Temple Portals: Studies in Aggadah and Midrash in the Zohar

302 Pages·2016·1.728 MB·English

by  Oded Yisraeli

Oded Yisraeli
Temple Portals
Studia Judaica
Forschungen zur Wissenschaft des Judentums
Begründet von
Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich
Herausgegeben von
Günter Stemberger, Charlotte Fonrobert
und Alexander Samely
Band 88
Oded Yisraeli
Temple Portals
Studies in Aggadah and Midrash in the Zohar
Translated by
Liat Keren
MAGNES
ISBN 978-3-11-043950-2
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-043255-8
e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-043276-3
ISSN 0585-5306
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A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress.
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Preface
Awell-known zoharic parable depicts Torah-study as a love story between the
Torah and those who study it, likening the Torah to a beautiful maiden impris-
onedinaremote,concealedpalace.Desiringtobeseenbyherloverwhowalks
around and around it seekinghis beloved, she makes a small opening through
whichhecanglimpseherforabriefmomentbeforeshedisappearsonceagain.
Havingponderedthis parable for many years,I haveconcludedthat the palace
representstheZohar’sself-image,throughwhichitopensupitsmultifacetedfea-
turestothosewhoimmersethemselvesinit.Inthisvolume—dedicatedtolovers
ofboththemidrashandtheZohar—IhaveendeavouredtoexaminetheZoharas
amidrashicwork,formingpartofthelonghistoryofaggadaandmidrashreach-
ingback to the ancient world.
Approaching the Zohar as midrash combines two of my primary fields of
study—the broad and rich body of aggadic and midrashic literature and the
Zohar with all its literary qualities and profound religious sensitivities. In the
centralchaptersofthisbook,Ihavesoughttoopentwelvewindowsonitsmid-
rashicworld,theintroductionaddressingtheconceptualandmethodologicalel-
ementsthat underpin itandthe conclusionoutliningsome generalcharacteris-
tics and directions for future study.
Thefruitofmanyyearsoflabour,thematerialfirstsawthelightofdayinthe
Hebrewedition,publishedbyMagnesin2013.InthisEnglishversion,Ihopeto
make its insights available to the wider English-speaking world.
The final text also reflects the rewarding and thought-provoking input of a
numberofcolleagueswhomIwishtotakethisoccasiontothank(and,ofcourse,
absolve fromany responsibilityforerrors or mistakes,whichremain myalone).
Firstandforemost,mythanksgotoProprietorofthepalace,whoplantedalove
of studying in general and of aggada, midrash, and the Zohar in particular, in
me, also providingme with the toolsand environmentinwhich Icouldengage
insuchresearch.Secondly,Iwishtothankmyfaithfulguidesthroughcorridors
of the palace—my teachers Yehuda Liebes and Moshe Idel, who taught me to
readtheZoharcloselyandsensitively withanopenmindandintellectualbold-
nessfrommanyanddiverseperspectives.AspecialthankstoZeevGries,whonot
only made me privy tohis prodigious storeof knowledgebut also initiated,en-
couraged,andhelpedcrystalisemythoughts.SpecialthanksalsotoRonitMeroz
and Daniel Matt for their generosity in sharing their yet-unpublished insights
withme,givingmeaccesstothemostaccurateandfaithfulrenderingsofthezo-
harichomiliesavailabletodate.IalsowishtothankmycolleaguesintheDepart-
mentofJewishThoughtatBen-GurionUniversityfortheircommunityspirit,sup-
VI Preface
port,andcollaboration,aswellastomystudents,manyofwhoseideasaretobe
found within these pages.
DuringtheyearsinwhichIwasengagedinwritingthisbook,Imadeexten-
sive use of the treasures of the Jewish National Library, Jerusalem, receiving
greatly-appreciated assistance from its librarians and staff. In particular, I
wish to thank the staff of the Scholem Collection, which became my home
from home, and the staff of the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts
who were ready with help, guidance, and advice.
IwishtothankthedirectorofMagnesPress,HaiTzabar,forhisinitialassis-
tance.TheWalterdeGruyterStudiaJudaicaseriesstaffencouragedmetotrans-
late the Hebrew edition into English, Sophie Wagenhofer, project editor of
Theology & Religious Studies section, in particular contributing towards trans-
forming the idea into reality. Particular thanks go to Liat Keren for her elegant
translation.
TheEnglisheditionwasalsomadepossiblebytheHarryWalsh,Q.C.,Career
Development Chair in Jewish Law and Morality, the Foundation of the Dean of
Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Ben-Gurion, as well as the
Foundation the University’s Rector. It also benefitted from the bequest fund of
the late Zelig Slutzki.To all these I extend mydeep gratitude.
Ioweadeepdebtofthankstomybelovedfamily,whohaveandstillfillmy
life with the lightand inspiration so necessaryfor a life ofstudyand creativity.
Mythankstomymother,SarahYisraeli,mywifeRivki,andmybelovedchildren
fortheirsupport,counsel,andhelpallalongtheway.Insorrowandyearning,I
