Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah: New Insights and Scholarship (Jewish Studies in the Twenty-First Century Book 2) by Frederick E. Greenspahn (Editor), contains, as the title suggests, works of scholarship recently penned by on Kabbalah.
Invariably, the ghost of Gershom Scholem continues to haunt this field. Many of these essays take Scholem head on, showing his biases and blind spots. One of the most fascinating is his dismissal of those practicing Kabbalah in the Holy Land. He no longer saw the contemporary Orthodox Jewish community as a vital and innovative source of Kabbalah thought and practice. The Kabbalah existed in the past. Yet for his entire life in Israel living breathing kabbalists lived only a few steps from his house, but he ignored them. Examples like these abound.
These essays shed light on a topic that has become of great interest to both Jews and non-Jews in the last half-century. The book has a broad scope and range.
Invariably, the ghost of Gershom Scholem continues to haunt this field. Many of these essays take Scholem head on, showing his biases and blind spots. One of the most fascinating is his dismissal of those practicing Kabbalah in the Holy Land. He no longer saw the contemporary Orthodox Jewish community as a vital and innovative source of Kabbalah thought and practice. The Kabbalah existed in the past. Yet for his entire life in Israel living breathing kabbalists lived only a few steps from his house, but he ignored them. Examples like these abound.
These essays shed light on a topic that has become of great interest to both Jews and non-Jews in the last half-century. The book has a broad scope and range.
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