Cherub Press
Academic
Publisher of Studies and
Editions of Jewish
Mystical Literature
All
orders now placed through Amazon.com
Kabbalah: Journal for the
Study of Jewish Mystical Texts
Daniel
Abrams and Avraham Elqayam, editors
Editorial Board:
Klaus Herrmann, Moshe Idel,
Yehuda Liebes
Bernard McGinn, Charles Mopsik, Elliot
Wolfson
The only printed scholarly journal
devoted
exclusively to Jewish mysticism.
Kabbalah provides a platform for the publication of articles and relatively short scholarly editions of Jewish mystical works from manuscript in their original language, as well as studies, reviews and notes about related textual issues. Kabbalah covers the whole spectrum of Jewish mystical literature, from antiquity to the present, including magic and Christian Kabbalah. Kabbalah is an independent and international academic journal which encourages the composition of studies and introductions to editions in English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, or Spanish. Each volume includes a listing of new books in the field. The journal is an invaluable resource for every research library and student of Jewish mysticism.
All studies are refereed.
Kabbalah:
Journal for the Study of Jewish Mystical Texts is indexed in the ATLA
Religion Database, published by the Americal Theological Library
Association
Kabbalah: Journal for the
Study of Jewish Mystical Texts
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äéäåãéú :÷áìä
ISSN 1081-8561; ISBN of volumes 1-5 (1996-2000): 0-9705369-0-9;
0-9705369-1-7; 0-9705369-2-5; 0-9705369-3-3; 0-9705369-4-1
Six volumes now available, 1996-2000.
Each volume 300-450 pages, hardbound only.
$72 per volume.
Abraham
Abulafia ý–ý Kabbalist and Prophet
Hermeneutics,
Theosophy and Theurgy
by Elliot R. Wolfson
Abraham Abulafia is without doubt one of the most
colorful figures in the history of Jewish mysticism, a self-proclaimed prophet
with messianic pretenses who was active in the second half of the thirteenth
century, the precise moment that witnessed an impressive proliferation of
mystical activity both within the land of Israel and the Diaspora. In contrast
to most other kabbalists from this period, about whom we know more of their
literary productions than their biographies, in the case of Abulafia, we have a
relative wealth of information concerning his personal life, largely due to the
meticulous fashion that he demonstrated in his compositions. As the information
we have about his personal life attests, Abulafia was a man of contradictions,
an impression that is corroborated by the style of thinking and argumentation
employed in his voluminous corpus. In Abraham Abulafia ý–ý Kabbalist and
Prophet: Hermeneutics, Theosophy, and Theurgy, Elliot R. Wolfson reexamines
the main features of Abulafia’s mystical thought and practice in light of his
embracing of paradox as the main vehicle for expressing truth. It has been
commonplace in modern scholarship to distinguish sharply between two kinds of kabbalah, the theosophic and
the ecstatic. The studies that have been assembled in this volume illustrate a
somewhat more fluid and elastic exposition of Abulafia’s prophetic kabbalah in
relation to the theosophic kabbalah of his generation. Indeed, even though
Abulafia is to be credited with formulating the typological distinction, he is
constantly transgressing the boundaries he set out to establish.
Elliot
R. Wolfson is the Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and
Director of Religious Studies at New York University
ýAbraham Abulafia--Kabbalist and Prophet
ISBN 0-9640972-7-3 [2000]
In English, 247 pages. Hardcover, $42 per copy.
Sources and
Studies in the Literature of Jewish Mysticism 7
Facsimile Edition of a Unique Manuscript
Introduced by
Daniel
Abrams and Israel Ta-Shema
Sefer Gematriot is a collection of German pietist traditions, preserved in a unique manuscript copied at the end of the thirteenth century (or in the beginning of the fourteenth century) by one of the last students of this trend. The author records the various traditions in the name of R. Judah the Pious, author of Sefer Hasidim, and head of the esoteric circle of the pietists. The work is a rare document inasmuch as most of our knowledge of the esoteric teachings of R. Judah the Pious derives from the works of his student, R. Eleazar of Worms.
