THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 11, 1981 7
Rabbi Bokser's Jewish Mysticism Anthology Printed
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
I see the flames rise upward
Piercing the heavens,
But who feels, who can ex-
press their might?
I am hound to the world
All creatures, all people are
WC.
Trojan
"Son of C. Trojan"
CUSTOM FURNITURE
& CARPET CLEANING
ON LOCATION
I
FREE ESTIMATES
Phone
576-1140
Complete Photographic
Color and Black & White
Services
GROSSMAN KNOWING
Co.
Photographic Color Laboratory
my friends,
Many parts of my soul
Are intertwined with them,
But how can I share with
them my light?
The above passage from
Rabbi Abraham Kook's
exalted ode "Expanses, Ex-
panses" appears in the an-
thology "The Jewish Mysti-
cal Tradition," authored by
Rabbi Ben Zion Bokser (Pil-
grim Press).
The book, composed of
selections from the vast
Jewish mystical literature,
consists of a general intro-
duction and six sections.
Brief comments precede
each selection.
In the general introduc-
tion, the author states that
"mysticism is the ultimate
quest for the ultimate
meaning of life" and mystics
of all faiths endeavor to link
life with God in spiritual
unity.
Jewish mystics, he
notes, in addition to gen-
eral mystical goals, "also
reflect the uniqueness of
the cultural ethos of their
Jewish experience"; seek
an answer to the prob-
lems of evil; and try to
reconcile God's choosing
of Israel with the cir-
FRUIT BASKETS
FOR ALL
OCCASIONS
We use
/Kodak paper...
'fora good look.
WORLD-WIDE DELIVERY
THE
BASKET
SHOPPE
2666 COOLIDGE Berkley
150-05051
Lathrup Village Sales Office
26612 Southfield Road
Telephone 552-9070
Laboratory
5715 Woodward
Telephone 832-2360
William C. Tucker Chairman
•
DeLorean E111111C
Rolls Royce
ROLLS
World Class cars.
Now available
at a
world class
car dealer.
[-Buick
ROYCE
1:::=VI-londa
Rou,
28585 Telegraph Rd. Across From Tel-Twelve Mall
Southfield, Mich.
(313)353-1300
dilate
-. Loupes
— C I Intque dotal concepts wit/ a pe1sonal
29437 ( TV.
2 ,..( -.411
NOad,
Nainbow
galrnInglon
4.41111s
)quaIe
k, C
477-g23o
1 0% OFF
with this ad
Now is the time
to order your
Hanuka Arrangements.
Make this holiday
memorable with a
centerpiece from us.
cumstances of Israel's
tribulations in the dark
night of exile."
Rabbi Bokser writes that
the roots of Jewish mysti-
cism are ingrained in
the Bible as exemplified by
these verses:
The heavens declare the
Glory of God,
the sky proclaims His hand-
iwork.
Day after day reveals His
splendor,
night after night shows forth
His wisdom. (Psalm 19)
Like the psalmists, tal-
mudic sages "cultivated the
mystical life." This is re-
flected in this classic "aga-
da":
"Four entered into the or-
chard of mystical know-
ledge. Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma,
Akher, and Rabbi Akiba .. .
Ben Azzai looked and died
. . . Ben Zoma looked and
was mentally affected .. .
Akher cut down the plants
. . . Rabbi Akiba departed in
peace."
Mystical and allegorical
is the rabbinical explana-
tion of literature's greatest
love poem, "Shir Hashirim"
("The Song of Songs").
The love it portrays be-
tween a young man and a
Jerasalemite maiden, the
rabbis interpret as the
love between God and Is-
rael. It is not surprising,
therefore, that Rabbi
Akiba expressed his feel-
ings of admiration for
"Shir Hashirim," as fol-
lows: "No one in Israel
ever challenged 'The
Song of Songs' ... for all
of 'Ketuvim' (The Holy
Scripture) is holy, but
The Song of Songs' is
holiest of the holy."
