Introduction to Jewish Mysticism - Syllabus

INTRODUCTION TO JEWISH MYSTICISM Aryeh Amihay Details: RGST 26 M W 11:00-12:15 Room: ED 1213 Office HSSB 3048 Office Hours: M W 10-11, 3:30-4:30 aamihay@ucsb.edu Discussion sections (please note your slot) W 10:00-10:50, HSSB 3001E W 2:00-2:50, HSSB 1215 R 12:00-12:50, SH 1609 R 11:00-11:50, HSSB 3001E Prof. Nathan Fisher Office: HSSB 3043 Office Hours: Thursday, 1-3pm nathan_fisher@ucsb.edu Books Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, with a new foreword by Robert Alter. New York: Schocken, [1941] 1995. ISBN-13: 978-0805210422. Description and Mission This course is intended to introduce students to the literature and thought of Jewish mysticism. A major goal of the course is familiarizing students with the major texts of Jewish mysticism, as well as the terminology of Kabbalah. In addition, students will gain an initial understanding of scholarly stances about these texts, situating their place in the Jewish tradition. As part of this endeavor, students will also acquire basic vocabulary to discuss mysticism in general, and will explore the unique characteristics that set it apart from other facets of religion. With these purposes in mind, the course is divided into two sections: first, we will survey the historical development of Jewish mysticism from biblical times to present day. We will explore shared and sustained interests as well as divergences and evolution throughout the ages. Following the historicalliterary survey, we will explore some themes in Jewish mysticism, the way that mystical writings help us to think about these themes anew, and the contribution of their treatment in Jewish mysticism to understanding mysticism as a religious phenomenon in general. Needless to say, the themes are selective and confined by time constraints. Many important themes have been omitted and could have generated wonderful discussions, such as: time and space, eschatology, messianism, hermeneutics, non-Jews, embodiment, angelology, redemption, language, transformation, and much more. Students should be prepared in class and in section to offer insights, analysis, criticism, and questions about the readings. Rules and grading Students should not be late to class. Students are allowed three absences from class, and one absence from section, in addition to classes officially canceled. Students should not enter class late. Late arrivals will not be counted as present. 20% participation 30% midterm 50% final (take-home exam or research paper): students who wish to substitute the exam with a research paper should discuss this early on with Prof. Fisher, getting an approval of the topic, and a clear timeline for the progress of the paper throughout the course. Late requests will not be approved. Submission of a research paper without consultation and approval will be considered as no submission. All students are required to have one office-hour meeting with Prof. Amihay during the course. Students who cannot attend scheduled office hours should email to reschedule. Part 1: Historical and Literary Survey Class 1 (Sep. 30) – Introduction Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 1 Class 2 (Oct. 2) – Introduction II: What Is Mysticism? James, “Mysticism” Weber, “Asceticism, Mysticism, and Salvation Religion” Versluis, “Introduction” Moore, “Mystical Experience, Mystical Doctrine, Mystical Technique” Class 3 (Oct. 7) – The Legacy of the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Apocalypticism Himmelfarb, “The Book of the Watchers and Ascent to Heaven” Gruenwald, “The Mystical Elements in Apocalyptic” Schäfer, “Qumran: Communion with the Angels” Class 4 (Oct. 9) – Mysticism in Canonical Rabbinic Writings Holtz, “In the Orchard” Idel, “Ancient Jewish Theurgy” Halperin, “The Merkabah in Rabbinic Literature: Conclusions” Class 5 (Oct. 14) – Merkabah Mysticism and Hekhalot Literature Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 2 2 Amihay, Jewish Mysticism-F19 Class 6 (Oct. 16) – Sefer Hasidim and the German Pietists Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 3 Class 7 (Oct. 21) – Abulafia and Prophetic Kabbalism Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 4 Class 8 (Oct. 23) – The Zohar Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 6 Class 9 (Oct. 28) – The Safed Mystics Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 7 Class 10 (Oct. 30) – Sabbatianism and the Dangers of Mysticism Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 