Journal for the Study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewry © 2007 JSSMJ, ISSN 1935-0643 All rights reserved, Email: Zoharz@fiu.edu
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This publication is intended for personal use only. Paper copies may be made for personal use. With the above exception, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, without permission in writing from the Editor Prof. Zion Zohar. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Moshe Idel

Inner Peace through Inner Struggle in Abraham
Abulafia's Ecstatic Kabbalah

Abstract

The problem that I shall attempt to deal with in this article is the relationship between three distinct paths or approaches to warship found in Abulafia’s writings. One is the Rabbinic understanding of performing the commandments; the other is the war of the inclinations; and the last is Abulafia’s mystical techniques. Although the relationship between these distinct paths, which are sometimes described independently, will be discussed, the main issue to be emphasized in this study is the status of “the war of the inclinations.” Abraham Abulafia created a detailed system according to which the inner warfare is an important component of Judaism. However, the ecstatic Kabbalist was not so much concerned with the issue of the passions or the war against them, which he considered an easier struggle than the killing of imagination.