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گرایشها و مکاتب اصلی عرفان یهود
شناخت علمی و دقیق مفاهیم دینی در سنت های مختلف با رویکرد تطبیقی از مسائل مهمی است که امروزه صاحب نظران و پژوهشگران ادیان باید بدان بپردازند و این مهم در مرحله اخلاق و عرفان که کمتر دستخوش جبهه گیری ها و مرزبندی های عقیدتی، ایدئولوژیک و فرقه ای شده، از اهمیت بسیار بیشتری برخوردار است.
گرشوم شولم، محقق برجسته یهودی و صاحب آثاری بس ارزشمند در عرفان یهودی است که در معرفی و گسترش عرفان یهودی به یهودیان و محافل آکادمیک غربی سهم بسزایی داشته است. به عقیده شولم، عناصر اساطیری و عرفانی یهودیت حداقل به همان اندازه عناصر عقلانی از اهمیت برخوردارند و او می اندیشید که این عناصر و نه احکام و جزئیات دینی هلاخا، روح راستین و زنده یهودیت را بازتاب می دهد.
مارتین بوبر، فیلسوف و عالم دینی بزرگ یهودی، درباره شولم گفت: با اینکه همه ما پیروان و مکاتب خواست خود را داریم، اما این تنها شولم است که دانش آکادمیک کاملی را خلق کرده است.
گرشوم شولم، محقق برجسته یهودی و صاحب آثاری بس ارزشمند در عرفان یهودی است که در معرفی و گسترش عرفان یهودی به یهودیان و محافل آکادمیک غربی سهم بسزایی داشته است. به عقیده شولم، عناصر اساطیری و عرفانی یهودیت حداقل به همان اندازه عناصر عقلانی از اهمیت برخوردارند و او می اندیشید که این عناصر و نه احکام و جزئیات دینی هلاخا، روح راستین و زنده یهودیت را بازتاب می دهد.
مارتین بوبر، فیلسوف و عالم دینی بزرگ یهودی، درباره شولم گفت: با اینکه همه ما پیروان و مکاتب خواست خود را داریم، اما این تنها شولم است که دانش آکادمیک کاملی را خلق کرده است.
608 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1929
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2129 people want to read
About the author
Gershom Scholem
137 books185 followersGerhard Scholem, who, after his immigration from Germany to Israel, changed his name to Gershom Scholem (Hebrew: גרשם שלום), was a German-born Israeli philosopher and historian. 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. His close friends included Walter Benjamin and Leo Strauss, and selected letters from his correspondence with those philosophers have been published.
Scholem is best known for his collection of lectures, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (1941) and for his biography Sabbatai Zevi, the Mystical Messiah (1973). His collected speeches and essays, published as On Kabbalah and its Symbolism (1965), helped to spread knowledge of Jewish mysticism among non-Jews.
Scholem is best known for his collection of lectures, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (1941) and for his biography Sabbatai Zevi, the Mystical Messiah (1973). His collected speeches and essays, published as On Kabbalah and its Symbolism (1965), helped to spread knowledge of Jewish mysticism among non-Jews.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 19, 2017
"Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism" tells the history of Jewish mysticism following the advent of Christianity which Gershom Scholem considers to have been the first and still the most catastrophic Jewish mystic movement. Scholem, who defines mysticism as a religious practice which emphasizes the direct experience with God through ecstatic prayer rather than the structured study of religious texts, considers Rabbinic Judaism, which stresses instead the Talmudic study of the Torah, to be the only legitimate form of Judaism. The purpose of his book is to demonstrate that Jewish mysticism was consistently based on bad theology, illegitimate texts and faulty logic. The consequences have been at times disastrous.
Scholem's thesis is that the mysticism that followed the foundation of Rabbinic Judaism was at first a relatively inoffensive vehicle for enthusiastic religious practices but then started to produce heresies that became progressively greater until there was a great explosion of apostasy in the 18th century during which one group was promoting conversion to Islamand a second group conversion to Roman Catholicism.
In Scholem's view the key tenets of Rabbinic Judaism which were attacked by the mystic movements were:
1. God's can be known only through Talmudic study of the Torah
2. evil has no existence of its own
3. man lives in a world of history not myth
4. magic has no power
The first post Christian mystic movement was Merkabah or "Throne Mysticism" (1sth to 10th Century AD) which focussed on the contemplation of God on his throne. Merkabah was heavily influenced by the Platonic concept of seven heavens. It also introduced magic practices into Judaism in the form of the manipulation of the 10 primordial numbers (the Sefiroth) and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order to extract new meanings from the Torah. Gnostic mystic elements were introduced.
The next movement was German Hasidism (1150 to 1250 AD) or Prayer Mysticism in which the religious focus shifts from study to prayer. The Golem legend also appears.
In the 13th century the Prophetic Kabbalism of Abraham Abulafia arrives whereby the prime goal of religious practice becomes "adhesion to God". This mysticism is still however not ecstatic. Prophetic Kabbalism also introduces the concept of three levels of interpretation of the Torah (literal, allegoric and mystic), a scheme which appears to copy Roman Catholicism's Lectio Divina.
Shortly after 1268, Moses de Leon's in Spain writes the Book of Zohar appears proposing a Theosophic Kabbalism in which knowledge of God is obtained via ecstatic prayer. Talmudic study of the Torah is rejected as a means of knowing God. Large elements of Platonism are incorporated in to the Book of Zohar as is a form of the holy trinity. God is given a feminine dimiension . The Gnostic concept of an active evil is added to the mix.
The next major development will come in the 16th century following the expulsion from Spain when Isaac Luria will propose an antinomianKabbalah; that-is-to-say one in which Mosaic Law is rejected. With Luria Kabbalism becomes messianic.
