Jewish Mysticism Bible to Kabbalah

            Instructor: Mr. Richard Benton                                 Office: Van Hise 1352
            Time: M, W 2:30-3:45                                                Email: rcbenton@wisc.edu
            Office Hours: M 3:50-4:50; W 1:20-2:20;                 Final: Tues, Dec 16, 12:25-2:25
                                    and by appointment

This course will provide a historically-oriented introduction to Jewish mysticism. Through lectures, readings, and discussion, students will gain an understanding of various manifestations of Jewish mysticism (e.g., prophetic, apocalyptic, Hekhalot) and their development through time. For every system we will consider the following questions:

• This class has three goals:
(1) To learn about some of the texts of Jewish mysticism;

(2) To identify the themes that occur throughout Jewish mysticism and characterize their development; and

• Exams (30%)
There are two exams, a midterm (15%) on October 13th during class time and a final (15%) on Tuesday, December 16th, 12:25-2:25. Exams are not cumulative. The exams are comprised of identification and essay questions.

You must come to the exam the day it is given. The only exception is an emergency with proper documentation (note from a doctor, etc.).

• Close reading paper (20%)
Students will write one close-reading paper of about 5-7 double-spaced pages. You must choose one mystical text from the corpus of Jewish mysticism in the course syllabus. You will be expected to state the history of the text briefly, present the way the author experiences the divine, and explain how the author does so via the text. Your choice of text must be presented to me either in person or via email by October 29th. This topic constitutes 10% of your total paper grade. The paper will be due in class on December 3rd. A late paper will be reduced by one half-letter grade for every day it is late (A to AB, AB to B, etc.).

• Short papers (20%)
Students will write two essays each not more than three double-spaced pages. Each will be worth 10% of your grade. Topics will be provided in class in advance. They will be due in class October 6th and November 12th. A late paper will be reduced by one half-letter grade for every day it is late (A to AB, AB to B, etc.).

• Discussion & Participation (20%)
Active participation in a discussion is required. Discussion is essential for learning how to deal with these difficult and thought-provoking texts. Students are expected to read the assigned readings before the class period under which it is indicated. You will be given guiding questions on these materials to help you study and comprehend the text. The discussion and participation grade will be calculated on the basis of two criteria: 1) your participation in class discussion (70% of D&P grade), and 2) your success in unannounced quizzes on the assigned readings (30% of D&P grade). Quizzes may not be made up, and I will drop the lowest quiz score in calculating the final grade.

• Lecture Paper (10%)
I will be away at a conference on November 24th. To make up for this lost day, each student will attend one of the Center for Jewish Studies lectures. Each student will write a one-page, double-spaced summary of one of these lectures. The summary must include the name of the lecture and lecturer, the main point the lecturer was making, and how he made his point. It may include to what extent you were convinced by the presentation, as long as your opinion is explained. It will be due in my box within seven days after the event you attend. Here is the list of events. For more information on the events, please go to http://jewishstudies.wisc.edu/upcoming-lectures/.

Total Points		Grade Scale
Midterm	15	94-100	A
Final	15	87-93	AB
Close Reading Paper	20	80-86	B
Papers (2 @ 10 a piece)	20	73-79	BC
Discussion	20	66-72	C
Lecture Paper	10	60-65	D
Total	100	0-59	F

There will be no class on Oct. 1st in observance of Rosh Hashanah. Excused absences for other religious holidays must be arranged in advance with the professor. The professor will be sensitive to students’ religious preferences, and will, if at all possible, accommodate student requests for an excused absence.

Integrity: The following are examples of violations of standards for academic honesty and are subject to academic sanctions: cheating on exams, submitting collaborative and/or others’ work as one’s own, falsifying course work, stealing examinations or course materials, submitting work previously submitted in another course (unless specifically approved by the instructor), falsifying documents or signing an instructor’s or administrator’s name to any document or form, or aiding another student in any of these actions.

Cheating on exams or assignments will result in zero points for that assignment or test. Regarding plagiarism in this course, students are expected to cite all sources, written or otherwise, and failure to do so will result in grade reduction or no credit.

