Elior Besh and Karo

8/10/2019 Elior Besh and Karo

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Elior Besht and Karo Linsider translationincorporating RE comments

JOSEPH KARO AND ISRAEL BA`AL SHEM TOV:

MYSTICAL METAMORPHOSIS; KABBALISTIC INSPIRATION; SPIRITUAL

INTERNALIZATION

By

RACHEL ELIOR

Introd!t"on

Only rarely in the history of mysticism do we witness the emergence of some

entirely new phenomenon, created ex nihilo. More often, great creative thiners !ndergo

comple" internal transformations in the wae of profo!nd identification with earlier

thiners or writers, real or imagined, who are close to them in spirit# alternatively, they

internali$e inspiring wors that transcend %o!ndaries of time and space. &n the co!rse of

s!ch a metamorphosis, these creative individ!als spirit!ally incorporate the image or the

wor of the earlier fig!re, which maes itself felt conscio!sly or !nconscio!sly, as reality

or as reverie. 'he impressions made %y the earlier writers or writings can later evolve

into revelatory visions of a hidden world or as contact with hidden voices that %ridge the

concealed and the revealed. 'his sort of identification and internali$ation appear to go on

within the psyches of innovative mystical fig!res, to whom s!pernal worlds are revealed

and whose vistas of conscio!sness e"pand %eyond the %o!ndaries of time and space.

'hese creative fig!res %elieve that divine revelation did not come to an end with the

completion of the Bi%le# in their view, it contin!es in vario!s forms that are !ncovered

( 'his article, first p!%lished in Tarbiz: a quarterly for Jewish Studies )* +--) )/0/1

23e%rew4, was written as part of a research pro5ect of the 6ational 7cience 8!nd of the &srael

6ational 9cademy of 7cience. 'he article, incl!ding :!otations from primary so!rces, was

translated from the 3e%rew %y ;oel 9. Linsider and !pdated %y the a!thor.


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thro!gh contact %etween religio!s virt!osi and inspirational te"ts. 'his sense of

contin!o!s divine revelation draws on the written mystical tradition and on the ever0

renewed mystical e"perience, which s!stain, ill!minate, and interpret each other. 'he

traces of this comple" process, in which written acco!nts are revitali$ed deep in the

psyches of religio!s innovators and traditional readings are re0dramati$ed in changing

circ!mstances, are evident in the mystical oe!vre thro!gho!t the generations. &n this

article, & want to e"amine this sort of mystical conversation, which traverses all

%o!ndaries of time and space# my central arg!ment is that the spirit!al world of Ra%%i

&srael Ba)# the second, complementing the L!%lin edition, was printed in @enice

in )>-. 9 consolidated edition, incl!ding %oth parts, was printed in 9msterdam in

/1?. 'he composition is a !ni:!e mystical a!to%iography, attesting to the hidden world

of a towering halahic fig!re !ndergoing intense internal str!ggles and giving free

On the %oo and its a!thor, see the classic st!dy %y Raphael. ;. Aevi er%lowsy, Joseph Karo

Lawyer and Mysti +Cd ed.# Dhiladelphia ;ewish D!%lication 7ociety -?1 +hereafter

er%lowsy, Karo. On the %i%liographical :!estions associated with the man!scripts and

printed editions of Maggid Meisharim, see er%lowsy, Karo C>0F/, F10F1?. 8or important

%iographical and %i%liographical developments since er%lowsy=s %oo was p!%lished, see Meir

Benayah!=s comprehensive wor !osef behiri maran rabbi yosef qaro2;oseph my chosen o!r

master Ra%%i ;oseph Karo4 +;er!salem Gad harav 6isim -- +hereafter Benayah!, !osef

behiri 23e%rew4 **0/, F-F0>C.

C


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e"pression to the way in which the mystical e"perience %reaches esta%lished %o!ndaries. C

'wo factors contri%!te to the wor=s distinctiveness + the !nconstrained franness of

its a!thor, a man driven %y powerf!l internal imp!lse and mystical inspiration and writing

only for himself, never imagining his %oo wo!ld %e p!%lished# and +C its a!thor=s

freedom from esta%lished literary forms and e"ternal conventions, for at the time Maggid

Meisharim was written, there was as yet no e"tant ;ewish mystical a!to%iographical

literat!re, the "oharhad not yet %een printed, and the Ka%%alah had not ac:!ired the

standing it attained following the printing of the"ohar.F

COn Karo=s comple"ities and vario!s aspects of hisMaggid Meisharim, see er%lowsy,Karo-0

CF, >?0)?, C*/0C?)# id., HLi#demuto shel ha#maggid shel r$ yosef qaroI 2On the fig!re of R.

;oseph Karo=sMaggid4, TarbizC/ +-*? F10FC 23e%rew4# Aalman 7ha$ar, H"ofayi%h zefatI

2Go!r o%servers, O 7afed4, in Ko%h&ei boqer +'el09viv 9m Oved -/C C-F0FFC 23e%rew4

2English Morning Stars, trans. 7h!lamith 7chwart$ 6ardi +Dhiladelphia, -)/4# Mordechai

Dachter, HSefer Maggid Meisharim le#r$ yosef qaro %e#sefer musarI 2;oseph Karo=s Maggid

Meisharimas an ethical wor4, 'a(atC +-?? */0?F 23e%rew4# ;oseph Jan, HJoseph Karo

Lawyer and Mysti%y R. ;. A. er%lowsyI 2review4, TarbizFF +-)F ?-0-) 23e%rew4# Javid

'amar,Mehqarim be#toledot ha#yehudim be#erez yisra)el u#&e#italyah27t!dies in the history of

the ;ews of the Land of &srael and of &taly4 +;er!salem R!%in Mass -/F 101), ->0C11

23e%rew4# Moshe &del, H*yyunim be#shitat ba(al sefer ha#meishi&I 27t!dies in the method of the

a!thor of ha#meishi&4, Sefunot, / +6ew 7eries+-?F CC10CC) 23e%rew4.

FOn the pa!city of a!to%iographical writings in ;ewish mystical literat!re, see ershom 7cholem,

Ma+or Trends in Jewish Mystiism +Fd ed.# 6ew Gor 7chocen -*> +hereafter 7cholem,

Ma+or Trends *0), >/. On the change in the Ka%%alah=s standing aro!nd the middle of the

si"teenth cent!ry, see &saiah 'ish%y, H,a#pulmus al sefer ha#zohar ba#mei)ah ha#-. be#italiyahI

2On the polemic over the "ohar in si"teenth0cent!ry &taly4, /eraqim +-)/0-)? F0?C

23e%rew4# Rachel Elior, H,a#ma)a&aq al ma(amadah shel ha#qabbalah ba#me)ah ha0)I 2'he

str!ggle over the stat!s of the Ka%%alah d!ring the si"teenth cent!ry4, Jerusalem Studies in

Jewish Thought, +-? //0-1 23e%rew4# Janiel 9%rams, H0imatai huberah ha#haqdamah

le#sefer ha#zoharI 2hen was the introd!ction to the"oharwritten4,1sufot? +--> C0CC)

23e%rew4. 'he"oharwas first printed in Mant!a in **?. Sefer ha#"ohar. F vols. Mant!a Meir

%en Efraim and ;aco% %en 6aftali, **?0*)1.

F


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Karo=s mystical revelations appear to have %eg!n in *FF,> in the wae of

7olomon Molho=s immolation at the stae in 6ovem%er *FC +MarheshvanKislev

*C-F at the hands of the &n:!isition in Mant!a.* 3is 5o!rnal attests to his yearning to %e

immolated on od=s altar, %!rnt for the sanctification of od=s 6ame. ) Molho=s auto#

da#f2was tied to his ref!sal to forsae his messianic aspirations and his desire to atone

for his past, to p!%licly sanctify the name of heaven, and to %e Han !n%lemished sacrifice,

>7ee f!rther on this %elow, n. ?.

*On 7olomon Molho, see 9aharon Aeev 9escoly,,a#tenu(ot ha#meshihiyot be#yisra)el2Jewish

Messiani Mo&ements4 +Cd ed# ;er!salem Mosad Biali -?? C-), >/0>C1, >C)0>C/ 23e%rew4#

7helomoh &del%erg, H,a#im nitla&&eh da&id ha#re)u&eini li#shelomoh mol%ho be#masa(o le#

regensburgI 2Jid Javid ha0Re!veini accompany 7olomon Molho on his 5o!rney to

Regens%!rg4, Tarbiz>C +-/F >?0*F 23e%rew4# Moshe &del, HShelomoh mol%ho %e#magiqonI

27olomon Molho as magician4, Sefunot +new series F +? +-?* -F0C- 23e%rew4. On the

connection %etween Karo and Molho, see 7ha$ar, "ofayi%h zefatI +a%ove, n. C F110F1#

er%lowsy,Karo, -/0--. 'he date of Molho=s death is a matter of controversy, some placing it

in *C-C and others in *C-F, %!t the earlier year appears to %e %ased on an error in calc!lation and

he most liely went to the stae in early *C-F. Relia%le information in a letter %y Ra%%i 9$riel

Jiena of Mant!a +d. *F) places Molho still in &taly in El!l *C-C +the last month of that year

+9escoly, ;ewish Messianic Movement, C-), >CF# the writer, one of Molho=s s!pporters, notes

that on C? El!l *C-C, Molho was mentioned in the %lessing for the living. Eyewitness testimony

%y ;oseph of Rosheim relates to a meeting %etween Molho and Emperor Nharles @ at the end of

*FC, %!t does not refer to the date of Molho=s death. Molho therefore m!st have gone to the

stae in *C-F, for he wo!ld have had to reach Regens%!rg in Bavaria in order to meet with the

Emperor Karl @ and then ret!rn to Mant!a, where he met his death. 9$ariah di Rossi +*0

*/?, a native of Mant!a, noted in his Me)or einayim+@ilna ?)), -F that 7olomon Molho

was %!rned in Mant!a in *C-F# according to 7helomoh 7imonson +Toledot ha#yehudim be#

du%hasut manto&a 2,istory of the Jews in the 'uhy of Mantua4, +;er!salem Kiryat 7efer

-)F ? 23e%rew4, who compares acco!nts %y Mant!an chroniclers to the nown ;ewish

so!rces, Molho was e"ec!ted d!ring the second half of 6ovem%er *FC, corresponding to

Marheshvan or Kislev of *C-F.

)7ee er%lowsy,Karo, -/0--, *0*>.

>


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a pleasing savor %efore od.I &n the late *C1s and early *F1s, Molho was involved in

efforts, %oth terrestrial and mystical, to hasten the redemption. 3is death p!t an end to

real0world reali$ation of the hope for redemption and stirred !p the a%%alists of the

generation of the 7panish e"p!lsion and their s!ccessors thro!gho!t the si"teenth cent!ry.

