Huss, ha shabbtaut vetoldot hitkabelut sefer hazohar, jerusalem studies in jewish. On different linguistic concepts of kabbalah see also. Legend has it that god whispered the secrets of the kabbalah to moses who, in turn, passed it on to seventy elders. Oct 31, 2018 on the kabbalah and its symbolism gershom scholem. Its symbolism, science and prophecy on the kabbalah and its symbolism, by gershom g. He was a professor of jewish mysticism and writes as an academic. Scholem shalom, gershom gerhard 18981982, the most important scholar of jewish mysticism and a towering figure in jewish intellectual life.
On the possibility of and justification for a philosophical. Other works by scholem address this subject at length. Joseph, but further on, with reference to a midrash on the name elijah ex. The kabbalah is a rich tradition of repeated attempts to achieve and portray direct experiences of god. The kabbalah of the holy rabbi shimon bar yochai, the author of the zohar d. Scholem s words about various passages, verses and words from the zohar can be found in the many notations he made in his copy of the zohar, on notes that he tucked between its pages, which were published in facsimile in 19912 1 as well as in his milon hazohar card index, which is now available on the national librarys website. The work was not significant for the development of kabbalah. Acces pdf on the kabbalah and its symbolism gershom scholem.
Everyday experiences of contemporary mystics in the jewish traditions of kabbalah. Bershom convincingly, if not irrefutably, demonstrates plausible chains of transmission by which the disparate intellectual traditions of wes gershom scholem s study of the earliest manifestations of the kf of jewish mysticism that came to be referred to simply as kabbalah traditionand the sources and trends which informed its. They, in turn, passed it to their successors, and so it continued as an oral tradition. Gershom scholem in his seminal work entitled kabbalah, in its wider sense, it also signifies all the successive esoteric movements in judaism that evolved from the end of the period of the second temple. Studies kabbalah, jewish studies, and medieval jewish philosophy. With its focus on practical kabbalah, this issue constitutes not only the first collection of essays ever dedicated to this topic, but the first comprehensive reassessment of the practical kabbalah since gershom scholem s brief encyclopedia judaica article of nearly fifty years ago. He was the first professor of jewish mysticism at hebrew university of jerusalem.
One of the most important scholars of our century, gershom scholem 18971982 opened up a once esoteric world of jewish mysticism, the kabbalah, to concerned students of religion. Theologies of kabbalah research modern judaism a journal. The library has its beginnings in 1915, when scholem purchased a copy of the zohar and a monograph on hasidism by aharon marcus. Baruch kortzville, struggling over values of judaism jerusalem and tel aviv, 1970, pp. The entire jewish world studies his nonesoteric teachings, which appear in thousands of places in the mishnah and talmud, as well as his esoteric teachings on the torah. It is commonly accepted today that gershom scholem s study of kabbalah was shaped within the framework of his national and anarchic theology although there remain scholars who dismiss this. Many books could be written about the life and works of gershom scholem, who is perhaps the greatest jewish scholar of the century, but david biales book happens to be the first devoted to this extraordinary and important figure. Rabinbach coins the term inner nihilism to describe scholem s research into kabbalah as the kabbalist realizes.
Jun 06, 2020 on the kabbalah and its symbolism gershom felizond. Kabbalistic messianism versus kabbalistic enlightenment. He traces the history and roots of kabbalism and the zohar. Naturally, there is no central thesis in a work of this sort. Judaism, scholem writes on the jewish mystics as follows. Gershom scholem in his seminal work entitled kabbalah, in its wider sense, it also signifies all the successive esoteric movements in judaism that evolved from the end of the period of the second temple and became active factors in jewish history. Kabbalah religion, spiritualism, and occult a jewish system of theosophy, magic, philosophy, science, and mysticism. In this book scholem describes seven major streams of jewish mysticism, among them the zohar. The most relevant passages, frequently cited because. If you are interested in kabbalah s history and facts, definitions and biographies of the main figures that contributed to the evolution and development of kabbalah this book is for you.
Of descartes and of train schedules emerald insight. Prima facie, the compound term practical kabbalah needs no special explanation. Studies kabbalah, jewish mysticism, and western esotericism history. In various passages the author appears as elijah b. Born to an assimilated family in berlin, he was attracted in his youth to judaism and zionism and studied major hebrew jewish texts and kabbalah by himself.
Scholem eventually soundly rejected this view and placed kabbalah in its proper context in jewish history. Leonora leet, believe that kabbalah is the product of. The very specific form of jewish mysticism or mystical theosophy known as kabbalah appeared suddenly, as if out of the blue, in the late middle ages. Campanini, saverio, some notes on gershom scholem and christian kabbalah, in joseph dan ed. Barnard, alan, emic and etic, dans encyclopedia of social and cultural. Jewish publication society, and the world publishing company, 1958. Scholem s kabbalah is a major work, which opens with a large, encyclopedia entrylength overview essay, in which he explains the zohar, or book of splendor, and its influence, especially among hasidic jews. May 26, 2020 in berlin, scholem first befriended and became an admirer of leo strauss their correspondence would continue throughout his life. The success of scholem s projectalmost singlehandedly reviving interest in mysticism as a subject for studyreclaimed an important part of the jewish religious heritage. Gershom scholem s study of the earliest manifestations of the school of jewish mysticism that came to be referred to simply as kabbalah traditionand the sources and trends which informed its emergent shape, here updated in light of two decades of research.
