Jewish Mystical Autobiographies: Book of Visions and Book of Secrets
(Paulist Press, New York, 1999)
Translated and Introduced by Morris M. Faierstein
Reviewed by M. Avrum Ehrlich

Recently, on an online academic list the translator of the above work made detailed clarifications to what has now become a famous academic apocryphal story how Prof Lieberman, a venerable sage of Jewish philosophy introduced his nemesis Prof G. Scholem another venerable sage of the academic study of Jewish mysticism: "Nonsense is nonsense, but the history of nonsense is scholarship and Prof Scholem is the greatest scholar of nonsense…" were the words used to welcome the undisputedly finest critical scholar of Kabbala at a lecture he was to deliver at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, 1973.

The cynicism towards the burgeoning academic discipline of Jewish mysticism is not lost on Faierstein who recounts in rabbinic detail the way he heard this story from his teacher; an eyewitness to the events. And though Faierstein demonstrates a living awareness of the tensions between Jewish philosophy and what Lieberman called “nonsense”, he has nonetheless dedicated his life to the “history of nonsense” with zeal as evinced from his compilation. His book includes a forward from the contemporary guru of Kaballa Prof Moshe Idel, a Translator’s Introduction, extensive footnotes and an index as well as two important mystical testimonies that he translates from Hebrew into English.

The latter are best described as the personal diaries of important kabbalists. These testimonies offer rare insight into an obscure mystical mindset otherwise known to scholars indirectly or via second hand information mainly through agenda based rabbinic folk stories. Although Christian religious history has produced many spiritual autobiographies of this sort, in Jewish history, however, this is rare. R Abraham Abulafia (1240-1291), R Isaac of Acre (Mid 13th – Mid 14th Century) were two of a scarce group that recorded their mystical experiences. But the diary of R Hayyim Vital is singularly unique because we catch a glimpse of the inner thoughts of a person who is today famous, revered as a saint and attributed with traits that, with the advantage of his own confessions, we may somewhat verify. His diary includes an account of his mystical experiences, dreams, stories he heard from other people and a collection of comments people made of him. These are interesting as they suggest he was a special person, in possession of Divine secrets and infer, often in less than subtle ways, that he was the long awaited Messiah.

The second work translated in Faierstein’s book is also a mystical autobiography/diary. It is authored in the late 18th century hasidic period by a prominent hasidic rabbi, however it is not as significant as the diary of R Hayyim Vital. The latter is a personality of tremendous importance and originality. Arguably, he was to Isaac Louria what Paul of Tarsis was to Jesus. He is archetypical of a genre of Jewish mystical thinking that influenced the Jewish mystical climate till the present.

A few subjects that personally intrigue me are somewhat clarified through Vital’s personal testimonies:

1. Clear insight into the mindset of a messianic aspirant.

Because messianism and messianic aspirants have intrigued us for millennium, the opportunity to read an articulate expose of a person who suspected he might be the Messiah is no less than fascinating. The mainstream Jewish - religious world has little tolerance for messianism and those claiming to be the Messiah and even mystical strains of Judaism have successfully weeded out most of their messianic inclinations so that messianism remains theoretical and rarely crosses the boundaries to literalism. And so it is even more curious how Vital and other ecstatic mystics like him were able to preserve a central place in Jewish mystical teachings, while, on the other hand, being so entirely messianic and literal about their messianic goals.

2. Insight into the “semikha controversy” and a vantage point to view the transformation of Jewish pietism from a political sort to a mystical one.

The Semikha controversy was a unique historical attempt in the 16th century to establish a centralised religious authority in Israel (the Sanhedrin) and the Jewish world, and though there was a consensus among most mystics supporting its goals, it was essentially a practical-political program. Vital represented an alternative – opposing mystical approach which undermined the political approach by asserting an ecstatic – religious – messianic solution for the Jew people’s woes neglecting a political solution. Future events indicate that, unaware of the stakes involved, Vital’s efforts supplanted those of the former. His diary, through off handed comments, offers insight into the politics of this tug-of-war between these two, above mentioned, ideological movements.

