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Monday

Monday. Spinoza and Mendelssohn Haskela. Wed. Rise of Reform: Reformers: know why you are reforming... Goals. Questions will be asked… Everyone else: plan your responses!. Friday:. Early Orthodox response. Mysticism and Messiah. Isaac Luria 1534-1572

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Monday

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  1. Monday Spinoza and Mendelssohn Haskela

  2. Wed. • Rise of Reform: • Reformers: know why you are reforming... • Goals. • Questions will be asked… • Everyone else: plan your responses!

  3. Friday: • Early Orthodox response.

  4. Mysticism and Messiah • Isaac Luria 1534-1572 • taught that a saintly teacher could redeem a generation • Revolutionary Messiah replaced by Heroic messiah

  5. Lurianic Kabalah • Tzimzum: Ein Sof (GOD) contracts to open a space for creation remnant of divine light preserved in jars.

  6. Lurianic K. • Breaking the vessels Light cannot be contained. Shards of vessels are root of evil Light scattered and surrounded by matter

  7. Lurianic K. • TIKKUN: Repair. Separating divine sparks from shards. Obedience to torah etc: Elevating world to original purity

  8. Luria: Gradual redemption. Acts of righteousness prepare the way for Messiah Jews have special obligation to help bring Messiah

  9. Breslauer, p. 100 • Torah a secret code • Open to any interpretation outside of Oral Torah • Prayer has magical power • New prayers will replace the old • Disorder is fundamental to nature • Descent into disorder necessary to restore cosmos • Leader is essential to salvation. • Small step to Messiah

  10. 1648 “Messiah will come…” • Eastern European Kabbalists determined that Messiah will come in 1648

  11. 1648-1649 Ukraine / Poland • Slaughter • Cossack rebellion • 300,000 Jews left dead?

  12. New prediction: • Messiah in 1666

  13. Sabbatai Zevi 1626-1676 • 1648 Claimed to be Messiah. • Overturned traditional Halakhah • Turks forced conversion to Islam. • Died in prison as an apostate • Many followers saw his “descent into sin” part of mystical repair of the universe.

  14. 17th -18th century • Increasing violence against Jews in East Europe • Jewish economy falters • Considerable poverty

  15. Jacob Frank (1726-1791) • Polish • Claimed to be Messiah • Overturned sexual ethics. • Rejected by Rabbinic leadership, • Converted to Christianity. • Speaks against Judaism • Incites further violence.

  16. Jewish classes differences • Poor Jews feel they are made to bear the burden of supporting the wealthy and the rabbinical schools. • Rabbinical schools not providing spiritual leadership for the larger community: • Elitist

  17. Alternative religion • Many Askenazi Jews in Poland • Turn to mystically influenced religious teachers astrology magic • Miracle-workers manipulate divine name. • Belief in demons, spirits etc grows.

  18. Amulet to protect baby

  19. Baal Shem Tov1700-1760 • Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer • Massive legendary material • Herbal Doctor “Baal Shem” Good Name • Distinguishes him from magicians.

  20. Simple teacher Stories / Parables Appealed to the uneducated. Studied Kabbalah

  21. Teachings Emotion over intellect Intuition more important than even Talmud God’s immanence “sparks of holiness” In nature & simple objects Joy in life and worship antidote to bigotry Songs, dancing drinking Folksongs seen as religious allegories.

  22. BeshT (B. Shem Tov) Prayer • Clinging: continual awareness of God’s presence • Ecstasy / Enthusiasm: Traditional prayer regulations ignored spontaneous.

  23. BeshT on Messiah: 2 theories. • His teachings were a prelude to redemption by Messiah. • Downplays “eschatology” (end of the world) • Reaction to false messiahs Sees eschatology as allegory of personal transformation.

  24. Legend • 1747 BeshT sees Messiah“When will you come?” • “When every Jews is as spiritual as you” • Mission: to bring the Messiah.

  25. Modern Denominations Is Messiah a person or Is there only a “messianic period” when justice will prevail?

  26. Successors • Tzaddik “righteous” • Rebbe • Disciples of BeshT who form their own schools. • Became dynastic

  27. Hasidic Jews

  28. R. Zalman of Ladi1745-1812 • Habad (Chabad)– Lubavitch Hasid • Integrated Mysticism with renewed emphasis on Oral Torah

  29. Backlash • Rabbinic Elite challenges Hasids • “Mitnagdim” • Elijah ben Solomon Zalman 1720-97 “Gaon of Vilna”

  30. Modernity • Hasidic Judaism: anti-modernist in many respects. • Return to tradition, and Judaism as a special people • Rejected rise of modern “citizenship”

  31. Irony • Mitnagdim taught Hasidism was a dangerous innovation • Hasidism rejected modernity and became a force for orthodoxy.

  32. sources • http://www.williams.edu/library/citing/styles/chicago1.html • http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/axismundi/The_Rise_Of....htm#anchor596778

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