Scholem, the expulsion of the jews from spain set off a chain reaction that led from the lurianic kabbalah, to sabbatian messianism, and finally to. Kabbalah and counterhistory cambridge, ma, 1970, pp. The phenomenology of everyday experiences of contemporary. Moshe idel hebrew university of jerusalem academia. In a 1972 essay on kabbalah for the encyclopedia judaica, scholem observed that the academic study of jewish mysticism was still in its comparative infancy. The talmud refers to razei torah or the secrets of the torah, which include the maaseh beresit work of creation, and the maaseh merkabah work of the chariot. Gershom scholem stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern, academic study of kabbalah. Gershom scholem s philosophy of jewish history rests on the assumption that forces within jewish culture are sufficient to explain historical developments without recourse to the intrusion of foreign ideas or influences. Jews and christians in late antiquity and the early middle ages. Epstien also relates a number of meditative practices from original sources. Gerhard gershom scholem 18971982 was the preeminent modern scholar of jewish mysticism.
The eye is a website dedicated towards archiving and serving publicly available information. It is written in a concise and magisterial style, summarizing the research done in this field. Gershon weiler, on the theology of gershom scholem, keshet, vol. Gershom scholem hebrew university of jerusalem academia. Scholem, himself, especially towards the end of his life, remarked on the importance of christian kabbalah not simply as a forerunner of the academic study of jewish mysticism, but also in his own private journey towards be coming who he was. On the kabbalah and its symbolism gershom scholem nacfe. He was an editor of the jewish encyclopedia 190106. The studies of gershom scholem form the basis of contemporary scholarship on jewish mysticism, and, hence, provide the foundation of subsequent work on merkabah mysticism and hekhalot texts. Scholems work on kabbalah are marked by this project, which the following. The linguistic usage and terminology of the work are certainly influenced by the zohar and even by its latest parts. The significance and age of this small volume are matters of controversy. Gershom scholem the name of god and the linguistic theory of the kabbala i thy word or. Bohak, gideon, gershom scholem and jewish magic, kabbale 28 2012. After major trends in jewish mysticism 1941, the selections from the zohar, and jewish gnosticism, merkabah mysticism, and talmudic tradition 1960, this translation of professor scholem s essays on the rituals and symbolism of the kabbalah is most timely.
Provides an exhaustive and organized overview of jewish life and knowledge from the second temple period to the contemporary state of israel, from rabbinic to modern yiddish literature, from kabbalah to americana and from zionism to the contribution of jews to world cultures. His close friends included walter benjamin and leo strauss, and selected. The name means knowledge received through tradition. Moshe idel, the max cooper professor emeritus of jewish thought at the hebrew uni versity of. Scholem, the name of god and the linguistic theory of the kabbala. This article introduces and discusses a short correspondence that took place in november 1931 between gershom scholem and jacob gordin. Scholems phenomenology of judaism, modern judaism 11,3, baltimore, 1991 281296. It seems probable that even at this early stage scholem hoped to develop a comprehensive library on this subject, as part of the overall zionist endeavor to promote the spiritual renewal of the jewish people in the land of israel. He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern, academic study of kabbalah, becoming the first professor of jewish mysticism at the hebrew university of jerusalem. According to the originally conceived judaistic meaning, truth was the word of god which was audible both. The kabbalah probably dates back to the second or third century ce in palestine, and flourished in babylonia in the 6th century to the 11th century. The mystical element in judaism, is abraham joshua heschels alternative to gershom scholem s thesis of kabbalah as significantly a gnostic phenomenon.
Gershom scholems milon hazohar card index yehuda liebes. Scholem wrote that there is no abstract definition of mysticism. The kabbalah, literally tradition, that is, the tradition of things divine, is the sum of jewish mysticism. Thekabbalah itsdoctrines,development,andliterature by christiand. In 1923 scholem severed his ties with germany completely and emigrated to jerusalem.
The way of the jewish mystic isbn 0877734380 a more or less introductory volume which deals with the life of the mystic, his yearnings and passions, often through relating the lives of individual sages. The name is derived from the hebrew qbl or qibel, which means to receive, implying that it is a knowledge that is orally transmitted down. Encyclopedia published between 1901 and 1905, and to the first edition of the encyclopaedia judaica published in 1972. Scholem s major trends in jewish mysticism was published in new york in 1941. After major trends in jewish mysticism, the selections from the zohar, and jewish.
December 5, 1897 february 21, 1982, was a germanborn israeli philosopher and historian. Shambhala guide to kabbalah and jewish mysticismkabbalah for dummiesthe. Kabbalism article about kabbalism by the free dictionary. Gershom scholem, hebrew university of jerusalem, kabbalah department, emeritus. He follows with articles on various topics in jewish mysticism, and then includes articles on key personalities, such as sabbatei sevi on.
Some major themes in early jewish mysticism albany. Scholem shalom, gershom gerhardscholem shalom, gershom gerhard 18981982, the most important scholar of jewish mysticism and a towering figure in jewish intellectual life. Kabbalah by gershom scholem is not for the beginner. Scholem s kabbalah this volume is a reprint of the articles on kabbalah and kabbalistic topics written by gershon scholem for the encyclopedia judaica. Gershom scholem states that the kabbalah is but one of the many terms used to described the mystical and esoteric aspects of judaism. Scholem s views are widely held as accurate among historians of the kabbalah, but like all textual historical investigations, are not uncriticially accepted. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon.
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