DOCSLIB.ORG

The Kabbalah of R. Israel Sarug: a Lurianic-Cordoverian Encounter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Kabbalah of R. Israel Sarug: a Lurianic-Cordoverian Encounter The Review of Rabbinic Judaism 14 (2011) 158–187 brill.nl/rrj The Kabbalah of R. Israel Sarug: A Lurianic-Cordoverian Encounter Sharron Shatil Open University, Pardes-Hanna, Israel [email protected] Keywords kabbalah, Israel Sarug, Moses Cordovero Sarugian kabbalah is a field of kabbalistic discourse that is based upon the teachings of Isaac Luria as presented by R. Israel Sarug during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Very little is known about Sarug before his arrival in Italy in the 1590s, when he began to propagate Lurianic texts. These were mainly Kanfei Yona,1 which was the earliest known redaction of the Lurianic teachings in writing,2 and texts of his own composition. Sarug traveled in Italy, Greece, and central Europe and had several famous students, notably R. Menahem Azaria of Fano, R, Nathan Otolengo, and Abraham Cohen Herrera.3 There is some scholarly debate on whether Sarug was actually a student of Luria and whether this happened in Egypt or in Safed, prior to the meeting between Luria and Vital.4 Yet there is no argument that the tracts that Sarug brought with him to Italy were the first available sources of Lurianic kabbalah in Europe and dominated its kabbalistic output through the 1 This work is extant in several manuscripts, and there are at least three known versions of it, probably written by different students of Luria. It is not certain whether Sarug was the first to bring these texts to Italy or whether they arrived there before him; see J. Avivi, Kabbalah Luriana ( Jerusalem, 2008), pp. 194–203. This should not to be confused with Menahem Azaria of Fano’s later edition of the work; see G. Scholem, Kabbalah (New York, 1978), p. 424. 2 See M. Benayahu, “R. Moses Yona, A Student of the Ari and the First to Put His Teachings in Writing” (Heb.), in M. Benayahu, ed., Lurianic Kabbalah ( Jerusalem, 1985), pp. 7–74. 3 Kabbalah Luriana, pp. 236–242. 4 The two sides of the debate are presented in G. Scholem, “Israel Sarug, Student of the Ari,” in Zion (1940), pp. 214–243, and Ronit Meroz, “Israel Sarug, Student of the Ari: A Fresh Examination of the Issue,” in Da’at (1992), pp. 41–50. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011 DOI: 10.1163/157007011X587567 S. Shatil / The Review of Rabbinic Judaism 14 (2011) 158–187 159 seventeenth century. Some of these tracts were printed at the end of Solomon Joseph Delmedigo’s Ta’alumot Chochma (Basel, 1629). Others were compiled and edited in Delmedigo’s Shever Yoseph, published in the same volume, or incorporated into the main Sarugian texts: Limudei Atzilut, the interpretation of Sifra De-Tzniuta (both in the same volume, Munkacz, 1897) and Drush Ha-Malbush ( Jerusalem, 2001). In fact, Sarugian kabbalah is a distinct phenomenon within the kabbalah of the last four hundred years and is highly influential on the history of kabbalah and Jewish theology during this period, particularly in Europe. The line of Sarugian kabbalists continues up to the present day, with kabbalists who use Sarug’s writings or those of his immediate students as primary sources. More- over, the influence of Sarugian kabbalah can be easily discerned in many of the prominent spiritual movements within rabbinic Judaism in the modern era, including the Sabbatean movement, the school of the GRA, and the Hassidic movement, in particular within Chabad’s unique strand of kabbalistic specu- lation. Some distinctive Sarugian elements even made it into the systems of Sefardic kabbalists, ever since the incorporation of a version of Sarug’s Drush Ha-Malbush into R. Shalom Buzaglo’s Mikdash Melech on the portion of Bereshit (Amsterdam, 1755). Thus, some of the concepts and ideas typical of Sarugian kabbalah are considered by most kabbalists since the nineteenth cen- tury to be an integral part of their kabbalistic universe. Yet the ideas of Sarugian kabbalah have received little scholarly attention. With the exception of Abraham Cohen Herrera, none of the Sarugian kabbal- ists have been systematically studied.5 There are only some brief suggestions of the origin of some basic Sarugian concepts, such as the sha’ashua and the mal- bush, which we will discuss further below. This lack is probably due to Scholem’s summary of Sarug’s kabbalah as “an attempt to provide a quasi- philosophical basis for Luria’s distinctively unphilosophical doctrine by inject- ing a species of Platonism into it.”6 Scholm’s project of finding out the “authentic” or original ideas of Isaac Luria inevitably led to the sidelining of Sarug, which is still prevalent in current research. Scholars constantly attempt to cast doubt on his originality, his authorship, and his contact with Luria. In this vein, Ronit Meroz has claimed that the writings that came to be known as Sarug’s are actually the work of a school of kabbalists that existed alongside Luria’s school in Safed and that later developed in parallel in both 5 A. Altman has devoted a preliminary paper to R. Menahem Azaria of Fano. See his “Com- ments on the Development of the Kabbala of the Rama of Fano,” in Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought (1984), pp. 241–267. 