Jewish Mysticism and the Spiritual Life: Classical Texts, Contemporary Reflections

Insights into the significance of traditional Jewish mysticism for today's Jews take center stage in this intelligent but esoteric collection of articles from notable Jewish scholars of Kabbalah. Underscoring the relevance of centuries-old Kabbalistic texts and practices are 26 independent contributions divided into six sections including "Discovering God in All Reality"; "Spiritual Growth, Inner Transformation"; "Embodied Spiritual Practice"; "Prayer, Repentance, Healing"; and "Torah, Halakha, Mitsvot." The writers, collectively, look back to Nahman of Bratslav and other past luminaries of Kabbalah and Jewish thought while integrating the observations of contemporary heavyweights like Arthur Green to establish a more relevant and timely understanding of the subject. Rabbi Gordon Tucker invokes A.J. Heschel's writing to delve into how prophecy still lives for those who open their minds to it, and Joel Hecker infuses the ideas of the 18th-century Hasid Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl on sparks of holiness into a modern reflection on the latent spirituality of eating. This volume's focused and deeply religious essays may well be too heavy for dabblers, but will certainly delight scholars in the field. (Dec.)