THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, November 25, 1977 15 IBM Jewish Mysticism and Hasidic Teachings Collected in Jacobs - Anthologies By ALLEN A. WARSEN What is Jewish mystic- ism? Louis Jacobs, in the anthology, "Jewish Mys- tical Testimonies" (Scho- cken), defines it "as that RABBI LOUIS JACOBS aspect of the Jewish reli- gious experience hi which man's mind is in direct encounter with God." The anthology consists of an introduction, personal mystical testimonies and a glossary. The opening testimony, "Ezekiel's Visison of the Heavenly Throne" portrays some of the prophet's visual images : the Throne (mer- kava); four living creatures resembling men, each hav- ing four faces—those of a man, lion, ox, and eagle, and four wings ; wheels with eyes and wheels within wheels. The Throne is believed to represent God's glory. The four-headed creatures, some interpreters explain, reflected the prophet's sub- conscious mind that "had absorbed the images of the bull-like figures guarding the entrances to the Baby- lonian temples." The four faces symbolize "the four most majestic creatures," and the wheels stand for angels. The testimony titled, "The Zohar on the High Priest's Ecstasy," describes the High Priest's service on the Day of Atonement in the Holy of Holies. The testi- mony reads in part: "on that day the Priest is crowned with supernal crowns. He stands between those on high and those below as he makes atone- ment for himself, his house- hold, the Temple and all Israel... When he entered with the blood of the bullock he had the Head of Faith in mind...He then did the sprinkling... as he sprinkled he concentrated his thoughts and began to count: 'One' ; 'One and, One.' This means First the One by itself, the One that embraces all, the One that is the praise of all, the One towards which all are directed; then 'One and One,' thus both are joined together in love and friend- shi,p and are never separated." A letter the founder of Hasidism, Israel ben Elie- zer (the Baal Shem Toy; c. 1700-1760), wrote to a friend in Jerusalem is the testi- mony titled, "The Mystical Epistle of the Baal Shem Tov." In it the Baal Shem Tov revealed his soul's ascent to heaven where he saw the Messiah, the "tanaim," the saints, and the Seven Shep- herds (Adam, Seth, Meth- uselah, David, Abraham, Jacob and Moses) study the Torah. "...When will the Master come? and he replied: "You will know of it in this way; it will be when your teaching becomes famous and revealed to the world...Then will all `kelippot' (evil forces) be consumed and it will be a time of grace and salvation." "Hasidic Thought" (Beh- rman House) is a compan- ion volume to Louis Jacobs' "Jewish Mystical Testimonies." It is an anthology con- sisting of selection from actual texts of the great Hasidic master. The selec- tions are preceded by bio- graphical sketches and include explanatory notes. Jacobs commences the anthology with the parables of the founder of the Hasidic movement, the Baal Shem -Tov (Master of the Good Name), also known as the Besht. "Good Name" refers to God. The parables originally were published in "Toledot Yaacov Joseph" authored by Yaacov Joseph of Pul- noyye, and are titled: "How the Maggid Was Con- verted," "What is the Role of the Zaddik," and "What Is Real and What Is Illusion?" A typical Besht parable follows: "I heard from my teacher (i.e. the Baal Shem Tov) an interpretation of the talmudic saying: "Yes, in connection with Moses, it (the fear of God) was a small thing." The difficulty here is obvious. Moses was not speaking to himself but addressing the people of Israel. He explained it as follows. The Talmud states that the verse: "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God includes scholars." Jacobs explains this par- able thus: "There is much more to the saying of the Baal Shem Tov...than meets the eye...The talmudic sayings in praise of the `scholars' are all applied to the Hasidic saint—the zad- dik. What our text is really saying... is that it is very hard for the ordinary man to fear God, but it becomes easy for him if he associates with the zaddik. Moses becomes the prototype of the zaddik. Just as the people were led by their awe in the presence of Moses to the fear of God, so the masses can be led to the fear of God through their awe of the spiritual gran- deur of the zaddik." A Hasidic master who left an indelible mark on the history of Hasidism was Shneur Zalman of Liady (1745-1813) a disciple of Dov Baer, the Maggid of Meseritch (d. 1772). Shneur Zalman who founded the intellectual, Hasidic Habad movement, also authored "Tanya," a philosophic-mystical system of thought. A Habad Hasid once expressed this thought about "Tanya:" "What an achievement, to contain such a great God in such a small book." The following passage from "Tanya" is still timely and valid: "God has made one as well as the other (Ecclesiastes 7:14). So it is, quite the opposite with regard to Ishmael, who rep- resents the 'llesed' of the telippa' (evil force). With him the more mercy he is shown the more he is puffed up with pride and the more ambitious he becomes." The anthologies, "Jewish rypewritets Setectric etc. knowledge of the subjects. The author, Louis Jacobs, is a lecturer at Leo Baeck College, London. 6 400 Add 'n Type -7 800.399-8333 242 - 1221 That's the Tamaroff Sales Policy. Tamaroff Buick-Opel-Honda will make it possible for you to stop getting the run-around when you buy a car. We will not bounce, bump or hassle you. 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