'hese a%%alists, with ties to the circles of R. ;oseph 'aita$a and his st!dent, R.

7olomon 9la%e$ in the Ottoman Empire, reinterpreted the lin %etween the a%%alistic

tradition and eschatological e"pectations, form!lated a mystical sym%iosis %etween E"ile

and Redemption, and esta%lished a comple" process of internali$ing the hopes for the

messianic age.

/

Karo was close to these circles, and his mystical yearnings were tied to the

profo!nd change in his conscio!sness regarding the hidden meaning of E"ile and

Redemption. 3is first mystical revelation mentioned inMaggid Meisharimtoo place on

the night of the 7a%%ath, CC 9dar & *C-F +*FF, a few months following Molho=s auto#

da#f2.? 'he revelation incl!ded a mystical way of life dictated from the heavens# a

comm!nication related to the f!t!re of his family# a vision of his immolation at the stae,

/On ;oseph 'aita$a=s circle in 7alonia, see ershom 7cholem, H,a#Maggid shel yosef taitaze%

&e#ha#giluyim ha#meyuhasim loI 2;oseph 'aita$a=s Maggid and the revelations attri%!ted to

him4, Sefunot +-/ )/0C 23e%rew4# Bracha Aa, H1l peirusha& ha#darshaniyim shel yosef

taitaze%I 2On ;oseph 'aita$e=s homiletical e"egesis4, Shlomo /ines Jubilee 3olume2Jerusalem

Studies in Jewish Thought, /4 +;er!salem 3e%rew niversity -??, pp. F>0F** 23e%rew4 and

%i%liographical notes id. On 7olomon 9la%e$, see Mordechai Dachter, HSifrut ha#derush &e#ha#

musar shel ha%hmei zefat ba#me)ah ha#-. u#ma(are%het ra(ayonoteha ha#iqqariyimI 23omiletical

and ethical literat!re of the 7afed sages d!ring the si"teenth cent!ry and its principal ideas4,

doctoral dissertation, 3e%rew niv. of ;er!salem, -/), F?0-F 23e%rew4# id., Mi#zefunot zefat

24rom Safed)s ,idden Treasures4 +;er!salem Aalman 7ha$ar Nenter for ;ewish 3istory --> /0

F? 23e%rew4# Bracha Aa, H5alut u#ge)ulah bi#&erit ha#le&i le#rabbi shelomoh alqabezI 2E"ile

and redemption in Ra%%i 7olomon 9la%e$=s Berit ha0levi4,0shel 6e)er She&aC +-?1 C)*0C?)

23e%rew4.

*


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mentorI the qol ha#medabber +speaing voice or the mala%h ha#go)el +redeeming

angel assigned him direct responsi%ility for its elevation and its redemption. 'he

heavenly fig!re speas to him sim!ltaneo!sly as the voice of the e"iled da!ghter of Aion,

eening in the words of the Boo of Lamentations over the destr!ction of ;er!salem and

the 'emple# and in the voice of the Mishnah+identified in his conscio!sness with the

e"iled She%hinah signifying the dispersion of the ;ewish people nown as 5alut, e"ile.,

speaing to him in the words of the "ohar+sacred mystical %oo ascri%ed to the second

cent!ry sage R. 7imeon %ar Gohai, where the She%hinahis prominent and ass!ring him

that he will have the favor of p!%licly sanctifying od=s 6ame and %eing sacrificed on

od=s altar in the Land of &srael. 'he ass!rances are iss!ed %y the voice that speas

within him on condition that he fast, p!rify himself, st!dy, %e 5oined to od, and devote

himself ceaselessly to the redemption of the She%hinah.1

1On this mystical entity and its vario!s names, see %elow, te"t at nn. -0C1. 'he first appearance

of the termMaggidto denote a heavenly force that reveals the mysteries of the 'orah seems to %e

in Sefer ha#,esheq, a Fthcent!ry erman0;ewish commentary on the seventy names of the angel

Metatron Hone who nows the seventy names of Metatron can accomplish whatever he may

want# %!t it re:!ires sanctity and p!rification in hot and cold water and fasting and se"!al

a%stinence, and it re:!ires prayer and 'orah st!dy. 9nd if yo! do this, he will then reveal to yo!

all the mysteries of the 'orah and yo! will %e a%le to invoe a Maggidat yo!r will, as yo! wish,

and he can wor other wonders.I +Sefer ha#,esheq, end of the section %eginning 6eit din le#

rabbi a&raham hamui 2Livorno, ?*F4, F% 23e%rew4. 7helomoh Dines has shown that %y the

early Middle 9ges, the termMaggidhad already come to mean an angel or spirit!al force that

reveals mysteries. 7helomoh Dines, Le Sefer ha#Tamar et les Maggidim des Kabbalistes

,ommage 8 5eorge 3a+da: etudes d)histoire et de pensee +ui&es editees par erard 6ahon

et Nharles 'o!ati+Lo!vain Editions Deeters -?1 F>?0F)F. 9n ill!minating e"planation of the

term=s essential meaning d!ring the si"teenth cent!ry appears in Moses Nordovero, 'erashot be#

inyanei ha#mal)a%him2Jisco!rses on angels4 +printed at the end of Re!ven Margaliot, Mal)a%hi

elyon 2;er!salem Mossad haRav Koo ->*4 )>0)* 23e%rew4, reprinted in Sefer ha#zohar9

zohar hadash al megillot shir ha#shirim9 ei%hah &e#rut9 im peirush or yaqar mei#ramaq 2'he

/


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'he comments of theMishnahShe%hinahclearly show the lin %etween Molho=s

deathwhich Karo interpreted as a higher p!rification, an atonement, a sanctification of

od=s 6ame, the sacrifice of an individ!al who, %y his s!ffering, atones for the sins of the

m!ltit!deand Karo=s yearning to give !p his life, to p!rify himself, and p!%licly

sanctify the name of heaven

& will grant yo! the favor of %eing p!%licly %!rned in the Land of &srael to

p!%licly sanctify my name and yo! will %e raised as a pleasing sacrifice on

my altarP5!st as 7olomon my chosen one was favored to %e called

HMolhoI 2from the root for HingI4, for he was anointed many times

from on high and went !p pleasingly on my altarPand it is &, theMishnah,speaing in yo!r mo!th +MMF)C.

Jo#$%& K'ro+D$!"#or 'nd K',,'("#t

;oseph Karo immigrated to 7afed, in the Land of &srael, in *C-) +*F*), in the

wae of a mystical revelation on the eve of the festival of 7hav!ot in *CFF +*FF or

*CF> +*F>.C &n the co!rse of that revelation, he heard the voice of the e"iled

She%hinah calling on him to go !p to the Land of &srael and participate in its

redemption.F 9n additional motivation was his longing to %e immolated at the stae as

"ohar,"ohar hadash, on 7ong of 7ongs, Lamentations and R!th, with the commentary r !aqar

of Ra%%i Moses Nordovero4 +;er!salem 9h!$at &srael --, vol. F, p. C1 23e%rew4. 7ee also

3ayyim @ital, Sha(ar ;uah ha#7odesh +;er!salem, -C, a0%. 23e%rew4 On the phenomenon

of theMaggidin the a%%alistic tradition, see &del,*yyunim +a%ove, n. C, ?F0CC).

8or additional references to the promise of immolation at the stae, cf.MM), *C.

C9ccording to er%lowsy, +Karo. C, C->, Karo immigrated to the Land of &srael in *C-/

+*F)/. B!t it is clear from the st!dies of 3aim Aalman Jimitrovsy +%elow, n. * and 'amar,

7t!dies +a%ove, n. C that he immigrated in *C-) +*F*). Nf. Benayah!, !osef behiri, **0).

FOn the 7hav!ot0night revelation, see 7olomon 9la%e$=s epistle in Maggid Meisharim+L!%lin,

)>), &ntrod!ction 23e%rew4# &saiah 3orowit$, Shenei Luhot ha#6erit, part C +9msterdam,

?


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7olomon Molho had %een and to sanctify od=s 6ame in the 3oly Land. &n the years

following his immigration, he headed a ma5or yeshiva in 7afed# e"perienced n!mero!s

mystical revelations, reco!nted in writing in Maggid Meisharim# completed his 6eit

!osef, a large halahic wor p!%lished d!ring the **1s# wrote his Shulhan 1ru%h,

printed in the *)1s# composed an e"tended series of commentaries, novellae, and

halahic %oos#> and fo!ght to sec!re his primacy among the sages of the Land of

&srael.*

)>-, Mase%het She&u(ot, 1mud ha#Torah ?1a 23e%rew4. 'he epistle is incl!ded at the

%eginning of the ;er!salem, -)1 edition of Maggid Meisharim, %ased on the 9msterdam edition

of /1?. English translation of the epistle see Lo!is ;aco%s, Q'he Nomm!nication of the

3eavenly Mentor to Ra%%i ;oseph KaroQ, Jewish Mystial Testimonies, +6ew Gor 7chocen

Boos -// -?01>. er%lowsy +Karo, 1?0 tho!ght the revelation had taen place on

7hav!ot of *F1 or *F># Dachter +"efunot zefat, C0CC arg!edrelying on the date of 7olomon

9la%e$=s immigration to the Land of &srael and passage from 7alonia to 6iopol en ro!tethat

the correct date was *F># see also Benayah!, !osef behiri, */. &t appears that these dates are

incorrect, for it is not at all impossi%le that the tiqqun leil sha&u(ot+the 7hav!ot vigil or night

ceremony too place in 7alonia in *FF, a few months after the first revelation to Karo +the

night of the 7a%%ath, CC 9dar & *C-F 2*FF4, following Molho=s going to the stae. Dachter

showed that 9la%e$ was in 7alonia in the month of &yyar *C-> +spring of *F> and immigrated

to the Land of &srael that s!mmer# there is, accordingly, room for do!%t that he was still in

7alonia in 7ivan +the month that incl!des 7hav!ot of that year. Moreover, in his epistle on the

7hav!ot0night revelation, 9la%e$ does not tae leave of his colleag!es in the manner of one soon

to depart for the Land of &srael# and the year *C-F +*FF %etter s!its the data on the time of the

revelation. On the place of 7hav!ot in the Aoharic tradition and the %acgro!nd for tiqqun leil

sha&u(ot, see %elow, n. >>.

>8or a list of Karo=s writings, see er%lowsy,Karo, F1?0F1.

*7ee 3aim Aalman Jimitrovsy, H3i%uah she#a&ar bein maran rabbi yosef qaro &e#ha#mabbitI

29 disp!te %etween o!r master Ra%%i ;oseph Karo and Ra%%i Moses %en ;oseph of 'rani4,

Sefunot) +-)C -10-> 23e%rew4# Git$ha Raphael, ed., Sefer rabbi yosef qaro2R. ;oseph Karo

vol!me4 +;er!salem Mossad haRav Koo -)- 23e%rew4# Benayah!, !osef behiri, -0-?.