Engrossing are the mys-
tical Midrashim. Constitut-
ing an integral part of the
vast Midrashic literature,
their aim was to explore and
uncover the inner meaning
of every biblical verse,
phrase, word and letter.
Thus, the authors of the
Midrashim, for instance,
tried to find the reason why
the "Torah begins with the
letter 'bet' ("Bereshi") and
ends with the letter 'lamed'
(Israel)."
They explained it this
way: "When you join the
first and last letters they
form the word `bal' (no-
thing). And when you read
them in the reverse order,
they form the word 'ley'
(heart). Said the Holy One
to Israel: My children, if you
pursue these two attributes,
humility (bal) and heart
(lev), I will consider it as
though you have kept the
entire Torah from 'bet' to
`lamed.'
The classic Kabala text,
the "Zohar," authored by
the 13th Century talmudic
scholar, Moses de Leon, is
"the most influential book
Post Marks 50th
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The Jerusalem Post is
marking its 50th anniver-
sary by sponsoring a Jewish
National Fund forest in the
city's suburb of Neve
Yaacov.
in the history of Jewish
mysticism."
The title "Zohar,"
meaning "The Lumin-
ous," refers to the mysti-
cal belief "that a divine
light shines in all things
in the material world as
in the teaching of the To-
rah."
Central to the "Zohar's"
teaching is the doctrine of
the "sefirot." Through them
God directs "hidden worlds
which have not been re-
vealed and worlds which
have been revealed." But no
one directs God, "none
above, none below, none on
any side."
The "Zohar" likens the
"sefirot" to the human body.
Thus, the "sefira" "Hesed"
(lovingkindness) is likened
to the right arm; "Gevura"
(strength) is the left arm;
"Tiferet" (beauty) the torso;
"Hod" (majesty) the two
thighs; "Yesod" (founda-
tion) the extremity of the
body; "Malkut"
(sovereignty) the mouth;
"Khokhma" (wisdom) basic
thought; "Binah" (under-
standing) the heart; "Keter"
(crown) where the "tefilin"
are placed.
But the "Zohar" em-
phasizes that there is no
likeness to God, "no
comparison to anything
Caricatures
within or without." God
is "beyond characteriza-
tion except to accommo-
date people" and to con-
vey to them "His power
and to show them how
the world is governed by
judgment and compas-
sion."
"The Jewish Mystical
Tradition" is an important
contribution to a better un-
derstanding of Jewish mys-
ticism.
for your party
By
SAM FIELD
Call
399-1320
Weekly Special
OLEG CASSINI
Shawl Collar Cardigans
Reg. $50
NOW $31 99
Choose from grey, or natural
Offer expires Mon., Dec. 14th
SHIRT
IIOX
FURNISHINGS & ACCESSORIES
Mon.-Sat. 9:30 to 6, Thurs. til 9, Sun. 12 5
19011 W. TEN MILE RD. at SAN i Ai BARBARA, SOUTHFIELD
-
bet. Southfield & Evergreen
352-1080
Parking and Entrance in rear
Jewish mothers (and fathers) have traditionally boasted, and
justifiably so, about their children's professional achievements.
But in how Many parts of the world can a Jewish parent proudly
proclaim: "Meet my son, THE KNIGHT!"
Certainly Scotland must stand in the forefront. In
recent years Scotland produced three Jewish Knights,
two Jewish Members of Parliament, a Lord Provost
(mayor), and the only Jewish pipe-band in the entire
world!
Of course Scotland's most famous product is scotch
whisky. And America's favorite scotch is J&B. We care-
fully select the finest scotches and blend them for
smoothness and subtlety. The result is why we say that
J&B whispers.
Incidentally, you don't have to wait until your son
becomes a Knight or your daughter a Dame in order to
enjoy J&B. Any `simcha' will do!
wa,ts
36B. lit whispers
86 Proof Blended Scotch Whisky. 1980 The Paddington Corp., NY