Etiquette: Attendance for the lectures is very important, since there is no single source in the library (or the internet) for the material covered in the lectures. Attendance will not be taken directly, but the ability to complete the course assignments will indirectly reflect your attendance. Timeliness helps provide a positive learning experience for the whole class. Class will begin and end on time. Out of respect for your classmates, please also refrain from any other behavior that might be distracting. Students whose behavior in class is disruptive can expect a significant reduction in their final grade.

The following is a schedule of topics for each lecture of the semester. This schedule may change as the semester progresses.

Topics	Date		Reading Assignments
Introduction to course	Sept 3
Introduction: Mysticism in General & Jewish Mysticism in Particular	Sept 8		Sherwin, Chapters 1 & 2. Evelyn Underhill, “The Point of Departure,” in Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Man's Spiritual Consciousness (Stilwell, KS: Digireads.com Pub, 2005), 3-25. Optional reading: Bernard McGinn, “Introduction,” in The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, ed. Bernard McGinn (New York: Modern Library, 2006), xiii-xviii. Dionysius the Areopagite, I i, “What is the Divine Gloom?” Mark J. Sedgwick, “What is Sufism and where does it come from?” in Sufism: The Essentials (Cairo: the American University in Cairo press, 2003), 9-14. James Fadiman and Robert Frager, eds, “Spiritual Experience,” and “How to Know God,” in Essential Sufism (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997), 95-99, 197-202.
UNIT 1: Hebrew Bible
Mysticism in the Bible. God’s relation to Creation, people, and prophets.	Sept 10		Note: Primary texts are in Bold throughout syllabus Creation: Genesis 1-3
	Sept 15		Ordinary mysticism: Exodus 19-20; Deuteronomy 4, 6 Sherwin, Chapter 3.
	Sept 17		Ordinary mysticism: Song of Songs 3-4
	Sept 22		Extraordinary mysticism: 2 Kings 2:11-12; Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1-3
UNIT 2: Apocalyptic Literature
God’s residence and attendants. Those who visit God, and what they learn there.	Sept 24	Adela Yarbro Collins, “Apocalypses and Apocalypticism,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman, vol. 1 (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 279-92. Stephen L. Cook, “Encountering Apocalyptic Worlds,” in The Apocalyptic Literature, Interpreting Biblical Texts (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), 19-31.
	Sept 29	Biblical Apocalyptic: Daniel 7-8 New Testament Apocalyptic: Revelation 4 Other Apocalyptic: 1 Enoch 14-23, 41-52, 67-71; Apocalypse of Abraham §§9-24 James H. Charlesworth, “Introduction for the General Reader,” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. James H. Charlesworth, vol. 1, Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments (Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1983), xxviii-xxxiv.
	Oct 1 NO CLASS (Rosh Hashanah)

