Course Memo
This seminar is for students who wish to plunge deeply into the religious language of Hasidism, a modern Jewish mystical movement born in the heartland of Eastern Europe. Nahman of Bratslav (1772–1811) was an intriguing and controversial Hasidic sage. He exhibited intense levels of piety and mysticism, and he refracted these experiences in breathtaking ways through the prisms of Jewish textual tradition. He was also a master storyteller, and his imaginative tales translated the most enigmatic layers of spiritual consciousness into Kafka-esque forms. Although Nahman did not found a new Hasidic dynasty, his grave remains the most important site of Hasidic pilgrimage in Europe. This course will focus primarily on his magnum opus, Likutei Moharan (1810), and his tales, along with relevant secondary literature. Student engagement with Hebrew will be encouraged, but translations will be provided. [Auditors with Faculty Permission]