This thesis deals with the person of rabbi Avraham Abulafia with intention express his unique mystical system with respect to events of his life and his personal experiences which he had during his journeys. The first chapter follows the various mystical and philosophical systems and strives for introducing some major Jewish movements and personalities which may have been sources of Abulafia's conceptions and methods. Also it provides the information about the eschatological and millennial conceptions of that time, that may have been known to this scholar and affect him as well. The second chapter follows the life journey of Abulafia and tries to show the most important events of his life. It intends to provide the information about works which he had written as well as about his social contacts (his teachers and his pupils). The third chapter provides the information about his successors and tries to describe the various form of perception of his works, as well as it provides some interesting remarks about their censorship. There is also an intention to state the transformation of reception of his authority in last decades whether it is by contemporary kabbalists or artists. The last chapter is the apex of this work. It is focused on the description and interpretation of major conceptions of...

Esta dissertação aborda a poética do artista multimídia Eduardo Kac, conhecido internacionalmente por suas obras inovadoras e polêmicas e pela atuação como professor, crítico e pesquisador de modalidades artísticas contemporâneas que envolvem o uso das novas tecnologias, incluindo algumas criadas por ele mesmo, como é o caso da holopoesia, da arte da telepresença e biotelemática e da arte transgênica. Consideramos a idéia da criação presente nos trabalhos, principalmente as relações entre esta e uma concepção mística de linguagem, baseada em conceitos e técnicas da Cabala judaica. A partir das obras de arte transgênica que compõem sua Trilogia da Criação: Gênesis (1999), GFP-Bunny (2000) e O Oitavo Dia (2001), buscamos iluminar as referências e procedimentos criativos que conectam o corpo de conhecimento bastante antigo e tradicional (a Cabala) com a reflexão sobre a criação e suas relações com a linguagem, na tradição cabalística e na arte contemporânea / This dissertation approaches the poetics of the multimedia artist Eduardo Kac, internationally known for his innovative and controversial works and for his performance as a professor, critic and researcher of contemporary artistic modalities that involve the use of new technologies, including some that were developed by himself, such as the holopoetry, the telepresence and biotelematic art and the transgenic art. We consider that the idea of creation in his works, mainly the relationship between this creation and a mystical conception of language, is based on concepts and techniques of the Jewish Kabbalah. By analyzing the transgenic art works that compose the Creation Trilogy: Genesis (1999), GFPBunny (2000) e The Eighth Day (2001), we intend to highlight the references and creative procedures that connect the ancient and traditional structure of knowledge (the Kabbalah) with the analysis of creation and its relationship with language in the kabbalistic tradition and contemporary art.

This diploma thesis, titled "Niggunim in the Hasidic Tradition" deals with the musical tradition of the Hasidic Jews and its role in their daily lives and religious praxis. In this first part the reader is introduced to the topic, such as a general definition of a niggun. Included in the introductory chapters is a new typology of Hasidic niggunim, based on contemporary theories and arranged according to their usage in Hasidic practice. The basic modes in Jewish music are also explored (alongside known major and minor scales), and examples of each type are given. The next four chapters explore four dynasties whose musical activity is significant for the Hasidic tradition (HaBaD, Modzhits, Karlin, and Bratslav). This pivotal section includes a theoretical and musical analysis of the niggunim in each individual tradition according to dynasty. This thesis offers a definition of niggunim that encompasses the entire Hasidic tradition: a communicative medium and tool for expressing emotions in the context of the mystical practices of devekut and tikun olam. The unique perception of music by each of the four dynasties is also explored. The text of this thesis includes appendix A, which contains notational examples to accompany the text, and appendix B, which contains audio recordings in mp3 format.

