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Between Concealment and Revelatiotpwoon Mystical Motifs in Selected Yiddish Works of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Their Sources in Kabbalistic Literature % % *EQ'8Tn4R Between Concealment and RevelatiotPwooN Mystical Motifs in Selected Yiddish Works of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Their Sources in Kabbalistic Literature Haike Beruriah Wiegand Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies University College London Degree: Ph.D. ProQuest Number: 10010417 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10010417 Published by ProQuest LLC(2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract of Thesis Between Concealment and Revelation - Mystical Motifs in Selected Yiddish Works of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Their Sources in Kabbalistic Literature The subject of this study is an exploration of Jewish mystical motifs in the works of Yitskhok Bashevis Zinger (Isaac Bashevis Singer). The study is based on a close reading of the Yiddish original of all of Bashevis’s works investigated here. Changes or omissions in the English translations are mentioned and commented upon, wherever it is appropriate. This study consists of three major parts, apart from an introduction (Chapter 1) and a conclusion (Chapter 9). The first major part (Chapter 2) investigates the kabbalistic and hasidic influences on Bashevis’s life and the sources which inform the mystical aspects of his works. This part explores Bashevis’s family background, the conflicting influences of mysticism and rationalism on the author during his childhood in Warsaw, and the significance of Bilgoraj for Bashevis’s writings. Furthermore it investigates the sources, informing Bashevis’s treatment of Jewish mysticism and mystical messianism. The second part (Chapter 3) provides a thematic overview of Jewish mystical concepts and motifs employed in Bashevis’s works and explains the theoretical background of these mystical ideas. The themes investigated after a brief introduction (Chapter 3.1) are: Jewish mysticism and magic (Chapter 3.2); creation and language, the central idea of HTT IDO {Sefer Yezirah) and its implications for Bashevis’s writings (Chapter 3.3); the doctrine of creation in Lurianic Kabbalah and its interpretations in Bashevis’s works (Chapter 3.4); and the interpretation of Lurianic concepts in Shabbateanism, as it is depicted by Bashevis (Chapter 3.5). The third part is an investigation of Jewish mystical motifs in selected works by Bashevis. Four of his major novels are discussed in detail. These are: 1^7 {Satan in Goray) - (Chapter 4); »7{The Family Moskat) - (Chapter 5); pD iv i {The Magician of Lublin) - (Chapter 6); and üDy^p 1V7 {The Slave) - (Chapter 7). A further chapter j indicates the use of mystical references and motife in Bashevis’s short fiction (Chapter 8). ^ Bashevis’s works vacillate between two extreme experiences of the Divine by his various characters, the experience of concealment and mysteiy on one hand, closely connected to the Lurianic idea of Zimzum, and the experience of revelation in creation on the other hand. On a different level these two extreme experiences of concealment and revelation also apply to the artist or writer in relation to his or her literary creation. In Bashevis’s literary creation there are countless references to Jewish mystical ideas, some of them obvious and overt, others more concealed. This study endeavours to elucidate these mystical references, images and allusions, their origins in kabbalistic doctrines and the role they play in Bashevis’s works. Table of Contents Between Concealment and Revelation - Mystical Motifs in Selected Yiddish Works of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Their Sources in Kabbalistic Literature Bibliography 6 Acknowledgements 14 1. Introduction 15 2. Kabbalistic and Hasidic Influences on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Life and the Sources Informing the Mystical Aspects of His Works 21 2.1. Introduction - “A Kabbalist, a foolish boy...” 21 2.2. Yitskhok Bashevis Zinger’s Family Background 24 2.3. Mysticism versus Rationalism - Conflicting Influences on Yitskhok Bashevis Zinger during His Childhood in Warsaw 26 2.4. The Significance of Bilgoraj for Yitskhok Bashevis’s Writings 33 2.5. Bashevis’s Sources, Informing His Treatment of Jewish Mysticism and Mystical Messianism 40 2.6. Conclusion 58 3. Jewish Mystical Concepts, Images and Themes in Bashevis’s Writings 63 3.1. Introduction 63 3.2. Jewish Mysticism and Magic 66 3.3. Creation and