“All My Thinking Has But One Focus”: Contemplative Seclusion in (Early) Modern Jewish Spirituality
Entangled Religions July 3, 2023 DOI: 10.46586/er.14.2023.10249 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that in Jewish spiritual literature, particularly early modern sources, the practices of perishut ("separation") and hitbodedut ("solitude") serve as preparatory steps for approaching the divine and achieving oneness with God. Some authors considered these practices instrumental for gaining divine knowledge, an idea connected to earlier Jewish conceptions of prophecy, and contemporary sources present contemplative seclusion as transcending the temporal framework to which humans are bound. |
Abstract
This study investigates the way in which different concepts of contemplation and seclusion are negotiated in Jewish spiritual literature. Focusing on (early) modern examples, it particularly addresses the functions and goals of physical and mental exercises designed to achieve detachment from worldly concerns. It shows how practices denoted by the terms perishut (lit. “separation”) and hitbodedut (lit. “solitude”) serve as preparatory steps that enable individuals to approach the divine, with the ultimate goal of bringing about various experiences of oneness with the deity. Against this background, it elucidates how perishut and hitbodedut were considered by some authors instrumental to gain divine knowledge, and how this idea relates to earlier Jewish conceptions of prophecy. Lastly, it will illustrate how in contemporary sources, contemplative seclusion is presented as a practice that transcends the temporal framework to which humans are bound.