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3istorians of hala%hah have shown 6eit !osef to %e do!%ly innovative it

employed a method that %!ndled Hall the laws that are practicedI and the opinions of all

previo!s decisors, reaching concl!sions in the principal halahic areas in accordance with

a novel r!le of decision#)and it offered a !ni:!e melding of the 9shena$i and 7efardi

halahic traditions, assigning !nprecedented halahic a!thority to the "ohar and

incorporating laws drawn from the a%%alistic literat!re into the decision0maing process

in a manner previo!sly !nnown. &nMaggid Meisharim, the nat!re of these innovations

is reflected in the She%hinah=s comments to Karo H'herefore, %e strong and of good

co!rage in yo!r 'orah st!dy, as yo! engage in 'orah,Mishnah, 5emara, Rashi, Tosafot,

halahic r!lings, and Ka%%alah. 8or yo! lin them to one another, and all the celestial

angels see yo!r peace and well%eingI +MMC*?./

)7ee ;oseph Karo,6eit !osef, &ntrod!ction, rah ,ayyim+@enice, **1 23e%rew4. Karo %egan

to write6eit !osefin *CC, in '!rey. 'he first edition of the rah ,ayyimsection was printed in

**1# the two other sections were printed in **0**F. On the innovative nat!re of 6eit !osef

and its significance, see &srael 'a07hma, H;abbi yosef qaro bein ash%enaz li#sefarad


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&t is evident from Maggid Meisharim that while Karo was developing his new

method for codifying hala%hot, he was sim!ltaneo!sly seeing o!t the metaphysical

significance of the commandments and looing %eyond the tradition in an effort to find

the spirit!al p!rpose of religio!s activity. 'his can %e seen in the repeated references in

his diary to the f!ndamental connection %etween the commandments and the a%%alistic

tradition. 3e writes, in the name of theMaggid, Hthat every positive commandment and

every negative commandment is dependent on the ten sefirot 2divine emanations4 s!ch

that 2even4 a minor transgression is dependent on a high mo!ntain, that is, thesefirotI

+MMF?. 9nd H&nasm!ch as the sacred aspect has revealed itself, all o!r efforts are

directed toward repelling the imp!re aspect from the sacred aspect, and that is the

mystery of all the commandmentsI +MMC*/. &n other words, the commandments were

given to separate the forces of evil from the sacred, and to resolve the cosmic str!ggle. ?

'hese characteri$ations show that Karo, in his spirit!al vision, identified Mishnahwith

Ka%%alah, the halahic element in legal decision0maing with the mystical element. 'he

Maggid=s words attest to that identification of Mishnah and Ka%%alah HGo! m!st

recogni$e that it is &, theMishnah, who spea in yo!r mo!th P & am theMishnah, and

within me is the tr!e wisdom 2i.e., Ka%%alah4I +MMC0F. 'hat identification generated

a comple" connection %etween the revealed terrestrial p!rpose, inferred from the

Mishnahand its ramifications, and the hidden mystical p!rpose, dependent on Ka%%alah

and its revelations. Maggid Meisharim incl!des a detailed acco!nt of the dialog!e

%etween Karo and a heavenly entity that e"plains to him the hidden p!rposes of serving

od in light of a%%alistic tho!ght and draws a connection %etween halahic analysis and

?/arashat 3ayaqhel+MM-) offers a prominent e"ample of halahic reasoning flowing from a

a%%alistic worldview.


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a%%alistic ascent and !nion. 'hat entity sim!ltaneo!sly em%odies the Mishnahand the

Ka%%alah, the She%hinahand the 'orahthat is, %oth the revealed so!rce of the law

pertaining to the terrestrial comm!nity of &srael and its concealed meaning, pertaining to

the heavenly comm!nity of &srael.

Nreating a new constr!ct that sets o!t new principles re:!ires the a%ility to %reach

accepted norms and transcend conventional modes of tho!ght. &n the traditional world,

which loos to the past as for a!thority, depart!res of that sort cannot %e legitimated

conventionally and therefore re:!ire internal validation or higher s!pport. Karo, whose

great halahic treatise was an !nprecedented wor, hoped that it wo!ld gain acceptance

%y a wide range of congregations and comm!nities. 6at!rally, he was concerned that his

overall method for com%ining the so!rces of hala%hahwo!ld not %e well received and

that his innovationinterweaving r!lings from the"oharand the a%%alistic literat!re

into the halahic systemwo!ld not %e properly !nderstood.

'hese concerns are clearly evident in the fre:!ent references in Maggid

Meisharim to 6eit !osefand in theMaggid=s rec!rring promises, in Karo=s visions, that

his %oo wo!ld %e accepted %y the ma5or ;ewish comm!nities of his time thro!gho!t the

world H9nd & will grant yo! the favor of completing all yo!r treatises, with yo!r r!lings

free of dissent or error, and of printing them and disseminating them thro!gho!t the

;ewish world. 9nd after that, yo! will %e %!rnt for the sanctification of My 6ame and

yo! will depart 2this world4 as a clean sheaf 2i.e., free of chaff4I +MM*1. HBe strong

and of good co!rage# do not fear and do not dread. 8or od will %ring s!ccess to all yo!r

efforts, and all that yo! have done and ta!ght to this day will %e s!stained %y od. 9nd it

is agreed in the heavenly academy, as od lives, that this r!ling is tr!e and esta%lished, as

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a law given to Moses at 7inaithe hala%hah is in accordance with yo!r view and

reasoningI +MMF?.-

Karo=s mystical e"periencein which he received Hspeech of the MaggidI or

Hrevelation of the She%hinahIseems to have afforded him heavenly confirmation that

he was on the right path. Maggid Meisharimth!s appears to have %een conceived %y

Karo in m!ltiple conte"ts against the %acgro!nd of his in:!iry into the metaphysical

meaning of the hala%hah# as a :!est for divine confirmation of the propriety of his

innovations in halahic decision0maing# and against the %acgro!nd of his profo!nd

personal identification with 7olomon Molho=s act of sanctifying od=s 6amean act

tied to the hidden meaning of the myth of E"ile and Redemption.

Maggid Meisharim ill!strates well the power of mystical e"perience, infl!enced

%y the premise that a hidden, mysterio!s layer of meaning lies %eyond the plain sense of a

te"t. 'hat hidden layer, which can %e !ncovered %y means of the generative lang!age

shared %y od and man, is gro!nded in the ne"!s %etween the written te"t and the hidden

reality of the s!pernal world. &t is e"pressed in the the!rgic connection %etween h!man

acts and tho!ghts in the terrestrial world and the hidden divine processes that go on the

worlds a%ove. 9gainst the %acgro!nd of Karo=s in:!iries into the concealed and the

- 9 considera%le part of Maggid Meisharim was written while Karo was also writing the

comprehensive code of ;ewish law,6eit !osef. Nf. 7ha$ar,"ofayi%h zefat+a%ove, n. C C-)0C--#

er%lowsy,Karo, -), ?)0?/. On Karo=s aspirations, see his prayer at the concl!sion of 6eit

!osef H& %eseech od, & plead %efore 3im that he grant that 2my %oo4 %e spread thro!gho!t all

&srael, so & will ca!se the m!ltit!de to act righteo!sly.I +&n ,oshen Mishpat, 2@enice, *F?

+**-4 FFC%. 23e%rew4 7ee also MM F, F)C. On his self0image as a halahic decisor

recogni$ed on high and the distinctiveness of his halahic enterprise, see MM /, *. 'he

She%hinah=s fre:!ently rec!rring promises, descri%ed in detail thro!gho!t Maggid Meisharim,

attest to Karo=s hopes for the completion of Beit Gosef and its wide acceptance thro!gho!t &srael

and to his mystical yearnings to %e %!rned at the stae as a sacrifice on an altar.

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revealed, the hidden divine %eing comes to %e personified in Karo=s mind in the

m!ltifaceted image of the She%hinah, which represents sim!ltaneo!sly the divine voice as

it speas and the written terrestrial te"t, the active element and the passive element, the

masc!line element and the feminine element in the s!pernal worlds. hat res!lts from

this d!ality is a new, mystical meaning for the service of od.

Karo=s 5o!rnal points to the comple" psychic world of one %o!nd !p in st!dy# the

m!lti0layered dialog!e he carries on with the te"t# and the vitali$ation of the a%%alistic

myth of the She%hinah, in which the She%hinahis transformed from a hallowed literary

entity into a mythic0mystical fig!re %!rsting from one realm to another. 'he threefold

identity in Maggid Meisharim%etween the She%hinahand theMishnah, %etween the

She%hinahand its varied em%odiments in a%%alistic myth, and %etween theMishnahand

Karo=s so!le"plains why the She%hinahreveals itself to him when he is reading and

st!dying mishnayot the She%hinah, which defines itself as Karo=s so!l andMishnah, or

as a m!lti0faceted, %ise"!al, m!lti0vocal entity, reveals to him a%%alistic mysteries on

the one hand and, on the other, enco!rages his halahic wor and e"plains its s!pernal

significance

8or yo! have %een e"alted thro!gh the merit of yo!r innovations regarding

mishnayot# and &, theMishnahspeaing with yo!, 2say4 that even tho!gh

yo! have not yet completed all of them, inasm!ch as yo! have learned

most of Seder 7odashim2the portion of theMishnahdealing with the laws

of the 'emple and sacrifices4, any time yo! read from it, yo! are %ringing

sacrifices and %!rnt offerings %efore me in the 3oly 'emple. 9nd yo!

em%race the entire Mishnahand she em%races yo!, and & say to yo!,

Hcome greet me, my sister, my %eloved, etc. 2cf. 7ong of 7ongs *C4# &

desire yo!, & love yo!.I +MM F/-.

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'he st!dy of Seder 7odashimand the laws that govern sacrificial offerings in the

terrestrial 'emple is transformed in Karo=s mind into a mystical e"perience of %ringing

sacrifices in the heavenly 'emple. &n other words, the te"t!al reality involved in reading

and st!dying passages that pertain to the destroyed terrestrial 'emple and def!nct

sacrificial c!lt %ecomes, in his mind=s eye, a palpa%le metaphysical reality tied to the

act!al %ringing of sacrifices in the heavenly 'emple. 'he connection drawn in Maggid

Meisharim%etween the composition %eing st!died and the st!dentwho is changed from

reader to listener, from scholar to mystic acting as a medi!m thro!gh whom the te"t

speas with a divine voiceis a %ond of mystical !nion form!lated in %ise"!al erotic

lang!age calling for !nending de&eiqut +%onding, adhering, !nion with the divine. 'hat

connection, %ased on the transformation of the st!dent=s voice, reciting mishnayotalo!d,

into the voice of theMishnahspeaing in and to him, is evidence that the te"t!al material

+the writtenMishnah has metamorphosed into a tangi%le mystical reality +the Mishnah

speaing in and thro!gh him, identified with the She%hinah, with the Hvoice of my

%eloved,I with theMatronita, with the congregation of &srael, and with the mysteries of

theKabbalah. 'he mystical !nion is %ased on the identity of h!man and divine tho!ght

and speech +H&, & am the Mishnahthe She%hinah speaing in yo!r mo!thI and on an

ascent %eyond the %o!ndaries of terrestrial space and time. 'his m!lti0vocal connection

reflects the opened passageways %etween heaven and earth that !nderlie the mystical

e"perience and the %reaching of the %o!ndaries of past and f!t!re that taes place when

the divine and the h!man are !nited %eyond the %o!ndaries of time and space.

