Moshe Halbertal
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780300140910
- eISBN:
- 9780300257014
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300140910.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
A broad, systematic account of one of the most original and creative kabbalists, biblical interpreters, and Talmudic scholars the Jewish tradition has ever produced, Rabbi Moses b. Nahman ...
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A broad, systematic account of one of the most original and creative kabbalists, biblical interpreters, and Talmudic scholars the Jewish tradition has ever produced, Rabbi Moses b. Nahman (1194-1270), known in English as Nahmanides, was the greatest Talmudic scholar of the thirteenth century and one of the deepest and most original biblical interpreters. Beyond his monumental scholastic achievements, Nahmanides was a distinguished kabbalist and mystic, and in his commentary on the Torah he dispensed esoteric kabbalistic teachings that he termed “By Way of Truth.” This broad, systematic account of Nahmanides's thought explores his conception of halakhah and his approach to the central concerns of medieval Jewish thought, including notions of God, history, revelation, and the reasons for the commandments. The relationship between Nahmanides's kabbalah and mysticism and the existential religious drive that nourishes them, as well as the legal and exoteric aspects of his thinking, are at the center of the book's portrayal of Nahmanides as a complex and transformative thinker.Less
A broad, systematic account of one of the most original and creative kabbalists, biblical interpreters, and Talmudic scholars the Jewish tradition has ever produced, Rabbi Moses b. Nahman (1194-1270), known in English as Nahmanides, was the greatest Talmudic scholar of the thirteenth century and one of the deepest and most original biblical interpreters. Beyond his monumental scholastic achievements, Nahmanides was a distinguished kabbalist and mystic, and in his commentary on the Torah he dispensed esoteric kabbalistic teachings that he termed “By Way of Truth.” This broad, systematic account of Nahmanides's thought explores his conception of halakhah and his approach to the central concerns of medieval Jewish thought, including notions of God, history, revelation, and the reasons for the commandments. The relationship between Nahmanides's kabbalah and mysticism and the existential religious drive that nourishes them, as well as the legal and exoteric aspects of his thinking, are at the center of the book's portrayal of Nahmanides as a complex and transformative thinker.
Isaiah Tishby
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774099
- eISBN:
- 9781800342668
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774099.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Moses Hayim Luzzatto (1707–1746) gathered around him an inner circle of devout Jews who shared his belief in the imminent arrival of the messianic age and who privately identified members of their ...
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Moses Hayim Luzzatto (1707–1746) gathered around him an inner circle of devout Jews who shared his belief in the imminent arrival of the messianic age and who privately identified members of their circle as divinely ordained to usher in the Redemption. To the rabbis of Venice and Frankfurt, however, Luzzatto was a heretic, whose claims to have written works at the dictation of a messenger from heaven could not be genuine. Under pressure from them he was obliged to withdraw a number of such works, and the manuscripts were either lost or destroyed. Yet his known works came to earn him admiration: as a literary figure among the adherents of the Enlightenment, as a great kabbalist and profound mystic by hasidim and even by some of their leading opponents, and as a great ethical teacher by all religious streams. The author of this book spent many years in the study of Luzzatto and his group, and succeeded in tracing a number of the lost manuscripts. In the essays translated in this volume, the author described and annotated the manuscripts which he found, giving the full text of some of the prose works and of all the poems. He was able to correct and add detail to the incomplete picture of Luzzatto and his mystical world. One of the most illuminating documents reproduced here is Luzzatto's version of his ketubah or marriage contract. A second key document is the personal, mystical diary which Luzzatto's second-in-command, Rabbi Moses David Valle, wrote in the margins of his own commentary on the Bible.Less
Moses Hayim Luzzatto (1707–1746) gathered around him an inner circle of devout Jews who shared his belief in the imminent arrival of the messianic age and who privately identified members of their circle as divinely ordained to usher in the Redemption. To the rabbis of Venice and Frankfurt, however, Luzzatto was a heretic, whose claims to have written works at the dictation of a messenger from heaven could not be genuine. Under pressure from them he was obliged to withdraw a number of such works, and the manuscripts were either lost or destroyed. Yet his known works came to earn him admiration: as a literary figure among the adherents of the Enlightenment, as a great kabbalist and profound mystic by hasidim and even by some of their leading opponents, and as a great ethical teacher by all religious streams. The author of this book spent many years in the study of Luzzatto and his group, and succeeded in tracing a number of the lost manuscripts. In the essays translated in this volume, the author described and annotated the manuscripts which he found, giving the full text of some of the prose works and of all the poems. He was able to correct and add detail to the incomplete picture of Luzzatto and his mystical world. One of the most illuminating documents reproduced here is Luzzatto's version of his ketubah or marriage contract. A second key document is the personal, mystical diary which Luzzatto's second-in-command, Rabbi Moses David Valle, wrote in the margins of his own commentary on the Bible.
