RT Article
T1 “We Were as Dreamers:” Prayer as the Royal Road to the Unconscious in Hasidism
JF Numen
VO 69
IS 5/6
SP 460
OP 488
A1 Moseson, Elly
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1815665564
AB This study explores the Hasidic psychologization of Jewish mysticism by focusing on the problem of distracting thoughts that arise during prayer, and the attitudes and responses to them that can be found in Hasidic literature. Two different theories of the origins of such thoughts, both attributed to Israel Ba’al Shem Tov, along with various techniques for engaging with them, are described. It is argued that these theories reflect two distinct paradigms, both of which exhibit significant similarities to the dynamic unconscious of psychoanalysis. In addition to tracing the reception of Israel’s ideas on distracting thoughts within the Hasidic movement and without, the study connects them to his activities as a folk healer with a particular concern with treating mental illness.
K1 Prayer
K1 Unconscious
K1 Psychology
K1 Ba’al Shem Tov
K1 Besht
K1 Jewish Mysticism
K1 Hasidism
DO 10.1163/15685276-12341665