The Torah in the Tarot

“Stav Appel’s scholarship was a jolt of clarity for me—like a beam of sunlight dispelling centuries of innuendo.”
—Ariana Reines, author of A Sand Book

“Like many of you, I have used and studied Tarot, in different iterations, for many years. Upon opening this exquisite new deck and book by Stav Appel, I felt as though my practice was just beginning. This is a work of occult scholarship for the ages.”
—Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award–winning author of Occult America

“Open your eyes to the Torah in the Tarot, and you will never see this deck—or any other—the same way again.”

—Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny, creator and facilitator of My Jewish Learning’s Chodesh Circle

“The Torah in the Tarot felt like something of a homecoming, and reading it made for a surprisingly emotional experience … I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
—Rabbi Steven Gotlib, director of the Center City Beit Midrash in Philadelphia

“Appel’s research is extremely important in understanding how the Tarot we know came to exist. Those who currently use the Tarot for reflection and divination now have the choice to incorporate these hidden meanings into their understanding of the Tarot’s unique power.”
—Rabbi Jill Hammer, author of The Moonstone Covenant

“Given the challenge of ascribing the abundance of Judaica in the Noblet Tarot to mere chance, Tarot historians and Torah students alike should be encouraged to further explore the veracity of Stav Appel’s remarkable search, one that is sure to reveal some surprises.”
—Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies

“In this deceptively small volume, Appel leads readers on a journey with potential to turn everything we know of Tarot on its head.”
—Rabbi Steven Gotlib, Book Talk with Rabbi Steven Gotlib

Stav Appel is a data scientist and a lifelong student of the Torah. Earlier in his career he was the director of the Israeli-Palestinian coexistence organization Nitzanei Shalom, and the director of International Service Programs for American Jewish World Service. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and has studied Biblical Hebrew at Hebrew University and Yale Divinity School.

After a chance encounter with an old deck of Tarot cards, Stav began to explore the origins and meaning of the biblical references he recognized in its images. He is now a frequent speaker and popular writer on the Torah in the Tarot, the lost and forgotten Judaic origins of the mysterious Tarot de Marseille. He currently resides in North Salem, NY.

Ariana Reines is the author of The Rose (2025), Wave of Blood (2024), A Sand Book (2020), Mercury (2011), the Obie-winning play “Telephone” (2009), Coeur de Lion (2007), and The Cow (2006). She has created performances for Stuart Shave/Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Performance Space NY, and many others. In 2020, while a divinity student at Harvard, she founded Invisible College, a hub for the study of sacred texts and poetry online. She lives in New York, NY.

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