Eitan P. Fishbane
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804759137
- eISBN:
- 9780804774871
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804759137.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This book explores the mystical thought of Isaac ben Samuel of Akko, a major medieval kabbalist whose work has until now received relatively little attention. Through consideration of an extensive ...
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This book explores the mystical thought of Isaac ben Samuel of Akko, a major medieval kabbalist whose work has until now received relatively little attention. Through consideration of an extensive literary corpus, including much that still remains in manuscript, this study examines an array of themes and questions that have great applicability to the comparative study of mysticism and the broader study of religion. These include prayer and the nature of mystical experience; meditative concentration directed to God; and the power of mental intention, authority, creativity, and the transmission of wisdom.Less
This book explores the mystical thought of Isaac ben Samuel of Akko, a major medieval kabbalist whose work has until now received relatively little attention. Through consideration of an extensive literary corpus, including much that still remains in manuscript, this study examines an array of themes and questions that have great applicability to the comparative study of mysticism and the broader study of religion. These include prayer and the nature of mystical experience; meditative concentration directed to God; and the power of mental intention, authority, creativity, and the transmission of wisdom.
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804759137
- eISBN:
- 9780804774871
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804759137.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Isaac ben Samuel of Akko's Me'irat 'Einayim, a supercommentary to Nahmanides' Commentary on the Torah, reflects an eclectic and anthological approach in which he attempts to bridge the diverse ...
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Isaac ben Samuel of Akko's Me'irat 'Einayim, a supercommentary to Nahmanides' Commentary on the Torah, reflects an eclectic and anthological approach in which he attempts to bridge the diverse opinions and views espoused by predecessors and contemporaries in the kabbalistic arts of interpretation. The idea of eclecticism has mainly been interpreted by intellectual historians based on two perspectives: one on ancient Greek philosophy and the other based on the arguments expressed by Denis Diderot in his 1755 Encyclopédie. Both models can be used to understand Isaac's specific cultural role as an eclectic thinker. For the kabbalists, what makes something “Kabbalah” has everything to do with the reliability and authority of the transmissional source. This chapter examines the terms and modes of authoritative transmission in Isaac's writings. After looking at several intriguing antecedents and earlier models in medieval kabbalist literature, it contextualizes the concerns found in Me'irat 'Einayim and 'Ozar Hayyim. It also considers the ideal of harmonization and hermeneutical reconciliation that underlie rhetoric and hermeneutics in Me'irat 'Einayim.Less
Isaac ben Samuel of Akko's Me'irat 'Einayim, a supercommentary to Nahmanides' Commentary on the Torah, reflects an eclectic and anthological approach in which he attempts to bridge the diverse opinions and views espoused by predecessors and contemporaries in the kabbalistic arts of interpretation. The idea of eclecticism has mainly been interpreted by intellectual historians based on two perspectives: one on ancient Greek philosophy and the other based on the arguments expressed by Denis Diderot in his 1755 Encyclopédie. Both models can be used to understand Isaac's specific cultural role as an eclectic thinker. For the kabbalists, what makes something “Kabbalah” has everything to do with the reliability and authority of the transmissional source. This chapter examines the terms and modes of authoritative transmission in Isaac's writings. After looking at several intriguing antecedents and earlier models in medieval kabbalist literature, it contextualizes the concerns found in Me'irat 'Einayim and 'Ozar Hayyim. It also considers the ideal of harmonization and hermeneutical reconciliation that underlie rhetoric and hermeneutics in Me'irat 'Einayim.
Ada Rapoport-Albert
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781906764821
- eISBN:
- 9781800343412
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781906764821.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter focuses on Sabbatianism, a messianic movement of unprecedented duration and scope that was centred on the charismatic personality of Sabbati Zevi. It introduces Sabbati as a kabbalist ...
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This chapter focuses on Sabbatianism, a messianic movement of unprecedented duration and scope that was centred on the charismatic personality of Sabbati Zevi. It introduces Sabbati as a kabbalist from the Ottoman port town of Izmir who abruptly converted to Islam in the autumn of 1666 at the height of his international fame as the long-awaited Jewish messiah. It also mentions Sabbatai's conversion that was persuasively explained in kabbalistic terms as the messiah's most difficult and trying task. The chapter talks about Sabbatai's believers that held on to their faith in the apostate messiah and believed him to be an incarnate aspect of the kabbalistic godhead. It discusses Sabbatai's death in 1676 that was interpreted as an occultation and gave rise to the expectation of his imminent return.Less
This chapter focuses on Sabbatianism, a messianic movement of unprecedented duration and scope that was centred on the charismatic personality of Sabbati Zevi. It introduces Sabbati as a kabbalist from the Ottoman port town of Izmir who abruptly converted to Islam in the autumn of 1666 at the height of his international fame as the long-awaited Jewish messiah. It also mentions Sabbatai's conversion that was persuasively explained in kabbalistic terms as the messiah's most difficult and trying task. The chapter talks about Sabbatai's believers that held on to their faith in the apostate messiah and believed him to be an incarnate aspect of the kabbalistic godhead. It discusses Sabbatai's death in 1676 that was interpreted as an occultation and gave rise to the expectation of his imminent return.
