[NGFP-BookClub] A welcome note from Professor Elior

[Aron Trauring]

Dear students,

Many years ago the Jewish-British philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin was  
asked by an interviewer: "Sir Isaiah, can you tell me please, what is  
the problem of the Jewish people?" To which Sir Isaiah answered: "They  
have far too much history and far too little geography."

In the present course we shall deal with the literary work of a people  
who have had a very long history and very little geography, a very  
long exile and very little sovereignty, and hardly any freedom. The  
only place that was always free was their imagination. Their  
imagination was nourished by a rich library of sacred writings and  
mythical traditions, augmented by creative freedom. The literary works  
which resulted from this imaginative and creative ferment, grew from  
within a culture that believed in the infinite meanings of the divine  
word as deciphered by the human spirit.

The word Mysticism is derived from the Greek word which refers to  
various meanings of the verb "to close": closing the senses to  
existential experience and opening the mind to the mysteries of the  
creative spirit; closing the mouth in front of the public informed by  
rational thought and opening it within small groups who choose to  
listen to inspired visions and irrational explanations of reality.  
These visions challenge normative conventions and are embodied in  
poetry and literature that convey the mysterious aspects of revealed  
reality.

In the present course you are invited to meet the various dimensions  
of the Jewish mystical library, to learn about its historical context  
and social functions and to understand the unique place it has in the  
history of freedom and defiance. I encourage you to read the texts  
provided, along with my questions to guide your readings. I look  
forward to receiving your own comments and questions.

Prof. Rachel Elior
Cohen Professor of Jewish Philosophy
Chair, Department of Jewish Thought
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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