Hartley Lachter's Books

Kabbalistic Revolution

Reimagining Judaism in Medieval Spain

By: Hartley Lachter

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Kabbalistic Revolution

Reimagining Judaism in Medieval Spain

By: Hartley Lachter

The set of Jewish mystical teachings known as Kabbalah are often imagined as timeless texts, teachings that have been passed down through the millennia. Yet, as this groundbreaking new study shows, Kabbalah flourished in a specific time and place, emerging in response to the social prejudices that Jews faced. Hartley Lachter, a scholar of religion studies, transports us to medieval Spain, a place where anti-Semitic propaganda was on the rise and Jewish political power was on the wane. Kabbalistic Revolution proposes that, given this context, Kabbalah must be understood as a radically empowering political discourse. While the era’s Christian preachers claimed that Jews were blind to the true meaning of scripture and had been abandoned by God, the Kabbalists countered with a doctrine that granted Jews a uniquely privileged relationship with God. Lachter demonstrates how Kabbalah envisioned this increasingly marginalized group at the center of the universe, their mystical practices serving to maintain the harmony of the divine world. For students of Jewish mysticism, Kabbalistic Revolution provides a new approach to the development of medieval Kabbalah. Yet the book’s central questions should appeal to anyone with an interest in the relationships between religious discourses, political struggles, and ethnic pride.

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275

Publisher

Rutgers University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813573890

ISBN 13

9780813573892

Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Historical Memory in Premodern Jewish Mysticism

By: Hartley Lachter

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Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Historical Memory in Premodern Jewish Mysticism

By: Hartley Lachter

While premodern kabbalistic texts were not chronicles of historical events, they provided elaborate models for understanding the secret divine plan guiding human affairs. Hartley Lachter analyzes innovative kabbalistic doctrines, such as the idea of reincarnation and the notion of multiple successive universes, through which Jewish mystics sought to demonstrate that the misfortunes of Jewish history were in fact necessary steps toward redemption. Lachter argues that these works, mostly composed between the early 14th century and the generation affected by the Spanish expulsion in the early 16th century, enabled Jewish readers to make sense of the troubling misfortunes of their own time. Kabbalah and Catastrophe uncovers the remarkable variety of ways that kabbalists deployed esoteric tradition to argue that God had not abandoned the Jews to the inscrutable forces of history. Instead, they suggested to readers that Jews are history's primary actors, and that despite their small numbers and lack of military power, Jews nonetheless secretly push history forward. For scholars of Jewish mysticism and medieval Jewish history, Lachter articulates how premodern mystical texts can be crucial sources of insight into how Jews understood the meaning of history.

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Page Count

435

Publisher

Stanford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1503640906

ISBN 13

9781503640900

Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Historical Memory in Premodern Jewish Mysticism

By: Hartley Lachter

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Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Historical Memory in Premodern Jewish Mysticism

By: Hartley Lachter

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

435

Publisher

Stanford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1503640906

ISBN 13

9781503640900

Kabbalistic Revolution

Reimagining Judaism in Medieval Spain

By: Hartley Lachter

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Kabbalistic Revolution

Reimagining Judaism in Medieval Spain

By: Hartley Lachter

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

275

Publisher

Rutgers University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813573890

ISBN 13

9780813573892

Book's by Hartley Lachter

Kabbalistic Revolution

Kabbalistic Revolution

Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Kabbalah and Catastrophe

Kabbalistic Revolution

Kabbalistic Revolution

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