T&$ P('!$ o- t&$Shekhinah.Maggid"n K'ro/# 0or(d

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Maggid Meisharim is an e"traordinary a!to%iographical te"t that reveals the

comple" spirit!al story of a learned mystic conversing with a m!ltifaceted inner voice.

Karo gives this voice a variety of names infl!enced %oth %y scholarly tradition and %y

Aoharic myth She%hinah, Mishnah, neshamah +Hso!lI, Matronita +Hthe LadyI em

meyasseret+Hre%!ing motherI,Maggid, %innor menaggen me#eila&+Hharp playing on

its ownI and qol dodi+Hvoice of my %elovedI +see 7ongs of 7ongs. 'he voice has no

one name or single identity, not even a fi"ed gender or set t!ne# it is, rather, a m!lti0

faceted, protean entity that %reaches all %o!ndaries of time and place H&, & am the

Mishnahspeaing in yo!r mo!th. & dry the seas and pierce raha& 2a sea dragon4. & am

the re%!ing mother. & am the redeeming angel thro!gh the mystery of ;aco%, who said,

Sthe angel who redeems me= 2en. >?)4I +MM ># cf. F-# H3e said to me as wellP

that & am the mother of whom it is said Hhis mother re%!es himI 2Drov. F4 +F?# H&, it

is & who spea with yo!# yo!r so!l +neshamahnot life +nefesh, not spirit +ruah, %!t

the so!l +neshamah itself. 9ltho!gh prophecy has departed from &srael, it has not

departed from within yo!, for & contin!ally come to yo! to g!ide yo! in the path to

followI +F/1# H9nd everything said %y the Maggiddepends on that mysteryI +C*>#

Hwherever yo! may %e, do not cease to thin of mePfor yo! will %e the encampment of

the She%hinah, and the She%hinahwill spea in yo!r mo!thI +*)# HBehold, the voice of

my %eloved po!nds within my mo!th, and a harp plays on its ownI +C># cf. /F#

HBehold, a harp plays on its ownI +F*?.

'he designation most often !sed in Maggid Meisharim for the mystical entity

heard %y Karo is Hthe Mishnah,I which !s!ally speas in the feminine voice. here,

however, the voice refers to itself and :!otes statements made on earlier occasions, he

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!ses the termMaggid or ha#mal)a%h ha#go)el2redeeming angel4 +MMC*>, F)/, F-.

Karo generally speas of the voice in masc!line terms inspired %y the love lang!age of

7ong of 7ongsHthe voice of my %eloved po!nds within my mo!thI,and !ses masc!line

no!ns and ver%%!t !ses the feminine in citing its words.C1 'he %ise"!al, m!ltifaceted

nat!re of the Maggid draws on the Aoharic sym%olism of the of sefirah of mal%hut

+sovereignty, which oscillates %etween masc!linity and femininity, %etween mercy and

5!stice, %etween good and eviland is vario!sly nown as Hthe redeeming angel,I Hthe

comm!nity of &srael,I Matronita, She%hinah, Mishnah, Hmother,I Hharp,I H%eloved,I

etc.

C

'his entity alternates %etween speaing in the a!thoritative voice of a heavenly

messenger and in the pleading voice of the e"iled She%hinah# in the chastising voice of

C1 On the androgyno!s nat!re of the divine, cf. Mircea Eliade, The Two and the ne

+Nhicago niversity of Nhicago Dress -/- ?10C>. On crossing gender %o!ndaries in

;ewish Mystical literat!re cf. Elliot R. olfson, =irle in the Square: Studies in the >se of

5ender in the Kabbalisti Symbolism, +9l%any 7tate niversity of 6ew Gor Dress --* /-0

CC, C1Fn.

COn these epithets for thesefirahof mal%hutin the"ohar, see the references to them in Moses

Nordovero, /ardes ;immonim +;er!salem, Gerid hasefarim C111, reprint of Krao &t$ha %en

9haron *-C, Sha(arCF, Sha(ar er%hei ha#%inuyyim. On the connection %etween the Maggid

and the sym%olism of thesefirahof mal%hut, see er%lowsy,Karo9 C-)0C?). On the comple"

characteri$ation of this sefirah in the Aoharic tradition and its essential oscillation %etween

masc!linity and femininity +Hthat is the angel that sometimes is male and sometimes is femaleI,

see "ohar +;er!salem Mossad haRav Koo -)>, vols. 0F part , CFCa# part F, >Ca0%

29ramaic4. Nf. &saiah 'ish%y and Dhishel Lachover, Mishnat ha#zohar 2'he teaching of the

"ohar4 +hereafterMishnat ha#zohar, vol. +;er!salem Mossad Bialo, -*/ C-0C)F# on its

metamorphosing nat!re, see id., C-0CC1. On its feminine nat!re, its d!ality, and the rich

sym%olism ascri%ed to it in a%%alistic tradition, see ershom 7cholem ?She%hinah 'he

8eminine Element in Jivinity,Q idem., n The Mystial Shape of the 5odhead, +6ew Gor

7chocen Boos -- >10-)# On its d!al essence and the so%ri:!et Hredeeming angel,I

+enesis >?) see id., ?*0?). Nf. Mishnat ha#"ohar, , CC), CF/ # olfson. =irle, ?0C1,

1F0*, C0F, C1F, CC1n.

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the re%!ing mother and the m!ry sym%olic wording of the "ohar# it forges a new

interdependence %etween the mystic and the s!pernal world. &t descri%es to Karo the

heavenly congregation in whose presence he lives in tho!ght and deed and the comple"

connection %etween his activities in the terrestrial world and the raising of the She%hinah

and its !nification with od in the s!pernal worlds. 'o that end, it e"plains a%%alistic

mysteries to him, e"plicates his life0events and those of people close to him, reveals the

f!t!re to him, interprets the"oharfor him, and e"plains the lofty significance of constant

st!dy and of an ascetic way of life that leads to sanctification of od=s 6ame and self0

sacrifice. 'he Maggidg!ides Karo in developing a mystical0ecstatic spirit!al stance

flowing from !nending st!dy and constant !nion with od or with the 7hehinah,

defined in the mystical voca%!lary as de&equt. 'heMaggid e"plains to him the infinite

power of meditating on the words of the 'orah and its decisive importance for raising the

She%hinahfrom her e"ile and promoting her !nion with od in the s!pernal worlds. &n

order to develop the desired mystical conscio!sness, the Maggid enco!rages strict

asceticism, ren!nciation of physical pleas!res, and alienation from this worldthe realm

of thesitra ahra+the Hother sideI# the forces of evil and the em%lem of e"ile. 7eparation

from the world, in tho!ght and deed, and division %etween the physical and the spirit!al

are preconditions to de&equtwith the She%hinah. 'heMaggidgoes on to set forth the

comple" image of the divine world, the d!alistic concept of the world, the mystical

commingling of realms !nder the infl!ence of h!man actions, the a%%alistic reasons for

the commandments, the mysteries of reincarnation, and the critical the!rgic import of

reciting the sacred written words of the divine voice, of engaging in Ka%%alah, and of

concentrating one=s tho!ghts on the s!pernal worlds.

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'he voices that Karo heard and recorded in his 5o!rnal as well as the visions that

he descri%ed afford a many0sided e"pression to the conscio!sness of an e"treme

individ!alist who creates a world of his own thro!gh the !se of mystical concepts %oth

familiar and novel. &t liewise e"presses his self0perception as a halahic innovator,

forging novel principles of halahic creativity and drawing his a!thority from heavenly

so!rces, as did Moses and Ra%%i 7imeon %ar Gohai.CC &n addition, the voices convey the

sense of a divided ego, made !p of opposing forces that draw on the adaptation and

internali$ation of earlier literary mystical traditions and their vis!al co!nterparts within

him. Karo personifies within his mind the a%%alistic te"t of the "ohar, recites the

written te"t of the Mishnah, and transforms a meta0temporal te"t!al reality into a

personal, immediate, vis!al reality that speas to him and instills new a%%alistic

significance into his halahic activity. &n his imagination, he dramati$es the te"t of the

"ohar, animates it, and transforms it into a d!al entity that, on the one hand, pleads with

him to %e diligent in his st!dy and his contemplation of halahic and a%%alistic ideas

and, on the other, entices him to give himself over to worldly pleas!res and sens!al

CC9la%e$, who !ses terms and images %orrowed from the %i%lical acco!nt of the enco!nter at

7inai +E". -)0C1# C1? to descri%es theMaggid)swords at the tiqqun leil sha&u(ot, refers to

the heavenly %eing speaing in Karo=s mo!th as a Hspeaing voiceI +qol medabberan all!sion

to the verse H9nd when Moses went into the tent of meeting that 3e might spea with him, then

he heard the @oice speaing !nto him from a%ove the ar0cover that was !pon the ar of the

testimony, from %etween the two cher!%im# and 3e spoe with himI +6!m. /?-. 'he "ohar)s

comment on Mosesthe 3oly One %lessed %e 3e speas thro!gh his mo!th and wrote these

mysteries thro!gh his hands +part F, CFCaliewise is lined to the voice of the She%hinahthat

spoe from Karo=s throat. 'he profo!nd identification with the fig!re of Moses as the redeemer

%ringing the people to the Land of &srael, as the giver of the 'orah, as one thro!gh whose throat

the She%hinahspeas, and as one favored to hear divine speech pervades the entire acco!nt of the

7hav!ot0night revelation, lined in 9la%e$=s acco!nt to the giving of the 'orah and the enco!nter

at 7inai.

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desires. 3e %rings the Aohar=s anthropomorphism to life and creates, in his mind=s eye, a

personification of sanctity in the m!lti0vocal image of the She%hinahwhich, as noted

earlier, encompasses the Mishnah, the 'orah, the Matronita, the redeeming angel, the

Maggid, the sefirah of mal%hut, the e"iled comm!nity of &srael, and even Karo=s own

so!l, craving !nion in the s!pernal worlds. 'his polyphonic entity addresses him in

endearing terms and teaches him, admonishes and ass!ages him, confirms his way or

deprecates his practices, e"plicates mysteries for him, implores him to tae part in her

redemption, and demands of him, to that end, that he not interr!pt his st!dy and de&equt

even for a moment. 'he voice ass!res him f!lfillment of his physical and spirit!al

re:!ests as long as he directs his tho!ghts to raising !p the She%hinahand to its !nion

with od.

