The Mystical Origins of Hasidism.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Preface -- Contents -- Publisher's Note on the Translation and Transliteration -- 1: The Origins of Hasidism -- 2: The Hasidic Library -- 3: Mystical Societies and the Spread of Hasidism Internalizing and Reviving the Kabbalistic Myth -- 4: The Hasidic Concept of Language The Window in the Word -- 5: Israel Ba'al Shem Tov's Uniqueness Myth, Bibliography, Facts, and Image -- 6: The Hasidic Revolution -- 7: Hasidism in the Context of its Time -- 8: The Unity of Opposites Being and Nothingness -- 9: 'For indeed all is null and void' Transcending Being -- 10: The Doctrine of the Tsadik -- 11: Mystical Spirituality and Autonomous Leadership -- 12: Israel Ba'al Shem Tov and Jacob Frank Hasidism and Shabateanism -- 13: Scholarship on Hasidism Changing Perspectives -- 14: Summary -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index of Biblical References -- Subject Index.

This very accessible introduction to hasidism as a movement opens a new window on its mystical underpinnings. It discusses the origins and dissemination of hasidism and the literature that facilitated this; the theological basis of hasidism and the mystical significance of the tsadik; the major figures of hasidism; and the complex links to kabbalah and Sabbatianism. The discussion of the intellectual and social implications highlights the eighteenth century as a key period in modern Jewish history.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.