Includes bibliographical references (pages [177]-202) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: a social historian looks at early modern Kabbalah -- 1. A new God: theological innovation -- 2. Like giants sitting on the shoulders of dwarfs: the rise of the Kadosh -- 3. Kabbalah, halakhah, and ritual -- 4. Religious confraternities -- 5. From my body I shall envision God: the body and sexuality -- 6. Sin and repentance: Jewish confession -- 7. Catholic traditions in Safed Kabbalah: Sephardim and conversos -- Summary: Safed Kabbalah and modernity.
Summary:
"This sociological reading of the kabbalistic ideas of the early modern period suggests that they gained acceptance because they responded to the needs of contemporary Jewish society. Although they were presented as continuing a tradition, their goal was reformation: few aspects of Jewish life were not changed in consequence. This broadly based and innovative study challenges accepted ideas on the origins of Jewish modernity, and also shows how Counter-Reformation Catholicism affected these developments. The Hebrew edition of the book was awarded the Goren-Gottstein Prize for the Best Book in Jewish Thought 2010-2012"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.