Book excerpt: Michael Berg’s overview of the Zohar is a virtual timeline showing its connection with great historical figures and events throughout time. He addresses the myths surrounding this sacred work, and covers who first revealed it, who wrote it down, and who studied it — not just Jewish scholars, but Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, the Knights Templar, and other inquisitive thinkers. Berg clearly demonstrates the profound influence Zohar and Kabbalah have had on all the major disciplines, from literature and art to medicine and science.