Moshe ben Shem Tov de Leon's Books

Absorbing Perfections

Kabbalah and Interpretation

By: Moshe Idel

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Absorbing Perfections

Kabbalah and Interpretation

By: Moshe Idel

In this wide-ranging discussion of Kabbalah—from the mystical trends of medieval Judaism to modern Hasidism—one of the world’s foremost scholars considers different visions of the nature of the sacred text and of the methods to interpret it. Moshe Idel takes as a starting point the fact that the postbiblical Jewish world lost its geographical center with the destruction of the temple and so was left with a textual center, the Holy Book. Idel argues that a text-oriented religion produced language-centered forms of mysticism. Against this background, the author demonstrates how various Jewish mystics amplified the content of the Scriptures so as to include everything: the world, or God, for example. Thus the text becomes a major realm for contemplation, and the interpretation of the text frequently becomes an encounter with the deepest realms of reality. Idel delineates the particular hermeneutics belonging to Jewish mysticism, investigates the progressive filling of the text with secrets and hidden levels of meaning, and considers in detail the various interpretive strategies needed to decodify the arcane dimensions of the text.

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Page Count

686

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300135076

ISBN 13

9780300135077

Kabbalah and Eros

By: Moshe Idel

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Kabbalah and Eros

By: Moshe Idel

In this book, the world's foremost scholar of Kabbalah explores the understanding of erotic love in Jewish mystical thought. Encompassing Jewish mystical literatures from those of late antiquity to works of Polish Hasidism, Moshe Idel highlights the diversity of Kabbalistic views on eros and distinguishes between the major forms of eroticism. The author traces the main developments of a religious formula that reflects the union between a masculine divine attribute and a feminine divine attribute, and he asks why such an "erotic formula" was incorporated into the Jewish prayer book. Idel shows how Kabbalistic literature was influenced not only by rabbinic literature but also by Greek thought that helped introduce a wider understanding of eros. Addressing topics ranging from cosmic eros and androgyneity to the affinity between C. J. Jung and Kabbalah to feminist thought, Idel's deeply learned study will be of consuming interest to scholars of religion, Judaism, and feminism.

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Page Count

381

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

030010832X

ISBN 13

9780300108323

Kabbalah in Italy, 1280-1510

A Survey

By: Moshe Idel

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Kabbalah in Italy, 1280-1510

A Survey

By: Moshe Idel

This survey of the history of Kabbalah in Italy represents a major contribution from one of the world's foremost Kabbalah scholars. Idel charts the ways that Kabbalistic thought and literature developed in Italy and how its unique geographical situation facilitated the arrival of both Spanish and Byzantine Kabbalah.

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508

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300126263

ISBN 13

9780300126266

Messianic Mystics

By: Moshe Idel

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Messianic Mystics

By: Moshe Idel

One of the worl'ds leading scholars of Jewish thought examines the long tradition of Jewish messianism and mystical experience.

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Page Count

470

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300082886

ISBN 13

9780300082883

An Introduction to the Kabbalah

By: Moshe Hallamish

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An Introduction to the Kabbalah

By: Moshe Hallamish

This book acquaints the reader with the world of the Kabbalah. The first part discusses the Kabbalist as a person: the personal transmission of Kabbalistic traditions, the Kabbalist's qualities and qualifications, prerequisites and early preparations, risks and achievements, as well as techniques for uncovering mysteries and the sources of revelations. The second part deals with the major themes in the teachings of the Kabbalah, such as the doctrine of the Sefirot, the Sitra–Ahra—good and evil, the creation of the world, the status of the Torah and its commandments, the doctrine of the soul and the transmigration of souls. In treating these issues, the book also notes the assimilation of Kabbalistic notions in Jewish religious customs.

