Arbeiderspers

PART 1.
1. The God who travels through past, present and future. Tsfat, Palestina, 1563. During a wintery walk in the mountains, Yosef tries to persuade his son Chaim Vital to give up his obsession with alchemy and to dedicate himself to Kabbalah. The argument escalates and Yosef dies as a result.
2. The God who gives radiance. Tsfat. Palestina. Seven years later. 1570. The famous Kabbalah teacher, Cordovero, announces during a class that when he dies his successor will be indicated ‘by a cloud’ at his funeral. To the jealousy of his fellow students, Chaim Vital, the young, ambitious student who dreams of writing the book of books, is convinced that the prediction is about himself.
3. The God who knows all your ways. Chaim wants to impress his teacher by solving a kabbalistic puzzle but falls asleep, exhausted. His landlady Anna wakes him and says that his teacher wants to see him.
4. The God who looks beyond the hills. Instead of advancing his position, his teacher sends him away. To his amazement, he orders Chaim to go and apprentice himself to Itschak Luria, an Egyptian pilgrim with a dubious reputation.
5. The God who blows away the clouds. Chaim spends the whole night wandering through the mountains in despair. By the evening he decides to obey his teacher’s command.
6. The God of the Garden of Eden. Itschak Luria proves to be much better than Chaim in understanding the Kabbalah and even surpasses his former teacher. Chaim is taken by surprise by this man and his gorgeous fifteen year-old daughter, Francesa.
7. The God who lights up the dark. Chaim returns to his lodgings and fears the scorn of the inhabitants of Tsfat when they learn he is taking lessons with Itschak. How has he fallen so far from grace with his former teacher?
8. The God of eternal life. In the morning he hears from his landlady that Cordovero has died and the funeral procession is already on its way to the cemetery. The whole town has come out and Chaim joins them. Then he notices the cloud his teacher had predicted.
9. The God of surrender. But it is not Chaim but Itschak who points out the cloud to the funeral guests. Cordovera’s students are furious – how can this pilgrim be their teacher’s successor?

PART 2.
10. The God who spreads light. Seven days later. After seven days of mourning, Chaim goes to the synagogue where Cordovero used to teach. Itschak is waiting for him there. He tells him that he had moved to Tsfat in order to meet Chaim. An old man, perhaps an angel, had instructed him.
11. The God who brings peace. Chaim visits the students and tries to persuade them to accept Itschak as their new teacher. His half-brother, Joshua, also a student, says that they would rather be taught by Zimra, Cordovero’s lifelong rival.
12. The God who remembers everything. Chaim goes to Itschak’s house and finds Zimra there, he has come to try to persuade Itschak to become his student. But Itschak won’t come out of his study, to Zimra’s anger. When he goes to hit Francesa, Chaim intervenes. Chaim and Francesa’s mutual attraction becomes apparent.
13. The God who knows your soul. The next day a new student turns up in the synagogue, it is Abraham, Chaim’s boss, a rich textile manufacturer. Itschak advises him to right a serious injustice he has done to someone. This is the reason his soul is so weary. He also tells Chaim that he must put Francesa out of his mind, she is not intended for him.
14. The God who delights in prosperity. In full view of his staff, Abraham flagellates himself and pleads them to tell them who he has done an injustice to. Finally Fatima, a moorish lady, says that she has often worked overtime without being paid for it. Abraham thanks her and gives her money. For the first time he sees that giving can offer more pleasure than taking, a basic Kabbalistic principle.
15. The God of intuition. Francesa goes to see Chaim in his room. Anna interrupts them before anything can happen.
16. The God who brings together. The old judge Karo, who has to decide on Cordovero’s successor, asks Zimra to attend one of Itschak’s lessons. If he can prove that Itschak’s learning is not sufficient they can discount him as a candidate.
17. The God who speaks in your dreams. Chaim wakes up with a cry. He has had an erotic dream about Francesa who has transformed into Lilith, a demonic Eve. Anna, who interprets dreams, tells him that it is a warning.
18. The God who shows the other side. Zimra and the other former students attend Itschak’s class. They try to trip him up but half of the students abandon the taunting in the face of his wise suggestions.
19. The God who truly hears what you say. Karo listens to Zimra’s report and begins to doubt him. He decides to visit Itschak himself.
20. The God of true repentance. Karo is quickly convinced that only Itschak should succeed Cordovero. The two men agree on a marriage between Francesa and Yehuda, Karo’s son, who is rumoured to be gay.
21. The God of passion. In a state of despair, Francesa seeks out Chaim at his work where he is a wool-dyer. She tries to persuade him to become engaged to her. According to Jewish law they can be married if they copulate before two witnesses. But Ruth, the cleaner, pulls the two apart.

