Mystical Vertigo: Contemporary Kabbalistic Hebrew Poetry Dancing Over the Divide

Aubrey Glazer

Published by Academic Studies Press 2013

Mystical Vertigo

Contemporary Kabbalistic Hebrew Poetry Dancing Over the Divide

Aubrey Glazer

In the series New Perspectives in Post-Rabbinic Judaism

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781618111883

Overview
Contents

About this book

Mystical Vertigo immerses readers in the experience of the contemporary kabbalistic Hebrew poet, serving as a gateway into the poet’s quest for mystical union known as devekut. This journey oscillates across subtle degrees of devekut—causing an entranced experience for the Hebrew poet, who is reaching but not reaching, hovering but not hovering, touching but not touching in a state of mystical vertigo. What makes this journey so remarkable is how deeply nestled it is within the hybrid cultural networks of Israel, crossing over boundaries of haredi, secular, national-religious, and agnostic beliefs among others. This volume makes a unique contribution to understanding and experiencing the mystical renaissance in Israel, through its multi-disciplinary focus on Hebrew poetry and its philosophical hermeneutics.

Author / Editor information

Glazer Aubrey :

Aubrey L. Glazer is senior rabbi of Congregation Shaare Zion and director of Panui, an incubator for contemplative practice and conscious community building. Aubrey’s most recent books include Mystical Vertigo (Academic Studies Press, 2013) and Tangle of Matter & Ghost: Leonard Cohen’s Post-Secular Songbook of Mysticism(s) Jewish & Beyond (Academic Studies Press, 2017).Aubrey L. Glazer (PhD University of Toronto) is an independent scholar and a rabbi at the Jewish Community Center of Harrison, New York. His book Contemporary Hebrew Mystical Poetry: How it Redeems Jewish Thinking (2009) has been awarded the Adele Mellen Prize for its distinguished contribution to scholarship. His most recent book is A New Physiognomy of Jewish Thinking: Critical Theory After Adorno as Applied to Jewish Thought ( 2011).

Reviews

Daniel C. Matt author of the multi-volume annotated translation of the Zohar (The Zohar: Pritzker Edition):
"A fascinating exploration of the intersection of Jewish mysticism and contemporary Israeli poetry. In reading this challenging book, one is compelled to question the familiar distinctions between religious and secular, traditional and radical, ethereal and earthly. Highly original, erudite, and provocative."

Eitan Fishbane, The Jewish Theological Seminary:
"In an original post-modern voice, Aubrey Glazer captures the mystical yearnings that pulse within contemporary Israeli poetry. Glazer reveals the longing for devekut and intimate transcendence that shines through and reimagines this new lyric landscape, both absorbing and re-visioning the older mystical tradition."

Dr. Melila Hellner-Eshed, Shalom Hartman Institute:
“Aubrey Glazer is a relentless spiritual seeker whose scholarship conveys a deep search for concealed links, surprising facts, unconventional interpretations and new perspectives, awake at all time for traces of the divine. In this book he explores contemporary Israeli culture, mostly poetry, reading into the Israeli experience as a poetic spiritual text.”

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Shaul Magid Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Permissions Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
System of Transciption Publicly Available Download PDF	xix
Chapter 1. Touching God: Vertigo, Exactitude and Degrees of Devekut Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
Chapter 2. Why Contemporary Jewish Mysticism Needs Poetry: From Kosman’s “Our God” to ben Yitzhak’s IntegrEL Divinity “of All Worlds” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
Chapter 3. Dissemination of Devekut: How Culture Can Connect Deeper. Agi Mishol’s “Woman Martyr” and “Transistor Muezzin” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
Chapter 4. Contrition as a Returning to Devekut: Binyamin Shevili’s Cycle “Contrition” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	94
Chapter 5. Opening Secrecy: Is There Duplicity in Devekut? Schulamith Hava HaLevy’s “Strange Fire” and “Impregnation” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
Chapter 6. Caught in the Infinity Catchers: Devekut as A Web of Discourse. Shai Tubaly “Come Here,” “I Came to God,” and “Infinity Catchers” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
Chapter 7. Auto-Erotic Cosmogeny as Devekut: Rebirthing God as Self in Haya Esther’s My Flesh Speaks G!d Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	154
Chapter 8. (Hit)Devekut as Durée of the Godlover: Disentangling Intuitive Time in Binyamin Shevili’s “HomosexuELity” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	177
Chapter 9. Parables and Prayers of Love and Rape: Devekut as Depth and Flow of Self in Tamar Elad-Appelbaum’s “Psalms for Jerusalem” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	200
Chapter 10. Scent of Darkness: A Synesthetic Dissolution into Devekut. Yonadav Kaploun’s cycles “Scent of Darkness” and “A Window of Opportunity” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	210
Chapter 11. I Almost Vowed to Touch You: Breaking through Doubt to Daily Devekut. Zelda Schneerson Mishkovsky’s “On that Night” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	240
Chapter 12. Rebirthing Devekut from Darkness to Light: Haviva Pedaya’s “Gently Please,” “The Golden Molten Stream,” “Sun-space,” “Crack the Sun,” and “Majesty Manacled” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	250
Chapter 13. CODA: Gross, Subtle and Secret Moments of Devekut Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	262
Afterword Elliot R. Wolfson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	274
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	291
Short Bio Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	304

Language: English
Publisher: Academic Studies Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 320

eBook

Published: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 9781618111883