Review by bfergusonwpg -- Roadmap to the End of Days
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Review by bfergusonwpg -- Roadmap to the End of Days
[Following is a volunteer review of "Roadmap to the End of Days" by Daniel Friedmann.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Mysticism exists in all major religions and aboriginal cultures throughout the world of the humans who inhabit it. It is often considered an esoteric “religion’s religion”. In more basic animist spirit religions it is nearly always found in the form of rituals performed to initiate or to gain insight. In major religion it is also generally represented by specialist sects, such as Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Sufism. Whichever the stripe, the aim is seek to understand the workings of the divine through active and immediate means such as vision quests and exercises to train the mind and being. Generally the insight gained is mapped as it is mirrored by the forms the serious process takes. In some religions (Hinduism) there are a myriad of ways this is interpreted and attained, indeed in Zen almost anything in life can be considered mystic if it is pursued with the right degree of mindfulness.
“Roadmap to the End of Days” is all about Jewish Mysticism, (indeed the book could double well as “Jewish Mysticism for Dummies”). Jewish Mysticism, it turns out (for I have never been much of a biblical scholar), is much more schematic, absolute and esoteric to the outsider. Every event in the Old Testament, has a cosmological and eternal significance quite literally numerological, mapped out on the tree of life. This could probably be considered controversial, much like the ideas of Joseph Campbell concerning the commonalities of all religions. One finds oneself in the midst of a chicken versus the egg conundrum, wondering which came first, the events described or the significance. One thing is for sure, this book describes a different time plain from the everyday cause and effect that we normally register.
I was delighted to learn that, through my childhood bible stories, I was acquainted with most of the salient events in the Old Testament. At very least this book works well as a refresher in that department! However I’d no idea that everything has a specific and successive significance. For example the six days of creation are seen as thousand-year periods of history. Each of these periods is again broken down into six parts. Our recent human history falls within the sixth and this is divided up into 36 periods of 167 years. There is a seventh millennium, but this is considered beyond the knowable time of the present. Each of these sub-periods consists of preparation leading to conflict developments that revolve around the major patriarchal figures of the Old Testament who each correspond to sefirah on the the tree of life plus the establishment and destruction of the central temples. These developments all have interlocking shades of meaning. In this way it is said one can anticipate what is to come and can utilize one’s free will to act in the most appropriate way.
It is my belief that the story of Judaism of the past two millennium has more to do with mysticism than being the dominant monotheistic religion. In fact, though I cannot assert knowing enough to be able to say for sure, I think this tightly-knit Jewish esoterica may date to one Ba’al Shem Tov and the founding of the Chassidic sect in the eighteenth century. All of which could be a good thing if it is better known about and is not something fanatical.
It probably says something about my personality that I enjoy this “heavy” kind of subject matter. Did it cause me disquiet? Not at the time of reading, in no doubt due to the author’s knowledgeable, flowing, accessible and conversational style. A lot of meaning-charged information is summarized in a very short tome. I found it fascinating and though I don’t know if I will pursue a lot of further reading or study or not, I felt it was an edifying read and I will probably keep it on hand as an easy reference. I do want to learn more.
4 out of 4
******
Roadmap to the End of Days
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4 out of 4 stars
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Mysticism exists in all major religions and aboriginal cultures throughout the world of the humans who inhabit it. It is often considered an esoteric “religion’s religion”. In more basic animist spirit religions it is nearly always found in the form of rituals performed to initiate or to gain insight. In major religion it is also generally represented by specialist sects, such as Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Sufism. Whichever the stripe, the aim is seek to understand the workings of the divine through active and immediate means such as vision quests and exercises to train the mind and being. Generally the insight gained is mapped as it is mirrored by the forms the serious process takes. In some religions (Hinduism) there are a myriad of ways this is interpreted and attained, indeed in Zen almost anything in life can be considered mystic if it is pursued with the right degree of mindfulness.
“Roadmap to the End of Days” is all about Jewish Mysticism, (indeed the book could double well as “Jewish Mysticism for Dummies”). Jewish Mysticism, it turns out (for I have never been much of a biblical scholar), is much more schematic, absolute and esoteric to the outsider. Every event in the Old Testament, has a cosmological and eternal significance quite literally numerological, mapped out on the tree of life. This could probably be considered controversial, much like the ideas of Joseph Campbell concerning the commonalities of all religions. One finds oneself in the midst of a chicken versus the egg conundrum, wondering which came first, the events described or the significance. One thing is for sure, this book describes a different time plain from the everyday cause and effect that we normally register.
I was delighted to learn that, through my childhood bible stories, I was acquainted with most of the salient events in the Old Testament. At very least this book works well as a refresher in that department! However I’d no idea that everything has a specific and successive significance. For example the six days of creation are seen as thousand-year periods of history. Each of these periods is again broken down into six parts. Our recent human history falls within the sixth and this is divided up into 36 periods of 167 years. There is a seventh millennium, but this is considered beyond the knowable time of the present. Each of these sub-periods consists of preparation leading to conflict developments that revolve around the major patriarchal figures of the Old Testament who each correspond to sefirah on the the tree of life plus the establishment and destruction of the central temples. These developments all have interlocking shades of meaning. In this way it is said one can anticipate what is to come and can utilize one’s free will to act in the most appropriate way.
It is my belief that the story of Judaism of the past two millennium has more to do with mysticism than being the dominant monotheistic religion. In fact, though I cannot assert knowing enough to be able to say for sure, I think this tightly-knit Jewish esoterica may date to one Ba’al Shem Tov and the founding of the Chassidic sect in the eighteenth century. All of which could be a good thing if it is better known about and is not something fanatical.
It probably says something about my personality that I enjoy this “heavy” kind of subject matter. Did it cause me disquiet? Not at the time of reading, in no doubt due to the author’s knowledgeable, flowing, accessible and conversational style. A lot of meaning-charged information is summarized in a very short tome. I found it fascinating and though I don’t know if I will pursue a lot of further reading or study or not, I felt it was an edifying read and I will probably keep it on hand as an easy reference. I do want to learn more.
4 out of 4
******
Roadmap to the End of Days
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like bfergusonwpg's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer
