This auction item is for two books: The Mystical Origins of Hasidism by Rachel Elior AND Haskalah and Hasidism in the Kingdom of Poland: A History of Conflict by Marcin Wodzinski

The Mystical Origins of Hasidism by Rachel Elior

This very accessible introduction to hasidism as a movement opens a new window on its mystical underpinnings. It discusses the origins and dissemination of hasidism and the literature that facilitated this; the theological basis of hasidism and the mystical significance of the tsadik; the major figures of hasidism; and the complex links to kabbalah and Shabbateanism. The discussion of the intellectual and social implications highlights the eighteenth century as a key period in modern Jewish history. Haskalah and Hasidism in the Kingdom of Poland

A History of Conflict by Marcin Wodzinski Translated from the Polish by Sarah Cozens with Agnieska Mirowska

The conflict between Haskalah and hasidism shaped the world of Polish Jewry for almost two centuries. This award-winning study, a synthesis that offers both breadth and depth, is based on source materials in Polish and five other languages. Its subject matter is successfully contextualized within the broader domains of the European Enlightenment and Polish culture, tsarist policy and Polish history, hasidism and rabbinic culture, as well as the ins and outs of the Haskalah itself.