6 G. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New York, 1946), p. 257. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 'Like Iron to a Magnet': Moses Hayim Luzzatto's Quest for Providence David Sclar Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/380 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence By David Sclar A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 David Sclar All Rights Reserved This Manuscript has been read and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the Dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Prof. Jane S. Gerber _______________ ____________________________________ Date Chair of the Examining Committee Prof. Helena Rosenblatt _______________ ____________________________________ Date Executive Officer Prof. Francesca Bregoli _______________________________________ Prof. Elisheva Carlebach ________________________________________ Prof. Robert Seltzer ________________________________________ Prof. David Sorkin ________________________________________ Supervisory Committee iii Abstract “Like Iron to a Magnet”: Moses Hayim Luzzatto’s Quest for Providence by David Sclar Advisor: Prof. Jane S. Gerber This dissertation is a biographical study of Moses Hayim Luzzatto (1707–1746 or 1747). It presents the social and religious context in which Luzzatto was variously celebrated as the leader of a kabbalistic-messianic confraternity in Padua, condemned as a deviant threat by rabbis in Venice and central and eastern Europe, and accepted by the Portuguese Jewish community after relocating to Amsterdam.
    [Show full text]
  • A Fresh Perspective on the History of Hasidic Judaism
    eSharp Issue 20: New Horizons A Fresh Perspective on the History of Hasidic Judaism Eva van Loenen (University of Southampton) Introduction In this article, I shall examine the history of Hasidic Judaism, a mystical,1 ultra-orthodox2 branch of Judaism, which values joyfully worshipping God’s presence in nature as highly as the strict observance of the laws of Torah3 and Talmud.4 In spite of being understudied, the history of Hasidic Judaism has divided historians until today. Indeed, Hasidic Jewish history is not one monolithic, clear-cut, straightforward chronicle. Rather, each scholar has created his own narrative and each one is as different as its author. While a brief introduction such as this cannot enter into all the myriad divergences and similarities between these stories, what I will attempt to do here is to incorporate and compare an array of different views in order to summarise the history of Hasidism and provide a more objective analysis, which has not yet been undertaken. Furthermore, my historical introduction in Hasidic Judaism will exemplify how mystical branches of mainstream religions might develop and shed light on an under-researched division of Judaism. The main focus of 1 Mystical movements strive for a personal experience of God or of his presence and values intuitive, spiritual insight or revelationary knowledge. The knowledge gained is generally ‘esoteric’ (‘within’ or hidden), leading to the term ‘esotericism’ as opposed to exoteric, based on the external reality which can be attested by anyone. 2 Ultra-orthodox Jews adhere most strictly to Jewish law as the holy word of God, delivered perfectly and completely to Moses on Mount Sinai.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lessons of the Four Who Entered the Pardes
    The Lessons of the Four Who Entered the PaRDeS The Dangers Inherent Upon the Path of Ascent By Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved. I do not wish to deceive anyone. The Kabbalistic path, referred to in the Talmud as the “PaRDeS” can be a dangerous one for those not properly prepared to walk it. I offer this essay as a clear warning to those who consider themselves ready, all the while that Heaven does not. The Kabbalistic/Prophetic path is a necessary step of spiritual evolution. Yet, it must not be taken lightly. This is the final step in spiritual growth, not the first step or the middle one. Too many people have a juvenile attitude towards spiritual practices. For such spiritual children, it is best to leave them where they are, doing what they are doing. There are many that are not ready to “descend” into the palaces of the Heavenly King. Yet, there are those who have been long ready, and have been waiting for these teachings. It is to you, my ready students, that I write this essay. In order to avoid the pitfalls along the path of Kabbalistic spiritual ascent, there are bits of knowledge that are essential to know. The reason why the Talmud records the following episode is to hint to us what these teachings are. "Our Rabbis have taught, four entered into the Pardes. They were Ben Azai, Ben Zoma, Aher, and Rabbi Akiba. Ben Azai gazed and died. Of him it is written, "precious in the eyes of HaShem is the death of his pious ones" (Tehilim 116, 15).
