Mysticism and Madness

The Religious Thought of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav

Zvi Mark

• Publisher: Continuum
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN:
  9780826441447
• eBook ISBN:
  9781441169389
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Jewish Theology

Two hundred years since Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav's demise, his philosophical writings and literary creation remain lively and provocative materials in both Jewish culture and the New-Age movement.

Key elements of Rabbi Nachman`s magic and magnetic force are illuminated in this research, which presents Bratslavian mysticism as a unique link in the history of Jewish mysticism. The mystical worldview is the axis of this book, but its branches stretch out to key issues in the Bratslavian world such as belief and imagination, dreams and the land of Israel, melodies and song.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Imagination, Prophecy and Faith: The Role of the Imagination in Religious Life, and the Character of Bratslavian Faith
• 2 On the Character of Mystical Experiences
• 3 Unification: Hints, Sparks and Melody – On the Bratslavian Service of God
• 4 Silence and Melody Facing the Void: On the Place of the Mystic Melody in the Confrontation with Heresy in the Writings of R. Nachman of Bratslav
• 5 The Land of Imagination
• 6 ‘Smallness’ And ‘Greatness’ and their Roots in the Kabbalah of the Ari
• 7 The Ultimate Purpose of Knowing is that We Do Not Know
• 8 ‘The Story of the Humble King’ – On Laughter and Foolishness in the Service of God
• Bibliography
• Index