Description
Book SynopsisThis is a study of Isaac Luria (1534-72), one of the most remarkable and influential figures of late-medieval and early-modern Jewish mysticism. It looks primarily at Luria as a real historical figure, in the context of his relationship with his circle of disciples in the Galilean city of Safed, the great center of kabbalistic thought and teaching.
Trade Review"...among the finest works of recent Judaic scholarship." --
The Forward"We come away from this book awed by Fine's scholarship, and with a better understanding of how Rabbi Isaac Luria, who wanted his writings to be concealed after his death, nevertheless produced ideas so powerful that they transformed the nature of Judaism for centuries." --
San Diego Jewish Journal"Through masterly synthesis and organization, the author has produced the first accessible account of Luria and his kabbalah in English—or any language—that is also richly detailed and historiographically up to date." --
American Historical Review"[
Physician of the Soul] is the worthy capstone of a distinguished career spent studying the kabbalistic ideas of the sixteenth century and their importance for social and intellectual history." --
Histoire Sociale/Social History"Lawrence Fine has written extensively on Lurianic thought and practice and with this eminently readable and well-researched book has produced a welcome addition to the scholarship on Kabbalism in general and Luria in particular...This book is a necessary source for anyone who wants to know something about Kabbalah and its important representatives other than the travesty of this fascinating side of Judaism that is espoused by today's popular culture." --
ARC
