Imagery Techniques in Modern Jewish Mysticism

462 Pages·2018·2.621 MB·English

by  Daniel Reiser

Daniel Reiser
Imagery Techniques in Modern Jewish Mysticism
Studia Judaica
Forschungen zur Wissenschaft des Judentums
Begründet von
Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich
Herausgegeben von
Günter Stemberger, Charlotte Fonrobert,
Alexander Samely und Irene Zwiep
Band 101
Daniel Reiser
Imagery Techniques
in Modern Jewish
Mysticism
Translated by Eugene D. Matanky
with Daniel Reiser
MAGNES
This book was published with the support of the Israel Science Foundation (ISF)
and with the support of Zefat Academic College Research Grants.
ISBN 978-3-11-053394-1
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-053588-4
e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-053408-5
ISSN 0585-5306
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Reiser, Daniel, 1976- author.
Title: Imagery techniques in modern Jewish mysticism / Daniel Reiser.
Description: First edition. | Boston ; Berlin : De Gruyter, [2018] | Series: Studia Judaica,
ISSN 0585-5306 ; band 101 | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018022976| ISBN 9783110533941 (print) | ISBN 9783110535884 (e-book (pdf)
| ISBN 9783110534085 (e-book (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Imagery (Psychology)--Methodology--History--20th century. | Imagination
(Philosophy)--History--20th century. | Visualization--Technique--History--20th century. |
Mysticism--Judaism--History--20th century.
Classification: LCC BF367 .R45 2018 | DDC 153.3/2--dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2018022976
Bibliografic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliografic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
& Hebrew University Magnes Press, Jerusalem
Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck
www.degruyter.com
www.magnespress.co.il
Acknowledgements
Cinema…makesmovementtheimmediategivenoftheimage…Itisonlywhenmovement
becomesautomaticthattheartisticessenceoftheimageisrealized:producingashockto
thought,communicatingvibrationstothecortex,touchingthenervousandcerebralsystem
directly…Automaticmovementgivesrisetoaspiritualautomatoninus.¹
The status of the imagination has surged in contemporary culture, even being
capableofprecedinganddictatingreality.Peopleofimagination:artists,novel-
ists,actors,andmusicians,gainpopularityandinfluence,whilepeopleofintel-
lect: intellectuals,philosophers, scientists, and academics lose recognition and
effect.Imagesproducearealitythatfurther reflectstheseimages.Thisdevelop-
mentdidnotoccurinavacuum,butratherisaculturalaspectthatgerminated
withinandalreadycharacterizedthemodernera.Aminorityofreligiousauthor-
itiesandfigureswereattunedtothisdevelopmentandemployeditfortheirown
purposes. I will discuss these select individuals in this work and demonstrate
howtheyutilizedtheimaginationasameansforreligiousandevenmysticalex-
perience.
Thisstudybeganasmydoctoraldissertation,entitled,“‘ToFlylikeAngels’:
Imagery or Waking Dream Techniques in Hasidic Mysticism in the First Half of
the Twentieth Century,” (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2011).This served as
the foundation for my Hebrew book Vision as a Mirror (Los Angeles: Cherub
Press, 2014), upon which I have expanded and inserted significant alterations.
VisionasaMirror’sscopeextendsbeyondhasidism,withanemphasisonexam-
iningandcontrastingsimilarimagerytechniquesdevelopedinbothJewishand
non-Jewishcontexts,suchastheLithuanianMusarmovement,modernpsycho-
logicalstudies,andtheEast.VisionasaMirrorwasawardedtheWorldUnionof
JewishStudiesMatanelPrizeforthebestbookinJewishThoughtpublisheddur-
ing the years 2013–2014.
This current book, Imagery Techniques in Modern Jewish Mysticism, is not
justatranslationoftheHebrewbook,butratheralsoincludesrevisionsandup-
datedresearch.Inthelastfouryears,newresearchhasbeenpublishedthathas
addedmoresophisticatedperspectivesonthesubjectofmystudyandIhaveen-
gagedthemin thisbook.Additionally, Ihaveexpandedandrevisedportionsof
the book in light of the constructive criticism which it received when originally
published. My first book was meant for a Hebrew reading audience, whereas
 GilesDeleuze,Cinema2:TheTime-Image,trans.HughTomlinsonandRobertGaleta(London:
TheAthlonePress,1989),156.Emphasisinoriginal.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110535884-001
VI Acknowledgements
thiscurrentbookismeantforanEnglishreadingaudience.Thechangeinaudi-
ence also caused changes to be made in the book. I shortened entire sections
that had received much attention in English-based studies prior to my Hebrew
book, sinceit wouldbe superfluousto restatethem in this translation. Instead,
Ihavesufficedwithreferencingtheacademicresearch,withoutexpandingupon
it.Incontrast,theHebrewconceptsandterminologywhichservedmeinmyre-
search have been clarified in English.
Imustexpressmydeepestgratitudetomyteachersandfriendsthathaveas-
sistedmeineverystepofthiswork.Firstandforemost,Prof.MosheIdel,under
whom I wrote my dissertation. His many insights and conceptions are to be
foundstrewnthroughoutthisbook.Withouthiscriticalcommentsandexpansive
knowledge, this work would have remained like a sheep without a shepherd.
Prof. Jonathan Garb, who wrote and published a review of my Hebrew book
and made important comments, which influenced certain changes made in
this English edition. Prof. Daniel Abrams, the book series editor of Cherub
Press,whonotonlyencouragedmetopublishmyresearchandcarefullyedited
theHebrewversionofthiswork,despitehismanyotherpressingobligations,but
who has also graciously allowed for its English translation.
I would like to acknowledge the generous support of my current academic
homes, Zefat Academic College and its research authority, which supported
thistranslation,andtoHerzogAcademicCollege’sresearchauthorityanditsdi-
rectorDr.AmosGeula,whosubmittedthisresearchsuccessfullyforanISFbook
grant.IwouldliketoexpressmysinceregratitudetotheIsraelScienceFounda-
tion(ISF)fortheirgenerousfinancialassistanceinthepublishingofthisEnglish
translation.
Afewofthechaptersincludedinthisworkpreviouslyappearedinabbrevi-
ated form in the journal Modern Judaism. I would like to thank its editor, Prof.
Steven Katz, for allowing them to be republished here. Likewise, chapter eight
wasimproveduponinaresearchprogramoftheCenterforAustrianStudies,Eu-
ropeanForum,attheHebrewUniversityofJerusalem.Iwouldalsoliketothank
the City of Vienna Scholarship for its support.
IcannotexpressmythankstoGeneMatanky,thetranslatorofthebook.He
isnotjustatranslator,butascholarinhisownright,Iamsurethatwewillsee
hisownworkinthenearfuture.Overthecourseofthistranslation,Genereferred
metomaterialsandsourcesthatIhadnotcomeacross,whichhaveenteredthis
work.Thetranslationofthisbookbecameasharedlearningexperienceinwhich
he would ask and I would answer, and I would ask and he would answer.Our
enjoyable and productive collaborative efforts have formed the book in front
ofyou.IwouldalsoliketothankSamGlauberwhocarefullyeditedtheEnglish
manuscript and made important stylisic suggestions.
Acknowledgements VII
Mygratitude to the Hebrew University Magnes Press,Jerusalem, and to the
De Gruyter Press for publishing the English translation of my book.
Maythisbook beanilluineshamah,anelevationofthesoul, formygrand-
parents,SigmundandCaroleReiser,andAharonandDevoraRosenbergblessed
be their memories,Holocaust survivors “brands plucked from the fire” (Zechar-
iah 3:2); my great-grandparents, Binyamin and Feiga Reiser, Moshe Salamon,
YaakovandLeahKlamer,andShmuelandRivkaRosenberg,whoweremurdered
by the Nazis, may their names be erased.
Thisbookisdedicatedtomyparents,Prof.BenjaminandRivkaReiser,who
raisedme withtheloveofTorahandscholarship (Ḥokhmah).Theyhavealways
stoodbymysideandencouragedmywork,andwordscannotexpressmyappre-
ciation for all they have done for me.
Daniel Reiser, Zefat and Herzog Academic Colleges

