An unprecedented annotated anthology of the most important Jewish mystical works, A Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism Reader is designed to facilitate teaching these works to all levels of learners in adult education and college classroom settings. Daniel M. Horwitz’s insightful introductions and commentary accompany readings in the Talmud and Zohar and writings by Ba''al Shem Tov, Rav Kook, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and others.
Horwitz’s introduction describes five major types of Jewish mysticism and includes a brief chronology of theirdevelopment, with a timeline. He begins with biblical prophecy and proceeds through the early mystical movements up through current beliefs. Chapters on key subjects characterize mystical expression through the ages, such as Creation and deveikut (“cleaving to God”); the role of Torah; the erotic; inclinations toward good and evil; magic; prayer and ritual; and more. Later chapters deal with Hasidism,
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"Horowitz offers a very readable and enjoyable introduction to the broad expanse of Jewish mystical literature from biblical to modern times."—Mark Verman, Religious Studies Review
"Rabbi Horwitz has done a masterful job of collecting important excerpts from the vast storehouse of mystical literature, and annotated each selection with a perceptive analysis. This collection will remain the classic book of study on kabbalah and Jewish mysticism for decades to come."—Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins
“A gateway into the world of Jewish spirituality. . . . An important resource, very well done.”—Rabbi Jack Riemer, editor of The World of the High Holy Days
“Rabbi Horwitz has written a fine book of accessible scholarship, one that will be welcomed by rabbis, educators, and adult education classes. Strongly recommended.”—Rabbi Judith Abrams, the late former head of Maqom, School for Adult Talmud Study, and coauthor of The Messiah and the Jews
“Very solid, carefully thought-out, and well researched, making a very complicated subject quite accessible.”—Rabbi Dr. Byron L. Sherwin, the late former Distinguished Service Professor, Spertus Institute
Table of Contents
List of IllustrationsPrefaceLandmark Dates and Key Figures in Jewish Mysticism
Part 1. The Roots of Jewish Mysticism1. What Is Jewish Mysticism?2. Mysticism in the Bible
Part 2. Early Mystical Pursuits3. Mysticism in the Talmud: Entering the Pardes4. Song of Songs and Ma’aseh Merkavah5. The Temple: The Meeting Place for God and His People6. Ma’aseh Bereshit, Sefer Yetzirah, and Sefer ha-Bahir: The Roots of Kabbalah7. Hasidei Ashkenaz: Mystical Moralism
Part 3. Basic Concepts in Kabbalah8. The Ein Sof: That Which Is Endless9. The Sefirot: Perceiving God10. Deveikut: Cleaving to God11. Tzorekh Gavoha: The Divine Need
Part 4. Further Developments in Kabbalah12. Prophetic-Ecstatic Kabbalah: Abraham Abulafia13. The Role of the Torah14. Sexuality in Jewish Mysticism15. Sin, Teshuvah, and the Yetzer ha-Ra: Tikkun16. Lurianic Kabbalah17. The Problem of Evil in Kabbalah18. Mystical Experiences, Ascetic Practices
Part 5. Additional Issues in Kabbalah19. Four Worlds, Four Levels of Soul: Death and Transmigration20. Magic21. Messianism22. Prayer and Ritual in the Mystical Life
Part 6. Hasidism23. The Ba’al Shem Tov and His Teachings24. The Role of Prayer and the Ba’al Shem Tov’s Successors25. The Growth of Hasidism and Its Search for Truth26. Chabad Hasidism
Part 7. Mysticism, Action, and Reaction27. Three Twentieth-Century Mystics28. Concealment and Distortion of Jewish Mysticism
Suggestions for Further ReadingNotesGlossaryBibliographyIndex