8 Class 11 (Nov. 4) – Hasidism Scholem, Major Trends, Chapter 9 Class 12 (Nov. 6) – Zionism and Mysticism Buber, “Renewal of Judaism” Kook, “The Road to Renewal” Mendes-Flohr, “Martin Buber and Hebrew Humanism” + “Buber’s Conception of God” Garb, “Rabbi Kook and His Sources” Class 13 (Nov. 13) – Contemporary Trends Garb, “The Soul and the Heart in Twentieth-Century Kabbalah” Weissler, “Performing Kabbalah in the Jewish Renewal Movement” Myers, “The Kabbalah Centre and Contemporary Spirituality” Guzmen-Carmeli and Sharabi, “Tailor-Made Kabbalistic Therapeutics in Jerusalem” 3 Amihay, Jewish Mysticism-F19 Part 2: Selected Themes Class 14 (Nov. 18) – Texts vs. practice Wolfson, “Revelation and Interpretation in the Zohar” Boustan, “The Study of Heikhalot Literature: Between Mystical Experience and Textual Artifact” Dan, “Prayer as Text and Prayer as Mystical Experience” Giller, “The Theurgic Dimension of the Commandments” Class 15 (Nov. 20) – Magic and Demons Harari, “Angels, Demons, and Sorceries in Nonmagic Literature” Swartz, “Ritual Procedures in Magical Texts from the Cairo Genizah” Saar, “Practices of Jewish Love Magic” Alexander, “Love and Death in a Contemporary Dybbuk Story” Class 16 (Nov. 25) – Sin Unterman, Kabbalistic Tradition, 268-94 Brown, “Orthodox Zealotry and ‘Holy Sinning’ in Nineteenth-Century Hasidism” Altshuler, “Descent for the Sake of the Ascent” Class 17 (Nov. 27) – Gender and Body Wolfson, “On Becoming Female” Mayse, “The Role of Kabbalah in Revitalizing Modern Orthodoxy” Janowitz, “God’s Body” Class 18 (Dec. 2) – The Problem of Belonging: Exile and Otherness Elior, “Exile and Redemption in Jewish Mystical Thought” Magid, “Nature, Exile, and Disability in The Seven Beggars” Berman, “Textuality, Otherness, and Zoharic Proliferation” Class 19 (Dec. 4) – Conclusion Biale, “Scholem’s Ten Unhistorical Aphorisms on Kabbalah” Huss, “Contemporary Kabbalah and Its Challenge to the Academic Study of Jewish Mysticism” Bohak, “Prolegomena to the Study of the Jewish Magical Tradition” 4 Amihay, Jewish Mysticism-F19 Sources of Readings Alexander, Tamar. “Love and Death in a Contemporary Dybbuk Story: Personal Narrative and the Female Voice.” In Spirit Possession in Judaism: Cases and Contexts from the Middle Ages to the Present, edited by Matt Goldish, 307-45. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2003. Altschuler, Mor. The Messianic Secret of Hasidism. Leiden: Brill, [2002] 2006. Biale, David. “Gershom Scholem’s Ten Unhistorical Aphorisms on Kabbalah: Text and Commentary.” Modern Judaism 5.1 (1985): 67-94. Berman, Nathaniel. “Demonic Writing: Textuality, Otherness, and Zoharic Proliferation.” Jewish Studies Quarterly 24.4 (2017): 356-86. Bohak, Gideon. “Prolegomena to the Study of the Jewish Magical Tradition.” Currents in Biblical Research 8.1 (2009): 107-50. Boustan, Ra’anan S. “The Study of Heikhalot Literature: Between Mystical Experience and Textual Artifact.” Currents in Biblical Research 6.1 (2007): 130-60. Brown, Benjamin. “The Two Faces of Religious Radicalism: Orthodox Zealotry and ‘Holy Sinning’ in NineteenthCentury Hasidism in Hungary and Galicia.” Journal of Religion 93.3 (2013): 341-74. Buber, Martin. On Judaism, edited by Nahum M. Glatzer. New York: Schocken Books, 1967. Dan, Joseph. “Prayer as Text and Prayer as Mystical Experience.” In Torah and Wisdom: Studies in Jewish Philosophy, Kabbalah and Halacha; Essays in Honor of Arthur Hyman, edited by Ruth Link-Salinger, 33-47. New York: Shengold, 1992. Elior, Rachel. “Exile and Redemption in Jewish Mystical Thought.” Studies in Spirituality 14 (2004): 1-15. Garb, Jonathan. “Rabbi Kook and His Sources: From Kabbalistic Historiosophy to National Mysticism.” In Studies in Modern Religions, Religious Movements and the Babi-Baha’i Faiths, edited by Moshe Sharon, 77-96. Leiden: Brill, 2004. ———. Yearnings of the Soul: Psychological Thought in Modern Kabbalah. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2015. Giller, Pinchas. The Enlightened Will Shine: Symbolization and Theurgy in the Later Strata of the Zohar. Albany, N.Y.: SUNY Press, 1993. Gruenwald, Ithamar. Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism, 2nd ed. Leiden: Brill, [1980] 2014. Guzmen-Carmeli, Shlomo, and Asaf Sharabi. “Textual Healing: Tailor-Made Kabbalistic Therapeutics in Jerusalem.” Anthropology & Medicine 26.2 (2019): 244-58. Halperin, David J. The Merkabah in Rabbinic Literature. New Haven: American Oriental Society, 1980. Harari, Yuval. Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah. Translated by Batya Stein. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, [2010] 2017. Himmelfarb, Martha. The Apocalypse: A Brief History. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Holtz, Barry W. Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017. Huss, Boaz. “Contemporary Kabbalah and Its Challenge to the Academic Study of Jewish Mysticism.” In Kabbalah and Contemporary Spiritual Revival, edited by Boaz Huss, 357-73. Beer Sheva: Ben Gurion University of the Negev Press, 2011. Idel, Moshe. Kabbalah: New Perspectives. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. James, William. The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature. New York: Modern Library, [1902] 1929. Janowitz, Naomi. “God’s Body: Theological and Ritual Roles of Shi’ur Komah.” In People of the Body: Jews and Judaism from an Embodied Perspective, edited by Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, 183-201. Albany, N.Y.: SUNY Press, 1992. Kook, Abraham Isaac. The Lights of Penitence, The Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems. Translated and introduced by Ben Zion Bokser, with a preface by Jacob Agus and Rivka Schatz. New York: Paulist Press, 1995. Magid, Shaul. “Nature, Exile, and Disability in R. Nahman of Bratslav’s “The Seven Beggars.” Judaism and Ecology: Created World and Revealed Word, edited by Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, 333-68. Cambridge, Mass.: Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School, 2002. Mayse, Ariel Evan. “The Role of Kabbalah in Revitalizing Modern Orthodoxy.” Conversations 9 (2011): 123-38. Mendes-Flohr, Paul. Divided Passions: Jewish Intellectuals and the Experience of Modernity. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1991. Moore, Peter. “Mystical Experience, Mystical Doctrine, Mystical Technique.” In Mysticism and Philosophical Analysis, edited by Steven T. Katz, 101-31. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978. Myers, Jodi. “The Kabbalah Centre and Contemporary Spirituality.” Religion Compass 2.3 (2008): 409-20. 5 Amihay, Jewish Mysticism-F19 Saar, Ortal-Paz. Jewish Love Magic: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Leiden: Brill, 2017. Schäfer, Peter. The Origins of Jewish Mysticism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Swartz, Michael D. “Ritual Procedures in Magical Texts from the Cairo Genizah.” Jewish Studies Quarterly 13.4 (2006): 305-18. Unterman, Alan, ed. The Kabbalistic Tradition: An Anthology of Jewish Mysticism, Penguin Classics. London: Penguin, 2008. Versluis, Arthur. Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Weber, Max. The Sociology of Religion. Translated by Ephraim Fischoff. London: Methuen, [1920] 1965. Weissler, Chava. “Performing Kabbalah in the Jewish Renewal Movement.” In Kabbalah and Contemporary Spiritual Revival, edited by Boaz Huss, 39-74. Beer Sheva: Ben Gurion University of the Negev Press, 2011. Wolfson, Elliot R. “On Becoming Female: Crossing Gender Boundaries in Kabbalistic Ritual and Myth.” In Gender and Judaism: The Transformation of Tradition, edited by T. M. Rudavsky, 209-28. New York: NYU Press, 1995. ———. Through a Speculum That Shines: Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. Select primary readings in translation Note: this list of primary sources available in English combines both standard mystical texts, as well as texts that are not part of classic Kabbalah literature, but are either forerunners (e.g. Stern and Mirsky’s anthology; Charlesworth’s anthology), or have been influenced by it, and shape how people think of Jewish Mysticism today, broadly conceived (e.g. Rosenzweig, Buber, Heschel). Some texts of a more popular nature have been included to showcase the variety of Jewish mystical thought in modern times (e.g. Berg, Gottlieb, Gershom). General collections Mayse, Ariel Evan. From the Depth of the Well: An Anthology of Jewish Mysticism. New York: Paulist Press, 2014. Unterman, Alan, ed. The Kabbalistic Tradition: An Anthology of Jewish Mysticism, Penguin Classics. London: Penguin, 2008. Jacobs, Louis, ed. The Schocken Book of Jewish Mystical Testimonies. New York: Schocken Books, [1977] 1997. Cole, Peter, and Aminadav Dykman, eds. The Poetry of Kabbalah: Mystical Verse from the Jewish Tradition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012. Stern, David, and Mark Jay Mirsky, eds. Rabbinic Fantasies: Imaginative Narratives from Classical Hebrew Literature. