IntroductionPart I. The Dead of Sefer Ḥasidim1. The Dangerous Dead2. The Sinful Dead3. The Holy Dead4. The Neutral Dead and the Pietist DeadAppendix I. Burial in Talit of TsitsitPart II. The Afterlife in Sefer Ḥasidim5. Status in the Hereafter6. On Sin, Penance, and Purgation7. Bonds Between the Living and the Dead I8. Bonds Between the Living and the Dead IIAppendix II. A Report Regarding Prayer for the Undeserving Dead in the Name of R. Judah the Pious9. ConclusionBibliographyIndex
Susan Weissman is Chair of Judaic Studies and Associate Professor at Lander College for Women, Touro College and University System.
‘This exceptional piece of work demonstrates almost beyond question
that elements of Sefer Hasidim’s perception of key aspects of the
afterlife were influenced by an array of beliefs current in the
larger society involving both theology and folklore... The theses
proffered are persuasive, grounded in a command of rabbinic
material and familiarity with both Christian doctrines and European
folktales... This is an eye-opening work that will have a
significant impact on medieval Jewish studies.
David Berger, Yeshiva University
'Weissman’s work is a masterpiece of history, splendidly written.
It displays a rare maturity and a high degree of mastery of the
sources cited, but more important, a high degree of historical
intuition and intelligence in their interpretation ... I am
confident that it will become a classic of medieval Jewish studies;
by the same token, I am sure that medieval researchers and students
of Christian cultural space will also find in this book both
matters of substance and stimulation that will enhance the general
understanding of the period'.
Sylvie Anne Goldberg, cole des Hautes Études en Sciences
Sociales
'Weissman’s study, as remarkable for its erudition as for its
precision in textual analysis, sheds new light on key concepts that
the Ashkenazi Jews of the high Middle Ages shared with local
Christians. It shows how Sefer {h.}asidim reflects ideas that
contradict rabbinic and talmudic tradition, a development that
Weissman attributes to Jewish contact with the dominant Christian
culture. ... An outstanding work likely to be of enduring
importance'.
Jean Claude Schmitt, École des Hautes Études en Sciences
Sociales
A superb study of how Germanic and even Christian ideas about the
nature and time of divine judgment and the complex relationship
between the living and the vibrantly alive dead influenced Jewish
thought. It is the first serious proof of common cultural notions
of an entire area of human experience (and not simply of an idea or
ceremony or two) since Trachtenberg's Jewish Magic and
Superstition. It makes a major contribution to our understanding of
medieval Ashkenaz.
Haym Soloveitchik, Yeshiva University
'A fascinating examination of ghost tales in Sefer Hasidim.'
Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern, Straus Center
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