Translator’s Note
Inthiswork,Ihavehadtomakeuseofmanyrabbinictextsandhavereliedupon
differenttranslations.Thebiblicaltextinthisbookhaslargelybeenquotedfrom
theNewJewishPublicationSociety(NJPS).TheTalmudicpassageshavemadeuse
ofTheSoncinoTalmud.MidrashRabbahtranslationshavebeenprimarilyfromor
basedontheSoncinoMidrashRabbah.TheZoharquotationshavebeenprimarily
from or based on the Zohar Pritzker Edition, for the available sections. Other
translations of rabbinic texts are mine, unless otherwise noted. All emphases
withinprimarymaterial,whetheritbebiblical,rabbinic,kabbalistic,orhasidic,
isthatoftheauthor,unlessotherwisenoted.Transliterationhaslargelyfollowed
theguidelinesfoundinEncyclopaediaJudaicaandtheYIVOEncyclopedia¸how-
ever there have been exceptions due to a variety of factors. Eastern European
towns and cities have been referenced in their current spellings with their Yid-
dish pronunciation in parentheses in their first occurrence, with some excep-
tions. The current translation is of Ha-Mar’eh ka-Mar’ah: Ṭekniqat ha-Dimyun
be-Misṭiqah ha-Yehudit ba-Me’ah ha-Esrim. This translation has been carried
out with the collaboration of the author.
Eugene D. Matanky
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110535884-002