This dissertation contains a Hebrew edition and annotated Catalan translation of Isaac the Blind's (1165-1235) Commentary on the Book of Creation. The introduction introduces the historical context in which the author lived as well as some biographical data and the intellectual influence from Jewish Andalusian culture in the text. It further analyzes the relationship of the author's philosophy with other schools of thought, as the ones in Troyes and Paris, as well as his neoplatonic influences. It proceeds to a detailed analysis of the author's views on epistemology, cosmology and anthropology which, while act as breaking points with previous mystical views, at the same time they set the platform for the development of medieval kabbalah. / Aquesta tesi presenta el text en hebreu, i una traducció anotada al català del comentari escrit per Isaac el cec (1165-1235). L'estudi previ que acompanya la traducció introdueix el context històric en què va viure l'autor així com la seva biografia i les relacions que l'autor va tenir amb els corrents intel•lectuals provinents de l'Al-Andalus. Analitzem els referents culturals del mon cristià en l’obra, especialment les escoles de Troyes i París, així com la influència del neoplatonisme. La tesi estudia amb detall els aspectes epistemològic, cosmològic i antropològic del pensament de rabí Isaac, novedós perqué trenca amb concepcions precedents pel que fa a la divinitat, el cosmos, l’ésser humá i la seva relació amb la natura, establint així les bases pel desenvolupament del que serà la cabalà medieval.

American Reform Judaism currently associates the Kabalistic term, tikkun olam, with one of its core principles, social justice. This association is relatively new, dating roughly to the 1950s. The appropriation of a Kabbalistic term by American Reform Judaism is unusual given the historical animosity of American Reform Judaism toward the Kabbalah. The purpose of this thesis to explain this appropriation by contextualizing the use of tikkun olam within American Reform Judaism. The method through which this will be accomplished is the analysis of official documents, journal articles and theological discussions found within the American Reform movement. The thesis concludes that American Reform Judaism chose to appropriate tikkun olam and associate it with social justice in order to locate social justice in a historically Jewish context. This reworking of the concept of social justice to place it within a specifically Jewish frame work reflects the theological shift which occurs in reaction to the Holocaust, fears over Jewish assimilation and other social factors taking place during the 1940s and 1950s.

American Reform Judaism currently associates the Kabalistic term, tikkun olam, with one of its core principles, social justice. This association is relatively new, dating roughly to the 1950s. The appropriation of a Kabbalistic term by American Reform Judaism is unusual given the historical animosity of American Reform Judaism toward the Kabbalah. The purpose of this thesis to explain this appropriation by contextualizing the use of tikkun olam within American Reform Judaism. The method through which this will be accomplished is the analysis of official documents, journal articles and theological discussions found within the American Reform movement. The thesis concludes that American Reform Judaism chose to appropriate tikkun olam and associate it with social justice in order to locate social justice in a historically Jewish context. This reworking of the concept of social justice to place it within a specifically Jewish frame work reflects the theological shift which occurs in reaction to the Holocaust, fears over Jewish assimilation and other social factors taking place during the 1940s and 1950s.

This essay is about reincarnation in Lurianic Kabbalah. This essay explains in detail what reincarnation is but also what the different levels of the soul is as well, according to Lurianic Kabbalah. The literature used in this essay uses books from the Antiquities until today. But the older literature is technically not Kabbalistic literature, but the Kabbalists are using these sources to confirm their ideas. The essay ends with analysing the thematic. The essay will focus on the five levels of the soul, and about what happens after death, according to the Kabbalistic sources.

