I was part of the staff that welcomed the international contingent of children to a large abandoned ymca building in the hot summer of 1946. Sefer yetzirah is the title of the earliest extant book on jewish mysticism, although some early. This book is at an academic level as it explains each period about the development of jewish mysticism up until the modern hasidic movement. Jul, 2017 in one of its most memorable sections, scholem sketches such a world with a kabbalistic reading of moses delivering the law. I have read 14 and have put the rest on my to read list. You cant go much bigger in althistory terms than playing around with world war ii the world had never endured a conflict on that scale before not even with the first world war, and hasnt sincenor a conflict with such clear stakes. New elements were developed or added, mainly in two directions. The hawaii of sharks in the time of saviors is modern, yet mystical. Seven jewish people who contributed to history dummies.
Encyclopedia of jewish and israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from antisemitism to zionism. The mental image serves as a focus for the contemplation of pure consciousness, and a mystical reduction of experience to pure consciousness may ensue. In the 1992 fantasy shortstory in this season by harry turtledove, a golem named emes helps three jewish families escape from puck, poland during the week of hanukkah shortly into world war ii in 1939. Gershom scholem stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. World war ii was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Comes from the words throne and chariot in hebrew, it is a type of jewish mysticism that includes the upward progression through seven levels and seven gatekeepers or angels. World war ii table of contents jewish virtual library. Kabbalah jewish mysticism ii spirituality and kabbalah 4 1. Love the shirt and it is a great opportunity for me on casual friday to honor my grandfather as an arizona survivor. Gd is not facing those who contemplate these levels, although he is seated on a throne held up by angels. Many of our psychologists, sociologists, economists and other latterday cabalists will have numbers to tell them the truth or they will have nothing. Anthony doers 2014 pulitzer prizewinning novel all the light we cannot see proved that literature about world war ii continues to fascinate readers. I thought it would be helpful to compile a list of recommended books on world war ii of interest to christian readers.
The first part of the book explains ancient jewish mysticism building up to the zohar. A world war ii story of survival, resilience, and redemption by laura hillenbrand. Academic study of jewish mysticism, especially since gershom scholems major trends in. Here are 18 world war 2 books to add to your shelf. The kabbalah talks, jewish mysticism talks about the creation of the world, and the basic idea is that god when he wanted to create the world withdrew his light from the center of his being. As world war ii progressed, hitler and his counselors developed the final. Contemporary hasidism traces its roots to a single polish folk preacher and itinerant healer, israel ben eliezer, called the baal shem tov master of the good name, or the besht for short. By modern times, kabbalistic themes had entered the jewish mainstream, influencing certain prayers and liturgies and contributing its own set of customs and folk beliefs, notably belief in reincarnation. It was honored by both the jewish book council and the association of jewish librarians, and it received enthusiastic popular interest. There is a huge array of books focusing on the conflict, the struggles of the military and ordinary people, the key moments, and many more subjects. Truth, rational thinking and objective knowledge, the foundation stones of western civilization, were denounced by nazified students and professors in favor of mysticism, speculation and collective thinking toward a common goal the pursuit of a glorious future for germany.
Jewish americans in world war ii tells the story of the 550,000 jewish american men and women who fought in world war ii. The areas of jewish thought that most extensively discuss these issues, kabbalah and jewish mysticism, were traditionally not even taught to people until the age of 40, when they had completed their education in written torah and oral torah in other words, in bible and practical law. Classical texts, contemporary reflections and speaking torah. The burning of books a hundred years before the advent of hitler, the german jewish poet, heinrich heine, had declared. May 10, 1933 students and storm troopers on the opera square in berlin with books. The book gallery website is an online catalogue of secondhand, old and rare books, containing some 40,000 titles in all. In their own words, veterans both famous and unknown from hollywood director mel brooks to former secretary of state henry kissinger bring their war experiences to life.
The bialystok communitys fate is representative of many other jewish communities in poland and lithuania, but unlike other communities. Its a natural target for althistory geeks, and an easy one to. Wherever books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too. You truly get a clear understanding of how kabbalah was formed and how it was brought into the modern times. This history of jewish bialystok during world war ii provides an indepth analysis of one of the largest jewish communities to pass from soviet to german occupation, and it enhances our understanding of the response of polish jewry to the holocaust. A saintly jew whose spirituality rejected jews the. Interest in jewish mysticism is, in our generation, widespread and growing.