In the 18th Century two mystic, messianic movements that will push Gnostic doctrines to extremes will arise in Poland: Sabbatianism and Frankism. Since the Messiah has arrived the followers of these movements have triumphed over evil and live in the Godly kingdom. As religious practice on earth loses all importance, the Sabbatians convert to Islam while the Frankists become Catholics.
After the Sabbatian and Frankist movements peak towards the end of the 18th century, the modern Hasidic movement is born. In Scholem's view Hasidism was benign at conception and remains so today. It offers no new doctrines and no heresies. It is not messianic but focuses on achieving a mystical relation to God rather than Talmudic study. Hasidism's two most important characteristics are that it is focused on individual ethics rather God and is oriented towards the masses rather than the scholarly elite.
The first version "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism" was published in 1941. In the edition, published in 1954 Scholem observes that because Rabbinic Judaism has no adequate response to the Shoah a major new mystic movement is likely. In fact this has not occurred. The energy of Jews instead has been focussed on the non-theological project of building a strong state of Israel.
Scholem's book teaches us a great deal about Jewish mysticism much of which is applicable to Christian mysticism. It is a great book for anyone wishing to understand how and why religious people choose to communicate with God through ecstatic prayer.
April 19, 2009
I found this book at Lorain Library. I had to give them my credit card in order to check it out. I read it at Lakeview Beach while my 6 kids played in the water. This is why I went to Oberlin, learned to read Hebrew and majored in Judaic-Near Eastern Studies. Who knew?
August 1, 2020
Pitu pitu. Te dwa słowa wystarczą żeby opisać to dziełko. Pseudonaukowy bełkot. Gdyby nie fakt, że na podstawie Szolema skonstruowano egzamin, kijem bym nie tknął.
March 2, 2014
A number of these essays (lectures, really) seemed to be above my base knowledge of Kaballah and Jewish mysticism, with references to people, names, and concepts of which I have little to no background knowledge. Additionally, there was a lot of history that just seemed irrelevant to my desire to learn the ideas behind Kaballah. That isn't to fault Scholem, but rather to say I was just unable to gain what I had hoped.
That said, the chapter on Sabbatianism was incredible, describing the type of Kabbalah that I know and want to pursue even more. Scholem seem to make the claim that Sabbatianism is flat-out a heretical, anarchistic sect of Judiasm, which –– no surprise –– other more traditional schools tried to suppress. In the Sabbatian view of life, the Messiah resides within, and it is only through a world of despair and sin that one begins the process of Tikkun, rising up to burst open the prison doors and redeem the external.
That said, the chapter on Sabbatianism was incredible, describing the type of Kabbalah that I know and want to pursue even more. Scholem seem to make the claim that Sabbatianism is flat-out a heretical, anarchistic sect of Judiasm, which –– no surprise –– other more traditional schools tried to suppress. In the Sabbatian view of life, the Messiah resides within, and it is only through a world of despair and sin that one begins the process of Tikkun, rising up to burst open the prison doors and redeem the external.
January 25, 2021
It is a very difficult task to write such a concise history of Jewish mystical thought and theosophy without actually devolving into mystical vocabulary itself. For this reason, the fact that this book exists is a mitzvah.
August 31, 2023
Ahh I love my father
March 3, 2012
Scholem a été fasciné par l’histoire de son peuple et a bien voulu l’exhiber, presque impudiquement, dans son intimité la plus grande : son mysticisme. Son style pénétrant, sans interdits, tout en restant élégant, en fait pour moi une sorte de Walter Benjamin qui ne se serait intéressé qu’au judaïsme.
Le travail exigé par une telle tâche est extrêmement complexe en raison de l’essence même des écrits mystiques, d’abord puisqu’ils sont issus de volontés de communiquer l’incommunicable, ensuite parce qu’il en découle une tendance à ne permettre de copier leurs textes que de façon manuscrite et uniquement dans un cercle restreint d’initiés, et enfin parce que ces mystiques sont des juifs et que leurs manuscrits ont du survivre aux mêmes fréquents déplacements et autodafés qui ont pu frapper leurs possesseurs au cours de leur histoire tourmentée. Bref, bien souvent les manuscrits originaux n’existent plus ou ne se trouvent que sous forme de fragments et la tâche à laquelle s’est apprêtée Scholem exigeait l’ensemble de l’énergie spirituelle dont un homme peut disposer dans sa vie.
Le tout se présente comme une vue d’ensemble philosophiquement très compréhensive et brillante des textes mystiques juifs, mais demeurant toujours extérieure à son actualité authentique, c’est-à-dire à l’état mystique comme tel puisque Scholem n’est pas un mystique. Aussi, c’est en tant que concentration historique de la facticité juive que Scholem comprend et expose leur mysticisme, sorte de moyen économique, comparé à l’histoire générale, d’aller à l’essence des choses en passant par le point où on la trouve sous la concentration la plus dense.
Il me semble, en effet, que Scholem propose de voir le mysticisme juif comme mécanisme collectif, se manifestant dans une part plus ou moins élargie de son élite, qui sublime sa réalité en expérience mystique. Cette « sublimation », toutefois, ne s’applique pas à la sexualité du peuple hébreu, mais plutôt à sa situation souvent pénible du point de vue historico-politique. En effet, si le célibat peut faire partie d’une existence particulièrement pieuse chez plusieurs mystiques juifs, la sexualité y est toujours considérée comme une activité saine et la vie de couple toujours valorisée.