    [Show full text]
  • The Greatest Mirror: Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha
    The Greatest Mirror Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha Andrei A. Orlov On the cover: The Baleful Head, by Edward Burne-Jones. Oil on canvas, dated 1886– 1887. Courtesy of Art Resource. Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2017 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Production, Dana Foote Marketing, Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Orlov, Andrei A., 1960– author. Title: The greatest mirror : heavenly counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha / Andrei A. Orlov. Description: Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016052228 (print) | LCCN 2016053193 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438466910 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438466927 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Apocryphal books (Old Testament)—Criticism, interpretation, etc. Classification: LCC BS1700 .O775 2017 (print) | LCC BS1700 (ebook) | DDC 229/.9106—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016052228 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For April DeConick . in the season when my body was completed in its maturity, there imme- diately flew down and appeared before me that most beautiful and greatest mirror-image of myself.
    [Show full text]
  • Polymorphism and Polysemy in Images of the Sefirot
    Portland State University PDXScholar Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations Systems Science Winter 3-16-2021 Polymorphism and Polysemy in Images of the Sefirot Martin Zwick Portland State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/sysc_fac Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, Computer Sciences Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Citation Details Zwick, Martin (2021). Polymorphism and Polysemy in Images of the Sefirot. Western Judaic Studies Association 25th Annual Conference, online. This Presentation is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Polymorphism and Polysemy in Images of the Sefirot (Martin Zwick) Polymorphism and Polysemy in Images of the Sefirot Martin Zwick Portland State University, Portland OR 97207 [email protected] Western Judaic Studies Association 25th annual meeting Virtual, University of Nevada, Las Vegas March 16, 2021 web: https://works.bepress.com/martin_zwick/205 (Included in categories ‘Systems Theory and Philosophy’ and ‘Jewish Thought’) https://sites.google.com/view/ohrchadash/home 1 Abstract (1/2) • The resurgence of interest in Kabbalistic diagrams (Segol, Busi, Chajes) raises the question of how diagrams function in religious symbolism. This question can be approached via methods used in the graphical modeling of data. Specifically, graph theory lets one define a repertoire of candidate structures that can be applied not only to quantitative data, but also to symbols consisting of qualitative components.
    [Show full text]
  • Gilgul/Reincarnation in Sefer Habahir, Zohar and Lurianic Kabbalah
    GILGUL/REINCARNATION IN SEFER HABAHIR, ZOHAR AND LURIANIC KABBALAH 1. GILGUL IN THE EVENING SHEMA PRAYER: Master of the Universe, I herby forgive anyone who angered or antagonized me or who sinned against me - whether against my body, my property, my honor or against anything anything of mine; whether he did so accidentally , willfully, carelessly, or purposely, whether through speech, deed, thought or notion, whether in this transmigration or another בגלגול זה בין גלגול אחר- transmigration GILGUL IN SEFER HA-BAHIR, Provence, c. 1170 CE: 2. BIBLICAL PROOF TEXT R. Meir said: What is the meaning of the verse “The Lord shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, from generation to generation?” [Ps. 146:10] What [does it mean] “from generation to generation”? R. Papias said: It is written, “A generation goes, and a generation comes” ([Ecc.1:4). And R. Akiba said: [The meaning of “A generation goes and a generation comes” is that] it has already come. (Sefer Ha-Bahir, 121) 3. PARABLE OF A KING To what is this similar? To a fable about a king who owned slaves, and he dressed them with embroidered silk garments according to his best ability. They disarranged them. He expelled them and drove his presence from them, and stripped them of his garments, and they went away. The king then took the garments, washed them thoroughly until there was no soiled spot left on them and placed them to be readily used. Then the king bought other slaves and dressed them with these garments. But he did not know whether or not these slaves were good.