During the years leading up to the outbreak of world war ii, the nazi party succeeded in strengthening its status and buttressing its hold on the general population. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Almost all realms of society were under centralized oversight. Jewish mysticism has stepped into the modern consciousness like never before. Jan 11, 2019 this little book presents gershom scholem discoveries in the area of jewish gnosticism which go behind of what he already did in his major trends in jewish mysticism. The jewish people have made tremendous contributions to politics, law, religion, and science. Jewish mystics from biblical times to the present have explored the hidden secrets. Under hitler, germanys intellectual vitality quickly began to diminish. Popular jewish mysticism books goodreads share book. Jewish life in poland before the holocaust facing history. The kabbalists made use of all the motifs current in the talmud and midrash with regard to demons.
The shambhala guide to kabbalah and jewish mysticism. The wikipedia list cited in another answer does not clearly make this distinction. Mystical and practical spiritual wisdom from hasidic masters and righteous indignation. What gershom scholems take on jewish mysticism can teach. You might also be interested in my post, 5 top nonfiction books about world war ii plus many runnersup and 20 most enlightening historical novels plus dozens of runnersup. Holiday projects, everyday activities, and travel ideas with jewish themes the making of a reform jewish cantor. The poland that emerged from the war, as evidenced by postwar attacks on jewish survivors, lacked the diversity that had been essential to polish culture on the eve of the second world war. Read jewish mysticism the middle ages by joseph dan available from rakuten kobo. And, while he says he can no longer remember how many nazis he personally wounded or killed, levins acts of sabotage were so numerous that more than 70 years after the end of world war ii. French jew who used her stunningly original intelligence to denigrate jews on eve of world war ii and espouse mystical christianity of her. The first group of 67 young war victims left europe in may of 1946 for the united states. Other jewish ideologies were more mystical than kabbalah, especially the philosophical schools, which strove to elevate the soul towards a pure, contemplative experience of the divine. Information represented considers regional historical and mystical information as influencing the.
Presentations of kabbalah in occult and new age books on kabbalah bear little. From the first 60 seconds of this shiurby rabbi alan brill it is clear that there are other types of jewish mysticism outside of kabbalah. Indeed hebrew has no word for the mystical experience. The holocaust, the uncanny, and the jewish sense of history jstor. In autumn of 1935, the nuremberg race laws were passed. Here at we have over 30,000 jewish books on our website, with over 2,000 added monthly. Check out the 10 most consequential events of world war ii and 15 good books about the holocaust, including both fiction and nonfiction. Of these, kabbalah, which emerged in 12thcentury europe, is the most well known, but not the only typologic form. Rising to power in an unstable germany, adolf hitler and his national socialist nazi party rearmed the nation and signed treaties. His writings provide the clearest view of this development of judaism in the diaspora.
Rich cohen, author of the acclaimed tough jews, again narrates a littleknown. Jewish gnosticism, merkabah mysticism, and talmudic tradition. Early forms of jewish mysticism rachel elior i introduction the mysticalpoetical hebrew works of the first five centuries of the common era, known collectively as heikhalot heavenly sanctuaries and merkavah thronechariot literature remain on the whole a closed book to readers and students, although the first scholarly studies were published. Buy quality secondhand kabbalah and mysticism books, at 5075% off retail. This article is reprinted with permission from essential judaism, published by pocket books. By downloading libby to your smartphone, you can access thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free anytime and anywhere. Wiesels orthodox jewish family was highly observant of jewish tradition. Kabbalah is the most famous form of jewish mysticism. A decade later, he witnessed the unimaginable tragedy of world war ii and the holocaust, which took the life of his close friend, walter benjamin, murdered his brother werner, and annihilated much of european jewry.
The texts compiled here were selected for their support of. Here are just a few notable jewish thinkers names of people you should know for their contributions to society and the modern world. By thirtytwo mysterious paths of wisdom jah has engraved all things, who is the lord of hosts, the god of israel. The store itself in downtown jerusalem contains around 50,000 more popular titles that are only available to visitors. Before liberation in 1945, nearly five million poles diedincluding three million jews and 1. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. Jewish mysticism surveys jewish visionary and mystical experience from biblical and ancient near eastern times through the modern period and the emergence of modern hasidism.
The star of david symbolism in the first chapter of the book of genesis. The book gallery rare books, rare prints, used books. Harmatz is one of the few remaining jewish avengers who carried out a mass poisoning of former ss men in an american prisonerof war camp in 1946 after world war ii. The same is true of most of the books on kabbala put out by publishers of occult. World war ii avenger reveals his heroic nazikilling past. Matt, the encyclopedia of jewish myth, magic and my. Philo judaeus, greekspeaking jewish philosopher, the most important representative of hellenistic judaism. The descriptive part of the book begins in chapter 2 with hekhalot mysticism and other. Sefer yetzirah, the most important work of creation mysticism, describes the creation of the world through the arrangements of letters and numbers. This book presents a history of jewish mysticism from rabbi akiva and merhabah throne mysticism, safed to hassidism and the baal shem tov. These novels set during the wwii era are some of the most inspiring, heartbreaking, and powerful reads you will ever encounter and each of them gives us a new perspective on the time. Many jerusalem sages, however, studied mystic texts outside these. Holiday dishes book 3 the big jewish book for jews. Walter terence stace, in his book mysticism and philosophy 1960, distinguished two types of mystical experience, namely extrovertive and introvertive mysticism.