Bref, de mon point de vue, le mysticisme juif m’apparaît à la fois comme l’un des phénomènes les plus étrangers et les plus intimes à la civilisation occidentale. Les juifs demeurant, de façon inaltérable, marqués par l’héritage théologico-politique de leur période « classique », ont toujours su conserver leurs particularités, partout où ils se sont trouvés. Ils ont ainsi fonctionné, toujours au moins en partie, en parallèle des populations majoritaires où les vents et les marées de l’histoire a bien pu les pousser. Leur inaltérable particularité, qui, comme tout ce qui est exceptionnel, confirme la règle, est toujours toute prête à réveiller la peur de l’inconnu, de ce qui n’est pas reconnu comme normal chez la majorité. Ainsi, le peuple juif a forcément subi de multiples violences et injustices de la part des majorités où elle s’est trouvée en occident, ce qui l’a d’avantage ancrée dans sa particularité, de sorte qu’il est étonnant d’apprendre à quel point on retrouve souvent les mêmes tendances au mêmes époques chez les mystiques chrétiens, juifs et islamistes, voir même bouddhistes ou hindouistes qui subissent le même genre d’ostracisme de la part de leurs communautés respectives et forment ainsi inconsciemment une fraternité silencieuse et supra-culturelle.
Le travail exigé par une telle tâche est extrêmement complexe en raison de l’essence même des écrits mystiques, d’abord puisqu’ils sont issus de volontés de communiquer l’incommunicable, ensuite parce qu’il en découle une tendance à ne permettre de copier leurs textes que de façon manuscrite et uniquement dans un cercle restreint d’initiés, et enfin parce que ces mystiques sont des juifs et que leurs manuscrits ont du survivre aux mêmes fréquents déplacements et autodafés qui ont pu frapper leurs possesseurs au cours de leur histoire tourmentée. Bref, bien souvent les manuscrits originaux n’existent plus ou ne se trouvent que sous forme de fragments et la tâche à laquelle s’est apprêtée Scholem exigeait l’ensemble de l’énergie spirituelle dont un homme peut disposer dans sa vie.
Le tout se présente comme une vue d’ensemble philosophiquement très compréhensive et brillante des textes mystiques juifs, mais demeurant toujours extérieure à son actualité authentique, c’est-à-dire à l’état mystique comme tel puisque Scholem n’est pas un mystique. Aussi, c’est en tant que concentration historique de la facticité juive que Scholem comprend et expose leur mysticisme, sorte de moyen économique, comparé à l’histoire générale, d’aller à l’essence des choses en passant par le point où on la trouve sous la concentration la plus dense.
Il me semble, en effet, que Scholem propose de voir le mysticisme juif comme mécanisme collectif, se manifestant dans une part plus ou moins élargie de son élite, qui sublime sa réalité en expérience mystique. Cette « sublimation », toutefois, ne s’applique pas à la sexualité du peuple hébreu, mais plutôt à sa situation souvent pénible du point de vue historico-politique. En effet, si le célibat peut faire partie d’une existence particulièrement pieuse chez plusieurs mystiques juifs, la sexualité y est toujours considérée comme une activité saine et la vie de couple toujours valorisée.
Bref, de mon point de vue, le mysticisme juif m’apparaît à la fois comme l’un des phénomènes les plus étrangers et les plus intimes à la civilisation occidentale. Les juifs demeurant, de façon inaltérable, marqués par l’héritage théologico-politique de leur période « classique », ont toujours su conserver leurs particularités, partout où ils se sont trouvés. Ils ont ainsi fonctionné, toujours au moins en partie, en parallèle des populations majoritaires où les vents et les marées de l’histoire a bien pu les pousser. Leur inaltérable particularité, qui, comme tout ce qui est exceptionnel, confirme la règle, est toujours toute prête à réveiller la peur de l’inconnu, de ce qui n’est pas reconnu comme normal chez la majorité. Ainsi, le peuple juif a forcément subi de multiples violences et injustices de la part des majorités où elle s’est trouvée en occident, ce qui l’a d’avantage ancrée dans sa particularité, de sorte qu’il est étonnant d’apprendre à quel point on retrouve souvent les mêmes tendances au mêmes époques chez les mystiques chrétiens, juifs et islamistes, voir même bouddhistes ou hindouistes qui subissent le même genre d’ostracisme de la part de leurs communautés respectives et forment ainsi inconsciemment une fraternité silencieuse et supra-culturelle.
July 28, 2014
A reler, e já não sei quantas vezes o li - A Cabala e a Mística Judaica. É um exemplar a desfazer-se em cadernos de duas ou várias folhas. De cada vez que o leio leva-me mais longe. Nunca longe demais. Precisaria de uma vida inteira ou de várias para mergulhar completamente em certas correntes de pensamento. Como de forma admirável, o faz Gershom Scholem (1897-1982), especialista mundialmente reconhecido, que dedicou mais de sessenta anos da sua vida ao estudo aprofundamento deste tema. E que, justamente, considerava este livro de importância crucial no conjunto dos seus estudos sobre a Cabala. Seguindo os textos esotéricos antigos, como o Bahir e o Zohar, e outras fontes documentais originais, G.S. leva-nos numa viagem plena de erudição e maravilha pelos territórios onde o Trono de Deus e a Árvore de Vida, no seu simbolismo transcendente, enquadram a sabedoria judaica. Através da releitura das obras fundadoras deste pensamento, e sempre à luz da Cabala, o autor aborda o problema do bem e do mal, o da transmigração das almas, o momento passivo-feminino da divindade e a noção de corpo astral e outras equações da transcendência humana
August 14, 2019
Excelente libro que permite al lector conocer acerca de la literatura mística judía que da pié a la Cabalá y el Zohar.
Muy interesante y complejo.
Actualmente estoy leyendo además el capítulo sobre el jasidismo y creo que es sumamente interesante para la comprensión de dicho movimiento en sus diferentes vertientes como de las ideas fundamentales de cada una de ellas.
Muy interesante y complejo.
Actualmente estoy leyendo además el capítulo sobre el jasidismo y creo que es sumamente interesante para la comprensión de dicho movimiento en sus diferentes vertientes como de las ideas fundamentales de cada una de ellas.
