Menachem Mendel

Haaretz has a highly recommended interview with Joseph Dan. (hat tip) Dan is currently working on a multi-volume history called “Toledot Torat Hasod Ha’ivrit” (”History of Jewish Mysticism and Esotericism,” Zalman Shazar Center, Jerusalem). Here are some interesting comments of his on the title.

The overall title of the work reflects some of the very important decisions Dan had to make. Most tellingly, the Hebrew title refers to a history of “torat hasod” - literally “the doctrine of the secret,” sometimes translated as “esoteric theology” - rather than “mysticism.” The reason: “In Judaism, as opposed to Christianity, mysticism is not an authentic element. Christianity is replete with mysticism, with reports by people of revelations and visions they had about the hidden worlds. In Judaism, the view of the hidden worlds generally derives from scholarship and great learning, not necessarily from an experience we call ‘mystical.’ So it is more accurate to talk about ‘esoteric theology.’ Of course, there is also mysticism, but it is relatively secondary and for the most part even those we would describe as mystics - those who have revelations - perceived themselves more as possessors of esoteric knowledge than as mystics in the conventional sense of the word. It is not by chance that Hebrew does not even have a word equivalent to ‘mysticism.’”

On the other hand, in English there is no meaningful equivalent to “torat hasod.” Accordingly, the book’s English title contains the word “mysticism.”

See here for the full interview. While we’re on the topic of Kabbalah, I have it on good word that A-Rod got hagbah at the Kabbalah Center in New York on Yom Kippur, and he was reportedly at the Los Angeles center for Sukkot. Hopefully someone explained to him that he should go easy on the na’anuim.

Posted on October 24th, 2008 under Kabbalah, New Books • RSS 2.0 feed • You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed