The Receiving

About this book

Discover the lost mystical lineage of Jewish women through seven historic sages whose lives and spiritual wisdom illuminate Kabbalah.Drawing upon Talmudic records, Hasidic chronicles, and kabbalistic texts, Rabbi Tirzah Firestone recovers the neglected histories of seven holy women whose lives bridged sacred scholarship and visionary leadership.Each chapter pairs a historical biography with the kabbalistic Tree of Life, translating ancient mystical principles into practical, grounded pathways toward personal wholeness.A highly respected rabbi, therapist, and teacher restores women's spiritual lineage to Judaism and empowers women to reclaim their rightful connection to Jewish teachings, Kabbalah, and to their own spiritual wisdom. Women Mystics: Uncover the forgotten stories of seven female luminaries, from Hannah Rachel of Ludomir teaching through the window of her green hut to Asnat Barzani directing a seventeenth-century Kurdish yeshivah. Feminine Spirituality: Reconnect with ancient practices of everyday holiness, including Malkah of Belz transforming kitchen labor into sacred alchemy and medieval prayer leaders mentoring women in the synagogue. Daily Practices: Apply contemplative techniques grounded in the Tree of Life to modern life, integrating meditation on the five levels of the soul with rituals of inner balance. Spiritual Healing: Explore how the kabbalistic concept of yichud unifies fractured opposites, drawing on sixteenth-century Safed visionaries who received angelic guidance to navigate personal and communal crises.