Moshe Halbertal
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780300140910
- eISBN:
- 9780300257014
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300140910.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter focuses on Nahmanides's conception of halakhic history and his role within it, including his self-consciousness as a halakhist. It explains the complex interrelationships between ...
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This chapter focuses on Nahmanides's conception of halakhic history and his role within it, including his self-consciousness as a halakhist. It explains the complex interrelationships between halakhah and kabbalah in Nahmanides's thought. It also describes how Nahmanides's prodigious creativity in the field of halakhah stood in a certain tension with his self-consciousness as a kabbalist. The chapter looks into Nahmanides's conception of kabbalah that developed from discord with contemporary kabbalists, such as R. Azriel of Gerona and R. Jacob b. Sheshet. It also recounts the great flowering of kabbalistic literature at the end of the thirteenth century that culminated in the creative and innovative Zohar and stood in opposition to the traditional character of Nahmanides's kabbalah and his disciples.Less
This chapter focuses on Nahmanides's conception of halakhic history and his role within it, including his self-consciousness as a halakhist. It explains the complex interrelationships between halakhah and kabbalah in Nahmanides's thought. It also describes how Nahmanides's prodigious creativity in the field of halakhah stood in a certain tension with his self-consciousness as a kabbalist. The chapter looks into Nahmanides's conception of kabbalah that developed from discord with contemporary kabbalists, such as R. Azriel of Gerona and R. Jacob b. Sheshet. It also recounts the great flowering of kabbalistic literature at the end of the thirteenth century that culminated in the creative and innovative Zohar and stood in opposition to the traditional character of Nahmanides's kabbalah and his disciples.
Moshe Idel
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300126266
- eISBN:
- 9780300155877
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300126266.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter focuses on R. Menahem ben Benjamin Recanati, the first Italian Kabbalist to adopt an important version of another type of Kabbalah—theosophical-theurgical Kabbalah. In doing so, he ...
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This chapter focuses on R. Menahem ben Benjamin Recanati, the first Italian Kabbalist to adopt an important version of another type of Kabbalah—theosophical-theurgical Kabbalah. In doing so, he accepted a theological view that differed dramatically from Abulafia's, one that assumed the existence of a transcendental divine layer, designated as 'Illat ha-'Illot, Causa Causarum, and a system of ten divine powers named sefirot. This chapter explores the fact that the first Kabbalist who flourished in Italy after Abulafia did not follow his mystical path and ignored his writings; he did not even engage in polemics with the ecstatic Kabbalist or his followers. The differences between the two Kabbalists active in Italy are important not only for the phenomenology of Kabbalah but especially for the understanding of the specific nature of this lore in Italy.Less
This chapter focuses on R. Menahem ben Benjamin Recanati, the first Italian Kabbalist to adopt an important version of another type of Kabbalah—theosophical-theurgical Kabbalah. In doing so, he accepted a theological view that differed dramatically from Abulafia's, one that assumed the existence of a transcendental divine layer, designated as 'Illat ha-'Illot, Causa Causarum, and a system of ten divine powers named sefirot. This chapter explores the fact that the first Kabbalist who flourished in Italy after Abulafia did not follow his mystical path and ignored his writings; he did not even engage in polemics with the ecstatic Kabbalist or his followers. The differences between the two Kabbalists active in Italy are important not only for the phenomenology of Kabbalah but especially for the understanding of the specific nature of this lore in Italy.
Joseph E. David
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199959808
- eISBN:
- 9780199366408
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199959808.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter examines the legal theology of the thirteenth-century kabbalist and jurist Nahmanides, and proposes a new perspective about his conceptual and theological sources. It argues that, beside ...
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This chapter examines the legal theology of the thirteenth-century kabbalist and jurist Nahmanides, and proposes a new perspective about his conceptual and theological sources. It argues that, beside the mystical background, he also responded to legal and theological doctrines that pervaded in the European Christendom of his days. It shows that Nahmanides introduces an innovative notion of the halakhah as divine law, according to which the divine law is derivative to the deity's association to his territory in terms of feudal lordship. Nahmanides introduces a spatial, or a territorial, notion of halakhah that stands against the traditional perceptions of halakhah as a direct prescription.Less
This chapter examines the legal theology of the thirteenth-century kabbalist and jurist Nahmanides, and proposes a new perspective about his conceptual and theological sources. It argues that, beside the mystical background, he also responded to legal and theological doctrines that pervaded in the European Christendom of his days. It shows that Nahmanides introduces an innovative notion of the halakhah as divine law, according to which the divine law is derivative to the deity's association to his territory in terms of feudal lordship. Nahmanides introduces a spatial, or a territorial, notion of halakhah that stands against the traditional perceptions of halakhah as a direct prescription.
