The Tree of Life

HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION: The tree of life has been a powerful image in Jewish tradition for thousands of years – signifying much more than immortality (Samuel L. Boyd, The Conversation).

In my research as a scholar of the Bible and ancient Judaism, I have been amazed at the potency of the symbol of the tree of life. Not only has the symbol itself transformed over time, but it has the power to transform communities along with it.

A brief survey of the Tree of Life theme in the Bible, the Ancient Near East, and the Kabbalah.

For a recent book on the Tree of Life tradition, see here and links.

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