This book introduces the psychoanalytic study of the Kabbalah as a serious discipline. It illustrates the applicability of psychodynamic concepts to Jewish mysticism and the "apocalyptical complex" and essays on specific incidents in the Bible and the Kabbalah.

Is psychoanalysis a "Jewish science"? Ten essays contributed by the editor and distinguished scholars explore the Jewishness of psychoanalysis, its origins in the Jewish situation of late nineteenth century Europe, Freud's Jewishness and the Jewishness of his early colleagues. They also exemplify what the psychoanalytic approach can contribute to the study of Judaism. Clinical studies illuminate the issue of Jewish identity and psychological significance of the bar mitzvah experience. Theoretical essays throw light on Jewish history, Jewish social and communal behavior, Jewish myths and...