The Sabbath in the Classical Kabbalah

Book excerpt: This classic study is concerned with the richly imagined world of kabbalistic myth concerning the sabbath as it developed from the late twelfth century to the early sixteenth century and with its activation in religious life via ritual. Combining the close textual readings of traditional scholarly enquiry with more innovative approaches, it makes an important contribution to the history of Jewish spirituality and to the understanding of myth and ritual.