3. Testament of the internal life of a person available for psychiatric interpretation.

In this day and age, a person who seriously believes he might be the Messiah is naturally suspected of being delusional or of a psychiatric condition. However, in his time, Vital was not accused of heresy or madness. The opposite, his condition most likely inspired many people to religious commitment and his ecstatic vigour was offset by his great scholarship, prolific and articulate writing and inspirational preaching. Zwi Werblowsky already demonstrated in his 1980 work Joseph Karo: Lawyer and Mystic how people at that time could possess such extreme bipolarity and still succeed in exceedingly brilliant, public and relatively mainstream existences. The way that apparent delusion may be married with formidable spiritual leadership is a subject of interest to scholars of religion and politics alike. With the benefit of hindsight we know that a seriously deluded man has become an icon and an example of piety and spirituality. Now we need to understand the process which causes this to happen and understand why it is so widespread in so many religions and cultures. I suggest that the relationship between visionaries (however deluded they may be) and groups is intrinsic, going back to our early group experiences.

4. Comparison and contrast between the romanticised images traditionally evoked of the Jewish mystical saints against their own confessions about themselves.

The apocryphal stories of the rabbis and hasidim are generally designed to find the cute and the memorable but too often not the substantial parts of an event or a real person. Without this diary, we would only know Hayyim Vital via stories told in a style of rabbinic conservatism that hides the sensational elements and moderates the radical. We would only know Vital the scribe, modest servant, unassuming student and activist of his master, the great kabbalist Isaac Louria who died at an early age leaving very little writing. Vital is famous for having transcribed all of Louria’s works and causing them to be disseminated. His reputation in religious circles is primarily as a loyal disciple and scribe. Few orthodox circles are familiar with his diary beyond a knowledge that it exists. Upon reading it, the impression of Vital is of an entirely different person; ambitious, radical and non conformist. With his autobiographical chronicles in our hands, we are now able to compare and contrast the (illusional) apocryphal stories we have with his own (honest) self perceptions. Furthermore, the diaries describe the mundane day to day happenings of the 16th century town of Safed. Without this we might otherwise remain enchanted by the religionist’s description of the city as being exceedingly holy, pure and idealic. The ability for two antithetical impressions to exist side by side each other is of great fascination and offers insight into the method and causes involved in the development of myth and hero stories.

For an example of style and content see page 122 of Faierstein’s translation which I have chosen quite arbitrarily as an indication of the themes being played out in this diary:

“...the older wife dreamed that she heard many people saying: we will go and see the great level that Rabbi Hayyim the Kabbalist has attained. She went with them and saw me in a large house with beautiful couches and carpets, and there was a bed with gilded panels…surrounding it were large burning torches…I was sitting on the bed, dressed in white garments, and the garments were very bright, white and smooth like fingernail…on the same night my wife’s aunt had a dream…I was in a large field, sitting on the chair, and I was dressed in white garments…bright as the sun, like the garments of Adam. All of Israel were coming there and bringing me letters and documents from all lands. The content of the letters was that they were all accepting me as their judge and leader…I judged each of them as appropriate…the assistants issued the decrees and I sat silently like a king…they said…all the greatness this sage attained came to him…because he was satisfied with little and did not chase luxuries”.

In general, reading a first hand account of religious society in Palestine in the 16th century, about people, relationships, ecstatic experiences, politics and first hand accounts of people we know of only from history books and secondary sources is refreshing in the least. Such works are valuable to the age of historical revisionism and to the burgeoning study of socio-politico-religious thought.

Understanding the mystical mindset is a mammoth endevour which calls to task many disciplines, significant amongst them psychiatry. Understanding the personality type of those dedicating their lives to this research is equally daunting. The nature of the mystic and the nature of the cynical scholar of mysticism are a curiosity, perhaps sharing the same drives and motives.

For certain, the complexities involved in the study of “non-sense” are more subtle than what meets the eye. The apparent babble of mystical ecstatics might not be, according to Prof Lieberman, important for Jewish philosophy but they are indeed invaluable to the study of sociology and politics and the fabric of developing society. The astute observer may watch and better understand religious structures and the methods by which systems of ideas, belief in contemporary prophets and delusion are daily employed in the management of society. We look forward to more diaries and first hand exposes into the Jewish political soul reaching the English speaking public.