On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism (Mysticism & Kabbalah) [Paperback]

Gershom Scholem (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mysticism & Kabbalah | Publication Date: January 30, 1996

In On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, Gershom Scholem guides the reader through the central themes in the intricate history of the Kabbalah, clarifying the relations between mysticism and established religious authority, the mystics' interpretation of the Torah and their attempts to discover the hidden meaning underlying Scripture, the tension between the philosophical and the mystical concepts of God, and the symbolism employed in mystical religion.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gershom Scholem, who died in 1982, remains the biggest gun in kabbalah scholarship, and On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism is perhaps his most accessible book on the subject. It contains definitive essays on the relation of the Torah to Jewish mysticism, the mythology of the kabbalah, and the place of Jewish mystics in the Jewish community. This book helped reinvigorate 20th-century Jewish studies with an awareness of the living reality of God, after the 19th century's more astringent scholarly emphasis on law and philosophy. It shows how Jewish mystics have been less concerned with adherence to orthodoxy than their Christian counterparts, and freer in their expression of the divine aspects of eroticism. Furthermore, Scholem offers great insight regarding the ways that kabbalah has not only threatened the authority of institutional religion, but also served as a source of its vitality. --Michael Joseph Gross

Review

"Along with Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, this is the standard work in its field."

-- Choice

"Comprises some of Scholem's most broadly conceived intellectual efforts, dealing with such universal issues as creativity and tradition, Scripture and its interpretation, religion and myth, and the nature of religious authority."

-- Arthur Green,

Brandeis University

"Makes the intricate and fascinating world of kabbalistic symbol and myth accessible to a wider audience, rendering it in terms that are of interest to contemporary readers."

-- Elliot R. Wolfson,New York University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Schocken (January 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805210512
• ISBN-13: 978-0805210514
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Intro to Jewish mysticism, March 31, 2000

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism (Mysticism & Kabbalah) (Paperback)

This book is a reprint of the now-classic work that was first published by Scholem in the 1960's, and still an excellent intro today. Not a "New Age" work by any means, Professor Scholem's book takes an academic (but readable) approach to such questions as: The meaning of Torah in Jewish mysticism, the nature and purpose of kabbalistic rituals, religious authority vs. mysticism, etc. Of special interest is the chapter, "The Idea of the Golem," which presents the theory that, contrary to popular folklore, the Golem was not some sort of physical automaton. Rather, it was a group exercise in meditative visualization!

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars kabbalah, September 9, 2001

By 

catherine guelph "catrina_g" (milano, italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism (Mysticism & Kabbalah) (Paperback)

I learned a great deal from Herr Doktor Gershom Scholem (1897-1982) through his text, "On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism". Dr Bernard McGinn, Divinity School, University of Chicago, wrote in the introduction, "I believe that all students of mysticism should read Scholem, not only for his profound insights into the Jewish mystical tradition, but also to deepen their understanding of the dynamics of other mysticisms -- Christian, Islamic, and even those further afield." Professor Scholem presents an historical perspective with the full knowledge that there are other approaches. "From an historical point of view", he writes, "the sum of religious phenomena known as mysticism consists in the attempts of mystics to communicate their experiences to others." Within this context, this text explores broad sweeping topics in each chapter -- topics that deservedly have receieved attention by intelligent scholars for centuries. In the first chapter, "Religious Authority and Mysticism" Herr Doktor Scholem presents a thesis fundamental to his research, "there is no mysticism as such, but only the mysticism of particular religious systems, Christian, Islamic and Jewish mysticism, and so on". The mystic working within a religious system is, according to Scholem, at the same time both conservative and revolutionary. "Conservative" because the mystic tries to preserve the sources of traditional authority, and "revolutionary" because the mystic also may subsititue his own opinion for that prescribed by authority. In the second chapter, titled, "The Meaning of the TORAH in Jewish Mysticism", Scholem explains the dynamic relationship between the TORAH and the mystic. Scholem presents three fundamental principles on which the Kabbaslistic conceptions of the nature of the TORAH are based: (1) YWVH; (2) TORAH as oganism; (3) Infinite meaning of the divine word. As an example of the third, in addition to the the concept of written and oral TORAHs, the author of the "ZOHAR" speculates four levels of meaning: (1) literal (2) hermeneutic (3) allegorical and (4) mystical. The history of Judaism, Scholem explains in the third chapter, is a tension between the purity of the reality of GOD. The dynamic involved is clearly presented in the realization that the price of GOD's purity is the loss of her living reality. Scholem offers that the Book Bahir, a cornerstone of 12th century Kabbalistic thought, introduces myth into Judaism. Remarkably, it contends evil as an attribute of GOD. In a similar vein, the commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah by Judah ben Barzilai introduced speculative thinking to Jewish theosophy. The fourth chapter, "Tradition and New Creation in the Ritual of the Kabbalists" presents a solution to a problem faced by each new generation. Namely, how are the traditions passed on in a vital and meaningful medium. The Mishnal codified Jewish religious law and ritual for an agrarian community had survived for centuries. As the agrarian society diminished, the TORAH became obsolete and the natural rituals became less meaningful, historical rituals. The Spanish Kabbalists found a new ritual to express the old traditions. Scholem writes, "The rejuvenation of religion repeatedly finds its expression in a return to ancient images and symbols, even when these are 'spiritualized' and transformed into speculative constructions." R. Yanassan Gershom has already succinctly summarised the fifth chapter which deals with the concept of the Golem. I will take the liberty to direct you to his comments. If you are interested in historical issues of the Kabbalah, this is essential reading for you.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historical view of Kabbalah, August 4, 2001

By 

A. J. Valasek (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism (Mysticism & Kabbalah) (Paperback)

Speaking mainly in a historical sense, the author discusses many of the concepts that have developed in the study of Kabbalah. The concepts are not written about to be understood, only where they have developed. The author presents his material in a very objective way without any noticeable bias toward one system or another. Don't expect to walk away from this and be on the road to enlightenment. However, with that said, I do think it is important to the student of Kabbalah to understand the roots of the matter. This book does nicely in this respect. One should not start on the mystic road unless one knows who cleared the trees and laid the gravel.