George prochnik on exploring his jewish identity and finding guidance in the religious anarchy of gershom scholems kabbalah philosophy. One nice feature for users who print or download is the option of getting the text in pdf format if desired. He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern. In the lurianic kabbalah, there is no relationship between adam kadmon, which is the light which transcends all other lights, and the messiah. The significance and age of this small volume are matters of controversy. Scholem shalom, gershom gerhard 18981982, the most important scholar of jewish mysticism and a towering figure in jewish intellectual life. Gershom scholem was a professor of jewish mysticism. Scholems 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.
Jewish mysticism in english don karr the phase of jewish mysticism conventionally. He traces the history and roots of kabbalism and the zohar. He was a professor of jewish mysticism and writes as an academic. A concise encyclopedia of terms and concepts in jewish mysticism.
When gershom scholem, the humanist scholar of jewish mysticism, first met the philosopher hannah arendt in the 1930s he was bowled over by her intelligence and. Kabbalah and counterhistory, the coauthor of hasidism. After world war ii, ernst ludwig ehrlich 19212007 published works in english and german by eminent israeli. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Gerhard gershom scholem 18971982 was the preeminent modern scholar of jewish mysticism.
Scholem eventually soundly rejected this view and placed kabbalah in its proper context in jewish history. A beginner will be lost in the technical explanations. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Nevertheless, ten volumes of the encyclopedia judaica were. Jewish magic inventiveness, the conflict with the culture it. Jewish magic before the rise of kabbalah book summary. In on the kabbalah and its symbolism, gershom scholem guides the reader through the central themes in the intricate history of the kabbalah, clarifying the relations between mysticism and. Book of brightness, kabbalistic, pseudoepigraphic and midrashic anthology which enigmatically depicts a sexualized, divine theosophy considered by scholarship to mark the literary emergence of kabbalah at the beginning of the th century.
Indeed, scholems meeting with contemporary kabbalists left no impression whatsoever on his vast corpus of. Whether disillusioned by the selfimposed blinders and myopia of contemporary science, or frustrated by the moral bankruptcy of unbridled. Gershom scholem 18971982 was ostensibly a scholar of jewish mysticism, yet he occupies a powerful role in todays intellectual imagination, having an influential contact with an. What gershom scholem and hannah arendt can teach us about. Gershom scholem refrained from studying the jewish mysticism of his own time not because he was a historian and. Or is it a secret theology, a hidden affinity with kabbalah itself. Kabbalah columbias academic commons columbia university. The gershom scholem library, also known as the gershom scholem collection, is a reading library specializing in the fields of kabbalah, hasidism and jewish mysticism. He was the first professor of jewish mysticism at hebrew university of. In this book scholem describes seven major streams of jewish mysticism. Professor gershom scholem 18971982 of the hebrew university arguably the greatest jewish scholar of the 20th century considered himself an archeologist. We learn the connection between the kabbalah and such haunting legends as the dybbuk, the golem, and lilith, as well as its relationship to the practice of white magic, palm reading, and. Notes on the study of later kabbalah in english the safed period and lurianic kabbalah don karr the original version of this paper appeared in collected articles on the kabbalah, vol.
Kabala wikipedia bahasa indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas. Kabbalah gifts kabbalah is the ancient jewish tradition of interpreting the bible using mysticism. Pdf on the kabbalah its symbolism download full pdf. Scholems kabbalah is a major work, which opens with a large, encyclopediaentrylength overview essay, in which he explains the zohar, or book of. The second edition of encyclopaedia judaica is a welcome addition to reference collections. This is the best single book about kabbalah, its most important bsic ideas, its development, personalities and different topics.
The wider influences of and research on kabbalah the influence of kabbalah on judaism the christian kabbalah scholarship and the kabbalah. Scholem, gershom, kabbalah, jewish publication society. Mysticism magic and kabbalah in ashkenazi judaism book summary. Library of congress cataloginginpublication data scholem, gershom gerhard, 18971982 major trends in jewish. Major trends in jewish mysticism and origins of the kabbala.
Scholems kabbalah is a major work, which opens with a large, encyclopedia entrylength overview essay, in which he explains the zohar, or book of. Among his most important works are major trends in jewish. Pdf jewish magic before the rise of kabbalah download. By the end of the 1930s scholem was already hard at.
The library, situated in the national library of israel, is the only collection of its kind in the world. The success of scholems projectalmost singlehandedly reviving interest in mysticism as a subject for studyreclaimed an important part of the jewish religious heritage. Gershom scholem was a professor of jewish mysticism at the hebrew university in jerusalem until his death in 1982. Gershom scholem and the study of contemporary jewish mysticism. Of scholem martin buber once remarked, all of us have students, schools, but only gershom scholem has created a whole academic discipline. Gershon scholem 1972, in his erudite flag treatise on the history of the star of david, has made a compelling case that the mystical overlay of the star of david has.
A new history, and a threetime winner of the national jewish book award. I read the kabbalah for the 1st time in the early 90s. The kabbalah is a rich tradition of repeated attempts to achieve and portray direct experiences of god. On the kabbalah and its symbolism mysticism and kabbalah. In the encyclopaedia judaica article written by the late professor gershom scholem of the hebrew. On the kabbalah and its symbolism by gershom scholem. In 1923 scholem severed his ties with germany completely and emigrated to jerusalem. Kabbalah gifts, jewish gifts from israel judaica web store. Gershom scholem stanford encyclopedia of philosophy in short, according to scholem, with lurianic kabbala, kabbala emerged from its subterranean and largely. Scholem, the man and his work, edited by paul mendesflohr, 5672. He is widely regarded as the founder of the modern, academic study of kabbalah. Major trends in jewish mysticism gershom scholem download.
I am referring to the entries zohar and kabbala in the encyclopedia judaica and. Originally published in hebrew in 2010, jewish magic before the rise of kabbalah is a comprehensive study of early jewish magic focusing on three major topics. I can still open it up, to this day, and learn something brand new. What, in fact, are magic writings, magic artifacts. Gershom scholems milon hazohar card index yehuda liebes. Gershom scholem stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Passed down through generations, this ageold study reveals hidden secrets about the earths. In this book scholem describes seven major streams of jewish mysticism, among them the zohar. In various passages the author appears as elijah b. 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. In this lecture the preeminent scholar in jewish mysticism gershom scholem speaks of the kabbalistic doctrine of the tselem, the astral body. The sefer habahir should not properly be considered a book as it has.
976 464 806 1095 1335 618 857 285 358 1276 1063 1223 1141 35 1014 1208 1296 1085 1540 620 1498 935 210 1248 595 508 503 1572 1148 1566 738 113 440 744 182 650 557 1492 11 1027 852