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November 16, 2016"Generally speaking, the mystics do not seem to conceive of God as the absolute Being or absolute Becoming but as the union of both; much as the hidden God of whom nothing is known to us, and the living God of religious experience and revelation, are one and the same. Kabbalism in other words is not dualistic, although historically there exists a close connection between its way of thinking and that of the Gnostics, to whom the hidden God and the Creator are opposing principles. On the contrary, all the energy of 'orthodox' Kabbalistic speculation is bent to the task of escaping from dualistic consequences; otherwise they would not have been able to maintain themselves within the Jewish community."
- pg 13
So, I'm wondering, since I'm also studying Gnosticism, what this means for both systems in relation. If cosmically Kabbalism is like working 'within the system' through the tree of life structure, and Gnosticism is more 'on the outside' since you believe the world is at fault and needs to change through personal overcoming, and striving to achieve a personal Gnosis. I think there's also more versions of Gnosticism floating around as far as writings go than there are of Kabbalah, unless you count youtube videos.
CONTINUING ON PG 34:
"As I have already said, mysticism represents, to a certain extent, a revival of mythical lore. This brings us to another and very serious point which I should like at least to mention. The Jewish mystic lives and acts in perpetual rebellion against a world with which he strives with all his zeal to be at peace. Conversely, this fact is responsible for the profound ambiguity of his outlook, and it also explains the apparent self-contradiction inherent in a great many Kabbalist symbols and images. The great symbols of the Kabbalah certainly spring from the depths of a creative and genuinely Jewish religious feeling, but at the same time they are invariably tinged by the world of mythology. In the lectures on the Zohar and on Lurianic Kabbalism I shall give a number of particularly outstanding instances of this fact. Failing this mythical element, the ancient Jewish mystics would have been unable to compress into language the substance of their inner experience. It was Gnosticism, one of the last great manifestations of mythology in religious thought, and definitely conceived in the struggle against Judaism as the conqueror of mythology, which lent figures of speech to the Jewish mystic.
The importance of this paradox can hardly be exaggerated; it must be kept in mind that the whole meaning and purpose of those ancient myths and metaphors whose remainders the editors of the book Bahir, and therefore the whole Kabbalah, inherited from the Gnostics, was simply the subversion of a law which had, at one time, disturbed and broken the order of the mythical world. Thus through wide and scattered provinces of Kabbalism, the revenge of myth upon its conqueror is clear for all to see, and together with it we find an abundant display of contradictory symbols. It is ±aracteristic of Kabbalistic theology in its systematical forms that it attempts to construct and to describe a world in which something of the mythical has again come to life, in terms of thought which exclude the mythical element. However, it is this contradiction which more than anything else explains the extraordinary success of Kabbalism in Jewish history.
Mystics and philosophers are, as it were, both aristocrats of thought; yet Kabbalism succeeded in establishing a connection between its own world and certain elemental impulses operative in every human mind. It did not turn its back upon the primitive side of life, that all-important region where mortals are afraid of life and in fear of death, and derive scant wisdom from rational philosophy. Philosophy ignored these fears, out of whose substance man wove myths, and in turning its back upon the primitive side of man's existence, it paid a high price in losing touch with him altogether. For it is cold comfort to those who are plagued by genuine fear and sorrow to be told that their troubles are but the workings of their own imagination.
The fact of the existence of evil in the world is the main touchstone of this difference between the philosophic and the Kabbalistic outlook. On the whole, the philosophers of Judaism treat the existence of evil as something meaningless in itself. Some of them have shown themselves only too proud of this negation of evil as one of the fundamentals of what they call rational Judaism. Hermann Cohen has said with great clarity and much conviction: "Evil is non-existent. It is nothing but a concept derived from the concept of freedom. A power of evil exists only in myth."" One may doubt the philosophical truth of this statement, but assuming its truth it is obvious that something can be said for 'myth' in its struggle with 'philosophy'. To most Kabbalists, as true seal-bearers of the world of myth, the existence of evil is, at any rate, one of the most pressing problems, and one which keeps them continuously occupied with attempts to solve it. They have a strong sense of the reality of evil and the dark horror that is about everything living. They do not, like the philosophers, seek to evade its existence with the aid of a convenient formula; rather do they try to penetrate into its depth. And by doing so, they unwittingly establish a connection between their own strivings and the vital interests of popular belief—you may call it superstition—and all of those concrete manifestations of Jewish life in which these fears found their expression. It is a paradoxical fact that none other than the Kabbalists, through their interpretation of various religious acts and customs, have made it clear what they signified to the average believer, if not what they really meant from the beginning. Jewish folklore stands as a living proof of this contention, as has been shown by modern research in respect of some particularly well-known examples."
It would be idle to deny that Kabbalistic thought lost much of its magnificence where it was forced to descend from the pinnacles of theoretical speculation to the plane of ordinary thinking and acting. The dangers which myth and magic present to the religious consciousness, including that of the mystic, are clearly shown in the development of Kabbalism. If one turns to the writings of great Kabbalists one seldom fails to be torn between alternate admiration and disgust. There is need for being quite clear about this in a time like ours, when the fashion of uncritical and superficial condemnation of even the most valuable elements of mysticism threatens to be replaced by an equally uncritical and obscurantist glorification of the Kabbalah. I have said before that Jewish philosophy had to pay a high price for its escape from the pressing questions of real life. But Kabbalism, too, has had to pay for its success. Philosophy came dangerously near to losing the living God; Kabbalism which set out to preserve Him, to blaze a new and glorious trail to Him, encountered mythology on its way and was tempted to lose itself in its labyrinth.
