Geoffrey W. Dennis - The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

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The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism Second Edition 2016 by Geoffrey W. Dennis.

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First e-book edition 2016

E-book ISBN: 9780738748146

Book design and format: Donna Burch-Brown

Cover art: Ephraim Moses Lilien

Cover design: Kevin R. Brown

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Editing: Gabrielle Rose Simons

For a complete list of art credits see

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dennis, Geoffrey W., author.

The encyclopedia of Jewish myth, magic & mysticism / Geoffrey W. Dennis. -- Second edition.

1 online resource.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN 978-0-7387-4814-6 -- ISBN 978-0-7387-4591-6 1. Mysticism--Judaism--Encyclopedias. 2. Jewish mythology--Encyclopedias. 3. Jewish magic--Encyclopedias. I. Title.

BM723

296.7 1203--dc23

2015010281

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Concerning everything that cannot be grasped, its question is its answer.

Ketem Paz

To my sons, Avi and Micah, who love secrets.
To Robin, the greatest angel I know.

Contents

The Encyclopedia AZ

Abbreviations Of Citations
From Traditional Texts

Quick Reference Glossary
Of Frequently Used Terms

Acknowledgments

My deep appreciation to my classmates and friends Rabbi Martha Bergadine, Rabbi George Gittleman, Dr. Dana Kaplan, Rabbi Max Weiss, and Rabbi Stan Zamek for taking the time from their busy lives to read the manuscript and offer insights and suggestions. Their contributions greatly improved the final product.

Thanks too to my brother John, to Charles Gregory, to Terry Hansen, and to Scott and Kelley Snowden. Though nonexperts in matters Jewish, they also read the book and helped me see it through the eyes of a general reader.

My gratitude also goes to Dr. Richard Golden. He unwittingly triggered the creation of the EJMMM and then graciously offered me encouragement once I finally owned up to what I was doing.

I want to acknowledge my teachers at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, for teaching me the tools I needed to research this book: Rabbi Steven Balaban, Dr. Marc Bregman, Rabbi Chanan Brichto zl , Dr. Alan Cooper, Dr. Susan Einbinder, Rabbi Ben Hollander, Dr. Adam Kamasar, Dr. Robert Katz zl , Dr. Steve Kaufmann, Masha Klein, Dr. Michael Klein zl , Dr. Barry Kogan, Dr. Paul Liptz, Dr. Michael Meyer, Dr. Eugene Mihaly zl , Dr. Alvin Reines zl , Hannah Saggi, Dr. Richard Sarason, Rabbi Julie Schwartz, Ezri Uval zl , Dr. Ben Zion Wacholder zl , Dr. Mark Washofsky, Dr. David Weisberg zl , and Dr. Isaac Yerushalmi.

I want to thank Natalie Harter, Karl Anderson, and all the editors at Llewellyn, both for taking an interest in an unsolicited proposal from an unknown author, and also for being the nicest and most pleasant people Ive yet encountered in the publishing world.

My greatest and eternal thanks must go to my wife and soulmate, Robin, who encouraged my vision and gave me the confidence to write this book. Not only did she read and help revise countless manuscripts, but she has been more patient and forgiving of me during the years of writing this book than I deserve or merit. May her reward be waiting in the World to Come, because shes stuck with me until then.

Introduction

Judaism is one of the oldest living esoteric traditions in the world. Virtually every form of Western mysticism and spiritualism known today draws upon Jewish mythic and occult teachingsmagic, prayer, angelology, alchemy, numerology, astral projection, dream interpretation, astrology, amulets, divination, altered states of consciousness, alternative, and rituals of powerall have roots in the Jewish occult.

But for millennia, many of these core teachings have been unavailable to the general public, concealed by barriers of language and by the protective principles governing the teaching of Kabbalah, which has both nurtured and guarded such knowledge. Now, however, many more traditional texts of Jewish mysticism and magic are being translated into English and many more almost-forgotten manuscripts of Jewish esoteric teachings have been recovered and identified. At the same time, people of all backgrounds are thirsty for the kind of wisdom that can only be drawn from ancient wells. This confluence of factors inspired me to write a book like The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism.

When Adam HaRishon, the First Man, sinned, he blemished all the nitzotzot (Holy Sparks) causing them to become immersed in the kelipot The kelipot are the husks or shells [of impurity, evil, and entropy] that imprison the fallen Holy Sparks.

This is a book full of husks and sparks: of things concealed and revealed, lost and then recovered. This encyclopedia focuses exclusively on the esoteric in Judaismthe fabulous, the miraculous, and the mysterious. In this book the reader will find many kelipot, husks from the ancient and shattered world of Jewish occult teachings: the seemingly eccentric, the offbeat, the peripheral, and the outlandish. Much of it will strike a modern reader as dark, strange, and alien stuff indeedhusks.