"It is a pleasure to read such an erudite work that is written in such an accessible manner. Lachter distills a great deal of information from notoriously complex texts to illuminate the kabbalistic tradition on history and suffering."—Jonathan Ray, Georgetown University "This is a truly innovative work, offering rare insight into the kabbalists as agents of history. Lachter shines as a scholar of medieval texts, and the many understudied works he includes make for a significant contribution to the field."—Ellen Haskell, University of North Carolina at Greensboro "Drawing on a wide range of less well-known kabbalistic texts—for example, the Sefer ha-pelt'ah and Sefer ha-temunah, composed between the late 14th to the early 16th century, Lachter explains, with erudition and sensitivity, how Jews of a mystical persuasion explained the difficult shape of exilic existence.... Highly recommended."—S. T. Katz, CHOICE