Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and his Kabbalistic Fellowship (Stanford Studies in Jewish History and C) [Paperback]

Lawrence Fine (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stanford Studies in Jewish History and C | Publication Date: April 2, 2003

Isaac Luria (1534-1572) is one of the most extraordinary and influential mystical figures in the history of Judaism, a visionary teacher who helped shape the course of nearly all subsequent Jewish mysticism. Given his importance, it is remarkable that this is the first scholarly work on him in English.

Most studies of Lurianic Kabbalah focus on Luria’s mythic and speculative ideas or on the ritual and contemplative practices he taught. The central premise of this book is that Lurianic Kabbalah was first and foremost a lived and living phenomenon in an actual social world. Thus the book focuses on Luria the person and on his relationship to his disciples. What attracted Luria’s students to him? How did they react to his inspired and charismatic behavior? And what roles did Luria and his students see themselves playing in their collective quest for repair of the cosmos and messianic redemption?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“...among the finest works of recent Judaic scholarship.”—The Forward

“We come away from this book awed by Fine’s scholarship, and with a better understanding of how Rabbi Isaac Luria, who wanted his writings to be concealed after his death, nevertheless produced ideas so powerful that they transformed the nature of Judaism for centuries.”—San Diego Jewish Journal

“Through masterly synthesis and organization, the author has produced the first accessible account of Luria and his kabbalah in English—or any language—that is also richly detailed and historiographically up to date.”—American Historical Review

“[Physician of the Soul] is the worthy capstone of a distinguished career spent studying the kabbalistic ideas of the sixteenth century and their importance for social and intellectual history.”—Histoire Sociale/Social History

"Lawrence Fine has written extensively on Lurianic thought and practice and with this eminently readable and well-researched book has produced a welcome addition to the scholarship on Kabbalism in general and Luria in particular...This book is a necessary source for anyone who wants to know something about Kabbalah and its important representatives other than the travesty of this fascinating side of Judaism that is espoused by today's popular culture."—ARC

From the Inside Flap

Isaac Luria (1534-1572) is one of the most extraordinary and influential mystical figures in the history of Judaism, a visionary teacher who helped shape the course of nearly all subsequent Jewish mysticism. Given his importance, it is remarkable that this is the first scholarly work on him in English.
Most studies of Lurianic Kabbalah focus on Luria’s mythic and speculative ideas or on the ritual and contemplative practices he taught. The central premise of this book is that Lurianic Kabbalah was first and foremost a lived and living phenomenon in an actual social world. Thus the book focuses on Luria the person and on his relationship to his disciples. What attracted Luria’s students to him? How did they react to his inspired and charismatic behavior? And what roles did Luria and his students see themselves playing in their collective quest for repair of the cosmos and messianic redemption?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (April 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804748268
• ISBN-13: 978-0804748261
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #779,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rich, wide-reaching, but somewhat unsound, January 29, 2004

By 

A reader "seferor" (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and his Kabbalistic Fellowship (Stanford Studies in Jewish History and C) (Paperback)

Mostly sympathetic overview of Lurianic kabbalah, theory and early history, drawing from a wide range of sources. Fine blends philosophical and sociocultural analyses together to paint a richly textured picture of the Arizal (R. Yitchak Luria) and his disciples. The Arizal was phenomenal thinker, integrating many different approaches into a compelling and beautiful mystical system. His chief disciple R. Chaim Vital, while brilliant in his own right, comes in for criticism in this book for his apparent narcissism and inability to get along with his peers. The only significant problem I have with this book is that Fine has bought Scholem's polemical thesis about an alleged opposition or incompatibility between kabbalah and halachic Judaism. Like Scholem, who was a self-confessed "religious anarchist," Fine brings highly selected quotations to support this thesis, while ignoring the central tenets of kabbalah. Since the days of the Rabbis of the Talmud (and even prior to them), who were deeply immersed in Merkavah mysticism, almost all of the leading halachic authorities in Judaism have also been the leading kabbalists of their generations. Far from opposing halachah, kabbalists throughout history have been especially supportive of it and exacting in their observance. This is no coincidence, since kabbalah may be best understood as a sort of mystical commentary and apologetic for halachah, advanced to bolster and enrich halachic practice. Although Fine's support for Scholem's biased thesis renders his other conclusions somewhat unreliable as well, the good in this book still far outweighs the dubious in it. This said, the above points make me reluctant to recommend the book to those who are not already familiar with true kabbalah.