Safed Spirituality: Rules of Mystical Piety, the Beginning of Wisdom

The book 'Safed Spirituality: Rules of Mystical Piety, The Beginning of Wisdom' is a text produced by the Paulist Press for their series on the Classics of Western Spirituality (see the end of this review for more information. The translation of these texts were done by Professor Lawrence Fine, who also wrote the introduction. At the time of its printing, Fine was a professor of religious studies and Jewish studies at Indiana University, and I took a course in Jewish mysticism under his direction. 'The renaissance of Jewish mystical life that took place in the Galilean city of Safed in the sixteenth century is one of the most significant and remarkable chapters in the history of Judaism. The ideas that developed there, the rich literature that was produced, the stunning array of teachers it nurtured, established Safed as one of the great centers of Jewish creativity.' Given this glowing introduction to the place and time, it is remarkable that few people, including few Jewish people, have ever heard of Safed or Safed spirituality. In the preface by Louis Jacobs, the idea of normative Judaism's resistance to things mystical is explored. Certainly in an era where Hasidic Jews are no longer unknown people and Kabbalistic mysticism is made popular by pop stars and New Age spiritualists, to explore the great production of the community of Safed makes sense. Safed spirituality had no qualms about reinventing the symbols, practices and traditions of Judaism, and in that has an interesting modern sensibility to it. However, the Safed community was careful not to push beyond the boundaries of `orthodox' Judaism, and so remains firmly a part of the greater Jewish communal experience. The Safed community benefited from a convergence of historical events, including the expulsion of Jews from various European kingdoms, most particularly the Spanish explusion of 1492, and from tolerance and trade within the Ottoman Empire at the time. Fine describes the Safed community of the 1500s as having five primary features that constituted innovations in Judaism: - messianic fervor - organised brotherhoods - ascetic behaviour - ritual innovations - contemplative practices Fine has selected two types of literature from the Safed community to present in this text. First, there is the Hanhagot, codes and practices of religious behaviour. Second, there is the Resh-it Hokhmah, which translates as The Beginning of Wisdom, an ethical-mystical text written by Elijah de Vidas. The Hanhagot are, in effect, practical daily instructions. This is not out of keeping with greater Jewish custom and practice, where writings such as the Talmud are esteemed for their organisation principles and exacting prescriptions for action and behaviour. 'Forsaking speculative, theoretical, and analytical concerns, the Haghanot are usually composed of lists that, in a terse, systematic format, enumerate practical behavioral standards and expectations. In tone they are conspicuously directive and did