Uniter of Heaven and Earth: Rabbi Meshullam Feibush Heller of Zbarazh and the Rise of Hasidism in Eastern Galicia

322 Pages·1998·8.346 MB·English

by  Miles Krassen

Uniter of Heaven
and Earth
SUNY Series in Judaica: Hermeneutics, Mysticism, and Religion
Michael Fishbane, Robert Goldenberg, and Elliot Wolfson, editors
Uniter of Heaven and Earth
Rabbi Meshullam Feibush Heller of Zbarazh
and the Rise of Hasidism in Eastern Galicia
Miles Krassen
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
©1998 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Krassen, Miles
Un iter of heaven and earth: Rabbi Meshullam Feibush Heller of
Zbarazh and the rise of Hasidism in Eastern Galicia / Miles
Krassen.
p. cm. - (SUNY series in Judaica)
Includes biblographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7914-3817-1. - ISBN 0-7914-3818-X (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Heller, Meshullam Feivush, d. ca. 1795. 2. Rabbis-Ukraine
Galicia, Eastern-Biography. 3. Hasidim-Ukraine-Galicia,
Eastern-Biography. 4. Hasidism-Ukraine-Galicia, Eastern
History. 1. Title. II. Series.
BM755.H318K73 1998
296.8'322'092-dc21
[BI 97-50607
eIP
109 876 543 2 1
Contents
Introduction 1
1. Meshullam Feibush Heller and His Circle in Eastern Galicia 9
2. Sources of Devequt in Early Hasidism 43
3. Cosomological Bases for Meshullam Feibush's Concept of Devequt 81
4. The Barrier to Divine Aid 95
5. The Problem of Corporeality: Conditions for Devequt 107
6. The Remedy: Prayer, Torah, Sacred Calendar 123
7. Meshullam Feibush and the Maggid of Mezeritch 163
8. The Importance of Zaddiqim 187
9. Meshullam Feibush's Place in Early Hasidism 203
Notes 217
Bibliography 285
Index 301

Uniter of Heaven
and Earth