paymyrespectstomylatefather,ChaimYisraeli,amultifacetedbibliophilewho
championed the Hebrew version, encouraging me to publish it as soon as pos-
sible.Althoughhesawitsbonestakingonflesh,hediedbeforeitwaspublished.
May his memory be blessed.
Ihopethevolumewillbeofinterestbothtothoseinthefieldofmidrashand
aggadaandthosewhosepreoccupiedwiththeZohar,makingamodestcontribu-
tion to promoting the studyof the latter from a perspective that to date has re-
mained relatively neglected and spurring others to take up the labour and
lend their shoulder to the task of opening up further windows in the palace
throughwhich we can glimpse the beloved of our hearts.
Oded Yisraeli
Ben-Gurion Universityof the Negev, February 2016
Table of Contents
Chapter One: The Zohar as Midrash 1
Why midrash? 5
The Zohar’s homiletic methodology 11
Chapter 2: The Zoharic Homilies: General Outlines 16
Chapter 3: From the Rabbinic to Zoharic Aggada: Preservation, Reworking,
and Alteration 20
Chapter 4: “The Light Hidden for the Righteous”: For Whom isit
Reserved? 33
“The light reserved for the righteous”: The early traditions 33
The “hidden light” and the “light of thought” 37
The “world to come” and the “future” 40
The “hidden light” in the Zohar 43
The “hidden-present”: In the wake of the Zohar 48
Conclusion 49
Chapter 5: Adam’s Sin: Its Meaning and Essence 50
The meaning of Adam’s sin: Polemical residues in nascent kabbalistic
thought 51
“He entered in tranquility and departed in terror”: Original sin in the
writings of R. Moses de Léon 57
“Many accounts”: Original sin in the Zohar 60
Exegetical tendencies and the exegete 64
Conclusion 65
Chapter 6: Enoch and Elijah: From Angel to Man, Man to Angel 67
The ancient traditions about Enoch and Elijah 67
Enoch and Elijah’s ascents in medieval philosophy 74
Elijah’s ascent: Nahmanides’ view 77
Enoch’s and Elijah’s ascents in the zoharic circle and later works 79
Conclusion 85
Chapter 7: “He failed”: The Story of Abraham’s Origins 87
The zoharic homily: The exegetical context 87
The story of Abraham’s origins in medieval Jewish literature 90
VIII TableofContents
The activist approach and its early roots 93
The Zohar, Maimonides, and Sefer Yetzira 97
The various versions in the Zohar 101
The Zohar, Philo, and Genesis Rabbah 103
Conclusion 106
Chapter 8: The Aqeda: From Test to Experience 108
What did God really want? 109
The essential view of the aqeda and its manifestations in midrash and
piyyut 112
The essentialist approach in Nahmanides commentary on the
Torah 117
The zoharic aggada: The “completion” of the aqeda 119
The zoharic aggada: The aqeda as an incense offering 121
The aqeda as the “binding of Din” in early kabbalistic writings and the
Zohar 123
The aqeda in the Zohar: From theosophic to a personal-existential
midrash 127
Conclusion 132
Chapter 9: The Birthright and the Blessing: Esau’s Suppressed Cry 134
‘That wicked one’: Esau asarchetype 134
The literary roots of the archetypal image 140
Esau and Edom in the zoharic myth 145
Esau’s cry: The wronging of evil and its vengeance 149
Conclusion 155
Chapter 10: The Exodus and the Liberation of the Kabbalistic Spirit 157
From the deliverance of the people to the deliverance of the spirit 158
From national enterprise to mythical struggle 160
From mythic struggle to personal-spiritual freedom 163
Conclusion 167
Chapter 11: The War Against Amalek: Human vs. Divine Needs 168
“Did Moses’ hands wage war?”: The Zohar and Roš. Haš. 3:7 168
The war against Amalek: A double and triple war 175
Moses’ hands and Amalek’s defeat 178
Conclusion 185
Contents IX
Chapter 12: Nadab and Abihu’s Sin as a “Holy Revolt” 186
Early and earlier traditions 186
Nadab and Abihu’s sin in the Zohar 191
Nadab, Abihu, and Phinehas 196
The meaning of the homily in its historical context 199
Conclusion 201
Chapter 13: “But Amongst the Nations of the World There Did Arise One Like
Moses”: Moses and Balaam 202
Prophet or diviner: From the ancient aggadah to the early
Kabbalah 203
Moses and Balaam: An aggadic tradition and its meaning 207
Balaam’s and Moses’ prophecies in the Zohar and R. Moses de Léon’s
Writings 209
Criticism of the dualist view of prophecy 215
The dualistic view of prophecy: Exegetical and ideological aspects 218
Conclusion 220
Chapter 14: “Then Moses, the Servantof the LORD, Died There”: Did Moses
Really Die? 222
Moses’ death in the pre-zoharic literature 223
“Death by a kiss” 226
Moses’ death in the Zohar 228
The relationship between the Zohar and the early aggada 235
Moses’ light and soul in the Tiqunim literature 239
Conclusion 243
Chapter 15: Elijah the Zealot 244
Elijah’s origin and identity 245
Zeal and Elijah in rabbinic thought 250
Elijah and Phinehas in the zoharic tradition 254
Elijah’s zeal: Between earth and heaven 256
Conclusion 259
Epilogue 261
Bibliography 266
Chapters first published elsewhere 283
X TableofContents
Index of Zoharic Sources 284
Index of subjects 286
Index of persons 289