Scholem reacted to these waves of devastation by turning to the study of mystical movements in jewish history. Academic study of jewish mysticism, especially since gershom scholems major trends in jewish mysticism 1941, distinguishes between different forms of mysticism across different eras of jewish history. Jewish bible 1 jewish mysticism 2 judaism 3 judeochristian symbolism 3. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book.
In this classic work, world renowned scholar adin steinsaltz answers. The encyclopedia of jewish myth, magic and mysticism. Kabbalah is an esoteric method, discipline, and school of thought in jewish mysticism. This post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. Jewish mysticism article about jewish mysticism by the. Epstein presents a view of safed, as a jewish shangrila, as a center of creation of kababalist tradition five centuries ago. Marvin sweeney provides a comprehensive treatment of one of the most dynamic fields of jewish studies in the twentyfirst century, providing an accessible overview of.
Harmful magic and practical kabbalah in world war ii, on the 74th. The novels of terry pratchett in the fictional setting of discworld also include several golems as characters. Every word of the torah has six hundred thousand faces. The encyclopedia of jewish myth, magic, and mysticism was released in 2007 to remarkable reception. The 10 best books about poland during world war ii. The first and only encyclopedia of its kind, this singlevolume reference provides a fascinating elucidation of the often unfamiliar elements, ideas, and mythical figures associated with jewish. As a personal tale the book personalizes the world war ii experience. Jewish avengers unapologetic for targeting nazis after. Kabbalah and mysticism, are based on the standard orthodox model of observing the commandments. Of these, kabbalah, which emerged in 12thcentury europe, is the most well known, but not the only typologic form, or the earliest to emerge. Jewish used books is a used book store offering discount book prices. The texts compiled here were selected for their support of a larger topic, namely jewish influences on eastern europe from the turn of the twentieth century through world war ii, particularly as they relate to prague and to the author franz kafka. This catalogue lists only the books from our storage inventory.
Read a brief history of jewish life in belarus before world war ii. What gershom scholems take on jewish mysticism can teach us now. That is, layers of meaning or entrances, one for each of the children of israel who stood at the foot of mount sinai. Sefer yetzirah is a brief book that had an enormous influence on future jewish mysticism. Jewish mysticism project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Shirt fits great and the stitching is high quality. Kabbalah and jewish mysticism torah 101 mechon mamre. Now, in jewish mysticism, israel both in the sense of zion, the holy. The origins of jewish mysticism offers the first indepth look at the history of jewish mysticism from the book of ezekiel to the merkavah mysticism of late antiquity. Following the upheavals and dislocations in the jewish world as a result of antijudaism during.
The merkavah movement is widely recognized as the first fullfledged expression of jewish mysticism, one that had important ramifications for classical rabbinic judaism and the emergence of the kabbalah in twelfthcentury europe. How many fearless, foolhardy heroes did world war ii produce. The prevailing opinionamong theologians as well as in the mind of the ordinary manseems to be that judaism and mysticism stand at the opposite poles of thought, and that, therefore, such a phrase as jewish mysticism. Jewish book store webs largest jewish book store judaica. Biblical and ancient near eastern civilization, rabbinic literature, jewish thought and mysticism, jewish history, or contemporary jewish studies. It filled all existence, so that there was no empty space. Everything you need to know to be a really jewish jew the jewish family fun book 2 e. In tantric mysticism the body of the deity may be visualized as being composed of alphabetic letters or as assuming a specific postureholding a jar of nectar or a book, for example.
Bookstore glossary library links news publications timeline virtual israel experience. The latter book gives a detailed account of each day of creation, embellishing the narrative found in genesis 1 with, among other things, a description of gods residence in the upper worlds. For a fuller list of kabbalistic mystics and texts, see list of jewish kabbalists. The early jewish mystics did not even have a concept such as mysticism and never thought their experiences so abnormal as to require a special term. Without the world, we would have no perception of its being, and without perception, we would have no understanding of the world. I love great historical novels, so i was looking forward to this book set at the cusp of world war ii, but i wasnt expecting it to be so good, or so impactful. In boyhood, louis zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. The interdisciplinary seminar on the jewish roots of eastern christian mysticism is designed as the internet version of an ongoing research seminar of graduate students at the department of theology of marquette university milwaukee, usa.