The onus is on the mekubalim to explain what on the surface makes no sense at all. Perhaps it is alluding to the passion when he saw Batsheva, and had forbidden thoughts. Perhaps these forbidden thoughts produce demons which have destructive force. ?
Gershom Scholem, claimed to have found so in an obscure manuscript. Sholem is hardly a reliable person, and we don't know the provenance of the alleged manuscript. He also admits that this assertion is unprecedented and unparalleled in any other Kabbalistic writings, so I wouldn't waste too much time on such a claim.
In other news, the sun rises in the East, and sets in the West.
Scholem was not orthodox - so his theological and halachic (if he had any) views are not something you want to rely on. His research, manuscripts etc are well respected. Are you saying he brought forgeries or could not distinguish between historical and forged documents?
Even if we were to trust that Scholem accurately copied the text from an ancient manuscript, but who is to vouch that the author of the manuscript is someone whose writing we should respect? Maybe the person wrote rubbish a few hundred years ago, and this rubbish survived in manuscript form all this time. The mere fact that something was found to be written in an ancient manuscript, doesn't necessarily give it credence. The fact, that no other source in the world contains such a legend, puts a big question mark on the reliability of such a story.
The onus is on the mekubalim to explain what on the surface makes no sense at all.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is alluding to the passion when he saw Batsheva, and had forbidden thoughts. Perhaps these forbidden thoughts produce demons which have destructive force. ?
Gershom Scholem, claimed to have found so in an obscure manuscript. Sholem is hardly a reliable person, and we don't know the provenance of the alleged manuscript. He also admits that this assertion is unprecedented and unparalleled in any other Kabbalistic writings, so I wouldn't waste too much time on such a claim.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, the sun rises in the East, and sets in the West.
Scholem was not orthodox - so his theological and halachic (if he had any) views are not something you want to rely on. His research, manuscripts etc are well respected. Are you saying he brought forgeries or could not distinguish between historical and forged documents?
ReplyDeleteEven if we were to trust that Scholem accurately copied the text from an ancient manuscript, but who is to vouch that the author of the manuscript is someone whose writing we should respect? Maybe the person wrote rubbish a few hundred years ago, and this rubbish survived in manuscript form all this time. The mere fact that something was found to be written in an ancient manuscript, doesn't necessarily give it credence. The fact, that no other source in the world contains such a legend, puts a big question mark on the reliability of such a story.
ReplyDeleteGood point
ReplyDelete