My doctoral thesis focuses on the Christian Kabbalah and its relationship with its Jewish counterpart during the seventeenth century. I work especially on a Christian Kabbalist of the late 17th century, Christian Knorr von Rosenroth and his anthology of Christian Kabbalah called the "Kabbala Denudata." The work reflects the philosophical and religious debates of the 17th century (through Knorr’s collaboration with Henry More and the Belgian alchemist Francis Mercury van Helmont), includes many translations of works of Lurianic Kabbalah and a bilingual edition (Aramaic - Latin) of the Zohar. On one hand, the study of "Kabbala Denudata" sheds light on how the Lurianic Kabbalah was received in Europe in the 17th century. On the other hand, the anthology attests of a practice of "perennial philosophy" which is a continuation of the Renaissance thought. Through the use of symbolism, the author elaborates a new form of relationship with the religious orthodoxy of his time and paved the way to a deeper understanding of religious otherness. My research takes place both in the field of the study of Jewish-Christian relations and of the the study of western esotericism. / <p><p>Ma thèse de doctorat porte sur la kabbale chrétienne et sur ses rapports avec son homologue juive au 17e siècle. Je travaille en particulier sur un kabbaliste chrétien de la fin du 17e siècle, Christian Knorr von Rosenroth et son anthologie de kabbale chrétienne intitulée la "Kabbala denudata". L’œuvre reflète les débats philosophiques et religieux du 17e siècle (avec notamment des collaborations d’Henry More et de l’alchimiste belge François Mercure van Helmont), comporte de nombreuses traductions d’ouvrages de kabbale lourianique ainsi qu’une édition bilingue (araméen - latin) du Zohar. D’une part, l’étude de la "Kabbala denudata" permet de mieux comprendre la manière dont la kabbale lourianique a été reçue en Europe au 17e siècle. D’autre part, l’anthologie atteste d’une pratique de la "philosophia perennis" qui s’inscrit dans le prolongement de la Renaissance. À travers la pratique du symbolisme, l’auteur construit une nouvelle forme de rapports avec l’orthodoxie religieuse de son temps et ouvre la voie à une compréhension approfondie de l’altérité religieuse. Mes recherches s’inscrivent tant dans le domaine de l’étude des relations judéo-chrétiennes que de l’étude de l’ésotérisme. / Doctorat en Philosophie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This thesis aims to provide a critique of the conclusions of Gershom Scholem regarding the potential for ‘Gnostic’-Kabbalistic filiation, and to establish whether, in light of the available evidence, Scholem’s arguments (which have yet, to my mind, to be sufficiently challenged) can be reasonably supported. I strive to offer an arguably clearer definition of the relevant taxonomic terms than is often presented in scholarly analyses of this question, whilst also arguing for the applicability to this debate of certain pertinent methodological approaches drawn from the wider school of comparative mythology. As such, I also attempt to establish a clear methodology for judging the probability of the genetic descent of one ‘system’ from another, viz. that perhaps the most logical method for assessing potential similarities between different ‘systems’ is to assume in the first instance that all correspondences identified are essentially coincidental, dismissing this assumption only if one can identify a high level of exactness in these comparisons (such as would render pure coincidence relatively improbable) and/or establish a secure chain of transmission between two sources, a chain which renders the transmission of ideas not only possible but indeed probable. Applying this methodology to certain potential routes by which second century ‘Gnostic’ thought might have been transmitted to the origin point of the medieval Kabbalah, I attempt both to demonstrate the wider applicability of such a methodology beyond the narrow question of ‘Gnostic’-Kabbalistic relationships, and to illustrate the serious difficulties with advancing any of these potential routes as a reliable source for the transmission of ‘Gnostic’ ideas to the Kabbalah. Rather, I argue that it may be more logically defensible, in the absence of clear source evidence, to ascribe such correspondences as are located purely to coincidence, albeit a coincidence perhaps somewhat tempered by certain observations regarding the relative ubiquity of certain concepts and modes of thought.

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 thesis is a comparative study of Michel Foucault's History of Madness and Rabbi Nachman's teachings 64 and 5 from Liqqutei Moharan and Liqqutei Moharan Tinyana, respectively. The author compares how both authors conceive of madness and the limits of reason. The study is divided in three parts. The first and second parts are analytical, dealing with History of Madness and Nachman's teachings. At the beginning of the second part, the author also provides a general introduction to madness in Early Chasidism and a short biography of Nachman. Finally, in the third part, the author compares Foucault's and Nachman's thought in three sections: madness vindicated, reason exposed and power &amp; the void. By reading Foucault through the lenses of Nachman and vice versa, the author attempts to provide new insights into the work of both.

Thesis In the Light of Kabbalah: Jewish Mystique in Polish Literature in the Interwar Period deals with different models of reflection of Jewish religious and mystical tradition in the Polish interwar literature (on the example of three authors representing different ways of perceiving their own Jewish roots as well as the processing of themes based on the tradition of Jewish mysticism). Aleksander Wat, originally a futurist, was critical of the Jewish religious tradition - but still cannot his own "Jewishness" escape; prose writer Bruno Schulz offers an unique vision of cosmogony and eschatology reminiscent of - besides other things - selected concepts of Kabbalah; Bolesław Leśmianʼs relationship to this tradition is the looses, but on the other hand his method of working with motives which can interpreted in the context of the Jewish religious tradition is very original. Literary work of all three - as the heirs to the "people of the Book" - is marked by a specific relationship to language and the written word. In addition to this theme we deal with e.g. the Golem motive, the idea of the creation of the world or the idea of God. These analytical chapters are preceded by a theoretical and methodological introduction based on the traditions of literary hermeneutics, but also on selected concepts of...