PART 3.
22. The God who is father and mother. Seven weeks later. Francesa refuses outright to marry Yehuda. She misbehaves so badly that her parents tie her to her bed. She attacks and almost kills her mother.
23. The God of decisiveness. Chaim has lost his faith in Itschak. He decides to leave Tsfat and begin a new life elsewhere.
24. The God of the purpose of life. Zimra, who has admitted defeat, confides to Joshua, Chaim’s half-brother, that he is about to go to Abyssinia. He has received signs that the lost Ark of the Covenant is there. If he finds it he will be feted as the new Messiah by the Jewish people.
25. The God of charity. Chaim leaves Tsfat in the dead of the night but he is stopped by a woman’s cries for help. It turns out to be Fatima, his colleague from the textile factory, who has been raped and robbed. He gives her his money to help her back on her feet.
26. The God who created water. In the cemetery Chaim meets Itschak in the ritual bath. He persuades Chaim that Francesa is not his soulmate and it is only lust that he feels for her. He agrees to return and continue his education.
27. The God who drives out evil. During the next lesson, Itschak asks Chaim if he will be one of the two witnesses at Francesa and Yehuda’s wedding. He also asks him to write down his (Itschak’s) teachings in a book; finally Chaim can make a start on his long-dreamed-of book of books.
28. The God of wandering. On the eve of Francesa’s wedding she escapes and tries to persuade Chaim to elope with her. But warned by Anna, he sees that this is not a beautiful, young girl talking but the terrible Lilith who has possessed her.
29. The God of alliance. The marriage takes place in Itschak’s garden with Chaim as a witness. Itschak and Karo see it as a symbolic marriage between Kabbalah and the Tora.
30. The God of prayer. Francesa and Yehuda have to copulate before two witness. Despite Yehuda not managing it, Chaim tells the guests that the ceremony is complete.

PART 4.
31. The God of courage. Seven weeks later. Chaim gives up his job at the textile factory in order to give himself completely over to writing his book. He says farewell to his colleagues. Fatima is particularly sad and gives him a red string bracelet.
32. The God of the budding seed. Chaim wants to borrow money from Itschak so that he can focus on his studies, but Itschak refuses. He says he should have faith.
33. The God of gratitude. Anna, who no longer receives any rent from Chaim and is still cooking for him everyday, is annoyed that he is always lost in his own thoughts. She decides to evict him.
34. The Goddess of protection. Francesa’s mother allows her to chose a ring at Joshua’s silversmith’s shop for her birthday. She does a deal with Joshua, she will chose the most expensive ring if he gives a portion of the money to Chaim.
35. The God who is with you in silence. Joshua wants to take the money to Chaim straight away, but Anna says that he disappeared after their row and is now worried about him because of the bitter cold.
36. The God of miracles. The next morning, Chaim turns up for his lesson with Itschak as usual. Itschak asks his students to go with him to Jerusalem the following day to bring about a miracle. Joshua follows Itschak and Chaim as they walk in the mountains.
37. The God who gives in order to share. When Itschak leaves Chaim, Joshua discovers that Chaim is now living in a mountain cave. Chaim is only prepared to accept the money as a loan with proper interest.
38. The God of order in chaos. Apart from Chaim and Schlomo, no one else will go with Itschak to Jeruzalem. Itschak says that they’ve missed the moment, it only would have worked if all of his students had gone. The disillusioned Schlomo stays outside in the snow.
39. The God of self-confidence. Haman, the owner of the land where Itschak holds Sabbath celebrations with his students, is enraged by Schlomo’s lamentations and kills him with a pitchfork. He buries him under the Carob tree where the celebrations take place.
40. The God of the strength of spirit. In the middle of the night Zimra knocks on Joshua’s door. He has returned from his mission in Abyssinia. He has discovered that the Ark of the Covenant is not there, but that it must be in Jerusalem. In order to gain access to the Ark he needs to know the 72 secret names of God. He has guessed that Itschak knows these and asks Joshua to try and get them out of him.
41. The God of tolerance. The Governor Aboe Siffien is investigating the murder of Schlomo. The Carob tree has flowered miraculously indicating the guilty man, he hangs Haman and gives his farm to Esther, Schlomo’s widow.
42. The God of fertility. Chaim finds Esther in order to give her his condolences. She gives him a painting that Schlomo made of Francesa at her marriage.

PART 5.
43. The God of responsibility. 52 weeks later. Chaim’s first draft of the book is ready. Joshua comes as they’d arranged to collect repayment of the loan with interest but Chaim doesn’t have the money.
44. God, the merciful judge. They take the case to Judge Karo who says that Jews may not lend each other money. The loan is transformed into an ‘investment’. Karo invites Chaim for dinner.
45. The God of longing. Karo has also invited Francesa and Yehuda. Chaim hopes for the news is that their marriage will be dissolved but to his disappointment, Karo only wants to invite him to be his assistant and successor in the Court.
46. The God of soul-companionship. Anna, the first person to read Chaim’s manuscript is so impressed by it she wakes him in the middle of the night. She is particularly enthusiastic about what he writes about soulmates. She hopes that he has been thinking of her here, but Chaim disabuses her.
47. The God who frees from greed. Esther gives her inherited farm to Itschak and his pupils. The proceedings are disturbed by Anna making a commotion in the marketplace. She predicts that Tsfat will be beset by a plague.
48. The God of liberty. To Chaim’s consternation, Itschak asks that the manuscript be published under his name rather than Chaim’s. But first he shall reveal to him the 72 secret names of God. According to Itschak, Anna’s prediction is about to come true and there isn’t much time left.
49. The God of light and darkness. Chaim is exhausted from his increased work on the book, combined with his job at the Court. He collapes and is discovered unconscious in his home by Joshua.
50. The God of independence. Joshua watches over the mortally ill Chaim. Zimra convinces Joshua to steal the manuscript, in lieu of his investment.
51. The God of the ultimate. When Zimra doesn’t find the 72 names of God in the manuscript, he tries to blackmail Itschak. He threatens to burn the manuscript if Itschak doesn’t tell them to him, but Itschak grapples the manuscript back from him. Zimra flees to Jerusalem.