- pg 13
So, I'm wondering, since I'm also studying Gnosticism, what this means for both systems in relation. If cosmically Kabbalism is like working 'within the system' through the tree of life structure, and Gnosticism is more 'on the outside' since you believe the world is at fault and needs to change through personal overcoming, and striving to achieve a personal Gnosis. I think there's also more versions of Gnosticism floating around as far as writings go than there are of Kabbalah, unless you count youtube videos.
CONTINUING ON PG 34:
"As I have already said, mysticism represents, to a certain extent, a revival of mythical lore. This brings us to another and very serious point which I should like at least to mention. The Jewish mystic lives and acts in perpetual rebellion against a world with which he strives with all his zeal to be at peace. Conversely, this fact is responsible for the profound ambiguity of his outlook, and it also explains the apparent self-contradiction inherent in a great many Kabbalist symbols and images. The great symbols of the Kabbalah certainly spring from the depths of a creative and genuinely Jewish religious feeling, but at the same time they are invariably tinged by the world of mythology. In the lectures on the Zohar and on Lurianic Kabbalism I shall give a number of particularly outstanding instances of this fact. Failing this mythical element, the ancient Jewish mystics would have been unable to compress into language the substance of their inner experience. It was Gnosticism, one of the last great manifestations of mythology in religious thought, and definitely conceived in the struggle against Judaism as the conqueror of mythology, which lent figures of speech to the Jewish mystic.
The importance of this paradox can hardly be exaggerated; it must be kept in mind that the whole meaning and purpose of those ancient myths and metaphors whose remainders the editors of the book Bahir, and therefore the whole Kabbalah, inherited from the Gnostics, was simply the subversion of a law which had, at one time, disturbed and broken the order of the mythical world. Thus through wide and scattered provinces of Kabbalism, the revenge of myth upon its conqueror is clear for all to see, and together with it we find an abundant display of contradictory symbols. It is ±aracteristic of Kabbalistic theology in its systematical forms that it attempts to construct and to describe a world in which something of the mythical has again come to life, in terms of thought which exclude the mythical element. However, it is this contradiction which more than anything else explains the extraordinary success of Kabbalism in Jewish history.
Mystics and philosophers are, as it were, both aristocrats of thought; yet Kabbalism succeeded in establishing a connection between its own world and certain elemental impulses operative in every human mind. It did not turn its back upon the primitive side of life, that all-important region where mortals are afraid of life and in fear of death, and derive scant wisdom from rational philosophy. Philosophy ignored these fears, out of whose substance man wove myths, and in turning its back upon the primitive side of man's existence, it paid a high price in losing touch with him altogether. For it is cold comfort to those who are plagued by genuine fear and sorrow to be told that their troubles are but the workings of their own imagination.
The fact of the existence of evil in the world is the main touchstone of this difference between the philosophic and the Kabbalistic outlook. On the whole, the philosophers of Judaism treat the existence of evil as something meaningless in itself. Some of them have shown themselves only too proud of this negation of evil as one of the fundamentals of what they call rational Judaism. Hermann Cohen has said with great clarity and much conviction: "Evil is non-existent. It is nothing but a concept derived from the concept of freedom. A power of evil exists only in myth."" One may doubt the philosophical truth of this statement, but assuming its truth it is obvious that something can be said for 'myth' in its struggle with 'philosophy'. To most Kabbalists, as true seal-bearers of the world of myth, the existence of evil is, at any rate, one of the most pressing problems, and one which keeps them continuously occupied with attempts to solve it. They have a strong sense of the reality of evil and the dark horror that is about everything living. They do not, like the philosophers, seek to evade its existence with the aid of a convenient formula; rather do they try to penetrate into its depth. And by doing so, they unwittingly establish a connection between their own strivings and the vital interests of popular belief—you may call it superstition—and all of those concrete manifestations of Jewish life in which these fears found their expression. It is a paradoxical fact that none other than the Kabbalists, through their interpretation of various religious acts and customs, have made it clear what they signified to the average believer, if not what they really meant from the beginning. Jewish folklore stands as a living proof of this contention, as has been shown by modern research in respect of some particularly well-known examples."
It would be idle to deny that Kabbalistic thought lost much of its magnificence where it was forced to descend from the pinnacles of theoretical speculation to the plane of ordinary thinking and acting. The dangers which myth and magic present to the religious consciousness, including that of the mystic, are clearly shown in the development of Kabbalism. If one turns to the writings of great Kabbalists one seldom fails to be torn between alternate admiration and disgust. There is need for being quite clear about this in a time like ours, when the fashion of uncritical and superficial condemnation of even the most valuable elements of mysticism threatens to be replaced by an equally uncritical and obscurantist glorification of the Kabbalah. I have said before that Jewish philosophy had to pay a high price for its escape from the pressing questions of real life. But Kabbalism, too, has had to pay for its success. Philosophy came dangerously near to losing the living God; Kabbalism which set out to preserve Him, to blaze a new and glorious trail to Him, encountered mythology on its way and was tempted to lose itself in its labyrinth.
May 15, 2022
“The story is not ended, it has not yet become history, and the secret life it holds can break out tomorrow in you or in me…To speak of the mystical course which, in the great cataclysm now stirring the Jewish people more deeply than in the entire history of Exile, destiny may still have in store for us—and I for one believe that there is such a course—is the task of prophets, not of professors.”
The final paragraph of the final lecture, annotated with somewhat amateur penmanship by the previous owner of these lectures with a laconic “Woah.”
“Woah” indeed.
The final paragraph of the final lecture, annotated with somewhat amateur penmanship by the previous owner of these lectures with a laconic “Woah.”
“Woah” indeed.
