Jewish Mysticism and the Spiritual Life
Classical Texts, Contemporary Reflections
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
Leading scholars and teachers share their favorite texts of the Jewish mystical tradition—many available in English for the first time—and explore why these materials are meaningful and relevant to us today. New in paperback!
In this unique volume, some of Judaism's most insightful contemporary thinkers bring the words of sages past to bear on the present. They explore how we can become closer to God through our relationships with others, our observance at home and our actions in the world, asking:
What do mitzvot have to do with mysticism?Is spirituality selfish?Can mysticism enhance community?
Organized thematically, each section focuses on how mysticism engages and complements the dimensions of religious life, including studying Torah, performing mitzvot and observing halakhah.
Contributors:
Yehonatan Chipman • Mimi Feigelson • Lawrence Fine • Eitan Fishbane • Michael Fishbane • Nancy Flam • Everett Gendler • Joel Hecker • Shai Held • Melila Hellner-Eshed • Barry W. Holtz • Jeremy Kalmanofsky • Judith A. Kates • Lawrence Kushner • Ebn Leader • Shaul Magid • Ron Margolin • Daniel Matt • Haviva Pedaya • Nehemia Polen • Neal and Carol Rose • Or N. Rose • Zalman Schachter-Shalomi • Jonathan P. Slater • Gordon Tucker • Sheila Peltz Weinberg • Chava Weissler
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Insights into the significance of traditional Jewish mysticism for today's Jews take center stage in this intelligent but esoteric collection of articles from notable Jewish scholars of Kabbalah. Underscoring the relevance of centuries-old Kabbalistic texts and practices are 26 independent contributions divided into six sections including "Discovering God in All Reality"; "Spiritual Growth, Inner Transformation"; "Embodied Spiritual Practice"; "Prayer, Repentance, Healing"; and "Torah, Halakha, Mitsvot." The writers, collectively, look back to Nahman of Bratslav and other past luminaries of Kabbalah and Jewish thought while integrating the observations of contemporary heavyweights like Arthur Green to establish a more relevant and timely understanding of the subject. Rabbi Gordon Tucker invokes A.J. Heschel's writing to delve into how prophecy still lives for those who open their minds to it, and Joel Hecker infuses the ideas of the 18th-century Hasid Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl on sparks of holiness into a modern reflection on the latent spirituality of eating. This volume's focused and deeply religious essays may well be too heavy for dabblers, but will certainly delight scholars in the field.