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1990. Apocalypticism and early mysticism Charlesworth, James H., ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Vol. 1 - Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1983, 1985. Vermes, Geza. The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, revised ed. London: Penguin, 2004. Merkabah mysticism and Hekhalot literature Hayman, A. Peter. Sefer Yeṣira: Edition, Translation and Text-Critical Commentary. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2004. Davila, James R. Hekhalot Literature in Translation: Major Texts of Merkavah Mysticism. Leiden: Brill, 2013. Cohen, Martin Samuel. The Shiʿur Qomah: Texts and Recensions. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1985. Medieval mysticism Dan, Joseph, ed. The Early Kabbalah. New York: Paulist Press, 1986. Abulafia, Abraham. Imrei Shefer: Words of Beauty. N.P.: David Smith, 2016. Gikatilla, Joseph. Gates of Light / Sha’are Orah: The First English Translation of a Classic Introduction to Jewish Mysticism. Translated by Avi Weinstein. Walnut Creek, Calif.: Altamira, 1994. Matt, Daniel Chanan, ed. Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment. New York: Paulist Press, 1983. ———, translation and commentary. The Zohar: The Pritzker Edition. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2004-2017. 6 Amihay, Jewish Mysticism-F19 Safed mysticism Fine, Lawrence, ed. Safed Spirituality: Rules of Mystical Piety, The Beginning of Wisdom. New York: Paulist Press, 1984. Faierstein, Morris M., trans. Jewish Mystical Autobiographies: Book of Visions and Book of Secrets. New York: Paulist Press, 1999. Cordovero, Moshe. Pardes Rimonim: Orchard of Pomegranates, parts 1-4. Monfalcone, Italy: Providence University, 2007. Hasidism Newman, Louis I., ed. The Hasidic Anthology: Tales and Teachings of the Hasidim. New York: Schocken, [1934] 1963. Buber, Martin, ed. Tales of the Hasidim, translated by Olga Marx. New York: Schocken, [1927, 1948] 1991. Ben-Amos, Dan, and Jerome R. Mintz, eds. In Praise of the Baal Shem Tov / Shivḥei ha-Besht: The Earliest Legends about the Founder of Hasidism. Northvale, N.J.: Aronson, 1993. Zwecker, Tal Moshe, ed. Mipninei Noam Elimelech: A Selection of Teachings, Stories, and Parables of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. Southfield, Mich.: Targum Press, 2008. Schneur Zalman of Liadi. Likkutei Amarim (Tanya): Bilingual Edition. New York: Kehot, 1973. Green, Arthur, ed. Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl: Upright Practices; The Light of the Eyes. New York: Paulist, 1982. Band, Arnold J., ed. Nahman of Bratslav: The Tales. New York: Paulist Press, 1978. Modern and contemporary mysticism Rosenzweig, Franz. The Star of Redemption. Translated by William W. Hallo. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1971. Bokser, Ben Zion, ed. Abraham Isaac Kook: The Lights of Penitence, The Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems. New York: Paulist Press, 1995 Ashlag, Yehudah. The Kabbalah: A Study of the Ten Luminous Emanations from Isaac Luria, with Two Commentaries – Inner Reflection; Inner Light. Translated by Levi I. Krakovsky. Jerusalem: Press of the Research Centre of Kabbalah, 1973. Green, Arthur, ed. Hasidic Spirituality for a New Era: The Religious Writings of Hillel Zeitlin. New York: Paulist, 2012. Buber, Martin. I and Thou. Translated by Ronald Gregor Smith. New York: Scribner, 1958. Heschel, Abraham Joshua. God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Cudahy, 1955. Schachter, Zalman. Fragments of a Future Scroll: Hassidism for the Aquarian Age. Germantown, Pa.: Leaves of Grass, 1975. Schatz, Moshe. Sparks of the Hidden Light: Seeing the Unified Nature of Reality through Kabbalah; A Unique Understanding of Science in the Light of Torah. Jerusalem: Ateret Tiferet Institute, [1996] 1998. Green, Arthur, and Ariel Evan Mayse, eds. A New Hasidism: Roots. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2019. Gottlieb, Lynn. She Who Dwells Within: A Feminist Vision of a Renewed Judaism. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995. Gershom, Yonassan. From Ashes to Healing: Mystical Encounters with the Holocaust. Virginia Beach, Va.: ARE Press, 1996. Berg, Yehuda. The Power of Kabbalah: This Book Contains the Secrets of the Universe and the Meaning of Our Lives. San Diego, Calif.: Jodere, 2001. Green, Arthur. Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. 7 Amihay, Jewish Mysticism-F19