From fear to awe in Luzzatto's Mesillat Yesharim
Perhaps the key term in musar writing is yir’ah. In early modern musar texts, usually incorporating kabbalistic discourse, this term is rendered as 'fear'. A striking exception is R. Moshe Ḥayyim Luzzatto’s Mesillat Yesharim, arguably one of the canonical texts of Jewish modernity. A close...
| Publié dans: | European journal of jewish studies |
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| Auteur principal: | |
| Collectivité auteur: | |
| Type de support: | Électronique Article |
| Langue: | Anglais |
| Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | En cours de chargement...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Publié: |
Brill
[2020]
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| Dans: |
European journal of jewish studies
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| Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés: | B
Lutsaṭo, Mosheh Ḥayim 1707-1747, Mesîllat yešārîm
/ Crainte
/ Révérence
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| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophie de la religion AG Vie religieuse BH Judaïsme |
| Sujets non-standardisés: | B
R. Moshe Ḥayyim Luzzatto
B Mesillat Yesharim B Fear B Morality B Mysticism B Piety B Sin B Awe |
| Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Résumé: | Perhaps the key term in musar writing is yir’ah. In early modern musar texts, usually incorporating kabbalistic discourse, this term is rendered as 'fear'. A striking exception is R. Moshe Ḥayyim Luzzatto’s Mesillat Yesharim, arguably one of the canonical texts of Jewish modernity. A close reading of the chapters devoted to yir’ah reveals that Luzzatto frames this term as ‘awe,’ moving away from the discourse on punishment and hell typical of early modern musar. An examination of the psychology behind this move shows that Luzzatto associates fear with the lower instinct of self-preservation, calling for its sublimation into self-abnegation in awe of divine presence. Mesillat Yesharim then became foundational for similar moves in later Jewish modernity. Without wishing to venture into claims as to inter-religious influence and response, it is instructive to compare Luzzatto’s approach to that of his Christian contemporaries, the ‘fire and brimstone’ preachers of the Great Awakening. |
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| ISSN: | 1872-471X |
| Contient: | Enthalten in: European journal of jewish studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/1872471X-BJA10014 |