    [Show full text]
  • Tanya Sources.Pdf
    The Way to the Tree of Life Jewish practice entails fulfilling many laws. Our diet is limited, our days to work are defined, and every aspect of life has governing directives. Is observance of all the laws easy? Is a perfectly righteous life close to our heart and near to our limbs? A righteous life seems to be an impossible goal! However, in the Torah, our great teacher Moshe, Moses, declared that perfect fulfillment of all religious law is very near and easy for each of us. Every word of the Torah rings true in every generation. Lesson one explores how the Tanya resolved these questions. It will shine a light on the infinite strength that is latent in each Jewish soul. When that unending holy desire emerges, observance becomes easy. Lesson One: The Infinite Strength of the Jewish Soul The title page of the Tanya states: A Collection of Teachings ספר PART ONE לקוטי אמרים חלק ראשון Titled הנקרא בשם The Book of the Beinonim ספר של בינונים Compiled from sacred books and Heavenly מלוקט מפי ספרים ומפי סופרים קדושי עליון נ״ע teachers, whose souls are in paradise; based מיוסד על פסוק כי קרוב אליך הדבר מאד בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו upon the verse, “For this matter is very near to לבאר היטב איך הוא קרוב מאד בדרך ארוכה וקצרה ”;you, it is in your mouth and heart to fulfill it בעזה״י and explaining clearly how, in both a long and short way, it is exceedingly near, with the aid of the Holy One, blessed be He. "1 of "393 The Way to the Tree of Life From the outset of his work therefore Rav Shneur Zalman made plain that the Tanya is a guide for those he called “beinonim.” Beinonim, derived from the Hebrew bein, which means “between,” are individuals who are in the middle, neither paragons of virtue, tzadikim, nor sinners, rishoim.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpreting Diagrams from the Sefer Yetsirah and Its Commentaries 1
    NOTES 1 Word and Image in Medieval Kabbalah: Interpreting Diagrams from the Sefer Yetsirah and Its Commentaries 1. The most notorious example of these practices is the popularizing work of Aryeh Kaplan. His critical editions of the SY and the Sefer ha Bahir are some of the most widely read in the field because they provide the texts in Hebrew and English with comprehensive and useful appendices. However, these works are deeply problematic because they dehistoricize the tradi- tion by adding later diagrams to earlier works. For example, in his edition of the SY he appends eighteenth-century diagrams to later versions of this tenth-century text. Popularizers of kabbalah such as Michael Berg of the Kabbalah Centre treat the Zohar as a second-century rabbinic tract without acknowledging textual evidence to the contrary. See his introduction to the Centre’s translation of the Zohar: P. S. Berg. The Essential Zohar. New York: Random House, 2002. 2. For a variety of reasons, kabbalistic works were transmitted in manuscript form long after other works, such as the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, and their commentaries were widely available in print. This is true in large part because kabbalistic treatises were “private” works, transmitted from teacher to student. Kabbalistic manuscripts were also traditionally transmitted in manuscript form because of their provenance. The Maghreb and other parts of North Africa were important centers of later mystical activity, and print technology came quite late to these regions, with manuscript culture persisting well into the nineteenth, and even into the mid- twentieth century in some regions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Archetype of the Tzaddiq in Hasidic Tradition
    THE ARCHETYPE OF THE TZADDIQ IN HASIDIC TRADITION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA IN CONJUNCTION wlTH THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS BY YA'QUB IBN YUSUF August4, 1992 National Library B¡bliothèque nat¡onale E*E du Canada Acquisitions and D¡rection des acquisilions et B¡bliographic Services Branch des services bibliograPhiques 395 Wellinolon Slreêl 395, rue Wellington Oflawa. Oñlario Ottawa (Ontario) KlA ON4 K1A ON4 foùt t¡te vat¡e ¡élëte^ce Ou l¡te Nate élëtenæ The author has granted an L'auteur a accordé une licence irrevocable non-exclusive licence irrévocable et non exclusive allowing the National Library of permettant à la Bibliothèque Canada to reproduce, loan, nationale du Canada de distribute or sell cop¡es of reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou his/her thesis by any means and vendre des copies de sa thèse in any form or format, making de quelque manière et sous this thesis available to interested quelque forme que ce soit pour persons. mettre des exemplaires de cette thèse à la disposition des personnes intéressées. The author retains ownership of L'auteur conserve la propriété du the copyright in his/her thesis. droit d'auteur qui protège sa Neither the thesis nor substantial thèse. Ni la thèse ni des extraits extracts from it may be printed or substantiels de celle-ci ne otherwise reproduced without doivent être imprimés ou his/her permission. autrement reproduits sans son autorisation, ïsBN ø-315-7796Ø-S
    [Show full text]
  • Kabbalah and the Subversion of Traditional Jewish Society in Early Modern Europe
