Saturday, May 22, 2021

Review of Halbertal, Nahmanides: Law and Mysticism

MARGINALIA REVIEW OF BOOKS: Beyond the Era of the Torah? Nathaniel Berman on Moshe Halbertal.
Moshe Halbertal, Nahmanides: Law and Mysticism. Trans. Daniel Tabak. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 464, $55.00 (hardback)
Excerpt:
Those familiar with the basic structure of kabbalistic mythology from more well-known texts such as the Zohar may be surprised to learn how much of that structure is already present in Nahmanides—even if marked by many crucial differences, as well as expressed in a radically dissimilar literary form. In short, no reader can come away from Halbertal’s study without an understanding of Nahmanides’ vital importance to Jewish thought and spirituality at a crucial turning-point in Jewish history—as well as his unique contributions to perennial themes in the history of kabbalah and Jewish religiosity as a whole.
For PaleoJudaica posts on the Zohar, start here and follow the links.

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