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. Using unpublished archival documents and manuscripts, as well as rare printed books, I seek to reconcile the seemingly incompatible aspects of Luzzatto as ‘heretic’ and ‘hero.’ Chapter one sets the tone for the dissertation by analyzing the original version of Mesilat Yesharim, which differs drastically from the well-known printed edition. Consisting of a dialogue between a hasid and a hakham, the treatise was a pietistic, semi-autobiographical manifesto rooted in Kabbalah that polemicized against the rabbinic establishment. Using material culled from communal and state archives in Padua and Venice, chapter two provides a foundation for Luzzatto’s identity and critique of the rabbinate. Chapter three discusses Luzzatto’s kabbalistic activities with an emphasis on his relationships and religious development. I argue that Luzzatto and his inner circle grew out of a loose confederation of Italian pietists in northern Italy, beginning with Moses Zacut three generations earlier, who were unhappy with the values and goals of the Talmud-centered rabbinic establishment. In chapter four, I consider the nature of anti-Luzzatto sentiment that spread among rabbis in Italy and Ashkenazic lands. Rabbinic responses ranged widely and vacillated, reflecting the complexity and disharmony of Jewish religious leadership in the eighteenth century. The fifth and final chapter explores Luzzatto’s eight years in Amsterdam. I show that Luzzatto was intimately connected to Portuguese rabbinic and lay leadership, who supported him financially and morally as he studied in the Ets Haim Yeshiva following years of intense controversy in Italy. The editing of his original version of Mesilat Yesharim indicates, however, that refraining from rabbinic critique and overt kabbalistic activities were mitigating factors in his acceptance in Amsterdam. Luzzatto, in turn, emphasized his own personal quietism as a means to redemption. iv Acknowledgments Innumerable people have helped me in the pursuit of my doctorate. I offer these (insufficient) thanks in expression of my gratitude. The Graduate Center of the City University of New York proved an ideal setting for my work. I am grateful for the intellectual and financial support offered by both the Center for Jewish Studies and the History Department, as well as for having been awarded a Graduate Center Dissertation-Year Fellowship for the academic year 2013–2014. Jane Gerber, director of the Center for Jewish Studies during most of my studies at the Graduate Center, was especially supportive and encouraging. I was fortunate to receive external funding from the Center for Jewish History, the Foundation for Jewish Culture, Targum Shlishi, and the Tikvah Center for Law and Jewish Civilization at the New York University School of Law. I benefitted from the positive atmospheres of the Center for Jewish History and the Tikvah Center, as well as from graduate seminars at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Hebrew University and with American Academy for Jewish Research. Additionally, many people aided and facilitated my research in libraries and archives. In Amsterdam, Odette Vlessing and the staff of the City Archives. In Italy, Emanuele Colorni and the Jewish Community of Mantua; Rafi D'Angeli and the Jewish Community of Padua; the staff of the State Archives of Padua and the staff of the State Archives of Venice. In Jerusalem, Yisrael Dubitsky and the staff of the Institute for Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts. In New York, Yoram Bitton and Michelle Chesner at Columbia University; Sarah Diamant, Warren Klein, v Sharon Liberman Mintz, Jerry Schwarzbard, and David Wachtel at the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary; Shuli Berger at Yeshiva University. My gratefulness for the friendship and mentorship of Jerry Schwarzbard and David Wachtel in particular cannot be overstated. Several scholars graciously responded to my (sometimes numerous) queries. Many thanks to Miriam Bodian, Francesca Bregoli, Evelyn Cohen, Matt Goldish, Deborah Hamer, Yosef Kaplan, Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, Adri Offenberg, Mauro Perani, Benjamin Ravid, Pinchas Roth, Menahem Schmelzer, Emile Schrijver, Haim Shapira, Magda Teter, and Albert van der Heide. Furthermore, the members of my dissertation committee – Francesca Bregoli, Elisheva Carlebach, Jane Gerber, Robert Seltzer, and David Sorkin – offered valuable suggestions and criticism. I am grateful that they each agreed to invest their time and thought in critiquing my project. I cannot adequately convey my appreciation for Prof. Carlebach. Moments after agreeing to act as my advisor, she suggested that I find an easier dissertation topic than the study on Moses Hayim Luzzatto I was intent on writing. I persisted, and so did her support. On a more personal note, I acknowledge the friendship of Menachem Butler, Dan Cucher, Jeffrey Culang, Yedida Eisenstat, Rabbi Chaim Goldberger, Rabbi Yosef Heisler, Stanley Mirvis, Ari Rieser, Rabbi Yosef Shemtov, Rabbi Yigal Sklarin, and Josh Teplitsky, each of whom either directly or indirectly influenced the writing of this dissertation. Finally, I extend my deepest thanks to my family. My parents, Abe and Nancy Sclar, instilled in me an appreciation for history that has enriched my life immeasurably. In recent years, they have complemented their unending encouragement by expressing an equally strong love and care for my wife and children. My mother’s sensitivity for life and personality has vi taught me to respect the past and present alike, while my father is my strongest link to the past; his veneration of his father and respect for our ancestors’ experiences exemplify the living history I seek to impart professionally. Meanwhile, my older brother, Ari Sclar, has unsparingly offered advice and shared his own experiences in earning a doctorate in history. This dissertation could not have come to fruition – existentially or practically – if not for my wife, Yafit. Her faith in my goals and motivation has been surpassed only by her dedication to our children. To Noa and Avraham Hayim, I dedicate this dissertation, written during your first years of life. vii Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter One Goal and Journey: Devekut and Perfected Community in Mesilat Yesharim ............................................... 9 Manuscript and Printed Book ................................................................................................................ 11 Dialogue ................................................................................................................................................. 21 Narrative, Textual Foundation, Rabbinic Corrective .............................................................................. 24 The Journey: Intention, Community, and Divine Proximity ................................................................... 34 Purpose, Duty, and Torah Study .................................................................................................... 37 Vigilance, Alacrity, and Cleanliness ................................................................................................ 55 Separateness, Purity, Piety ............................................................................................................ 64 Humility, Fear of Sin, Sanctity .......................................................................................................