September 11, 2023
In Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Gershom Scholem presents a Kabbalah belief in the sacredness and divine origin of every letter and word in the Hebrew Bible. For the Kabbalists, the text is not just a historical document or a literary masterpiece, but a living embodiment of the divine wisdom, a blueprint of the universe, and a guide to spiritual ascent. Through the study and contemplation of the Torah, the Kabbalists sought to uncover the hidden meanings and mystical secrets that lay beneath the surface of the text. According to Scholem, the Kabbalistic worldview is characterized by a complex system of emanations, known as the sefirot, which represent the ten attributes or aspects of God. These emanations flow from the infinite and unknowable divine essence, and gradually diminish in intensity until they reach the material world. In addition to the Kabbalah, Scholem also explores two other major trends in Jewish mysticism: Hasidism and Sabbateanism. Hasidism, which emerged in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century, was a populist and emotional movement that sought to bring the esoteric teachings of the Kabbalah to the masses. The Hasidic masters, known as tzaddikim, emphasized the importance of joy, faith, and devotion in the spiritual life, and believed that the path to enlightenment was through the heart, rather than the intellect. Sabbateanism, on the other hand, was a heretical movement that arose in the seventeenth century and was led by the false messiah Sabbatai Zevi. Scholem describes how Sabbatai Zevi's charismatic personality and radical teachings attracted a large following, but ultimately led to disappointment and disillusionment when his messianic claims were not fulfilled.
Read
November 3, 2019After a few months of sporadic dipping, I've finished this (self-imposed) prerequisite for Scholem's Sabbatai Sevi, David Biale et al's Hasidism: A New History, and, eventually (also an exciting prospect, if the least exciting of the lot) Olga Tokarczuk's Księgi Jakubowe.
Gershom Scholem is one of the few scholars I've come across (others of my acquaintance being Robert Alter and Jeffrey Saks) who writes beautifully while discussing abstract topics in a way I ("even I," I should say) can understand. Scholem in particular could, if inclined in a slightly other direction, no doubt have been a great master of fiction. His Sabbatai Sevi, of which I drank up a hundred pages before retreating to armor myself in this volume, is, in terms of the verve and wonder and beauty of its rhythms and images, even in translation, a feast.
As for this book, if you're interested in the topic, every carefully composed page will be fascinating. Scholem does name a lot of brilliant-sounding works and authors unavailable in English, but that comes with the territory.
To my delight, Scholem ends the ninth lecture (and thereby the book) with a tale he heard from—who else—Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
Gershom Scholem is one of the few scholars I've come across (others of my acquaintance being Robert Alter and Jeffrey Saks) who writes beautifully while discussing abstract topics in a way I ("even I," I should say) can understand. Scholem in particular could, if inclined in a slightly other direction, no doubt have been a great master of fiction. His Sabbatai Sevi, of which I drank up a hundred pages before retreating to armor myself in this volume, is, in terms of the verve and wonder and beauty of its rhythms and images, even in translation, a feast.
As for this book, if you're interested in the topic, every carefully composed page will be fascinating. Scholem does name a lot of brilliant-sounding works and authors unavailable in English, but that comes with the territory.
To my delight, Scholem ends the ninth lecture (and thereby the book) with a tale he heard from—who else—Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
January 30, 2018
On one level a straightforward history of Jewish Mysticism from the middle ages up until the advent of Hasidism in the eighteenth century. On another level weird and confusing. The history of the people involved is too brief, though fairly straightforward. As a history of ideas, it is hard to follow, and the ideas themselves are for the most part irrelevant to me. In a way, Gershom Scholem is more interesting than what he writes about. He has strong links to modern twentieth-century philosophers in the Frankfurt School and major existentialist thinkers. It can make it difficult to piece this together with his research in Kabbalah. There is a recent MOOC on Kabbalah which I found very helpful in getting some of the terminology straight.
February 22, 2019
This isn't for the faint of heart, but for someone who doesn't mind somewhat inaccessible academic language and has a true interest in Jewish mysticism, this is a must read. Scholem covers a thousand years of mysticism in several hundred pages, which makes it incredibly dense but also keeps it moving relatively quickly. It's the kind of work that you read through once then come back and delve into the primary sources.
One complaint: the romanization of Hebrew words is absolutely abysmal and often obscures words' meanings. I am an observant Jew and even I was puzzled the first time I encountered relatively commonly used words like mitswoth (mitzvot)!
One complaint: the romanization of Hebrew words is absolutely abysmal and often obscures words' meanings. I am an observant Jew and even I was puzzled the first time I encountered relatively commonly used words like mitswoth (mitzvot)!
February 1, 2017
A Triumph, Possibly a Miracle, of Scholarship
If anyone could manage to give a clear exposition of the main ideas of Kabbalism, that person is Gershom Scholem. There were times, while reading this book, that I was swimming (I.e., near drowning), particularly in the second lecture on the Zohar, but I always eventually found my footing again, thanks to GS; and the book as a whole is a marvel of clarity, that is, a marvelously clear presentation of an extremely complex, dense, and knotty material. I am in awe. Amongst scholarly studies, a book like this one is one in a thousand, if not one in ten thousand, or more.
If anyone could manage to give a clear exposition of the main ideas of Kabbalism, that person is Gershom Scholem. There were times, while reading this book, that I was swimming (I.e., near drowning), particularly in the second lecture on the Zohar, but I always eventually found my footing again, thanks to GS; and the book as a whole is a marvel of clarity, that is, a marvelously clear presentation of an extremely complex, dense, and knotty material. I am in awe. Amongst scholarly studies, a book like this one is one in a thousand, if not one in ten thousand, or more.
March 15, 2017
This was the textbook for my Jewish Mysticism book in college - it was extremely dense reading, with sentences spanning the length of a half page... that being said, it was amazingly informative. It covered many of the major trends in Jewish mysticism from the ancient Merkavah through the Zohar and Kabbalah into modern Hasidism. I don't know if there is another book out there that covers so much...