T&$ P('!$ o- t&$ 1Ot&$r S"d$2 "n K'ro/# T&o3&t

&n contrast to his representation of sanctity in the form of the She%hinahMaggid,

Karo creates as well a mythic animation of imp!rity in the form of the world of the

qelippot +Hh!ssI# sing., qelippah. 'his world encompasses 7ama=el, the serpent, the

7atan, the Hother sideI +sitra ahra, all the e"ternal and internal threatening powers and

the evil imp!lse. 'hese fig!res p!rs!e Karo, threaten him, and try to divert his attention

from ongoing de&equt# they intend there%y to e"tend the She%hinah=s fall and

imprisonment. &n mythical, mystical tho!ght, the Hother sideI represents the contin!ed

power of the archaic forces of evil and the destr!ctive, tragic aspect of %oth the s!pernal

and the h!man worldsthe acc!m!lated stychic forces of the material, the li%ido, and the

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physical eros.CF 'his mythic entity, which sym%oli$es to Karo the tri!mph of e"ile over

redemption, incorporates the portions of his psyche that are drawn to physicality and

em%odies hedonistic eros and sinf!l tho!ghts a%o!t physical needs and the delights of the

terrestrial world. &t reflects as well all that is for%idden %y the ascetic ethosthings Karo

feels drawn to %!t from which he wants to distance himself.

Karo lives his inner life, as descri%ed %y the Maggid, %etween the heavenly

congregation and the terrestrial

8or yo! shall adhere to me and my 'orah, and my awesomeness and my

mishnayotand shall not depart even for an instant, and & will grant yo!

passage among those who stand here 2i.e., the angels# see Aech. F/4. &

will favor yo! with the !nerring completion of all yo!r treatises and with

their p!%lication and dissemination thro!gho!t the ;ewish worldPand all

the angels on high will see yo!r welfare. +MM C*?C>

Karo=s life oscillates %etween the a"is of sanctity and the a"is of imp!rity, which are

correspondingly reflected in his spirit!al and physical e"istence

&t admonished me to reflect constantly on the Mishnahand re%!ed me

a%o!t speaing m!chPor thining of stray matters while praying# for

7ama=el and the serpent p!rs!e yo! in those tho!ghts, %!t yo! m!st %!rn

them with the straw of reciting the Shemaand the fire that iss!es from the

%reath of yo!r mo!th +MM FF.

CFOn the Aoharic myth=s identification of 7ama=el and the serpent as the male force of the Hother

side,I see Mishnat ha#zohar, , CC>, C?*0F)1# ershom 7cholem, HSitra#ahra2'he Hother sideI

good and evil in the Ka%%alahQ, idem9 n The Mystial Shape of the 5odhead, +6ew Gor

7chocen Boos -- *)0?/. Nf.MM *, -?, C/?, F?. 7ee also %elow, nn. C*, C/.

C>'his is %!t one of many e"amples of Karo living his life with reference to %oth the terrestrial

and the celestial congregations. 7ee, e.g.,MM FF, F?.

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'hese congregations and a"es are constr!cted from the concepts of Aoharic world that

come to life in Karo=s vision. Karo=s perspective is infl!enced %y the d!alistic concept of

the Aohar=s a!thor, who !nam%ig!o!sly recogni$ed the metaphysical reality of evil and

saw the relationship %etween good and evil as an ongoing, irreconcila%le %attle %etween

opposing forces. 'he %attle is fo!ght on %oth the cosmic and the terrestrial planes, %y

means of the the!rgic elements in the performance of the commandments and the mystery

of intentions +%a&&anot and prayers. Nosmic evil is represented %y the fig!re of the

Hother sideI and his agents, 7atan and 7ama=el, who are !nderstood as %eings with ontic

reality and are represented in the evil imp!lse within the h!man psyche. Nosmic good is

represented %y the fig!re of the She%hinah, and her terrestrial em%odiment is in the 'orah,

theMishnah, prayer, and performance of the commandments. 'he forces of imp!rity and

sanctity are represented in h!man tho!ght and action, for performance of the

commandments is taen as a way of doing %attle against the Hother side.I Man=s psychic

world constit!tes a ey %attlefield in the d!alistic war, for a man fighting against his evil

imp!lse is there%y fighting against the Hother side.I Karo identifies the physical world

with metaphysical evil, with the reign of the Hother side,I with e"ile, and with the forces

of imp!rity that ho!nd a person. 3e accordingly sees the f!lfillment of physical needs as

yielding to 7ama=el, reinforcing e"ile, and casting the She%hinahinto the domain of the

qelippah. &nasm!ch as the tangi%le world, s!n in e"ile, is s!%5ect to the a!thority of the

forces of evil and of the qelippah, contact with it sho!ld %e avoided insofar as possi%le.

One m!st t!rn one=s %ac on its charms, withstand its infl!ence, and treat it with

indifference.C* 'he s!pernal world, in contrast, is identified %y Karo with the heavenly

C*On d!alism in the"ohar, see ershom 7cholem, n The Mystial Shape of the 5odhead, +6ew

Gor 7chocen Boos -- *)0?/# &dem.Ma+or Trends, C1*0C>F # 'ish%y,Mishnat ha#zohar,

CC


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'emple and the s!pernal palaces, with the sanctity of the sacrificial c!lt, the world of the

sefirot, the celestial academies of the righteo!s, and the angels. 3e regards his

accomplishment as !nity with the She%hinah, as redemption, as offering sacrifices in the

heavenly 'emple, and as sanctification of od=s 6ame.C) 3e therefore strives to %rea

o!t of his personal e"istence, to %e raised %eyond the %o!ndaries of this world, to leave

the domain of the imp!re, and to reach the realm of the sacred and cleave to the s!pernal

worlds. 9s he sees it, %eing raised to the s!pernal is conditioned on s!ppressing

physicality# distancing oneself from the realm of the imp!re# self0mortification,

e:!animity, and self0p!rification# !ninterr!pted st!dy tied to the divine speech emanating

from within the te"t# constant %onding of one=s tho!ght to the divine via the letters,

words, and lang!age# and assigning a%%alistic significance and mystical content to

religio!s activity overall.

'his d!alistic concept of sanctity and imp!rity at war within his conscio!sness led

Karo to mystical self0mortification# he %elieved his %odily e"istence re:!ired penance

and p!rification, and that its only remedy was for his %ody to %e offered as a sacrifice and

his sins p!rged %y fire. &n his 5o!rnal he recorded the following martyrological promises

of the Maggid:H& have granted yo! the favor of %eing %!rnt for the sanctification of

od=s 6ame so that yo!r sins may %e atoned and yo! will %e raised !p, as & have told

yo!I +MM C/-# H3e said to me as well in inn!mera%le visions that & was destined to %e

, pp. C??0C-?# On the critical importance of this d!ality in the h!man so!l, see Rachel Elior,

H7o!l,I in =ontemporary Jewish ;eligious Thought, eds 9rth!r 9. Nohen and Da!l Mendes0

8lohr, +6ew Gor 7cri%ners -?/ ??/0?-). On alienation from the world and indifference to

reality, see %elow.

C)On associatively lined imagery of the s!pernal world, involving 'emple, altar, p!rity, %inding

+of a sacrifice, %!rnt offering, sacrifice, atonement, sanctification of od=s 6ame, s!pernal holy

%eings, and angels, seeMM*C, >-, *, )), F/-0F?.

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immolated for the sanctification of the 6ame of the 3oly One Blessed Be 3e, in order to

%e cleansed of my filth and sinsI +?C# HGo! will have the favor of %eing immolated for

the sanctification of od=s 6ame, where%y all yo!r g!ilt will %e entirely cleansed, and all

yo!r dross and decay will %e eradicated %y fireI +->.C/

Karo !nderstands the p!rpose of lifeat least from the mystical point of view

to %e immolation, there%y p!tting a final, a%sol!te end to the ego confined within his

C/ On preferring death, see MMF-, and see the disc!ssion %elow of sanctification of od=s

6ame. 9 possi%le so!rce for Karo=s e"treme self0mortifying position is 7olomon Molho=s

treatise, Sefer ha#Mefo)ar+7alonia, *C- 23e%rew4. 'he %oo identifies man=s physical needs

with sin, the fall, the evil imp!lse, and movement away from one=s spirit!al element# it

recommends e"treme self0mortification in order to ret!rn to one=s pre0sinning state +arsaw

edition, ??>, pp. C0*. Molho=s auto da f2reinforced the power of his words in the world of

si"teenth0cent!ry a%%alists, for his sanctification of od=s 6ame afforded a tragic reali$ation of

the ascetic, self0a%negating ideal directed toward revival of the sprit and death of the flesh. 'he

view that physicality is connected to the qelippahand that %odily pleas!re has its so!rce in the

Hother sideI %ro!ght a%o!t a way of life %ased on an ascetic ethos aimed at distancing oneself

from imp!rity %y p!tting the %ody to death and t!rning it into a sacrifice Hfor separating oneself

from pleas!res is effective in repelling the force of 7ama=elI +MM F?1# Hto inform yo! not to

p!rs!e meat and wine, which are the a%ode of the evil imp!lseI +C)># HEating is solely to

maintain the species and in all other respects it is from the realm of 7ama=el and the serpent, who

p!rs!e 2a man4 to do away with him and destroy himI +C/?. 'here is almost certainly a

connection %etween the prevalence in medieval Nhristian society of the ascetic, monastic ideal as

a condition for repairing an individ!al=s so!l and a %asis for individ!al and societal perfection and

its widespread internali$ation in ;ewish mystical circles. On the place of this concept in Nhristian

society, cf. ;ohan 3!i$inga, The 1utumn of the Middle 1ges, trans. Rodney ;. Dayton and lrich

Mammit$sch +Nhicago Nhicago niversity Dress, --), Nhapter C. entile ascetic and self0

mortifying practices are referred to favora%ly in Maggid Meisharim +MM C1>0C1*. On the

%acgro!nd for Nhristian loathing of the %ody, the connection %etween the material world and

metaphysical evil forged %y the powers of evil, and the conse:!ent spread of the concept of

a%stinence, see Lawrence Os%orne, The /oisoned 0mbrae: 1 6rief ,istory of Sexual /essimism

+6ew Gor Random 3o!se, --C# Elaine Dagels, 1dam9 0&e and Serpent +6ew Gor 6ew

Gor Random 3o!se-??.

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sinning physical conscio!sness and material %odily. 'he religio!s enterprise is directed

entirely to reali$ing that p!rpose. Karo lives his tr!e life in the s!pernal world# and

a%stinence is re:!ired of him so he may move from physical conscio!snessdependent

on the senses and tied to the realm of imp!rity and e"ile + de&equtwith 7ama=el and

falling to the qelippahto spirit!al conscio!sness dependent on mental foc!s and

constant reflection on od and 3is 'orah and tied to the realm of holiness and

redemption +de&equtwith the She%hinah, elevation to the heavens.