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393

Publisher

State University of New York Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1438405553

ISBN 13

9781438405551

Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism

Pillars, Lines, Ladders

By: Moshe Idel

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Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism

Pillars, Lines, Ladders

By: Moshe Idel

Ascensions on high took many forms in Jewish mysticism and they permeated most of its history from its inception until Hasidism. The book surveys the various categories, with an emphasis on the architectural images of the ascent, like the resort to images of pillars, lines, and ladders. After surveying the variety of scholarly approaches to religion, the author also offers what he proposes as an eclectic approach, and a perspectivist one. The latter recommends to examine religious phenomena from a variety of perspectives. The author investigates the specific issue of the pillar in Jewish mysticism by comparing it to the archaic resort to pillars recurring in rural societies. Given the fact that the ascent of the soul and pillars constituted the concerns of two main Romanian scholars of religion, Ioan P. Culianu and Mircea Eliade, Idel resorts to their views, and in the Concluding Remarks analyzes the emergence of Eliade's vision of Judaism on the basis of neglected sources.

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Page Count

260

Publisher

Central European University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

6155053782

ISBN 13

9786155053788

Abraham Abulafia’s Esotericism

Secrets and Doubts

By: Moshe Idel

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Abraham Abulafia’s Esotericism

Secrets and Doubts

By: Moshe Idel

This book focuses on Abraham Abulafia's esoteric thought in relation to Maimonides, Maimonideans, and Islamic thought in the line of Leo Strauss' theory of the history of philosophy. A survey of Abulafia's sources leads into an analysis of the esoteric meaning on the famous parable of the three rings, considering also the possible connection between this parable, which Abdulafia inserted into a book dedicated to his student, the 13th century rabbi Nathan the wise, and the Lessing's Play "Nathan the Wise." The book also examines Abulafia's universalistic understanding of the nature of the Bible, the Hebrew language, and the people of Israel (or the Sinaic revelation). The universal aspects of Abulafia’s thought have been put in relief against the more widespread Kabbalistic views which are predominantly particularistic. A number of texts have also been identified here for the first time as authored by Abulafia.

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Page Count

636

Publisher

Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published Date

ISBN 10

3110598779

ISBN 13

9783110598773

Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah

By: Moshe Idel

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Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah

By: Moshe Idel

This book presents important topics regarding the more mystical trend of Kabbalah—the ecstatic Kabbalah. It includes the mystical union, the world of imagination, and concentration as a spiritual technique. The emphasis in the text is on the interaction between the "original" Spanish stage of Kabbalah and Muslim mysticism in the East, mainly in the Galilee. The influence of the Kabbalistic-Sufic synthesis on the later developments of Jewish mysticism is traced, thereby providing a more precise understanding of the history of Kabbalah as an interplay between the theosophical and ecstatic mystical experiences.

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195

Publisher

State University of New York Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1438407467

ISBN 13

9781438407463

Concealment and Revelation

Esotericism in Jewish Thought and its Philosophical Implications

By: Moshe Halbertal

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Concealment and Revelation

Esotericism in Jewish Thought and its Philosophical Implications

By: Moshe Halbertal

During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, great new trends of Jewish thought emerged whose widely varied representatives--Kabbalists, philosophers, and astrologers--each claimed that their particular understanding revealed the actual secret of the Torah. They presented their own readings in a coded fashion that has come to be regarded by many as the very essence of esotericism. Concealment and Revelation takes us on a fascinating journey to the depths of the esoteric imagination. Carefully tracing the rise of esotericism and its function in medieval Jewish thought, Moshe Halbertal's richly detailed historical and cultural analysis gradually builds conceptual-philosophical force to culminate in a masterful phenomenological taxonomy of esotericism and its paradoxes. Among the questions addressed: What are the internal justifications that esoteric traditions provide for their own existence, especially in the Jewish world, in which the spread of knowledge was of great importance? How do esoteric teachings coexist with the revealed tradition, and what is the relationship between the various esoteric teachings that compete with that revealed tradition? Halbertal concludes that, through the medium of the concealed, Jewish thinkers integrated into the heart of the Jewish tradition diverse cultural influences such as Aristotelianism, Neoplatonism, and Hermeticisims. And the creation of an added concealed layer, unregulated and open-ended, became the source of the most daring and radical interpretations of the tradition.

