Hasidism as Mysticism: Quietistic Elements in Eighteenth-Century Hasidic Thought

Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer

Published by Princeton University Press 1993

Hasidism as Mysticism

Quietistic Elements in Eighteenth-Century Hasidic Thought

Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer
Translated by: Jonathan Chipman

Volume 1748 in the series Princeton Legacy Library

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400872800

Overview
Contents

About this book

Offered here for the first time in English translation, Hasidism as Mysticism is a classic in its field. Using the tools of phenomenology, Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer places Hasidism squarely in the context of religious studies. Hasidism's theoretical texts have been largely ignored by historians of the movement, but Schatz Uffenheimer analyzes these materials fully, disclosing the mystical, quietistic tendencies that existed alongside Hasidism's more activist, popular elements. The author carefully reviewed this translation of her work; it includes a revised introduction with much new material, two new chapters, and an appendix containing a translation, history, and literary analysis of one of the few extant texts attributed to the Baal Shem Tov.

Schatz Uffenheimer's inquiry covers the full gamut of Hasidic life and thought, embracing such topics as the emphasis on joy and the concomitant ban on sadness and regret in Hasidism, the focus on contemplative rather than petitionary prayer, the subordination of the mizvot (commandments) to the spiritualistic goal of devequt (attachment to God), and the anarchic elements of Hasidism's approach to life within society. Also discussed are the problematic role of Torah study resulting from this spiritualistic emphasis, the movement's neutralization or internalization of the traditional concept of a historical messiah, and the transformation within Hasidism of traditional concepts borrowed from Kabbalah. The author's illuminating hints as to the affinity between Hasidism and Christian Quietism should be of particular interest to scholars in the field.

Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer (1927-1992) was the Edmonton Community Professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. One of the outstanding students of Gershom Scholem, she forged her own path in the world of scholarship. Her research encompassed a wide range of areas: Zohar and Lurianic Kabbalah, Sabbatianism, Hasidism, and the typology of Jewish messianism. In addition, she was deeply involved in the ongoing discussion concerning the major spiritual and existential issues confronting contemporary Judaism and the State of Israel.

Originally published in 1993.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Reviews

A great strength of this interesting and rewarding book is the rich documentation: through the many quotations from the Hasidic literature the reader comes away with a good sense of the toneof Hasidic teaching and preaching.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	1
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	7
Foreword Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
Chapter One. The Basic Argument of Quietism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Chapter Two. The Concept of “Annihilation” (’Ayiri) and the Extinction o f Human Will Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
Chapter Three. The Standing o f Existential Problems in Hasidism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
Chapter Four. Despair, Sadness, Regret, and Their Connection with Sin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
Chapter Five. The Status of the Miz̦vot Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
Chapter Six. Petitionary Prayer and Its Position in Hasidism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	144
Chapter Seven. Contemplative Prayer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	168
Chapter Eight. Divine Immanence and the Question o f Prophecy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	189
Chapter Nine. The World of Speech and The World o f Thought Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	204
Chapter Ten. The Doctrine of Kavvanot and Its Place in Hasidism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
Chapter Eleven. Anarchic Manifestations in Hasidic Life Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	242
Chapter Twelve. Habad: Anti-Spiritualism as a Quietistic Value Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255
Chapter Thirteen. Diary of an Agnostic: “I Know Not” as a Quietistic Value Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	290
Chapter Fourteen. The Problem o f Torah Study in Hasidism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	310
Chapter Fifteen. History and National Redemption Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	326
Afterword Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	340
Appendix: The Baˁal Shem Tov’s Commentary to Psalm 107: Myth and Ritual of the Descent to Sheˀol Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	342
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	383
Index of Names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	393
Index of Subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	396