Introduction to jewish mysticism, with moshe idel, raanana. Idel provides fresh insights into the origins of jewish mysticism, the relation between mystical and historical experience, and the impact of jewish mysticism on western civilization. Kabbalah, hermeticism, and mtheory michael faust kabbalah. Kehot publication society and merkos publications, the publishing divisions of the lubavitch movement, have brought torah education to nearly every jewish community in the world, and are the worlds largest publisher of jewish literature. Idel s revisions his major work, published by yale university press in 1989, is called kabbalah. Only rarely are kabbalistic concepts or ideas mentioned in comparative studies, and even then discussions are based almost invariably upon secondhand material. Significantly, on a number of occasions, the rebbe distributed to the chassidim copies of the maamar heichaltzu, a chassidic discourse by rabbi shalom dovber schneersohn of lubavitch. The title of idels 1988 historical and phenomenological analysis of kabbalahs theoretical and practical genesis aptly indicates its thoroughgoing reevaluation of assumptions then current in kabbalah scholarship, many of which can be credited to the commanding influence exercised by the authoritative works of gershom scholem dating to the mid20th century. Kabbalah library home michael laitman books attaining the worlds beyond 38.
Explore a truly astonishing range of interests, philosophies, religions, and cultures from alchemy to angels, buddhism to hinduism, myth to magic. In an interconnected and interdependent world, teaching children to compete with their peers is as wise as teaching ones left hand to outsmart its peer, the right hand. This maamar has been translated into english by sichos in english,1 and is an indepth discussion of the spiritual origins of. An intellectual profile of kabbalah as a cultural factor. Moshe idel did write of the modern move from esotericism to exotericism in his earlier opus kabbalahnew perspectives, however his focus there was more on the connection between late antiquity and the middle ages as well as on the influence of thirteenth century ecstatic kabbalah. Numerous articles and books have been written about the subject of ahavas yisrael. Moshe idel kabbala free ebook download as pdf file. New perspectives have led to his portrayal in the press and in portions of the academic world as a new wave academic, a rebel against the authority of established wisdom, a heretic in the temple of the academy. Interview with moshe idelfour lectures on kabbalah. New perspectives may be the greatest academic book on kabbalah that has yet been written in the english language. Featured at the montreal comedy festival, many cajes, the smithsonian institution, times at national storytelling festival, and winner of the oracle and. Idel, moshe, on prophecy and early hasidism, studies in modern religions, religious movements and the babibahai faiths, ed. Each was a prolic writer who originated a vision of kabbalah that was to a great extent new and inuential, at least insofar as italian jewish culture was concerned.
New perspectives, yale university press, new haven en londen, 1988. Bibliotheek collectie rubriek esoterie eso71 kabbala. Yale university press, 1988 is a major work that challenges many of the basic assumptions and conclusions of the foremost scholar on kabbalistic studies in the twentieth century, gershom scholem. The psychology of the integral society presents a revolutionary approach to education. The first, and more important, one is the necessity to presume the. Originally published under the title beyond appearances, these 54 tales recapture a rich yet virtually forgotten chapter in the history of jewish narrative, forming the important transitional link between the esoteric mystical teachings of the sixteenthcentury kabbalists and the popular tales of the eighteenthcentury eastern european hasidim.
Idels book is studded with major insights, and innovative approaches to the entire history of judaism, and mastery of it will be essential for all serious students of jewish thought. By rabbi yaakov feldman the name of this class, ramchal, is a name by which rabbi luzzato is commonly known and is a hebrew acronym for rabbi moshe chayim luzzatto, the outstanding scholar and teacher of jewish ethics who lived in the 18th century. The new politics of religion in morocco and the arab world avi max spiegel. Authors preface kabbalah, chassidism and jewish mysticism. In one series, the original writings of the universally acknowledged teachers of the catholic, protestant, eastern orthodox, jewish, islamic and native american traditions have been critically selected, translated and introduced by internationally recognized scholars. Translation by martin and sarah goodman, introduction by g.
National jewish book award book awards librarything. Natural perfection keith dowman electrical spirituality. A history of the reform movement in judaism by michael a. Kabbalistic quotes kabbalistic quotes the most important aspect of the process of selfimprovement is the cultivation of ones sense of humility before the creator.
In this prizewinning new interpretation of jewish mysticism, moshe idel emphasizes the need for a comparative and phenomenological approach to kabbalah and its. The psychology of the integral society books kabbalah. In this prizewinning new interpretation of jewish mysticism, moshe idel emphasizes the need for a comparative and phenomenological approach to kabbalah and its position in the history of religion. First, the book is both comprehensive and detailed. The most indepth and scholarly panorama of western spirituality ever attempted. This is especially true in the case of the worshiper of god, who has to possess the aspects of male and female. Rabbi moshe chaim luzzatto known as ramchal was a student of one of the greatest rabbis and kabbalists in italy at the time, rabbi yeshaya bassan, from early on to age 15, when rabbi bassan left paduah to fill.
Scholems point, however, that the lurianic kabbalah is more hidden and occult than nearly any other system of thought. This volume charts for the first time the different. Nevertheless, kabbalah does not yet enjoy the same degree of honor as islamic, hindu, and buddhist mysticism. Moshe idel has 57 books on goodreads with 1734 ratings. Itsing a record of the buddhist religion as practised in india and the malay. And he also acquired a profound command of kabbalah since he was known to have memorized all the writings of the ari when he was 14. For almost two thousand years, various images of jesus accompanied jewish thought and imagination.
On some ironic consequences of maimonides rationalist messianism. New perspectives by moshe idel new haven and london. Idel analyzes both the theoretical views and spiritual practices of every major kabbalist tradition of the medieval and. Join us in a slow and deliberate study of these important works by rabbi moshe chaim luzzatto, master kabbalist, philosopher, moralist, and thinker.
But the exploration of new material is not the only, or even the most. The early kabbalah by r klener, ronald c kiener editor. New perspectives is a major new academic work on the kabbalah, which means that it will immediately be held suspect by those who, having read gershom scholems works, are suspicious of any approach to the kabbalah which proceeds from a vantage point outside orthodox jewish tradition. New perspectives on history, familial dysfunction, aging, our disintegrating environment.