'he traits en5oined on Karo %y the She%hinahe:!animity, a%stinence, intense

self0mortification, negation of the materialconvey re5ection of the physical world and

estrangement from its val!es. 'hese ascetic positions reflect li%eration from the r!le of

the forces of evil, which em%ody destr!ction and e"ile, imp!rity and qelippah. 'hey also

reflect the premise that life is a process whose p!rpose is o%literating the self, attaining

nothingness, divesting of the physical, sanctification, and ret!rning to the so!rce of %eing.

B!t a%sol!te immersion in the world of tho!ght, in endless st!dy and the cleaving to the

divine realm inherent in it, %ecomes transformed into the mystical way that e"presses

!nification, raising0!p the She%hinah, constr!ction of worlds, sanctity and p!rity, and

redemption and the associated self0sacrifice. D!tting the %ody to deatha process

reflected in alienation from this world, yearning to sanctify od=s name# terminating the

sensory world# asceticism and a%stinence%rings a%o!t the spirit!al revival and mystical

elevation associated with !nification, co!pling, and de&equt. Dhysical eros, identified

with 7ama=el, the sym%ol of e"ile, is entirely cast aside and replaced with a mystical eros

of !nion and co!pling with the She%hinah, the sym%ol of redemption. Bringing the

"ohar=s tradition to life within his own %eing and internali$ing within his conscio!sness

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the fig!res and roles of Moses and Ra%%i 7imeon %ar Gohai%oth lined %y the Aoharic

tradition to the idea of mythic co!pling and mystical !nion with the She%hinahKaro set

that co!pling as his own goal, attaina%le thro!gh the death of the %ody, the elevation of

the so!l, and the redemption of the e"iled She%hinah.C?

Maggid Meisharimreflects its a!thor=s mystical way and the profo!nd infl!ence

of the Ka%%alah=s d!alistic conception of the world on his thining and his way of life.

'hro!gh dialog!e %etween theMaggidin its wealth of identities and Karo in his many

aspects, the %oo reveals and e"plicates the interdependence of the contrary forces within

his so!l and the vario!s parts of the a%%alistic cosmic reality. Moreover, it affords these

revelations and the practices derived from them the a!thority and force of a heavenly

so!rce and the power of a!thentic, directly reco!nted, h!man e"perience.

'he evidence strongly s!ggests that mystical !nion, as powerf!lly e"perienced

within Karo=s psyche and committed to writing in Maggid Meisharim in !nmediated

form, e"erted a critical infl!ence on Ra%%i &srael Ba# id., H,a#mashiah shel ha#zoharI 2'he Messiah in the"ohar4, in,a#ra(ayon ha#meshihi

be#yisra)el: yom iyyun le#regel melo)t shemonim shanah le#gershom shalom2The Messiani *dea

in Jewish Thought a day of st!dy in honor of ershom 7cholem=s eightieth %irthday4, ed. 7hm!el

Re=em +;er!salem, -?C -0-> 23e%rew4.

C)


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almost no a!to%iographical wors, and the few that have come down to !s and attest

directly to their a!thors= mystical e"periences remain in man!script and have not %een

widely disseminated. ;oseph Karo=s 5o!rnal appears to %e the only a!to%iographical

mystical wor printed in the seventeenth cent!ry and availa%le to the teachers who

shaped the 3asidic mystical viewpoint d!ring the first half of the eighteenth cent!ry.C-

Maggid Meisharim'nd t&$ B$3"nn"n3# o- H'#"d"#)

7t!dents of Ka%%alah and 3asidism have long noted the infl!ence of 7afed

Ka%%alah on 3asidism=s concept!al world and have considered in general terms the lins

%etween 3asidic tho!ght and the world of Moses Nordovero +*CC */1, &saac L!ria

+*F> */C, Eli5ah de @idas +*>C *?*, Elie$er 9$ari +*FF )11, and other

a%%alists who lived in si"teenth0cent!ry 7afed. B!t no detailed comparison %etween

specific thiners of the two periods has %een cond!cted as yet, and the definitive

contri%!tion to 3asidic tho!ght of ;oseph Karo +>?? */*, who preceded the

foregoing Ka%%alists and ta!ght several of them, has not yet %een e"amined. Moreover,

the mystical !nderpinnings of the Ba


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E"amination of the traditions that convey the spirit!al world of 3asidism=s

fo!nder, Ra%%i &srael Ba?> 23e%rew4# Ben Aion Jin!r, H;eishitah shel ha#hasidut &i#

yesodotehah ha#sozialiyyim &e#ha#meshihiyyimI 2'he origins of 3asidism and its social and

messianic elements4, in6e#mifneh ha#dorot29t a t!rning point in history4 +;er!salem, -/C ?0

C-) +first p!%lished in "ion ?01 2->F0->*4 23e%rew4# ershom 7cholem, H'emuto ha#

historit shel rabbi yisra)el ba(al shem to&I 2'he historical image of Ra%%i &srael Ba


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with respect to their so!rces. B!t while he never e"plicitly acnowledged his de%t to

Maggid Meisharim, a comparative st!dy of Karo=s mystical tho!ght and the 3asidic

worldview, gro!nded in traditions cited in the Besht=s name, clearly shows the cr!cial

role played %yMaggid Meisharimin shaping the spirit!al world of 3asidism=s fo!nder.

Evidence from the //1s and /?1s shows that Maggid Meisharimwas nown within the

circle of the Besht=s followers#Fand an analysis of the Besht=s statements shows clearly

F 8or evidence of the place of Maggid Meisharimin the 3asidic tradition tied directly to the

Besht, see Mesh!llam 8ei%!sh 3eller of A%ara$h, Liqqutim !eqarim+;er!salem, -F> 2Lem%erg

/-C4 /% 23e%rew4 +the /-C edition was censored, to the point of entire pages %eing deleted#

the material appears in f!ll in editions dated ?11 or later# id., !osher 'i&rei 0met+Broolyn,

-/> *% 23e%rew4. 3eller=s acco!nt was written in the //1s and pertains to the tradition a%o!t

the Besht stemming from theMaggidof Aloc$ow and theMaggidof Me$hritch. 7ee also Moses

3ayyim Ephraim of 7idliov, 'egel Mahaneh 0frayim +;er!salem, -)F 2Koret$ ?14

+hereafter 'egel Mahaheh 0frayim C1/, ? 23e%rew4# these acco!nts were written in the

/?1s. 9 3asidic prayer %oo written in Mins in //- cites n!mero!s practices and teachings

fromMaggid Meisharimin the name of the angel, the Maggid. 'he prayer is rife with statements

along the lines of Hthe Maggid told o!r master Ra%%i ;oseph Karo that he sho!ld read an

a%ridgment of,o&ot ha#Le&a&ot, %eca!se;eishit ,o%hmahhad not yet %een writtenI +1?% or

Hthe Maggid told o!r master Ra%%i ;oseph Karo, may his memory %e for a %lessing, that he

sho!ld read a chapter ofMishnahat his ta%leI +/*a. 'he prayer %oo is now in the possession of

Drof. 7imon 9%ramsy of London, and & am gratef!l to Drof. 9%ramsy for calling it to my

attention and gracio!sly allowing me to e"amine it. On the importance of Maggid Meisharimin

3asidic circles, see ms. 6ational Li%rary in ;er!salem ?UF/*-, ))%0)/a H3is st!dents 2those of

Ra%%i Dinhas of Koret$4 wrote in his name that he considered the 6eit !osef=s %oo Maggid

Meisharimto %e a great and important wor, that its words were of heavenly origin, and that it

sho!ld certainly %e esteemed# the %oo almost never left his ta%le. Nf. 9%raham ;osh!a 3eschel,

HLe#toledot rabbi pinhas mi#qorezI 2On the %iography of Ra%%i Dinhas of Koret$4, in 1lei ayin:

minhat de&arim le#sh#z shoqen2Essays in honor of 7h. A. 7chocen4 +'el 9viv 3aaret$ -*C

* 23e%rew4. 'he wide availa%ility of Maggid Meisharimacross Eastern E!rope is evident

from the references to it in vario!s 3asidic te"ts composed aro!nd the time of the Besht=s death.

7ee, e.g., ;aco% ;oseph of Dolonnoye, "afenat /a(aneah+Koret$, /?C 23e%rew4# id, "afenat

/a(aneah, ed. edaliah 6igal +;er!salem Machon le3eer 7ifr!t 3asidit, -?-, ?Ca 23e%rew4#

C-


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that he himself new of the %oo, as we shall see %elow. 'he Besht considered himself a

mystical innovator who, witho!t relying on h!man teachers, disseminated a new doctrine

of s!pernal origin,FCand he seems to have so!ght heavenly confirmation for his novel

ideas and to have identified with the e"plicit reliance on a higher so!rce reflected in

Maggid Meisharim. &n general terms, one may say that the intimate conversation carried

on inMaggid Meisharim%etween Karo and the angel speaing within him was the %asis

relied on %y the Besht in form!lating the mystical entity that shaped the early 3asidic

worldview. 'he ascetic practices and ecstatic g!idance encompassed in this heart0to0

heart conversation, cond!cted in first0person and second0person sing!lar d!ring the

second third of the si"teenth cent!ry, served as the inspiration for the mystical 3asidic

practices cited in the Besht=s name in the third person pl!ral d!ring the second third of

the eighteenth cent!ry. 'he difference is not simply one of genre, in that a 5o!rnal %y the

edaliah %en &saac of Linit$, Teshu)ot ,en+;er!salem 7olomon -)* 2Berdichev, ?)4 **

23e%rew4. On the place of Maggid Meisharimin Aloc$ow 3asidism d!ring the //1s, see Mor

9ltsh!ler, HMishnato shel rabbi meshullam feibush heller u#meqomah be#reishit ha#tenu(ah ha#

hasidit 2'he teachings of Ra%%i Mesh!llam 8ei%!sh 3eller and its place in early 3asidism4,

doctoral dissertation, 3e%rew niversiy in ;er!salem, --*, *0), ?F0?/, 1>01-, -0C1, -0

-F, CF*0C>C +hereafter 9ltsh!ler,Meshullam 4eibush. On the infl!ence ofMaggid Meisharim

on the 7eer of L!%lin d!ring the ??1s, see Rachel Elior, HBetween Gesh and 9yin 'he Joctrine

of the Aaddi in the ors of ;aco% &saac, 'he 7eer of L!%lin,I in Jewish ,istory: 0ssays in

,onour of =himen 1brams%y, eds. 9da Rapoport09l%ert and 7teven. ;. Aipperstein +London

Deter 3al%an, -?? F-F0>**.