April 19, 2017
One has to give Scholem credit for going against Graetz and Geiger and bring Jewish Mysticism into the fore. Yet, now his approach seems to lack epistemological humility. Everyone from the Reform to the Chassidim seem to be lurking Sabatean's and his remarks concerning Chabad seem especially mean-spirited.
March 11, 2014
A classic and very readable.
February 12, 2021
The approach to Jewish Mysticism taken by Gershom Scholem is right on point. He acts and writes as a researcher, with historical, anthropological and psychological curiosity about the subject and without regarding it as necessarily true, with sufficient scientific distance. At the same time, he treats it with the utmost respect, not as if he is dealing with the backwards ideologies of backwater savages, but he studies it with the care and interest of a Jewish man looking at a fascinating aspect of his tradition, one which is still alive and developing.
The book is a mix of inquiry into the historical developments of said trends, starting from the gnostic-like Merkabah mysticism and then going through the various stages of kabbalistic thought, from the Zohar, to the Safed School up to modern Hasidism. Some fascinating stories which I never heard about were also told about the medieval German Hasidism and Abraham Abulafia's mystic system. Finally, the story of Sabbatianism, which I was slightly aware of, was elucidated in further detail and I came to know its long-lasting impacts more fully.
But it not only covers the historical aspects, but also serves as an introduction to further research into Jewish mysticism, going over subjects like the Helakhot and the descent into God's throne, the system of the Sefirot, the tsimtsum, breaking of the vessels and Tikkun and even to the holiness of Sin of the most radical Sabbateans. I can't wait to read further texts from Scholem.
The book is a mix of inquiry into the historical developments of said trends, starting from the gnostic-like Merkabah mysticism and then going through the various stages of kabbalistic thought, from the Zohar, to the Safed School up to modern Hasidism. Some fascinating stories which I never heard about were also told about the medieval German Hasidism and Abraham Abulafia's mystic system. Finally, the story of Sabbatianism, which I was slightly aware of, was elucidated in further detail and I came to know its long-lasting impacts more fully.
But it not only covers the historical aspects, but also serves as an introduction to further research into Jewish mysticism, going over subjects like the Helakhot and the descent into God's throne, the system of the Sefirot, the tsimtsum, breaking of the vessels and Tikkun and even to the holiness of Sin of the most radical Sabbateans. I can't wait to read further texts from Scholem.
March 16, 2022
It turns out I really just wanted to read this for the last two chapters.
Scholem undoubtedly knows a ton and this is certainly a great resource for those who are deep in the field. But it's not a good place to start. I think what threw me the most is that while it's framed as a history of Jewish mysticism, it doesn't spend much time on the people, personalities, and events that define the movement. It's primarily focused on literary criticism and showing where philosophies evolved through popular manuscripts.
This just became too much and I knew full well that as soon as I read something, it would vacate my brain. I just didn't have the foundation. So my rating on this one is partly just due to my personal lack of previous engagement.
But I think the author assumes a lot of familiarity. He'll throw out terms, like Zaddik, without really explaining them because, come on, we all know what a Zaddik is, right?? Since these were originally lectures to a more-informed audience, they work best in that context. I think what I really wanted was a standalone book on the evolution of Sabbatianism and Hasidism, but you only get it in fits and starts over the last 60 pages or so. Lots of interesting material, but it wasn't the right book for what I was looking for.
Scholem undoubtedly knows a ton and this is certainly a great resource for those who are deep in the field. But it's not a good place to start. I think what threw me the most is that while it's framed as a history of Jewish mysticism, it doesn't spend much time on the people, personalities, and events that define the movement. It's primarily focused on literary criticism and showing where philosophies evolved through popular manuscripts.
This just became too much and I knew full well that as soon as I read something, it would vacate my brain. I just didn't have the foundation. So my rating on this one is partly just due to my personal lack of previous engagement.
But I think the author assumes a lot of familiarity. He'll throw out terms, like Zaddik, without really explaining them because, come on, we all know what a Zaddik is, right?? Since these were originally lectures to a more-informed audience, they work best in that context. I think what I really wanted was a standalone book on the evolution of Sabbatianism and Hasidism, but you only get it in fits and starts over the last 60 pages or so. Lots of interesting material, but it wasn't the right book for what I was looking for.
July 31, 2021
Let me start with two quibbles:
First, I was somewhat put off by Scholem’s general outline of the “development of human consciousness” outlined in the first lecture. I am more than happy to compare mystical and philosophical thought, and find the latter lacking at some points, but I’m not so sure I can accept the implicit assumption that monotheism, and specifically the idea that “nature and man are conceived as His creations,” is “the indispensable condition of highly developed religious life” (pp.38-9).
Second (although not much of a quibble), the fifth lecture (concerning the authorship of the Zohar) is a slog for someone uninterested in the niceties of philological analysis. In the introduction, Scholem himself cautions against reading it if you are a layman in the field, and I wish I had headed that advice.
But excepting these two gripes, this book is astounding, and should be a model for academic writing in the humanities. The quality of writing is better than most academics these days would dare to dream of reaching, and the presentation of ideas does not suffer in the least from being related beautifully.
A great book.
First, I was somewhat put off by Scholem’s general outline of the “development of human consciousness” outlined in the first lecture. I am more than happy to compare mystical and philosophical thought, and find the latter lacking at some points, but I’m not so sure I can accept the implicit assumption that monotheism, and specifically the idea that “nature and man are conceived as His creations,” is “the indispensable condition of highly developed religious life” (pp.38-9).
Second (although not much of a quibble), the fifth lecture (concerning the authorship of the Zohar) is a slog for someone uninterested in the niceties of philological analysis. In the introduction, Scholem himself cautions against reading it if you are a layman in the field, and I wish I had headed that advice.
