Word and Image in Medieval Kabbalah

' Segol provides a clearly-written guide through the maze of medieval commentaries and modern academic scholarship surrounding the Sefer Yetsirah. With remarkable lucidity, she introduces us to the mind-set of medieval Jews who sought through Hebrew letter combinations, ritualized dance, and the creation of a golem to alter the earthly and divine realms. Readers interested in a central work of medieval mysticism and Kabbalah will welcome this new methodological approach to Sefer Yetsirah, a central though utterly enigmatic classic. Yet, scholars of Religious Studies, even those not versed in medieval literature, will be rewarded by Segol' s use of the medieval texts, diagrams, and commentaries as a means to address the larger issues that have shaped academic scholarship, particularly the issues surrounding magic and religion. ' - Jody Myers, California State University, Northridge