UNIT 3: Qumran & Dead Sea Scrolls
Liturgical communion with the angels and the community’s relation to them.	Oct 6 1st paper due	Carol A Newsom, “Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice,” in Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 2 vols, ed. Lawrence H. Schiffman and James C. VanderKam (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 887-89. James C. VanderKam, “The Qumran Essenes,” in The Dead Sea Scrolls Today (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994), 108-19.
	Oct 8	*Geza Vermes, “Songs for the Holocaust of the Sabbath (4Q400-407, 11Q17, Masada 1039-200),” in The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English* (New York: Allen Lane the Penguin Press, 1997), 321-30.**
Midterm: Oct 13
Unit 4: Rabbinic Mysticism
Secrecy, esotericism, and ordinary mysticism; “The Work of the Chariot” and “The Work of Creation”	Oct 15	Gershom Gerhard Scholem, “General Characteristics of Jewish Mysticism,” in Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New York: Schocken Books, 1971), 1-39 [read sections 2-4 attentively; skim the rest]. Sherwin, Chapter 3 [already read for Sept 15].
	Oct 20	*Babylonian Talmud Hagigah* (Selections) (Soncino translation), 61-63, 68-84, 88-91.** Robert Goldenberg, “Talmud,” in Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts, ed. Barry W. Holtz (New York: Touchstone, 1984), 137-58.
	Oct 22	Song of Songs Rabbah (Selections) (Soncino translation), 20-26, 228-31. Barry W. Holtz, “Midrash,” in Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts, ed. Barry W. Holtz (New York: Touchstone, 1984), 177-89.
Unit 5: Hekhalot Literature
Ascent (or, Descent) to the Chariot-throne; the dimensions of God in Heikhalot Literature	Oct 27	Sherwin, Chapter 8. Gershom Gerhard Scholem, “General Remarks,” in Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition (New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1960), 1-8.
	Oct 29 Close Reading topic due	L. Grodner, trans, “Pirkei Heikhalot: Text and Commentary,” in The Merkabah Tradition and the Zoharic Tradition, ed. David R. Blumenthal, vol. 2, Understanding Jewish Mysticism: A Source Reader, vol. 2, The Library of Judaic Learning (New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1978), 53-91.
	Nov 3	*Continue discussion on* L. Grodner, trans, “Pirkei Heikhalot: Text and Commentary,” 53-91.
	Nov 5	“Sh'ir Qoma: The Measure of the (Divine) Body from the Sefer Raziel HaGadol Book of (the Angelic Secrets of) Raziel the Great One,” 2001, Work of the Chariot, July 31, 2008 <http://www.workofthechariot.com/PDF/NewShirQoma.pdf>.
Unit 6: Jewish Magic
Magic: personal power, making the angels do one’s bidding	Nov 10	Sherwin, Chapter 10.
Magic: personal power, making the angels do one’s bidding	Nov 12 2nd paper due	*Michael A. Morgan, trans., Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries, Texts and Translations 25; Pseudepigrapha Series, vol. 11 (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1983), pp. 17-42.* *Joseph Naveh and Shaul Shaked, Amulets and Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity* (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1985), 13-19, 135, 165 [Introduction, Bowl 2, and Bowl 6].**
Unit 7: The Zohar
Zohar: Mystical Midrash and Mystical Novel; Views on Torah	Nov 17	Arthur Green, selections from A Guide to the Zohar (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2004), 63-85.
	Nov 19	*Select passages from the Zohar: from Daniel Matt, Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment* (New York: Paulist Press, 1983), read passages plus endnotes: “How To Look at Torah,” in Matt, Zohar, 43–45. “The Old Man and the Beautiful Maiden,” in Matt, Zohar, 121–26. “Threshing out the Secrets,” in Matt, Zohar, 163–69. “The Rabbis Encounter a Child,” in Matt, Zohar, 170–76. “Miracles,” in Matt, Zohar, 177–81. “The Wedding Celebration,” in Matt, Zohar, 182–89.**
The Zohar on the Inner-life of the Divine: Creation, Cosmology, and the Ten Sefirot	Nov 24 NO CLASS (I will be at a conference.)
	Nov 26	Sherwin, Chapter 4. *Select passages from the Zohar: from Isaiah Tishby, ed., The Wisdom of the Zohar, 3 vols. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991).* (Note: page citations for the standard edition of the Zohar are at the top of each passage). Tishby, 1:257 (= volume 1, page 257): En-Sof and Ayin Tishby, 1:258–59: Cause Above All Causes Tishby, 1:259: En-Sof Beyond All Perception Tishby, 1:265–66: Essence and Vessels Tishby, 1:266–68: Acts of En-Sof Tishby, 1:311-13: Process of Emanation Tishby, 1:313–318: Chain of Sefirot Tishby, 2:562–67: Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet Tishby, 2:569: The Upper World and the Lower World
The Theosophical-Theurgical Kabbalah of the Zohar: Human Nature, Agency, and Redemption	Dec 1	Arthur Green, selections from A Guide to the Zohar (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2004), 101-133.
	Dec 3 Close Reading Paper Due	Tishby, 2:475–82: The Array of Powers Tishby, 2:494–96: Kernel and Shell Tishby, 2:538–39: Samael and Lilith Tishby, 1:402–3: Moon Tishby, 1:408–9: The Dismissal of the Queen
Further developments in Kabbalah	Dec 8	Sherwin, Chapters 6 & 7.
Course conclusion	Dec 10
*Final Exam Tuesday, December 16th, 12:25-2:25*

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Latest reviision date: 8/27/2008