Shaar Hagilgulim - Gate of Reincarnation by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

This is an English translation of the Arizal's work on reincarnation. The original Hebrew text is side-by-side with the English to assure accuracy and easy reference by the reader. It is also heavily annotated and includes diagrams. This is the latest edition and is all contained into one volume. 

HA’AR HAGILGULIM IS the eighth gate, or section, from the writings of the Arizal.

As the title makes clear, it is a work about reincarnation and personal rectification, describing, often in detail, processes that affect everyone, but of which so few are aware.

However, they should be aware of them, because knowing such principles increases a person’s opportunity to make better use of his or her life by increasing the chances of personal rectification.

Furthermore, such knowledge puts the events of history, past, and present, personal and national, into perspective, allowing people to learn from past mistakes and to be better prepared for the future.

Another important aspect of the teachings of Sha’ar HaGilgulim is that it also allows for a more generous appreciation of other people and the way they act.

It makes judging others to the side of merit easier since it becomes clearer, after learning this sefer, that our physical eyes are not the most reliable sources of information when it comes to analyzing other people and the way they behave.

One thing becomes perfectly clear:

Every individual is on a personal journey to personal rectification, and the journey of one person is never the same as that of another. This alone makes the wisdom of this work invaluable to even the average person, not just the learned Kabbalist. Nevertheless, there is always a reason for concern when translating any Torah sefer into another language, even more so when it belongs to the realm of Kabbalah, and even more so when it is a work such as Sha’ar HaGilgulim.

There is the concern of mistranslation or misunderstanding by the reader,

especially when it comes to such deep and often complicated concepts.

Furthermore, Sha’ar HaGilgulim was obviously written for those who are already well-versed in Kabbalah and the writings of the Arizal.

In some cases, it became imperative to cross-reference material and to provide details from other works for what is just mentioned “in passing” in this one.

In some cases, the subject matter is just too complex and too complicated to explain meaningfully in a translation such as this one, leaving it up to the reader to continue the research on his own.

However, these are unique times.

The explosion of knowledge and increasingly greater accessibility to all aspects of it often results in even more confusion and misdirection.

It is the hope and prayer that this translation of Sha’ar HaGilgulim accomplish just the opposite, leading the reader instead down the true path to personal rectification and the service of God.