The first introduction places Sefer Gematriot within a genre of commentaries which interpret the Hebrew Bible according to numerological associations. The reception of the work in late medieval literature, and its treatment in modern bibliographic studies is outlined in detail. The degree to which these traditions reflect the esoteric doctrines of R. Judah’s principal student, R. Eleazar of Worms, is discussed, and comparisons are made to his works. The work further includes anti-Christian polemics based on numerological associations. The pietist background to these polemics is discussed, and the most striking examples are highlighted.
The second introduction uncovers the Rabbinic background to Sefer Gematriot, documenting the cultural and religious setting in which this work was composed. Historical personalities are identified from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and their use of earlier sources is discussed.
Sefer Gematriot / âéîèøéàåú ñôø
ISBN
0-9640972-6-5 [1998]
Hardcover,
6 + 153 Hebrew pp. + 5 English pp.
In
Hebrew with an English abstract, $39 per copy.
Sources and Studies in the Literature of Jewish
Mysticism 6
R. Moses De Leon’s
Commentary to Ezekiel’s Chariot
and
R. Joseph Gikatilla’s
Commentary to Ezekiel’s Chariot
Critically
Edited and Introduced
by Asi Farber-Ginat
Ma‘aseh Merkavah, The Account of the Chariot, has long been
understood as one of the cornerstones of Jewish esotericism. Nevertheless, the
medieval mystical and Kabbalistic commentaries to Ezekiel have remained in
manuscript form, read only by a handful of scholars. Now, two of these works,
written by members of the Circle of the Zohar, have been published in
critical, yet readable editions, by Asi Farber-Ginat. These works are of great
importance for the study of this major genre of medieval Jewish mystical
literature, as well as the Zohar. These works enrich our understanding
of thirteenth-century sefirotic symbolism, as well as the Kabbalistic doctrines
of mystical vision, angelology, and evil.
“These are two of the most important Kabbalistic treatises extant solely in manuscript, and are published here for the first time by a very fine scholar of Jewish mysticism.” ý–ý Moshe Idel, The Hebrew University
R. Moses De Leon’s Commentary
to Ezekiel’s Chariot
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ISBN
0-9640972-2-2 [1998]
Hardcover,
90 Hebrew pp. + 8 English pp.
Sources and Studies in the Literature of Jewish
Mysticism 4
R. Joseph Gikatilla’s Commentary to Ezekiel’s
Chariot
÷èéìä'â éåñó ' ìø ôéøåù äîøëáä
ISBN
0-9640972-1-4 [1998]
Hardcover,
108 Hebrew pp. + 8 English pp.
Sources and Studies in the Literature of Jewish Mysticism 5
Each includes an extensive bibliography.
$30
per copy each.
R. Moses de Leon’s
Sefer Sheqel ha-Qodesh
Critically
Edited and Introduced
by Charles Mopsik
with an introduction by
Moshe Idel
Sefer Sheqel ha-Qodesh is an essential tool for understanding the enigma of Zoharic literature. In this book, De Leon cites various Zoharic passages which are not found in the known corpus of Zoharic texts. This work therefore provides some of the earliest testimony regarding the appearance of the Zohar in the late thirteenth century, and forms a unique test-case for understanding the redactional process behind the canonical work of medieval Jewish mystics.
This work of De Leon is critically edited by Charles Mopsik from all the known sources. The edition is introduced and annotated to help the reader better appreciate and understand the Kabbalistic thought of the Castilian Jewish mystics. In his remarks, Moshe Idel suggests that de Leon composed this book as an introduction to the Kabbalah. The volume may serve this function today as well.
Sefer Sheqel ha-Qodesh / ñôø
ù÷ì ä÷ãù
ISBN
0-9640972-4-9 [1996]
Hardcover,
4 + III + 14 + 150 Hebrew pp.+ 6 English pp.
In
Hebrew with an English abstract.
$36
per copy.
