Publisher's Synopsis
Chayim Vital wrote a number of treatises about alchemy, medical science, magic, and superstitious matters. His master, Isaac Luria, tried to hinder him from this passion of his. As a result, while Lurianic literature was widely published, all the original alchemical manuscripts written by Vital remained widely secreted. All knew they existed, but with few exceptions there were never made public. Today, we have a good extract of Sefer Ha-Peulot (Book of Operations) in English, translated directly from a few manuscripts that were consulted. The book is a collection of science, medicine, alchemy and Kabbalah Maasit (practical Kabbalah). It gives us a clear glimpse on the knowledge at the time in many fields of science, which can help us to collocate better also the kabbalistic teachings.