But excepting these two gripes, this book is astounding, and should be a model for academic writing in the humanities. The quality of writing is better than most academics these days would dare to dream of reaching, and the presentation of ideas does not suffer in the least from being related beautifully.
A great book.
December 7, 2023
I read and taught this book while TA'ing for Elliot Wolfson's 'Jewish Mysticism' course. As such, studying this work alongside Wolfson and a few dozen students made for an exceptional intellectual experience.
Scholem's book is a masterful exposition of major trends in Jewish mysticism. From antiquity through 19th century Hasidism, Scholem highlights significant turning points and concepts that have carried the many traditions of Jewish Mysticism for two thousand years. This is not to say I agree with how Scholem reads all of the primary sources he expounds; however, if you're a student of mysticism or Judaism, this book is a must read. Not only is it a fine introduction to principal figures such as Maimonides and Luria, but it also subtly shows how and why certain movements built off of one another. Additionally, this book steers clear of any 'comparative mysticism,' and emphasizes the uniqueness of Jewish mysticism.
All in all, this is an impressive work of scholarship and perhaps the best place to start for one who wants to begin studying Jewish mysticism.
Scholem's book is a masterful exposition of major trends in Jewish mysticism. From antiquity through 19th century Hasidism, Scholem highlights significant turning points and concepts that have carried the many traditions of Jewish Mysticism for two thousand years. This is not to say I agree with how Scholem reads all of the primary sources he expounds; however, if you're a student of mysticism or Judaism, this book is a must read. Not only is it a fine introduction to principal figures such as Maimonides and Luria, but it also subtly shows how and why certain movements built off of one another. Additionally, this book steers clear of any 'comparative mysticism,' and emphasizes the uniqueness of Jewish mysticism.
All in all, this is an impressive work of scholarship and perhaps the best place to start for one who wants to begin studying Jewish mysticism.
August 25, 2025
Moja wiedza o Merkawie, kabale, sabataizmie i chasydyzmie jest nieporównywalnie większa po lekturze tej książki, ale miałem momenty ciężkiego zwątpienia w tę lekturę. Generalnie jest ona momentami nierówna i zanim dobrnąłem do założeń kabały wyłożonych w Zoharze musiałem przejść przez gehinnom rozdziału o technikaliach związanych z tą książką typu wielostronicowe dociekania kiedy, gdzie i przez kogo Zohar został napisany i jakie błędy językowe popełnił autor. Poza tym Scholem był strasznym gatekeeperem, nie pozwalając na istnienie kabały poza judaizmem (jadąc po wszystkich ezoterykach, którzy wchodzili w ten temat) czy mistycyzmu poza religiami abrahamicznymi. Łatwo mu przychodziło zarzucanie błędów w najlepszym wypadku, przyganianie od szarlatanów w najgorszym, w dziedzinie, w której w zasadzie ciężko jest empirycznie udowodnić prawdę (tj. mistyczne poznanie bóstwa). Szczyt osiągnął w przypisaniu gnostykom metafizycznego antysemityzmu za przedkładanie ain soph nad "żydowskiego boga". damn. Czuję, że moglibyśmy się nie polubić jako ludzie
June 29, 2025
Reading this feels like spending a whole long semester in the stuffy smoke-filled classroom of Gershom Scholem at Hebrew University, right as his star was beginning to shine. It is dense, it is boring, and you leave each class bursting with so much new information that it feels like names and dates are coming out of your ears. But if you do the work to understand and process all that Scholem gives, you can take away something profound and beautiful and undoubtedly important. This something is not factual, not purely historical, but instead closer to a kind of sensibility, gleaned from the leftovers after all the crunching and the processing of all the fa(c)t. Crash course doesn't even begin to explain it...
April 19, 2020
Abertausende von Werken jüdischen Mystizismus sprechen zu einem aus diesen Werk von Gershom Scholem. Eine faszinierende Reise durch die Jahrhunderte und die Entwicklungen die das Judentum während dieser Zeit genommen hat. Scholem schafft es, ohne zu starke zu werten, zu erklären was die einzelnen Strömungen ausmachte, wer zentral für sie war und wie sie aufeinander einwirkten. Eine helle, edle Genauigkeit bestimmt die Gestalt seiner Arbeit. Ich habe das Buch gelesen, nachdem ich in die Welt von Jakob Frank in Die Jakobsbücher von Olga Tokarczuk kennengelernt habe und es mir langsam und lange nicht alles verstehend, erarbeitet. Eine faszinierende Lektüre!
March 29, 2022
Gershom Scholem has been hyped a lot as writer and scholar of Jewish Mysticism. I found that I didn't connect with this book on an emotional or spiritual level. I know these are transcriptions of his lecture notes but I didn't find his comments on Hasidism, Sabbatai Tsvi particularly that insightful or interesting. The best part of the book for me was the discussion of Hekhalot literature and Merkabah mysticism. I already know the basics of the Kabbalah and the Sefirot, and the Hasidic figures and found that his comments regarding these Jewish Mystical concepts weren't as gripping to read. The book is very much a stream of consciousness.
May 15, 2023
Quite academic, but full of value for those wanting to understand the titular subject. The author is a true scholar of this field, and this text is still foundational even after several decades. The author (and translator) writes well and clearly, but prose is still dense because of the technical contents.
However, the book is now somewhat dated, and updated scholarship would contest some of its claims and perspectives.
However, the book is now somewhat dated, and updated scholarship would contest some of its claims and perspectives.
December 10, 2019
The opening chapters where he theorizes about mysticism and mysticism and religion were my fave. Also clutch move ending his story of Jewish mysticism with the story about ‘all that that’s left is the story’.
If you like books like this you'll love my project:
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If you like books like this you'll love my project:
http://youtube.com/c/seekersofunity?s...
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