    Kabbalah and the Subversion of Traditional Jewish Society in Early Modern Europe David B. Ruderman Most discussions about notions of authority and dissent in early mod- em Europe usually imply those embedded in Christian traditions, whether Protestant or Catholic. To address these same issues from the perspective of Jewish culture in early modem Europe is to consider the subject from a relatively different vantage point. The small Jewish com- munities of the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries were shaped in manifold ways by the norms and values of the Christian and Moslem host civilizations to which they belonged. Yet, they were also heirs to powerful rabbinic religious and political traditions that structured their social relationships and shaped their attitudes towards divine law, human responsibility, communal discipline, and authority. To examine their uni- verse of discourse in its proper context is to view it both in its own cul- tural terms and in its dialogue and negotiation with the non-Jewish world. No period in Jewish cultural history has undergone more radical refor- mulation and revision by recent scholarship than the early modem; though to what extent conventional schemes of periodization like "early modern," "Renaissance," or "baroque" can be meaningfully applied to the Jewish cultural experience is a question which still engenders much discussion and debate.' Equally problematic is a proper evaluation of the kabbalah, the traditions of Jewish mystical and esoteric experience, 1. For recent discussions of the meaning of the Renaissance and baroque when applied to Jewish culture, see D. B. Ruderman, "The Italian Renaissance and Jewish Thought," in Renaissance Humanism: Foundations and Forms, 3 vols., ed.
    [Show full text]
  • Pardes and Film Interpretation Multiple Levels of Cinematic Meaning
    PaRDeS and Film Interpretation Multiple Levels of Cinematic Meaning Vicky Johann Schinkel Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements Of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2012 School of Historical and Philosophical Studies The University of Melbourne ABSTRACT This thesis establishes the traditional Jewish interpretative model PaRDeS as the foundation of a new film interpretation method, and suggests a PaRDeS interpretative process that can be used as a guide by other analysts, critics and scholars. PaRDeS is a sophisticated method of analysis that reflects millennia of Judaic explorations of narrative structures, stories, interpretations and commentaries. Maimonides’ blending of Aristotelian and Jewish philosophy led to the development of different kinds of interpretative frameworks, including PaRDeS. PaRDeS is a map of meaning that articulates Jewish philosophy and reflects a Jewish history of emphasising the importance of interpretation. PaRDeS interpretation encourages dialogues about cinema, and the meaning of films. The PaRDeS method responds to other film analyses in its own interpretative mission to coordinate and integrate multiple levels of meaning. Using PaRDeS in this original way to interpret contemporary films is significant to both Jewish Studies and Film Studies. This thesis extends the investigations of contemporary uses of PaRDeS in Jewish Studies and introduces the method to Film Studies, responding to existing issues of film interpretation in doing so. A multi-level framework of different kinds of meaning differentiates PaRDeS from its contemporary counterparts, and from a tradition of film interpretation that narrows the scope of interpretative interest to ideological perspectives. The originality of the PaRDeS conceptualisation of film meaning, the unique assumptions of the model, and its coordination and synthesis of different interpretative strategies differentiates PaRDeS from contemporary critical perspectives.
    [Show full text]
  • A Whiteheadian Interpretation of the Zoharic Creation Story
    A WHITEHEADIAN INTERPRETATION OF THE ZOHARIC CREATION STORY by Michael Gold A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida May 2016 Copyright 2016 by Michael Gold ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express sincere gratitude to his committee members, Professors Marina Banchetti, Frederick E. Greenspahn, Kristen Lindbeck, and Eitan Fishbane for their encouragement and support throughout this project. iv ABSTRACT Author: Michael Gold Title: A Whiteheadian Interpretation of the Zoharic Creation Story Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Marina P. Banchetti Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2016 This dissertation presents a Whiteheadian interpretation of the notions of mind, immanence and process as they are addressed in the Zohar. According to many scholars, this kabbalistic creation story as portrayed in the Zohar is a reaction to the earlier rabbinic concept of God qua creator, which emphasized divine transcendence over divine immanence. The medieval Jewish philosophers, particularly Maimonides influenced by Aristotle, placed particular emphasis on divine transcendence, seeing a radical separation between Creator and creation. With this in mind, these scholars claim that one of the goals of the Zohar’s creation story was to emphasize God’s immanence within creation. Similar to the Zohar, the process metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead and his followers was reacting to the substance metaphysics that had dominated Western philosophy as far back as ancient Greek thought. Whitehead adopts a very similar narrative to that of the Zohar.
    [Show full text]