Sources and Studies in the Literature of Jewish
Mysticism 3
R. Asher ben David:
His Complete Works and
Studies in his Kabbalistic Thought
Including the
Commentaries to the Account of Creation by the Kabbalists of Provence and
Gerona
by Daniel Abrams
R. Asher ben David, the grandson of R. Abraham ben
David (Rabad) and the nephew of R. Isaac the Blind, was one of the few known
Kabbalists active in Provence in the first third of the thirteenth century,
when the first Kabbalistic writings emerged. His main work, The Book of
Unity, is therefore one of the first Kabbalistic works written. It is
presented here in its entirety for the first time.
Gershom Scholem proposed that R. Asher was the main conduit for the
teaching of Provençal mystical doctrines in Gerona and helped
censor the literary dissemination of esoteric doctrines in Gerona. Whether or
not R. Asher visited Spain, The Book of Unity is certainly the first,
full-length Kabbalistic book to explain central esoteric doctrines to a wide
audience. The work opens with the first known Kabbalistic poem.
The edition includes various recensions of the Book of Unity, and
presents transcriptions of quotes from R. Asher’s works in later Kabbalistic
texts as well as the partial Latin translation of Flavius Mithridates, which
was prepared by Dr. Saverio Campanini. The volume is supplemented by a study
which presents editions of the Commentary to the Account of Creation
attributed to R. Asher, all parallel recensions found in manuscript, as well as
the commentaries of R. Isaac the Blind and R. Ezra of Gerona. The volume is
therefore a major source book for the study of the first generations of
Kabbalists in southern France and Spain.
R. Asher ben David /
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ISBN
0-9640972-3-2 [1996]
Hardcover,
362 Hebrew pp. + 16 English pp.
In
Hebrew with an English abstract.
$42
per copy.
Sources and Studies in the Literature of Jewish
Mysticism 2
The
Book Bahir
An Edition Based on the
Earliest Manuscripts
by Daniel Abrams
with an introduction by Moshe Idel
Supplemented by studies in:
The history of the book’s redaction and reception; the printing history and scholarly treatments of the work; listings of manuscript witnesses; annotated listings of commentaries to the Bahir; kabbalistic works which quote and comment on the Bahir; and unknown passages found in other works.
Included are:
Facsimiles of the earliest manuscript copied in 1298; passages of the Bahir printed in the editio princeps of the Zohar, Cremona 1558; and the editio princeps of the Bahir, Amsterdam 1651.
* * *
“Abrams’s edition is the most comprehensive and critical presentation of all the known facts related to one of the classics of Kabbalistic literature. The book is a must for everyone interested in the study of Kabbalah.”
— Moshe Idel, The Hebrew University
“I am certain that this book will quickly emerge as a major research tool for students of Jewish esotericism.”
— Elliot
Wolfson, New York University
The Book Bahir / ñôø
äáäéø
ISBN
0-9640972-0-6 [1994]
Hardcover,
16 pp. + 344 Hebrew pp. + 15 English pp.
Includes
44 pages of bibliography.
In
Hebrew with an English abstract.
$59
per copy.
Sources and Studies in the Literature of Jewish Mysticism 1
Bibliography of the Writings of
Professor Moshe Idel
A
Special Volume
Issued on the Occasion of
his Fiftieth Birthday
Professor Idel is one of the most important and prolific scholars in Jewish studies today. His many publications have appeared in Hebrew, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Rumanian, Russian and Catalan. The bibliography provides annotated listings of all of his published works, including articles published in journals and collected studies volumes, book reviews, encyclopedia entries, introductions to books, critical editions and manuscript facsimiles, full-length monographs, and volumes which were published and distributed in limited copies within Israeli universities.
The bibliography is organized chronologically with annotations in Hebrew which refer the reader to translations, abridgments, and expansions of published and unpublished versions. Appendices which are not enumerated in the titles of the studies are also listed, including significant primary sources and reproductions of pages from rare books. Manuscript sources to editions — partial as well as complete — have been listed with the microfilm number from the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts housed in the Jewish National and University Library. The bibliography is followed by an alphabetic listing of all titles in Hebrew and other languages, an index of historical figures, a title index, a subject index, and an index of manuscript sources.
Bibliography of the
Writings of Professor Moshe Idel
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ISBN
0-9640972-5-7 [1997]
Hardcover,
66 pp.
Foreword
in English and Hebrew
$22
per copy.