FC'he Besht, as is widely attested in 3asidic literat!re, considered the %i%lical prophet 9hiyah the

7hilohite to %e his teacher. 7ee ;aco% ;oseph of Dolonnoye, 'oledot Ga


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nat!re of things is written in first person sing!lar, while doctrines and practices %ased on

disciples= reports of their master=s statements, !nderstood as directed to all, will

accordingly %e written in second or third person. &t flows, rather, from the different

circ!mstances in which these mystical traditions came to %e and the different areas to

which they applied. Karowho %ro!ght the a%%alistic0Aoharic myth to life within

himself as a comple" dialog!e %etween himself and the s!pernal worlds, and who saw

himself in the image of Mosesso!ght the mystical0ascetic way of life within himself

and generally involved no one else directly. 'he Besht, on the other hand, saw himself

in the image of Ra%%i 7imeon %ar Gohai who had assem%led a circle of st!dents who

constit!ted a Qholy gro!pQ for the sae of mystical !nion. '!rning to the assem%led

mem%ers of his circle and seeing !nmediated contact with heavenly entities thro!gh the

inspiration of Karo=s 5o!rnal and of other vol!mes of mystical and hagiographic literat!re

composed in 7afed, the Besht instilled in the mem%ers of his gro!p, his Htreas!red onesI

+anshei segulato, the concept of the world he had ac:!ired thro!gh his mystical

e"perience. 3e therefore cast the re:!irements of the mystical ethos in the pl!ral rather

than the sing!lar.

Maggid Meisharim and the traditions attri%!ted to the Besht are connected %y

more than concept!al matters, :!otations, and te"t!al similarities. Karo and the Besht

were two mystics who were conscio!s of having %roen thro!gh the %o!ndaries of space

and time as the passageways %etween heaven and earth opened !p %efore them and the

mystical te"t came to life in their vision# and their distinctive connection was one of

identification and incorporation, internali$ation and inspiration. 'he %asic mystical

concepts of Maggid Meisharim, which their a!thor !nderstood to %e gro!nded in

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heavenly revelation, %ecame ey concepts in the traditions cited in the Besht=s name, also

e"pressly attri%!ted to a heavenly so!rce.

8or %oth Karo and the Besht, these concepts are connected to the lin with the

She%hinah, referred to in the mystical tradition as Hthe world of speechI +olam ha#

dibbur. &n their minds= eyes, the She%hinahspeas with them thro!gh their mo!ths,

taling a%o!t her !nion and her redemption# she sees in them agents charged with

elevating her %y means of st!dy for her sae, adhering to her, and prom!lgating a new

mystical ethos directed toward her redemption. 'heir mystical e"periences are shaped %y

their tie to the a%%alistic myth regarding the She%hinah=s fate and %y their

interdependence with the She%hinah, as she speas thro!gh h!man mo!ths. 9ccording to

this myth, a h!man %eing plays a critical role in the %attle %etween sanctity and imp!rity

and in the raising of the She%hinah from her imprisonment# and he does so %y

recogni$ing the divine essence of h!man tho!ght and its analog!es in Hthe world of

speechI or %y means of the lin %etween the redeeming tho!ght and the redeemed

She%hinah. 'hese concepts flowed from Karo=s inner world, which drew on the

a%%alistic tradition that he e"perienced in !nmediated form in his mind=s eye, and they

appeared anew in the Besht=s statements, where they are cited as g!idance and practices

directed to others as well as to himself.

Maggid Meisharim=s mystical concept of the divine, which post!lates a d!al

realityod e"ists %oth in a personified form having a palpa%le presence in the h!man

so!l and in an a%stract form, f!nctioning in a mystical, mythological !niversecan %e

seen as well in the !nderpinnings of the 3asidic concept of the divine, which recogni$es

FC


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the She%hinah as an !nmediated, palpa%le presence e"isting side %y side with a

transcendental, dialectical divine entity.

hat appears to have infl!enced the Besht more than anything else, however, is

the power of the !nmediated mystical e"perience that is evident on every page of Maggid

Meishariman e"perience n!rt!red %y the so!l=s deepest, !nconscio!s recesses and %y

the a%%alistic te"t!al tradition seen in a new light. &t is the a!to%iographical acco!nts in

Karo=s 5o!rnal that mediated %etween the written mystical tradition and the living

sensation welling !p within the Besht=s so!l and that transformed the te"t into a point of

depart!re for a new mystical e"perience.

'he Besht, lie Karo, saw himself as %elonging to the s!pernal world, as one

sit!ated a%ove nat!re and living in direct 5!"taposition to s!pernal %eings. 3e descri%ed

his distinctive :!ality all!sivelyHas one who cond!cts himself on a s!pernat!ral

levelIFF%!t regarded himself e"plicitly as having an !nmediated connection to the

s!pernal worlds. Evidence for this can %e fo!nd in his a!to%iographical writings in

*ggeret ha#7odesh+'he Epistle of 3olinessF>and in the acco!nts of his disciples and

FFToledot !a(aqo& !izhaq,Mishpatim, *)% +;er!salem, -/F C1- 23e%rew4.

F>On the vario!s versions of*ggeret ha#7odesh, see Shi&hei ha#6esht, facsimile of the ms., ed

Gehosh!a Mondschein +;er!salem-?C CC-0CF- 23e%rew4. 8or English translation of the epistle

see Lo!is ;aco%s, Q'he Mystical Epistle of the Baal 7hem 'ovQ, Jewish Mystial Testimonies,

+6ew Gor 7chocen Boos -// >?0**. On how it was !nderstood in later 3asidic tradition,

see Menahem Mendel 7hneerson 2the "emah "edeq4, Sefer dere%h emunah ha#niqra sefer ha#

haqirah +Daltava, -C )*# Gi$ha: &$a of Kamarna, Cozeir ,esed


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relatives who :!ote from his remars.F* 'his charismatic connection appears to have

%een formed %oth %y the inspiration of the She%hinah=s revelation to Karowhich the

Besht identified with and internali$edand %y the inspiration of the hagiographical

traditions a%o!t Ra%%i &saac L!ria +Hthe 9riI, which had served as a model for mystical

practice from the time they were p!%lished at the %eginning of the seventeenth cent!ry.F)

F*9 well nown acco!nt of how the Besht was regarded %y his contemporaries appears in the

words of Ra%%i Me=ir Margolis of Ostrog H8rom my yo!th, from the day & came to now the

%ond of love with my teacher, my friend, o!r master, o!r teacher Ra%%i &srael, may his memory

%e %o!nd in the %onds of life, & new faithf!lly that his practices were those of holiness, p!rity,

great piety and a%stinence# and his wisdomthe righteo!s lives thro!gh his faithwas revealed

to him %y Metatron, 2an eminent angel in mystical literat!re associated with angelic mentors. 7ee

a%ove n. 14 the glory of od, a hidden matterI +Sod !a%hin u#6o)az2Ostrog, /->4 )a 23e%rew4.

On the charismatic way in which his disciples saw him and his a%ility to pierce the %o!nds

%etween 3eaven and earth, cf. the comments of ;aco% ;oseph of Dolonnoye H8or my master

engaged in ascents of the so!l and saw how 2the angel4 Michael, the great g!ardian of &srael,

advocated on &srael=s %ehalfI +Toledot !a(aqo& !osef, part C,'e&arim, p. )># H8or & heard from

my master 2the Besht4 that they showed him and led him %eneath the tree of nowledge of good

and evilPand afterward that they led him !nder the tree of lifePand then %ro!ght him into the

inner arden of EdenI +6en /orat !osef 2;er!salem, -/4 /% 23e%rew4. 7olomon of L!t$

cites the words of his teacher, the Maggidof Me$heritch, regarding the latter=s teacher, the Besht

H& heard from his holy mo!th, why are yo! s!rprised that he e"perienced the revelation of 2the

prophet4 Eli5ah and attained other 2incidents of4 very high stat!sIsee Jov Ber of Me$heritch,

Maggid 'e&ara& le#!a(aqo& +Koret$ /?, introd!ction 23e%rew4# id., Maggid 'e&ara& le#

!a(aqo&, ed. R. 7hat$0ffenheimer +;er!salem Magnes Dress -/), introd!ction to the %oo, 2C4

23e%rew4. 3is e"traordinary self0perception is evident from the words of his grandson H& heard

from the late ra%%iP;aco% ;oseph ha0Kohen may his memory %e a %lessing in the life of the

world to come, who heard from my master, my grandfather, may his memory %e a %lessing in the

life of the world to come, that sometimes the world e"ists in an e"alted state and sometimes the

world e"ists in a degraded state, and now that & am in the world, the world e"ists in an e"alted

state# th!s far the words of my master, my grandfather, may his memory %e a %lessing in the life

of the world to come,I id., CC. 8or additional acco!nts regarding his mystical conscio!sness and

F>


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'he a!to%iographical and hagiographic mystical tradition reappeared and was

revived in the Besht=s conscio!sness, there !ndergoing a vis!al and e"periential

metamorphosis, as is evident in the Besht=s comments a%o!t himself to his grandson,

Ra%%i Ephraim of 7edliov. &n interpreting the verse Hwho shall ascend heavenward for

!sI +Je!t. F1C, the Besht said H3ere & swear to yo! that there is a man in the world

self0perception as one who ascended heavenward, see id., C?C and cf. *ggeret ha#7odesh 2'he

3oly Epistle4. 8or acco!nts of his mystical image, cf. 9aron %en Aevi ha0Kohen of Aelechow,

Keter Shem To&+Broolyn Kehot -? 2Aolov, /->4, pp. >1, >C, >/, /), 1) 23e%rew4.

