Mystical rationalization of the commandments in Sefer ha-Rimmon
Sefer ha-Rimmon (1287), written by Moses ben Shem Tob de León (circa 1240-1305), the assumed author of the Zohar, is a significant text in the history of kabbalah for basically two reasons. First, insofar as the Sefer ha-Rimmon is replete with Zoharic parallels, linguistic and conceptual in nature,...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
College
1988
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Year: 1988, Volume: 59, Pages: 217-251 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Decalog
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| Summary: | Sefer ha-Rimmon (1287), written by Moses ben Shem Tob de León (circa 1240-1305), the assumed author of the Zohar, is a significant text in the history of kabbalah for basically two reasons. First, insofar as the Sefer ha-Rimmon is replete with Zoharic parallels, linguistic and conceptual in nature, the former is an invaluable tool for scholarly research into the authorship and literary genesis of the latter. Second, the Sefer ha-Rimmon represents the first expansive reschematization of traditional rabbinic miẓwot in accordance with the theosophic principles of medieval kabbalah. The centrality of ṭaʿamei ha-miẓwot in the history of kabbalah cannot be denied. Indeed, from the earliest kabbalistic documents, such as the Sefer ha-Bahir, the kabbalists' concern with seeking mystical rationale for the commandments is evident. In the 13th century this enterprise gradually increased until the last decades of that century when a voluminous work like Sefer ha-Rimmon was composed. Although the Sefer ha-Rimmon deals only with a limited number of positive and negative commandments, in theory it is certain that Moses de León would have been prepared to reinterpret all of normative Judaism in light of his sefirotic kabbalah. This grand effort at transposing orthodox observance into mystical praxis reflects well on the ethos of Moses de León and his popularistic conception of kabbalah. While it is true that during his life kabbalah was still an esoteric discipline limited to small circles of initiates, there can be little doubt that a prime motivation in Moses de León's literary career was an effort at disclosing the secrets and thereby making kabbalah exoteric. The kabbalistic treatment of ṭaʿamei ha-miẓwot in Sefer ha-Rimmon is an important part of this larger process. Three main conceptual structures are analyzed which inform de León's discussion of the commandments: miẓwot as the fulfillment of divine need; miẓwot as the means for the maintenance and ground of existence; miẓwot as the means for separation of the holy and demonic realms. The first two principles represent a response to two post-Maimonidean philosophic positions: God is self-sufficient and therefore in no need of human action, and man is not to be conceived of as the center of the universe. The third principle, in turn, represents a response to the growing cultural and religious assimilation of Jews into Christianity. The need to keep the holy and demonic distinct is the theosophic correlate to the historical task of keeping Israel and Esau, Judaism and Christianity, distinct. By emphasizing the theocentric and anthropocentric dimensions of the miẓwot, therefore, de León sought to combat both sorts of enemy: the rationalist and the assimilationist. |
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| ISSN: | 0360-9049 |
| Contains: | In: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
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