Voices from Exile: Delving into Jewish Theology, History, and Folklore

A number of Jewish historical works were written during the sixteenth century including Sefer Yuhasin by Abraham Zacuto at the beginning of the century and Semah David by David Gans at the end of the century. The former preceded Dei Rossi’s Me’or Einayim and was intended for the accomplished Talmudic scholar while the latter was intended for the masses.3 While they differ in content and theme, both of these historical works emphasized the precise knowledge of the rabbis with the underlying goal of preserving the authority of the tradition. Zacuto’s work affirms the literal truth of all rabbinic accounts, including those with a legendary or mythical tone to them. For Zacuto, history is not an end in itself but must instead serve to strengthen trust in G-d’s power and providence. The history of the Jewish people fulfills the words of the Torah to “remember the days of old.” Both works include a review of non-Jewish history but view it as separate, and both works view any disagreements or discrepancies between Jewish sources and non-Jewish sources are decided by the former.4 For Gans, writing after Dei Rossi and in response to many of his stances, any account that did was not divinely inspired could not be trusted absolutely. Like Zacuto, Gans affirmed the position rejecting any historical source that contradicted or called into question even the smallest detail of Talmudic Aggadah.

It's hard to believe that Hasidism as we see it in the 21st century was once considered heretical in quarters of traditional orthodoxy. The rise of Hasidism precipitated a strong reaction by a range of prevailing religious authorities. The accusations and basis for concern were quite varied as the edicts of excommunication issued by the Gaon of Vilna and others ultimately revealed. One recurring accusation against the growing number of Hasidim was the deprecation of Torah study among its adherents. The accusation levied against Hasidism eventually dissipated in the 19th century, but such assertions plagued the origins of the movement during its first and second generation.

Despite the proven relationship of Karaites and Rabbanites at the highest level, the theological differences between the two communities remained and would ultimately manifest itself in attempts by some Rabbanites to excommunicate them. But while some worked to excommunicate them, others were perfectly fine with forging alliances and marrying them.

We continue our discussion on Moshe idel's work titled Ben: Sonship and Jewish Mysticism. Here Idel begins to consider the elements which appear to have been critical in the development of the thought patterns that were eventually accepted into nascent Christianity. While our discussion will not reach this period yet, these elements are critical to understanding the existence of various ideas that reappear in later Jewish thought in the medieval period.

Today I am providing a brief review of the work of Moshe Idel titled Ben: Sonship and Jewish Mysticism. It's an amazing book which in reality requires its own course to explain. What I hope to do here is briefly discuss some of the key concepts. Many religious traditions generally espouse the idea that a channel exists between the divine and human spheres of existence. Interaction with the divine sphere can be achieved in one of two ways. The divine realm can break through the physical world. Alternatively, this can be achieved by humans ascending to the divine realm. For most individuals familiar with traditional Judaism, this seems to largely be the domain of pagan religions. But a closer look quickly reveals that ascents into the divine realm, while not common, are not foreign to either the biblical or rabbinic tradition. A few examples include the legendary ascent of Enoch which contrary to popular opinion is not simply a Christian obsession or the domain of the community of Qumran. The Enoch tradition, with its antecedents or at least parallels in Akkadian lore, is also found in mystical ascents of Sefer Hekhalot.

The preeminence of Scripture in establishing Divine law and a passionate rejection of and opposition to the Talmudic tradition characterize the basic tenets of Karaite theology. Not surprisingly, Karaite perspectives on prayer also reflect these over-arching points of view. Karaism viewed itself as returning toward a more ancient and legitimate form of Judaism reflective of the Second Temple period. As time progressed, Karaism saw itself as a minority in the tradition of the prophets who fought to return Israel to righteousness. Yet like much of Karaite life, the influence of greater Judaism remained strong and Karaism grew to quietly include several distinct rabbinic features even while rejecting the core components of rabbinic prayer.

The plight of Iberian Conversos who returned to Judaism was often more complicated that we can imagine. They had escaped the clutches of the Inquisition, but often maintained familial and financial ties in the Peninsula that were unresolved. They were then faced with the need to undergo circumcision which presented physical danger on more than one level. The legitimate concerns as well flexibility of the rabbis in many communities to the unique challenges they faced is an interesting lesson for the present day.

Israeli society is complicated. At present no alternative between the secularists and the religious groups appears to be easily workable. This is a reality that does not bode well for its future or for the future of all Jews. To change a phrase that was made regarding British and Americans, the only thing separating Israelis is a common religion.

The Balfour Declaration stated unequivocally that Britain’s government was favorably disposed toward the establishment of Palestine as a national home for the Jewish people. The problem is that British support, vagueness, contradictions, and secret agreements with competing powers inevitably created a situation where tension would arise.

Rabbi Jose Faur's believed that Kabbalah was a critical component in the decline of Iberian Jewry in the most unintended manner. Perhaps most strikingly, the opponents of the Maimonidean tradition adopted Christian approaches to dealing with opposing views.

The Crucified Jewess is a shocking story which inverts the suffering and experiences of Iberian secret Jews and their descendants in the New World. The story makes the Inquisitors the heroes in an attempt to whitewash the evils of the former and paint Jews as the perpetrators of evil.

We continue our discussion on death by discussing the topic of Sheol. Sheol is a mysterious abode of the dead that appears throughout the Hebrew Bible. Sheol is described as a land that has gates. In some passages, the dead that abide there are said to not stir, yet other verses provide us with a different view of the afterlife