriage when the romance leaves and love not sexually really matters. The beginning captures puppy love pureness that should be the focus of our relationship with God. But it can be misconstrued if a guy falls in love with all women with the same cosmic pure love that Marc describes. I guess a sort of collective memory experience of having 1000 wives except what about the MODERN notion with equality for women? What if one of Marc's wives loved as many more men as strong as she loves him, sexually, whether on the inside or the outside? I guess we have to bank on the Jewish notion of things that it isn't chemically possible for most women. Some parts of the Jewish faith CAN be wrong. Divorce is a bad thing whether with love or not. I do give him credit for bringing it out with a rosy smell because it is Christian like to understand a whole population that struggles with our new divorce ethic. But hey maybe Satan and God are the same person and it's all just part of the game to experience good and evil. Because by turning on the love with everyone as Marc explains DOES lead to some jealous laden and angry moments which Marc leads so truthfully to the question of ETHICS, only at the end of the book when you're almost believing that loving everyone sexually in the mind or body, may not be such a bad thing as long as I can accept the pathology as myself. Interesting how he explains how Orthodox Jews pray swaying back and forth with a THROBBING penis as Marc describes. But I'm not judging him, just knowing it's not good even when I do it! Good book Marc, it made me feel the love, but like the saying goes, being kind can hurt someone sometimes also. But Marc does a good job of explaining the penalty of loving too much--ironically is being alone until every penny is paid for the pain caused. Maybe this is truer than most perfect notions of love.

I do not tend to go towards books with such titles as this one totes. But the name of the author drew me in. I had known Marc Gafni's fantastic teachings and read his first book "Soul Prints" with a gusto...so I gave this book a try. Once I got past the title, there were not another 4 words of the book that I didn't find masterful and moving, even enlightening. Plus, as someone with knowledge of Jewish sources, I was gratefied by the pages of endnotes at the back; revealing just how deeply rooted -and all the more revolutionary - Gafni's ideas are. He shuttles the reader into a new era of thought and spirituality. But this is not just a book that transforms individuals; it is a book with the ability to transform whole swaths of society...if its teachings were heeded. I greatly look forward to the next Gafni book, and the next, and the next....

Important. An Important book. A book that takes ancient mystical teachings and reveals their overwhelming relevance for today. Especially when our world is so busy making war...this book is busy making love...and shows that making love is not about having sex but about creating meaning and living passionately. If you thought that the Bible was boring or prudish - think again. Gafni - a Rabbi and mystical adept - gives the reader a treasured glimpse into the mystical Biblical tradition. His re-readings are radical but wonderfully footnoted; well-grounded and wildly mind expanding!

Finally - a book that says something NEW about Love! WARNING - This is not your typical tinsel 12 step plan to finding a dream date. This is a deep, inspiring, inSPIRITing quest into the realm of eros. And the 'realm' of eros is no longer just the realm of the sexual...It is every realm of your existence...work, parenting, future planning. The quality of my interactions with the people I love and the people I have a hard time loving...all have been transformed. This book is sure to change your world!!!