F)'he H,aqdamah le#sha(ar ha#haqdamotI 2&ntrod!ction to the preliminary section4 that opens

3ayyim @ital=s0iz ,ayyim, 2tree of life4 a wor portraying the mystical fig!re of Ra%%i &saac

L!ria and written from an eye0witness=s point of view, e"ercised a s!%stantial infl!ence on the

shaping of the Besht=s mystical image as reflected in Shi&hei ha#6esht. 7ee 3ayyim @ital, 0tz

,ayyim+Koret$, /?C 23e%rew4. 'he wor, to %e s!re, was not printed !ntil twenty0two years

after the death of the Besht, %!t it is not at all impossi%le that the Besht had man!scripts of it

availa%le to him. Meanwhile, L!rianic hagiographic literat!re e"ercised a decisive infl!ence on

the shaping of the Besht=s self0conscio!sness. 'he literat!re originated with the letters of Ra%%i

7hlomil of Jresnice sent from 7afed to the Jiaspora in )1/0)1- and printed in ;oseph 7olomon

Rofe of Nandia, Ta(alumot ,o%hmah +Basilia, )C-. Nf. ;oseph Jan, HLe#toledotehah shel

Fsifrut ha#she&ahim=I 2On the history of hagiography4, Mehqerei yerushalayim be#folqlor yehudi

2;er!salem st!dies in ;ewish follore4, +-? ?C011 23e%rew4. On L!rianic hagiographic

literat!re and the associated %i%liographical and chronological disp!tes, see Meir Benayah!,

Toledot ha#ari2Life of &saac L!ria4 +;er!salem Mahon %en Aevi -)/# ershom 7cholem,

Kabbalah+;er!salem Keter -/> ># 'amar, Meharim +a%ove, n. C ))0-F# &saiah 'ish%y,

H,a#immut bein qabbalat ha#ari le#qabbalat ha#ramaq bi#%heta&a& u#&e#hayya& shel rabbi

aharon bera%hyah mi#modinaI 2'he conflict %etween L!rianic Ka%%alah and the Ka%%alah of

Moses Nordovero in the writings and life and Ra%%i 9aron Berahiah of Modena4, "ion F-

+-*> ?10?F + id.,,iqrei qabbalah u#sheuihotehah27t!dies in Ka%%alah and its ramifications4,

2;er!salem Magnes Dress -?C4 //0C*> 23e%rew4# and see id., ?10?C. 7cholarly views are

divided on the connection %etween Shi&hei ha#ariand Toledot ha#ari. Benayah!=s arg!ment for

the greater anti:!ity of the latter cannot withstand critical e"amination, %!t there is no do!%t that

from the seventeenth cent!ry on, vario!s versions of these te"ts were widespread and well

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who hears 'orah from the mo!th of the 3oly One Blessed Be 3e and 3is She%hinah.IF/

'hese words, which all!sively transform him into a fig!re lie Karo, who also heard

'orah from the mo!th of the She%hinah, s!pplement his well0nown acco!nt, in *ggeret

ha#7odesh, of the 'orah he learned from the mo!th of the Messiah and from his heavenly

teacher, the prophet 9hiyah the 7hilohite. *ggeret ha#7odeshprovides a clear e"ample of

the internali$ation of earlier mystical traditions# for even tho!gh it is presented as a

a!dio0vis!al revelation granted to the Besht in the s!pernal worlds, it recalls wording in

Maggid Meisharim, Shi&hei ha#1ri, and the"ohar. &t attests to the Besht=s inclination to

weave his mystical e"periences into the a%alistic fa%ric and to intertwine earlier mystical

concepts with the novel ones of his visions. &t appears that the Besht, in his mind=s eye,

even appropriates the revelations of Karo=sMaggidas his own, and the fo!ndations of the

mystical worldview held %y the a!thor ofMaggid Meisharim%ecome transformed into

the !nderpinnings of his own world. 'he Besht=s profo!nd identification with Karo=s

a%%alistic image gave him an e"traordinary a%ility to penetrate and empathi$e with

Karo=s world and set !p the mystical model %y whose light he gro!nded his own concept.

B!t while theMaggid=s words pertained directly only to Karo=s own life, the words of the

Besht, Hwho hears 'orah from the mo!th of the 3oly One Blessed Be 3e and his

She%hinah,I %ecome a to!chstone for anyone who is mystically inclined, witho!t

limitation.

Karo and the Besht lived their lives in entirely different circ!mstances. 'he well0

%orn scion of a prominent family, Karo was raised in the traditional manner of a yo!ng

nown, for they were printed in vario!s editions. &t is of co!rse possi%le that the Besht was aware

of other mystical %iographical so!rces in ms. form, s!ch as 3ayyim @ital=s Sefer ha#hezyonot, %!t

this cannot %e nown with any certainty %eca!se the distri%!tion of mss. cannot %e determined.

F/'egel Mahaneh 0frayim, C?C

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'orah scholar. 'he Besht, on the other hand, was a nameless orphan who grew !p with

no formal ed!cation and no social str!ct!re. Karo attained his stat!re %y reason of his

e"traordinary halahic scholarship, while the Besht was disting!ished %y his mystical

inspiration. B!t despite their ma5or differences of time, place, social standing, and

scholarly talent, their mystical worlds had m!ch in common, and %oth drew on the

a%%alistic tradition that c!t thro!gh %o!ndaries of time and place to !nite the divine

Hworld of speechI with the h!man world of speech, the terrestrial world with the

heavenly. 'he mystical tradition, centered as they saw it on the myth of the fate of the

She%hinahHworld of speech,I gave rise to a comprehensive ethos that shaped a%%alistic

pietism in 7afed in the si"teenth cent!ry and the Besht=s 3asidism in the eighteenth

cent!ry. Both were centered on the world of Hspeech, tho!ght, and actionI and on

lang!age that, in its vario!s forms, %ridges heaven and earth and forges a living

contin!!m %etween the mythic past and the mystical present. Both e"perienced the

transition from written myth to living mystical reality and the !nmediated connection to

the heavenly world. &t is no s!rprise, therefore, that the %asic mystical concepts of

Maggid Meisharim%ecame ey concepts in the traditions attri%!ted to the Besht. 'he

a%%alistic tho!ght constr!ct that connects redemptive h!man tho!ghts to the redeemed

She%hinah!nderlies %oth of these mystical traditions. &n what follows, we shall see in

detail how the %asic concepts of 3asidismmahsha&ah+Htho!ghtI, de&equt+QdevotionQ,

Hadhesion to odQ, Qcomm!nion with odI, hishta&ut +He:!animityI, a&odah ba#

gashmiyut+Hservice 2of od4 thro!gh the physicalI middat ha#bitahon+Hthe :!ality of

tr!stIQ Qconfidence in divine providenceQ, mesirat nefesh+Hdedication,I self0sacrifice,

qiddush ha#shem+Hsanctification of od=s 6ame,I HmartyrdomI,yihud+H!nificationI,

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and hitpashtut ha#gashmiyut+Hdivesting oneself of physicalityItoo shape and were

form!lated !nder the infl!ence and inspiration ofMaggid Meisharim.

B!t despite the clear concept!al and ling!istic resem%lance %etween the traditions

attri%!ted to the Besht and the Maggid Meisharim, it remains necessary to consider

whether the Besht in fact drew his own forms of mystical e"perience and concepts

directly fromMaggid Meisharimor whether the resem%lance %etween their e"periences

and their ideas means only that %oth fig!res drew on a common te"t!al tradition. 'he

premise of direct infl!ence appears to %e the more liely, for the a!to%iographical mar

of the earlier fig!re can %e seen clearly in the %iography of the latter. e shall see %elow

how the Besht was infl!enced %y the a!to%iographical, concept!al, and e"periential

totality of Maggid Meisharim, identifying with the a%%alistic tradition tied to the

She%hinah=s redemption and with the mystical e"perience tied, in an !nmediated manner,

to a living, eternal, non0temporal fig!re. 'he Besht seems to have regarded himself, to a

degree, as %earing Karo=s mystical image, inspired in its formation %y the fig!res of

Moses and of Ra%%i 7imeon %ar Gohai in the Aoharic myth. Lie Karo, the Besht saw

himself as a lin in the mystical chain of fig!res %ridging the earthly and celestial realms

and acting %eyond the %o!ndaries of time and space.

H)'n T&o3&t 'nd It# Conn$!t"on to R$d$)%t"on o- t&$ S&$*&"n'&

Maggid Meisharimassigns first0order significance to h!man tho!ghtthe %ridge

%etween the earthly and the celestial worlds and the arena in which the changes in

conscio!sness demanded %y mystical service are played o!t. Karo=sMaggid=s revelation

esta%lishes, for the first time in ;ewish mystical tho!ght, the %asic premise that identifies

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contemplative tho!ght with mystical de&equt. 'heMaggiddescri%es the transformation

from tho!ght to de&equt HOf necessity, the place yo! thin of constantly is where yo!

adhere toI +MM F-. 'his linage %etween h!man tho!ght and the s!pernal worlds is

infl!enced %y the Aoharic tradition that thesefirahof mal%hut+sovereignty is referred to

as tho!ght +mahsha&hah, as are the &nfinite +ein sof, the s!pernal crown +%eter elyon,

wisdom +ho%hmah, and !nderstanding +binah.F?

'he Besht liewise adopts that identification as an a"iom, as is made evident %y

the a!thor of Keter shem to&, who collected the :!otations of the Besht=s words that

appear in the writings of his preeminent st!dent, ;aco% ;oseph of Dolonnoye Hwherever a

person thins, that is where he adheres to.IF- 'he ra%%i of Dolonnoye adds H& heard

e"pressly from my teacher that wherever a person thins, that is where he is in his

F? 7ee Tiqqunei ha#"ohar, Tiqqun- +ed. Re!ven Margaliot, ;er!salem Mossad haRav Koo

-//. Nf. Moshe Nordovero,/ardes ;immonim, Sha(ar-, Sha(ar 0r%hei ha#Kinuyyim, entry

for mahsha&ah. On de&equtinMaggid Meisharim, see er%lowsy,Karo *)0).

F-Keter Shem To& +Broolyn Kehot -? ), *?, / 23e%rew4# for a similar form!lation, see

Liqqutim !eqarim +Lem%erg, /-C. > 23e%rew4 and the statement is cited fre:!ently in the

Besht=s name in6en /orat !osef+a%ove, n. FC. On de&equt, cf. ershom 7cholem, H'e&e%ut or

Nomm!nion with od,Q ;e&iew of ;eligion > +->--*1 *0F-# Rep. in idem, The

Messiani *dea in Judaism9 +6ew Gor 7chocen Boos -/ F/)0>11# Rivah 7chat$0

ffenheimer, ,a#hasdiut %e#mistiqah 27uietisti 0lements in 0ighteenth =entury ,asidi

Thought4 +;er!salem Magnes Dress -)?, inde" s.v. de&equt 23e%rew4# Rachel Elior, The

/aradoxial 1sent to 5od+9l%any 6G 76G --F inde" s.v. de&equt# Mendel Diear$,6ein

idi)ologiyah li#mizi)ut2Between ideology and reality4 +;er!salem Mossad Biali --> *10/?

23e%rew4.

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'he identity %etween tho!ght and de&eiqutis set forth as a general principle in

Maggid Meisharim H8or it is nat!ral that where one thins and reflects is where one=s

so!l adheresI +MM >1. 9 similar identification can %e fo!nd in :!otation from the

Besht cited %y ;aco% ;oseph of Dolonnoye H&n the name of my teacher & heard at length

%!t will write %riefly that wherever a person=s tho!ght is, that is where he himself is in his

entirelyso, too, spirit!ally# if he thins with his spirit, that is where his so!l is.I>C 'he

Besht=s grandson cites his position in similar terms HKnow that wherever a person=s

tho!ght is sit!ated, that is where he in his entirety is to %e fo!nd.I>F

Noncentrating one=s tho!ght on the divine %eingreferred to as yihud

+!nification or de&equt, or as !nification of h!man speech with the divine Hworld of

Tanya +7lavi

Documents

Elior Besh and Karo