The kiss of God
Subtitle: spiritual and mystical death in Judaism
By: Michael Fishbane.
Series: The Samuel & Althea Stroum lectures in Jewish studies; Samuel and Althea Stroum lectures in Jewish studies.
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Seattle
Language: eng
Number of pages: 156
Subjects: Spiritual life -- Judaism.; God (Judaism) -- Worship and love.; Yetzer hara (Judaism); Death -- Religious aspects -- Judaism.; Judaism -- Doctrines.
Description: The lines of Michael Fishbane's book trace the spiritual face of Judaism in one of its many appearances. Fishbane explores the quest for spiritual perfection in early rabbinic sources and in Jewish philosophy and mysticism. The "kiss of God," a symbol for union with God, and the ritual practices - meditation and performance - connected with it are presented.

The book identifies a persistent passion for religious perfection, expressed as the love of God unto death itself. The masters of the tradition cultivated this ideal in all periods, in diverse genres, and in different modes. Rabbinic law and midrash, medieval philosophy and mysticism, public and private ritual all contributed to its development. Rooted in the understanding that the spiritual life requires discipline, the sages set up different ladders of ascension.

For some, the Law itself was the means of spiritual growth; for others, more private practices were built upon its foundation. But all agreed that the purification of desire and the perfection of the soul offered the hope of personal salvation. None denied the historical redemption of the nation.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-151) and index.