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Page Count

215

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400827965

ISBN 13

9781400827961

Kabbalah

New Perspectives

By: Moshe Idel

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Kabbalah

New Perspectives

By: Moshe Idel

In this prizewinning new interpretation of Jewish mysticism, Moshe Idel emphasizes the need for a comparative and phenomenological approach to Kabbalah and its position in the history of religion. Idel provides fresh insights into the origins of Jewish mysticism, the relation between mystical and historical experience, and the impact of Jewish mysticism on western civilization. "Idel's book is studded with major insights, and innovative approaches to the entire history of Judaism, and mastery of it will be essential for all serious students of Jewish thought."--Arthur Green, New York Times Book Review "Moshe Idel's original, scholarly, and stimulating study of Kabbalah contains the promise of a masterwork."--Elie Wiesel "Moshe Idel's book can help the nonspecialized reader to reconsider the whole of Kabbalistic tradition in comparison with many aspects of contemporary thought."--Umberto Eco "There can be no dispute about the importance and originality of Idel's work. Offering a wealth of complementary insights to Gershom Scholem and his school, it will command a great deal of attention and serious discussion."--Alexander Altmann

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Page Count

444

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300046995

ISBN 13

9780300046991

Shaarei Tzedek - Gates of Righteousness

By: Moshe ben Shem Tov de Leon

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Shaarei Tzedek - Gates of Righteousness

By: Moshe ben Shem Tov de Leon

Natan ben Saadyah Harar describes instructions he received from Avraham Abulafia, along with his ecstatic experiences. This gives the book unparalleled importance, as auto-biographical works in Kabbalah are extremely rare. Additionally, he explains in detail many kabbalistic techniques

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130

Publisher

Euniversity.Pub

Published Date

ISBN 10

8894956423

ISBN 13

9788894956429

משל למה הדבר דומה

A Mashal for Every Occasion

By: Yiśraʼel Yosef ben Mosheh Eliʻezer Bronshṭain

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משל למה הדבר דומה

A Mashal for Every Occasion

By: Yiśraʼel Yosef ben Mosheh Eliʻezer Bronshṭain

The parable has long been a favorite and very effective tool of some of our foremost leaders and teachers. Think of the Maggid of Dubno, the Chofetz Chaim, the Ben Ish Chai, Rabbi Shalom Schwadron - these great men were Mashal Masters, with the blessed knack of creating just the right story to make an essential point. Rabbi Yisroel Bronstein has learned their lessons well. In this valuable book, he has collected hundreds of parables from classic sources and arranged them by topic. Jewish Parables makes a delightful read, a welcome companion at the Shabbos table, and an invaluable source of material for speakers, teachers, parents, and anyone looking for a way to convey an idea or spice a talk.

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Page Count

336

Publisher

Mesorah Publications

Published Date

ISBN 10

1578193176

ISBN 13

9781578193172

Book's by Moshe ben Shem Tov de Leon

Absorbing Perfections

Absorbing Perfections

Kabbalah and Eros

Kabbalah and Eros

Kabbalah in Italy, 1280-1510

Kabbalah in Italy, 1280-1510

Messianic Mystics

Messianic Mystics

An Introduction to the Kabbalah

An Introduction to the Kabbalah

Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism

Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism

Abraham Abulafia’s Esotericism

Abraham Abulafia’s Esotericism

Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah

Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah

Concealment and Revelation

Concealment and Revelation

Kabbalah

Kabbalah

Shaarei Tzedek - Gates of Righteousness

Shaarei Tzedek - Gates of Righteousness

משל למה הדבר דומה

משל למה הדבר דומה

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