Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah also reports on the culture that is reflected in the magic evidence from the perspective of external non-magic contemporary Jewish sources. Issues of magic and religion, magical mysticism, and magic and social power are dealt with in length in this thorough investigation. Scholars interested in ea...
As stated by Jellinek ("Beiträge zur Kabbalah," i. 3), the very fact that Abraham, and not a Talmudical hero like Akiba, is introduced in the "Sefer Yeẓirah," at the close, as possessor of the Wisdom of the Alphabet, indicates an old tradition, if not the antiquity of the ...
It began to flourish in Palestine in the 1st century ce and had as its main concern ecstatic and mystical contemplation of the divine throne, or “chariot” (merkava), seen in a vision by Ezekiel, the prophet (Ezekiel 1). The earliest known Jewish text on magic and cosmology, Sefer Yet...
It is said that Solomon collected the books of magic that were scattered throughout his realm, and locked them in a box, which he put under his throne to prevent their being used. After his death the jinn, so as to make people believe that Solomon had been a sorcerer, declared that ...
explores the attraction of Kabbalah. While Singer’s exposition of Jewish mysticism is entirely accurate, it’s written from a popular point of view that emphasizes self-discovery: “The picture that I have painted of the Kabbalah expresses not only what I have learned, but also what I am my...
A long-term devotee of Jewish humor, Al Kustanowitz has been collecting and sharing it even before there was an internet. In 2009, after a 36-year career at IBM managing new technology projects, he founded Jewish Humor Central (jewishhumorcentral.com. Through the blog he brings a daily dos...
Starting about a year agoJohn Baltisbergerand I have co-hosted the podcast “Wayward Children: Jewish Monsters, Magic, and the Stories We Tell!” The goal of Wayward Children is talk about Jewish monsters and magic from a very Jewish perspective. Wayward Children is the English translation of...
A long-term devotee of Jewish humor, Al Kustanowitz has been collecting and sharing it even before there was an internet. In 2009, after a 36-year career at IBM managing new technology projects, he founded Jewish Humor Central (jewishhumorcentral.com. Through the blog he brings a daily dos...
or oral learning and expression', largely centred on the United States—from wood-carving and 'hookman' urban legends to navy initiation rituals and the gestures of toast-making. But these are tantalizing tasters rather than in-depth studies, drawn on solely to explore the concepts and ...
Jewish Magic before the Rise of KabbalahJewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah. By Yuval Harari. Translated by Batya Stein. Detroit:...Zang, BrianCalifornia Folklore SocietyWestern FolkloreY. Harari, Jewish Magic before the Rise of the Kabbalah (Detroit, 2017)...