Esta dissertação aborda a poética do artista multimídia Eduardo Kac, conhecido internacionalmente por suas obras inovadoras e polêmicas e pela atuação como professor, crítico e pesquisador de modalidades artísticas contemporâneas que envolvem o uso das novas tecnologias, incluindo algumas criadas por ele mesmo, como é o caso da holopoesia, da arte da telepresença e biotelemática e da arte transgênica. Consideramos a idéia da criação presente nos trabalhos, principalmente as relações entre esta e uma concepção mística de linguagem, baseada em conceitos e técnicas da Cabala judaica. A partir das obras de arte transgênica que compõem sua Trilogia da Criação: Gênesis (1999), GFP-Bunny (2000) e O Oitavo Dia (2001), buscamos iluminar as referências e procedimentos criativos que conectam o corpo de conhecimento bastante antigo e tradicional (a Cabala) com a reflexão sobre a criação e suas relações com a linguagem, na tradição cabalística e na arte contemporânea / This dissertation approaches the poetics of the multimedia artist Eduardo Kac, internationally known for his innovative and controversial works and for his performance as a professor, critic and researcher of contemporary artistic modalities that involve the use of new technologies, including some that were developed by himself, such as the holopoetry, the telepresence and biotelematic art and the transgenic art. We consider that the idea of creation in his works, mainly the relationship between this creation and a mystical conception of language, is based on concepts and techniques of the Jewish Kabbalah. By analyzing the transgenic art works that compose the Creation Trilogy: Genesis (1999), GFPBunny (2000) e The Eighth Day (2001), we intend to highlight the references and creative procedures that connect the ancient and traditional structure of knowledge (the Kabbalah) with the analysis of creation and its relationship with language in the kabbalistic tradition and contemporary art.

This dissertation provides a comprehensive account of Martin Luther’s Hebrew translation in his academic mid-career. Apart from the Psalms, no book of the Hebrew Bible has yet been examined in any comprehensive manner in terms of Luther’s Hebrew translation. Moreover, research to date has predominantly focused on either ascertaining Luther’s personal Hebrew skills, or on identifying his sources for Hebrew knowledge. This dissertation furthers the scholarly understanding of Luther’s Hebrew by examining his Minor Prophets translation, one of the final pieces of his first complete translation of the Hebrew Bible. As part of the analysis, it investigates the relationship between philology and theology in his Hebrew translation, focusing specifically on one of the themes that dominated his interpretation of the Prophets: his concept of Anfechtung. Chapter 1 establishes the context of Luther’s academic mid-career Hebrew, providing a brief sketch of the history of his Minor Prophets translation, followed by an overview of the Hebrew resources in and around Wittenberg which he had to draw upon. Chapter 2 examines the role of the obscurity of the Hebrew text in his translation, and how this obscurity led to various types of contradictions and vacillations in his interpretations. Chapter 3 investigates the role that Luther’s sense of the semantic intensity of the Hebrew language played in his translation. Chapter 4 examines Luther’s use of “inner-biblical interpretation” – i.e. biblical quotations and references – to support, and moreover, to build his translations of the Hebrew texts. Finally, Chapter 5 examines the influence of Hebrew on Luther’s exploitation of the mystical tradition in his translation of the Minor Prophets. This dissertation, in short, shows that by mid-career, the impact of Hebrew on Luther’s Bible translation was immense and very diverse, more so than has been appreciated. It expands the frame of reference with which scholars can understand Luther’s Hebrew. It provides detailed analyses of many examples of his Hebrew translation which have never before been discussed or examined in any depth, and it provides hundreds of examples of his methodological handling of Hebrew translation issues. And it includes one of the most exhaustive analyses to date of three key philological challenges that confronted him in translating the Bible: Hebrew figures of speech, the Hebrew trope of repetition, and Hebrew transliteration. This dissertation also includes as an Appendix a substantial body of refined data from Luther’s Hebrew translation, which further illuminates the examples in this study, and facilitates additional analysis for future research.

The diploma thesis "The Influence of Non-Lurianic Kabbalah on East-European Hasidism of Modern Age" deals with the impact of non-Lurianic kabbalah on the origin and development of East-European Hasidism. The first chapter consists of short survey aimed on the academic research of Hasidism including the contribution of the most important figures in this particular field of research. The second chapter is focused on defining and demonstrating of Lurianic and non-Lurianic influences followed by illustrating of these influences on the example of few particular Jewish scholars. The third chapter includes the translation of chosen texts related to the topic of previous chapter, and their commentary. The aim of this diploma thesis is to introduce the complex topic of the sources forming Hasidism and to show their diversity.

