:Trance and the Nomian
Jonathan Garb
University of Chicago Press eBooks March 29, 2013 DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226282060.003.0006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that shamanic trance is often embedded in nomian (law-observant) contexts, with Hasidism as a prime example, and that the practice of immersion distinguishes the Hasidic path from antinomian deviations such as Sabbateanism. Contends that this cultural determination of trance supports the "contextual" school of mystical experience without negating comparative study. |
Abstract
This chapter argues that shamanic trance often seems in contexts of a markedly nomian nature. The Hasidic movement can be shown as a prime example of the intimate link between trance experience and nomian practice. The placement of trance within a graduated path explains the prevalence of the rabbinic ladder of ethical and nomian progression in Kabbalistic texts on trance. The nomian practice of immersion should be demonstrated as a crucial aspect of the daily mystical regimen of the central Hasidic figures, and that of other kabbalists, such as the Sephardic masters. It is immersion that differentiates the identity of the Hasidic path from antinomian mystical deviations such as Sabbateanism. The cultural determination of trance and other shamanic moments in mystical life reinforces the “contextual” school in the understanding of mystical experience, without negating the value of comparative study.