A History of Kabbalah

Jonathan Garb’s A History of Kabbalah: From the Early Modern Period to the Present Day approaches its subject in a way that is very different from the traditional modes of kabbalistic scholarship established by Gershom Scholem, the founder of the academic study of Kabbalah, and his students. Their focus was on the medieval period and the study and analysis of canonical texts like the Zohar and its commentaries. The primary analytical methods were philosophical and intellectual history. A new generation of younger scholars has approached the study of Kabbalah with new questions and new methodological perspectives.

Garb proposes in this work that modern Kabbalah, which begins in the 16^th century, was a significant departure from the medieval era and its intellectual concerns. The printing revolution and improved modes of communication made possible the wide dissemination of its teachings. Kabbalistic works were printed and widely distributed, bringing new audiences and expanding the influence of kabbalistic teachings beyond the small elite of the earlier period. One new audience that was attracted to the newly available kabbalistic texts were Christian scholars who learned Hebrew, or had texts translated for them into Latin. Some even hired kabbalists to tutor them in the mysteries of the Kabbalah. Another audience that has only recently begun to receive attention are Jews who were not sufficiently learned to read the texts in Hebrew. Kabbalistic teachings, references to the Zohar, and kabbalistic rituals began to appear in Yiddish texts by the end of the 16^th century. By the end of the 17^th century, Kabbalah was completely integrated into popular Jewish life and religious practice. Even modern liberal denominations of Judaism engage in kabbalistic rituals, even if they are not always aware of the kabbalistic origins and significance of these rituals.

Garb’s organization and analysis of the subject is also innovative. His style of narrative historical writing has never been attempted in the study of Kabbalah on such a broad scale. His work begins in the 16^th century and concludes with a discussion of Kabbalah in the present and its prospects for the future. His division is by century and not by theme or school, as has been the norm in the field. The emphasis within each chapter is on inclusion and not on choosing winners and losers. Garb goes to great lengths to mention and consider the widest variety of people, texts, and schools of thought that flourished in a given period, regardless of their later historical importance. Similarly, the geographic scope of the work is broad, including individuals who were not involved in the great issues of the day or lived outside of intellectual centers.

The book is organized in seven chapters, the first being an introduction and the last a conclusion specifying an agenda for the future. The second chapter covers the Safed revolution, which was at the center of the new Kabbalah and the basis of Modern Kabbalah. This is normally associated with Rabbi Isaac Luria and his circle. Garb expands the discussion to include the other circles active in Safed, including those of Rabbis Moses Cordovero and Joseph Karo. Sabbateanism is at the center of the third chapter, which discusses the 17^th century, but other significant areas include the finalization of the Safed canon, and its reception and acceptance in Jewish society. The 18^th century is the subject of chapter four. It is thought of as seeing the end of Sabbateanism and the rise of Hasidism, but Garb notes the importance of other schools that became influential in the following centuries. Two of them are the schools of Elijah (the Gaon of Vilna in Eastern Europe) and Rabbi Shalom Sharabi (in the Near East). Garb calls the 19^th century the era of globalization, which is the subject of chapter five. Hasidism diversified and spread geographically. Some of the disciples of the Gaon of Vilna migrated to Israel and encountered the kabbalists of the Sharabi school. In Western Europe, there was a renewed interest in Kabbalah as part of a larger interest in non-Christian forms of spirituality at the end of the 19^th century. The 20^th century is described in chapter six. It witnessed the destruction of European Jewry and its loss as a center of kabbalistic thought, and the rise of Israel as the center of traditional kabbalistic study and modern scholarship on Kabbalah. The seventh and last chapter summarizes the main themes and looks to future of research on Kabbalah.

The work covers a vast territory and mentions a large number of people and concepts. As a result, references are brief, occasionally bordering on cursory. The lack of detail is compensated for by an index and comprehensive bibliography that leads the reader to the scholarly literature on the desired people and topics. The inclusion of a timeline is also helpful for ordering significant people and events. Though written for specialists, the writing is clear and lucid, and even the non-specialist can follow the broad trends and learn about the history and evolution of Modern Kabbalah.

Unlike Gershom Scholem’s classic 1941 work Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (Schocken Publishing House), which has a specific historical agenda that discards anything that does not fit the narrative, Garb endeavors to demonstrate the diversity and variety of Kabbalistic thought and practice from the 16^th century to the present. It is a major survey of the state of research in the field, and a starting point for future scholarship. It will serve as an indispensable source for scholars and students in the field and a valuable guide for anyone interested in the history of Kabbalah and its study.

Morris M. Faierstein is an independent scholar.

Morris Faierstein

Date Of Review:

December 22, 2022