Language - The Central Idea of Sefer Yeprah and Its Implications for Bashevis’s Writings 74 3.4. The Doctrine of Creation in Lurianic Kabbalah and Its Interpretations in Bashevis’s Works 81 3.4.1. The Concept of Zimj^um and Its Interpretations 81 3.4.2. The Concept of the “Breaking of the Vessels ” and the “Sparks of Holiness” 87 3.4.3. The Concept of Tikun and Images of the NA'TT'T” (Sacred Marriage) 93 3.5. The Interpretation of Lurianic Concepts in Shabbateanism and Its Depiction in Bashevis’s Works 102 3.6. Conclusion 111 4. The Role of Jewish Mysticism and Shabbatean Messianism in p s isn {Satan in Goray) 115 4.1. Introduction; *The Birth-pangs of the Messiah’’ 115 4.2. The Storyline of p s isrr 116 4.3. Bashevis’s Presentation of Shabbatean Messianism Compared with Modern Scholarly Views 118 4.3.1. The Opponents of the Shabbatean Movement 118 4.3.2. Shabbatean Messianism 121 4.4. The Role of Jewish Mysticism and Messianism in the Composition of ;vf w as a Whole 124 4.4.1. Jewish Mystical Motifs Connected to R. Itshe Mates and R. Gedalye, the Two Shabbatean Leaders in Goraj 124 4.4.2. Jewish Mystical Motifs Connected to Rekhele and Her Relationship to the Community, the Shekhinah and the Klipah 133 4.5. Conclusion 147 5. The Role of Jewish Mysticism and Messianism in »7 {The Family Moskat) 150 5.1. Introduction: The World of the Klipot 150 5.2. The Storyline of »7 152 5.3. Traditional Jewish Messianism and Its Secular Alternatives 156 5.4. Kabbalistic References and Allusions to Kabbalistic Ideas in >7 162 5.4.1. The Study of Jewish Mystical Works, Magic and Superstition 162 5.4.2. Mystical Ideas and Images Related to Death and Dying 165 5.4.3. Letters Like Flames - The Mystical Significance of the Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet 171 5.4.4. Sparks of Light in Contexts of Darkness - Allusions to the Lurianic Concept of the ^Sparks of Holiness ” 176 5.4.5. Lurianic Allusions in the Description of the Women Characters in mpv^lTS »7 186 5.4.6. The Interpretation of the Lurianic Concepts of Zim^zum, the ^Breaking of the Vessels ” and Tikun in WHpiz^lTù »7 190 5.5. Conclusion 195 6. The Role of Jewish Mysticism in ps 1T7 {The Magician o f Lublin) 199 6.1. Introduction: “n*?3p» «” 199 6.2. The Storyline of p'i2ii ps 201 6.3. The Magician and His Hidden God Between Concealment and Revelation 204 6.3.1. Parallels Between the Artist-Magician and the Creator-God 204 6.3.2. Bashevis’s Descriptions of Nature - Mystical Nocturnal Landscapes 209 6.3.3. God in Nature - The Content of the Magician’s Faith - Some Reflections on Pantheism, Panentheism and the Kabbalah 211 6.4. The Sacred and the Profane in the Design of the Novel and Redemptive Sparks ” in Contexts of Darkness 215 6.4.1. The First Synagogue-Scene 216 6.4.2. The Second Synagogue-Scene 217 6.4.3. Two Instances o f‘‘Sparks” in Contexts of Darkness 221 6.4.4. The Third Synagogue-Scene and the Third Instance of “Sparks” in a Context of Darkness 224 6.4.5. Two More Instances of “Sparks” in Contexts of Darkness 227 6.4.6. The Fourth Synagogue-Scene 230 6.4.7. The Last Two Instances of “Sparks” in Contexts of Darkness 232 6.5. The Epilogue - Reflections on the Nature of Evil, the “Breaking of the Vessels”, Free Will and Possibilities of Redemption 234 6.6. Conclusion 238 7. The Role of Jewish Mysticism in {The Slave) 240 7.1. Introduction: A Vessel for Cosmic Restorations 240 7.2. The Storyline of l)n 242 7.3. References to Jewish Mystical Literature, Magic and Superstition in iSD^f^p lirr 245 7.4. The Depiction of Shabbatean Messianism in VD3f2p isn 248 7.5. the “Breaking of the Vessels” and Tikun - Lurianic Concepts and Their Interpretation in tSD}^ip isrr 254 7.5.1. The Concept of Zimj^um - Yankev’s Experience of God in the Two Extremes of Concealment and Revelation in Nature 254 7.5.2. Lurianic Allusions Concerning the “Breaking of the Vessels”, the Klipot and the “Sparks of Holiness” 262 7.5.3. A Vision of Tikun - The Image of the “NtrTTj? NATTT” (Sacred Marriage) in WDmp isn 268 7.6. Conclusion 275 8. Jewish Mystical Motifs in Bashevis’s Short Fiction 279 8.1. Introduction: Bashevis’s Later Fiction and Short Fiction 279 8.2. Mystical Motifs in the Monologues of Supernatural Narrators 283 8.3. Mystical Motifs in the Short Stories with Anonymous Omniscient Narrators 292 8.4. Mystical Motifs in the Hasidic Monologues 301 8.5. Conclusion 308 9. Conclusion 312 Bibliography A. Works by Yitskhok Bashevis Zinger (Isaac Bashevis Singer) I. Works in Yiddish jm p3 S : ps IVI, Tel Aviv: Y.L. Perets, 1992 (first ed. New York: Matones, 1943.
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