PART 6.
52. The God of below just as above. Seven hours later. Itschak has Chaim’s manuscript copied by 100 students, with his own name on the title page.
53. The God of resilience. Itschak gives the original manuscript back to Joshua. When Chaim, after spending days hovering between life and death, comes to, he persuades Joshua to take him to Itschak.
54. The Goddess of healing. Itschak takes Chaim with him on a boat trip on Lake Tiberias. Chaim confesses for the first time to having had a hand in his father’s death. Itschak give him a healing drink, the water of life.
55. The God of the guardian angels. Itschak takes Chaim with him to the farm for the Sabbath celebrations. The students are sombre, a plague has struk Tsfat, and they have been confined to the farm.
56. The God who speaks directly. Joshua tells Chaim that Itschak has copied his manuscript and given it to the students as his own work.
57. The God who grants us everything. Chaim wants his pound of flesh and bangs on Istchak’s bedroom door. Itschak argues that it is his book because without his teachings it could not have been written. Chaim leaves the farm and decides to enter the town, even though it is forbidden.
58. The God of innocence. Esther, Schlomo’s widow, who is also exiled at the farm, leads two of Itschak’s trusted students astray.
59. The God of happiness. Francesa visits Chaim in his room. Her husband, Yehuda, has been one of the victims of the plague.
60. The God of purification. The two adulterous husbands are caught by their wives. Itschak decides to break up his student group. Joshua is the first on the farm to succumb to the plague.
61. The God who is forthright. Itschak’s wife questions his actions. He has driven away his daughter, deceived his best pupil, broken up his class: what is it all in aim of?
62. The God of sexual magic. Francesa demonstrates to Chaim that Lilith and Shekina, God’s feminine counterpart, kabbalistically seen (by numerical values of the words) are one and the same. He makes love to her.
63. The God who prevents disasters. Itschak catches the plague and on his deathbed he asks Abraham to return all the books to Chaim. He writes a farewell letter to Chaim and dies.

PART 7.
64. The God who drives away anger. Seven days later. Francesa and Chaim depart for Jerusalem in order to begin a new life. On their way they burn all the books so that the memories of their teacher and father are gone for good..
65. The God of new beginnings. Francesa asks Zimra to help find them lodgings and a job for Chaim. Zimra welcomes her warmly and pours her bitter tea.
66. The God who gives meaning to all things. Meanwhile, Chaim reads Itschak’s letter on a terrace. He is served by Fatima, his former colleague. In the letter, Itschak outlines where the Ark of the Covenant is hidden. Once Chaim has forgiven him, he’ll be in a position to return the Ark to the Jewish people. A new era will dawn.
67. The God who sees the greater picture. Zimra has drugged Francesa with the tea, and lays her out in the synagogue, surrounded by scorpions. Confessing to holding his lover captive, it is not difficult to persuade Chaim to tell him where the Ark is.
68. The God of forgiveness. According to Itschak, the Ark can be reached by a well in hammam. Because it is a female hamman, Chaim and Zimra go to Fatima for help. She dresses up Chaim as a woman but refuses to go with him. She has recognised Zimra as her attacker.
69. The God who inspires. Fatima now accompanies Chaim to the hammam while Zimra waits outside. Chaim finds the well in the courtyard, dives down it and finds a trapdoor. After returning to it seven times and reciting from Exodus, it opens onto a cave.
70. The Goddess of unconditional love. Chaim finds the entrance to the Ark and opens it by using the 72 secret names of God. He meets Shekina who shows him how Francesa has been driven by hatred for her father, rather than by true love for him. The two have not enriched each others souls.
71. The God who transforms everything. Impatient with waiting, Zimra calls up the Governor and his soldiers to go in after Chaim. When Zimra approaches the Ark he is burned to death by its power and light. The men decide to close off access to the Ark. As long as people have shut love out of their hearts and cannot control their egotism, it is too soon to make the Ark public. It would have a destructive rather than a holy power.
72. The God of immortality. Chaim runs to the synagogue where Zimra has kept Francesa hostage but it is too late, she has been stung to death by the scorpions. Finally, he realizes that Anna has been his true soulmate all this time and returns to Tsfat, humbled and ready to begin his book anew.