Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism

Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism PDF Author: Gedalyah Nigal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Thoroughly researched and annotated, Professor Gedalyah Nigal's work examines such phenomena as the baalei shem - the individuals who by their knowledge of the "holy names" were able to perform great feats; kefitzat ha-derekh - the ability to traverse great distances in very little time; the transmigration of souls; dybbuks, possession, and exorcism; demons and their marriages to humans; the battles against forces of evil; the power of amulets; and journeys to the Garden of Eden and back.

Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism

Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism PDF Author: Gedalyah Nigal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Get Book

Book Description
Thoroughly researched and annotated, Professor Gedalyah Nigal's work examines such phenomena as the baalei shem - the individuals who by their knowledge of the "holy names" were able to perform great feats; kefitzat ha-derekh - the ability to traverse great distances in very little time; the transmigration of souls; dybbuks, possession, and exorcism; demons and their marriages to humans; the battles against forces of evil; the power of amulets; and journeys to the Garden of Eden and back.

Hasidism as Mysticism

Hasidism as Mysticism PDF Author: Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400872804
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Offered here for the first time in English translation, Hasidism as Mysticism is a classic in its field. Using the tools of phenomenology, Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer places Hasidism squarely in the context of religious studies. Hasidism's theoretical texts have been largely ignored by historians of the movement, but Schatz Uffenheimer analyzes these materials fully, disclosing the mystical, quietistic tendencies that existed alongside Hasidism's more activist, popular elements. The author carefully reviewed this translation of her work; it includes a revised introduction with much new material, two new chapters, and an appendix containing a translation, history, and literary analysis of one of the few extant texts attributed to the Baal Shem Tov. Schatz Uffenheimer's inquiry covers the full gamut of Hasidic life and thought, embracing such topics as the emphasis on joy and the concomitant ban on sadness and regret in Hasidism, the focus on contemplative rather than petitionary prayer, the subordination of the mizvot (commandments) to the spiritualistic goal of devequt (attachment to God), and the anarchic elements of Hasidism's approach to life within society. Also discussed are the problematic role of Torah study resulting from this spiritualistic emphasis, the movement's neutralization or internalization of the traditional concept of a historical messiah, and the transformation within Hasidism of traditional concepts borrowed from Kabbalah. The author's illuminating hints as to the affinity between Hasidism and Christian Quietism should be of particular interest to scholars in the field. Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer (1927-1992) was the Edmonton Community Professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. One of the outstanding students of Gershom Scholem, she forged her own path in the world of scholarship. Her research encompassed a wide range of areas: Zohar and Lurianic Kabbalah, Sabbatianism, Hasidism, and the typology of Jewish messianism. In addition, she was deeply involved in the ongoing discussion concerning the major spiritual and existential issues confronting contemporary Judaism and the State of Israel. Originally published in 1993. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Hasidism

Hasidism PDF Author: Moshe Idel
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438407432
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
Approaches Hasidism as an important stage in Jewish mysticism, rather than as a mere reaction to or result of historical and social forces.

The Mystical Origins of Hasidism

The Mystical Origins of Hasidism PDF Author: Rachel Elior
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
ISBN: 1909821306
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
This very accessible introduction to hasidism as a movement opens a new window on its mystical underpinnings. It discusses the origins and dissemination of hasidism and the literature that facilitated this; the theological basis of hasidism and the mystical significance of the tsadik; the major figures of hasidism; and the complex links to kabbalah and Sabbatianism. The discussion of the intellectual and social implications highlights the eighteenth century as a key period in modern Jewish history.

Aesthetics of Renewal

Aesthetics of Renewal PDF Author: Martina Urban
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226842738
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
Martin Buber’s embrace of Hasidism at the start of the twentieth century was instrumental to the revival of this popular form of Jewish mysticism. Hoping to instigate a Jewish cultural and spiritual renaissance, he published a series of anthologies of Hasidic teachings written in German to introduce the tradition to a wide audience. In Aesthetics of Renewal, Martina Urban closely analyzes Buber’s writings and sources to explore his interpretation of Hasidic spirituality as a form of cultural criticism. For Buber, Hasidic legends and teachings were not a static, canonical body of knowledge, but were dynamic and open to continuous reinterpretation. Urban argues that this representation of Hasidism was essential to the Zionist effort to restore a sense of unity across the Jewish diaspora as purely religious traditions weakened—and that Buber’s anthologies in turn played a vital part in the broad movement to use cultural memory as a means to reconstruct a collective identity for Jews. As Urban unravels the rich layers of Buber’s vision of Hasidism in this insightful book, he emerges as one of the preeminent thinkers on the place of religion in modern culture.

Hasidism

Hasidism PDF Author: David Biale
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691202443
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 890

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Book Description
A must-read book for understanding this vibrant and influential modern Jewish movement Hasidism originated in southeastern Poland, in mystical circles centered on the figure of Israel Ba’al Shem Tov, but it was only after his death in 1760 that a movement began to spread. Today, Hasidism is witnessing a remarkable renaissance around the world. This book provides the first comprehensive history of the pietistic movement that shaped modern Judaism. Written by an international team of scholars, its unique blend of intellectual, religious, and social history demonstrates that, far from being a throwback to the Middle Ages, Hasidism is a product of modernity that forged its identity as a radical alternative to the secular world.

Studies in East European Jewish Mysticism and Hasidism

Studies in East European Jewish Mysticism and Hasidism PDF Author: Joseph Weiss
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
ISBN: 1909821861
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
A classic text for all those interested in Jewish religious developments in eastern Europe, this paperback has a new introduction locating Weiss's work in the context of contemporary scholarship and the current resurgence of hasidism.

Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism

Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism PDF Author: Gershom Scholem
Publisher: Schocken
ISBN: 0307791483
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 497

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Book Description
A collection of lectures on the features of the movement of mysticism that began in antiquity and continues in Hasidism today.

Essential Judaism: Updated Edition

Essential Judaism: Updated Edition PDF Author: George Robinson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501117750
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 704

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Book Description
An award-winning journalist tells you everything you need to know about being Jewish in this user-friendly guide that explains not only what Jews do and believe, but why.

Devotion and Commandment

Devotion and Commandment PDF Author: Arthur Green
Publisher: Hebrew Union College Press
ISBN: 082298122X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 106

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Book Description
What was piety like before the commandments were revealed? How did Abraham live in a way that fulfilled the ideals of piety without the Torah? This question, raised in the ancient Jewish theology of Philo and central to the struggle of Paul with his own Judaism and his emerging Christian faith, was raised once again by the Hasidic masters of Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century. In a series of powerful and spiritually searching sermons, the Hasidic masters reinterpret spiritually the ancient rabbis' insistence that the patriarchs lived within the Law. In centering their spiritualization of Judaism around the figure of Abraham, these latter-day Jewish thinkers express a position that stands midway between the claims of the Talmud and those of the Christian apostle. Arthur Green uses this Hasidic debate on the patriarchs and the commandments as a point of departure for a wide-ranging consideration of the relationship between piety and commandment in Hasidic Judaism. The result of this effort is a series of rather remarkable mystical defenses of the commandments and an original contribution of Hasidic thought to the ongoing history of Judaism.