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Kabbalah: New Perspectives [Paperback]

Professor Moshe Idel (Author)
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This major reinterpretation of Jewish Kabbalah and mysticism offers new perspectives on its origin, development, and relationship to general mystical writing from antiquity to the modern era. Idel, author of more than 25 works on this subject, analyzes in detail two major streamsecstatic or anthropocentric Kabbalah and theosophical-theurgical or theocentric Kabbalahalso showing how they have intertwined. Using manuscripts and esoteric medieval and early modern works, he examines mystical experience through such factors as total union with God and such techniques of mysticism as the visualization of colors and prayer. The technical nature of this important work and the absence of a glossary of Hebrew terms restricts its use to subject collections. Maurice Tuchman, Hebrew Coll. Lib., Brookline, Mass.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

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

Product Details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press (September 10, 1990)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300046995
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300046991
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #569,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Moshe Idel
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
The aim of this short survey of Jewish Kabbalah scholarship is to point out the main trends in the critical approaches to this mystical lore. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sefirotic pleroma, augmentation theurgy, mystical weeping, theurgical interpretation, ten logoi, theurgical activity, theurgical conception, theurgical understanding, supernal entities, supernal soul, theurgical operation, theosophical structure, supernal influx, unto mystica, sefirotic realm, paranormal states, midrashic view, pratiques sexuelles, supernal form, supernal source, celestial academy, mystical techniques, two divine attributes, two divine names, esoteric theology
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Abraham Abulafia, Lurianic Kabbalah, Eleazar of Worms, Great Maggid, Joseph of Hamadan, Moses de Leon, Isaac Luria, Isaac of Acre, Isaac the Blind, Joseph Gikatilla, Levi Isaac, Hayyim Vital, David ben Yehudah, Ashkenazic Hasidism, Dov Baer, Spanish Kabbalah, Spanish Kabbalists, Menahem Recanati, Shneur Zalman, Song of Songs, Asher ben David, Israel Ba'al Shem Tov, Moses Cordovero, Abraham Berukhim, Joseph Ashkenazi
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, but not the place to begin, August 29, 2003
This review is from: Kabbalah: New Perspectives (Paperback)
The "New Perspectives" to which Idel refers in his title depend upon a firm grasp of the foundational work of Gershom Scholem. In order to understand Idel's work here, you really need to know your Scholem pretty well; begin with "Major Trends" and move on from there.
Now once you understand a fair bit about the history of Kabbalah in the Scholem model, you are ready to make sense of Idel's highly constructive critique. In short, Idel notes that Scholem divides Kabbalah into two major blocks: what he calls the "theosophical," i.e. discussions of emanations (sefirot) and related topics, particularly within the tradition of the Sefer Zohar, and the "ecstatic" or "practical," which focuses on various means of achieving mystical unity with the Godhead through revolutions of letters and so forth.
Now Scholem, you must understand, was working against a conception of Kabbalah as basically nonsense: the antisemites saw it as typical ... stupidity, and the philosemites as essentially fodder for antisemitic tracts and thus something to be suppressed. So Scholem focused on theosophical Kabbalah because it is quite congenial to an intellectual, philosophical perspective on mysticism.
Idel, however, is working in the next generation after Scholem. It is no longer necessary to defend Kabbalah: everyone grants that it's an important, legitimate tradition. So in this book, Idel begins the process of rehabilitating ecstatic Kabbalah, particularly that of Abraham Abulafia (on whom Idel wrote his dissertation). There's more to it than that, of course, but this is the basis.
The book is elegantly argued, erudite, and deserved the prize it won. But trust me on this--you really need to know quite a lot to understand what he's on about. You do not, fortunately, need to know Hebrew or Aramaic. If you've never read much about Kabbalah and want an introduction, go to Scholem and come back in a while. If you want to practice Kabbalah, I doubt this will be much use to you. But if you know some Scholem and are ready to work through a rigorous critique very slowly and carefully, "Kabbalah: New Perspectives" is hands-down the best there is.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Major Contribution to Kabbalah Literature, September 30, 2004
This review is from: Kabbalah: New Perspectives (Paperback)
Prior reviews provide much detail on the differences between G. Scholem's approach to Kabbalah and M. Idel's approach while recognizing the differing scholarly climate in which each operated. But, I think there is one more important difference. By restricting "Kabbalah" to the Middle Ages (though he certainly knew of the prior Jewish mystical literature, e.g. Sefer Yetzirah, Heikalot & Shiur Koma, Biblical Chariot, etc.) he failed to recognize an historical, mystical thread in Judaism. He also failed to adequately recognize (discernable, for example, in many other religions) a history of oral tradition (despite the existence of the Mishnah!) in Jewish mysticism. Idel helps to rectify this tremendous oversight. Even if Idel isn't correct that a group of mystics, including de Leon, wrote the Zohar -- perhaps based on an ancient fragment, his thesis deserves to be seriously considered. As a hard scientist, I am unimpressed with Scholem's (and his followers') arguments that de Leon composed the entire work himself. But, then, I've only read it in English (Sperling et al). IMHO, Idel's book is of significant historical importance.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Should be the new textbook in the study of Kabbalah, May 17, 2000
By Crystal M Critchell (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Kabbalah: New Perspectives (Paperback)
Idel's work explores many hitherto unrecognised issues and motifs within the broad variety of historical Kabbalistic thought. This book maintains an excellent balance of scholarly information and edification, being a lucid phenomenological exploration the two main types of Kabbalah: the Ecstatic and the Theosophical. Facinating chapters and well supported arguments relating to the issue of the antiquity of Jewish mysticism and kabbalistic teaching; as well as a thorough exploration of mystical union with God, often ignored in past scholarship due to primary focus on the speculative aspects of kabbalah. This book demands a revision of the accepted views on the entire history of Jewish mysticsm, and it heralds a new era in kabbalistic scholarship.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Builds on and in places challenges Scholem
This is an absolute classic that should be read by every student of Kabbalah. However, it should be read after studying Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism. Read more
Published on August 13, 2007 by Gregory Olsen

5.0 out of 5 stars Scholem and Idel : Kabbalah scholarship today
This set of essays by Professor Moshe Idel of Hebrew University attempts to map and in a sense re-map the whole world of Kabbalah studies. Read more
Published on May 23, 2007 by Shalom Freedman

5.0 out of 5 stars gleanings
I have learned from reading KABBALAH, NEW PERSPECTIVES by Moshe Idel, professor of Jewish thought at Hebrew University. Read more
Published on August 19, 2001 by catherine guelph

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