Aryeh Yosef Krawczyk

Der vorliegende Beitrag ist ein Versuch, die Frage der Segen in jüdischen Gebeten im Kontext einer allgemeinen Analyse des Wortes barach, "segnen" aus einer neuen Perspektive zu betrachten sowie interessante numerische Zusammenhänge zwischen den mit dem Segenritual verbundenen Termini und Symbolen zu erörtern. Fast alle jüdischen Segen beginnen mit der Formel: Baruch Ata Adonai,

Sod ha-Nachash u-Mishpato ve-Maasehu
The Secret of the Serpent, His Law and His Deed
- Translation of the Treatise by R. Yosef Gikatilla (1248-1325)

Presented paper consists of the first complete translation of the XIII c. kabbalistic treatise. Annotations, foreword and appendix are added. The main theme of this booklet is the figure of the serpent, which - according to the interpretation of the translator - represents the notion of life. Therefore, the biological perspective is proposed to understand the content of the text.

Keywords: life, death, serpent, Gikatilla, kabbalah, biology, sexuality,

This paper presents a tentative outline for the research field dedicated to the “serpent” theme within the tradition of the Torah’s commentaries, with a special focus on kabbalistic tradition. The analysis of this theme is followed by hypothesis claiming that “serpent” is – among other meanings – a symbol of “life”. This text is prelude to broader research on the defined notion of the “serpent” in the kabbalistic tradition. The point of reference for this research is a small treatise by XIII/XIV c. kabbalist, r. Yosef Gikatilla, entitled Sod ha-Nachash u-Mishpato, “The Secret of the Serpent and Judgment upon Him”. Fragments of the preliminary translation of this treatise are presented below. My long-term goal is to prepare an annotated critical edition  and translation of Gikatilla’s work.
1) Serpent in the Middle of the Torah
2) Serpent as The Life Itself
3) Serpent and Serpentess
4) Letter nun and Sexuality
5) Nachash and Satan
6) סוד הנחש ומשפטו ע"י ר' יוסף גיקטילה ז"צל “The Secret of the Serpent and Judgment upon Him” by r. Yosef Gikatilla

Published in: Jewish History Quarterly, 2/2015, Warsaw, pp. 283-316, http://www.jhi.pl/en/bookstore/quarterly

The paper encompasses a review of selected themes and textological analysis of “Book of the
Sign”, Sefer ha-Ot, by 13th century kabbalist, r. Abraham Abulafia. Part one includes a depiction
of eight extant source manuscripts with an analysis of the structure and possible path of
development of each copy and eventually – an explanation on the choice of the main sources
applied for the synopsis. Part two sketches on the themes from Sefer ha-Ot that have not yet been
the subject of detailed research or were just initially hinted without delving into minutiae. These
are supported by scans of respective folios from one of the manuscripts. Some schemes and
illustrations were added, too, where applicable.

SUMMARY:

Removing the Veil of Language. Moses’ Prophetic Torah and Abulafia’s Prophesying through Torah

The article discusses several possible ways of interpreting Ex 34:29-35 with reference to Moses’ veil covering his face after the encounter with God. Rethinking the idea of prophesying as an act that precedes linguistic comprehension and – consequently – precedes the prophecy itself, the author seeks affinities between this renowned Torah passage and the output of the 13th-century Kabbalist, Abraham Abulafia z”tzl. Abulafia’s Sheva Netivot ha-Tora (“Seven Paths of Torah”) and Chaje ha-Olam ha-Ba, (“Life of the World to Come”) emphasize the importance of delving into the state of “prophesying” in order to enter the realm of a pre-linguistic insight on divine  Torah. Treated as a valuable ecstatic practice in itself, such act is supposed to transform the human mind into the angelic one.

Some remarks on bracha (blessing)  or the rule of 222

Blessing, being one of the most important rituals in Jewish religious life, is usually treated as an homage to God for some particular good allegedly received by the believer. However, among kabbalistic interpretations there are some pointing to the reverse flow of theurgic energy, where blessing is an act of establishing hierarchy and putting man in the position of the blessed. This short article deals with several observations related to aforementioned assumption and focusing on the analysis of the Hebrew root barach and the semiotic potential of gematrical value of 222. Finally, data collected from the structural analysis of a typical Jewish blessing is combined with the context of the Jewish sources on this subject.

The conference focuses on the different trends and sceptical attitudes Maimonideanism took in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries by examining various approaches to major religious topics such as the nature of the Torah, the commandments, the Hebrew language, the people of Israel, and the land of Israel. This comparative approach points to distinctive philosophical trends—as represented by of Verona—focusing on major Jewish religious topics. Among these trends, the place of Abraham Abulafia and the early writings of R. Joseph Gikatilla, who wrote some forms of commentaries on Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed stands out. The questions to be asked are whether it is possible to draw a map of radical versus conservative Maimonideanism and whether the two Kabbalists are as radical as the philosophers when dealing with the same topics.