On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism [Paperback]

InOn the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism,Gershom Scholem guides the reader through the central themes in the intricate history of the Kabbalah, clarifying the relations between mysticism and established religious authority, the mystics' interpretation of the Torah and their attempts to discover the hidden meaning underlying Scripture, the tension between the philosophical and the mystical concepts of God, and the symbolism employed in mystical religion.

With a new foreword by Bernard McGinnForeword, vii

Introduction, 1

1. Religious Authority and Mysticism, 5

2. The Meaning of the Torah in Jewish Mysticism, 32

3. Kabbalah and Myth, 87

4. Tradition and New Creation in the Ritual of the Kabbalists, 118

5. The Idea of the Golem, 158

Index, 205"Along with Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, this is the standard work in its field."

-- Choice

"Comprises some of Scholem's most broadly conceived intellectual efforts, dealing with such universal issues as creativity and tradition, Scripture and its interpretation, religion and myth, and the nature of religious authority."

-- Arthur Green,

Brandeis University

"Makes the intricate and fascinating world of kabbalistic symbol and myth accessible to a wider audience, rendering it in terms that are of interest to contemporary readers."

-- Elliot R. Wolfson,New York UniversityGershom Scholem was a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem until his death in 1982. Among his most important works areMajor Trends in Jewish Mysticism, The Messianic Idea in Judaism,andOn the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism.INTRODUCTION
 
The Kabbalah, literally ‘tradition,’ that is, the tradition of things divine, is the sum of Jewish mysticism. It has had a long history and for centuries has exerted a profound influence on those among the Jewish people whl3;