The work that the reader now has in hand corresponds to a story about the Sephardic culture that spread after the Atlantic Diaspora in the 15th century. He was drafted from the yarn left by Antônio José da Silva, nicknamed "the Jew", in four of his operas, Vida de D. Quixote de La Mancha, Esopaida, ou Vida de Esopo, Os Encantos de Medéia e Anfitrião, ou Júpiter, e Alcmena, presented between 1733 and 1736 at the Teatro do Bairro Alto in Lisbon. The operas are in tune comedies that bring, between the lines, marks the time when the French lived, as well as the previous temporalities stays, mixed to established models of literature and mythology. Through them, the author suggests his dissatisfaction with society in which was inserted, by means of the criticism of the Inquisition, to justice, to customs and, especially, to religion, leaving evidence of cryptic religiosity subtext practiced by Jewish cabalists. The objective of this work is to analyze the escamoteados cabalistic aspects in these texts, because we understand that they are constituent part of the worldview of the new Christians judaizers. To this end, resorted to the categories of analysis of the Cultural history, making use of changes in scales of observation, indicting and method of comparison of elements present in the texts with the more general aspects of law and Jewish mysticism. The research reveals that, in addition to the primary intention of the comedies of the Jew, to laugh at the Lisbon society through satire of customs and institutions, there is a message of resistance directed to new Christians judaizers. The research is structured in three chapters: Antônio José da Silva: um Cavaleiro Andante na Lisboa do Século XVIII; A Religião da Cavalaria Andante; e Os Recônditos Arcanos da Cavalaria Andante. In the first chapter, we sought to relate the character Don Quixote to the figure of the knights errant Kabbalists, as well as introduce customs and references to Jewish mystical elements present in the Opera Vida de D. Quixote de La Mancha, the first comedy of the harvest of the Jew. The second chapter reflects on the Religion of the Cavalry Andante in allusion to the "law of Moses", as she was known the cryptic form practiced religiosity by new Christians, constantly identified in inquisitorial documents and, consequently, in the literature of centuries of prohibition of Jewish worship. Finally, Os Recônditos Arcanos da Cavalaria Andante which made an interpretation of evidence identified in the operas in the light of Jewish mysticism, still little explored aspect of Sephardic culture. / O trabalho que o leitor agora tem em mãos corresponde a uma história sobre a cultura sefardita que se difundiu após a Diáspora Atlântica no século XV. Ele foi elaborado a partir dos fios deixados por Antônio José da Silva, cognominado O Judeu , em quatro de suas óperas, Vida de D. Quixote de La Mancha, Esopaida, ou Vida de Esopo, Os Encantos de Medéia e Anfitrião, ou Júpiter, e Alcmena, apresentadas entre os anos de 1733 e 1736 no Teatro do Bairro Alto em Lisboa. As óperas são comédias musicadas que trazem, nas entrelinhas, as marcas do tempo em que o comediógrafo viveu, bem como as permanências de temporalidades anteriores, misturadas aos modelos já consagrados da literatura e da mitologia. Através delas, o autor deixa transparecer sua insatisfação com a sociedade em que estava inserido, por meio das críticas à inquisição, à justiça, aos costumes e, especialmente, à religião, deixando subentendidos indícios de uma religiosidade críptica praticada pelos judeus cabalistas. O objetivo do trabalho é analisar os aspectos cabalísticos escamoteados nesses textos, por entender que eles são parte constituinte da cosmovisão dos cristãos-novos judaizantes. Para tal, recorreu-se às categorias de análise da História Cultural, fazendo uso da variação de escalas de observação, do método indiciário e da comparação dos elementos presentes nos textos com os aspectos mais gerais da lei e da mística judaica. Desvenda-se com a pesquisa que, para além da intenção primordial das comédias do Judeu, de fazer rir à sociedade lisboeta através da sátira dos costumes e das instituições, existe uma mensagem de resistência direcionada aos cristãos-novos judaizantes. A pesquisa está estruturada em três capítulos: Antônio José da Silva: um Cavaleiro Andante na Lisboa do Século XVIII; A Religião da Cavalaria Andante; e Os Recônditos Arcanos da Cavalaria Andante. No primeiro capítulo, buscou-se relacionar o personagem D. Quixote à figura dos cavaleiros andantes cabalistas, assim como apresentar costumes e referências a elementos da mística judaica presentes na ópera Vida de D. Quixote de La Mancha, primeira comédia da seara do Judeu. O segundo capítulo reflete sobre a Religião da Cavalaria Andante em alusão à Lei de Moisés , como era conhecida a religiosidade praticada de forma críptica pelos cristãos-novos, constantemente identificada nos documentos inquisitoriais e, consequentemente, na literatura dos séculos de proibição do culto judaico. Por fim, Os Recônditos Arcanos da Cavalaria Andante no qual se fez uma interpretação de indícios identificados nas óperas à luz do misticismo judaico, aspecto ainda pouco explorado da cultura dos sefarditas.