This thesis deals with the intellectual heritage of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the Maharal of Prague and with his affiliation to the Kabbalah. The Kabbalah sprang up amongst Jewish scholars of 12th century Spain and reached its apex in the composition of the Zohar. This study shows the ways the Maharal used the Zohar and to what end. First chapter deals with the life and writings of the Maharal. The second summarises previous attempts to describe the Maharal's affinity for Jewish mysticism. The third chapter describes how the Zohar was written. It includes a textological comparison, which aims to find which edition or group of manuscripts of the Zohar the Maharal used. It also makes note of the special form of zoharic Aramaic that is present in the Maharal's writings. The fourth chapter raises the question of halakhic authority of the Zohar in the 15th and 16th centuries. Three main chapters of this thesis provide analysis and commentary of chosen zoharic texts (Zohar III,152a, Zohar III,40a, Zohar I,18a a Zohar I,33b) quoted by the Maharal in his writings and with their theological reflection. Zohar III,152a speaks about different layers of meaning implied in the text of the Torah. This chapter deals with the basic development of Jewish hermeneutics and attempts to find Maharal's place in it....

Tzava'at Ha-RIBaSH ve-hanhagot yesharot: The Influence of Non-Lurianic Kabbalah on East-European Hasidism of Modern Age Mgr. Antonín Šedivý This dissertation thesis consists of Introduction, three chapters, and Conclusion. Furthermore, it includes name index, list of traditional Jewish sources used in the second chapter, list of sources, literature and other relevant resources, and four supplements. The Introduction of this dissertation deals with several issues important for its research. First of all, the East-European Hasidism is introduced, then follows very thorough overview of current state of knowledge of Tzava'at Ha-RIBaSH ve-hanhagot yesharot, and the definition of goals, hypothesis, and methods of this dissertation, and finally, it also contains technical notes about the dissertation thesis. The first chapter "Tzava'at Ha-RIBaSH ve-hanhagot yesharot" is devoted solely to Tzava'at Ha-RIBaSH, which is the central point of my dissertation. It is divided into chapters that are dedicated to fundamental information about Tzava'at Ha-RIBaSH, to its content, to its place within Hasidic literary collection, and to its reflexion by the opponents of Hasidism. The second chapter "Translation and Commentary of Selected Texts of Tzava'at Ha-RIBaSH" contains translation and short commentary of fifty-one selected...

One of the most innovative and original Hasidic leaders and thinkers, Rabbi Nachman of Braslav (1772 – 1810), related thirteen long, complex fables during the final four years of his life. This doctoral thesis presents an analysis of the quest for the Lost Princess in Rabbi Nachman of Braslav's "Book of Stories in Ancient Times." The image of the Lost Princess and the quest to find and rescue her, which appear in four of these stories (including the first and the last ones), are central symbols in Rabbi Nachman's thought. The most important key to an analysis of this image and theme lies in understanding the symbols and concepts of the Jewish mystical tradition (the Kabbalah), as Rabbi Nachman himself suggested. / Classsics, Near & Far East & Religious Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Judaica)

One of the most innovative and original Hasidic leaders and thinkers, Rabbi Nachman of Braslav (1772 – 1810), related thirteen long, complex fables during the final four years of his life. This doctoral thesis presents an analysis of the quest for the Lost Princess in Rabbi Nachman of Braslav's "Book of Stories in Ancient Times." The image of the Lost Princess and the quest to find and rescue her, which appear in four of these stories (including the first and the last ones), are central symbols in Rabbi Nachman's thought. The most important key to an analysis of this image and theme lies in understanding the symbols and concepts of the Jewish mystical tradition (the Kabbalah), as Rabbi Nachman himself suggested. / Classsics, Near and Far East and Religious Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Judaica)