An old letter that has recently surfaced at the National Library of Israel sheds new light on a controversy which rocked the world of Conservative Judaism some 40 years ago…
The Mysterious Case of Joseph G. Weiss’s Hasidic Library
Prof. Joseph G. Weiss was one of the 20th century’s leading scholars of Hasidism. Following Weiss’s tragic death in 1969, his mentor Gershom Scholem selected 250 books from his former student’s personal collection to be brought to the National Library in Jerusalem. Yet something happened along the way. To this day it’s not clear what became of many of these books…
Boldness of Invention and Falsification: Gershom Scholem on Elias Gewurz
Gershom Scholem’s acerbic wit was on full display in the notes he scribbled on works written by a particular Theosophist author…
This Book Also Goes Up to Scholem: On Gershom Scholem and Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi
The fascinating correspondence between these two giants in the field of Judaic Studies reveals much about both men, including their impressions of a young Leon Wieseltier…
Did Medieval Jewish Kabbalists Design the Tarot Deck?
Until the 18th century, tarot cards were simply playing cards. It was then that occult researchers became convinced that these cards in fact held magical properties, and that they contained a secret truth that originated in ancient Egypt and was preserved in Jewish mysticism…
Two Scholarly Giants: Prof. David Halivni & Prof. Gershom Scholem
Dr. Zvi Leshem, Director of the Gershom Scholem Collection, shares some personal memories of his own Rabbi and mentor, Prof. David Halivni, who recently passed away and whose path crossed with that of the legendary Kabbalah scholar…
Pamphlets on Reincarnation: A Unique Set of Articles in the Scholem Collection
One particular set of booklets compiled by Gershom Scholem in his famous library raises a series of interesting questions…
Gershom Scholem’s Mishna Comes Home
About a year after the renowned scholar’s Talmud set finally found its way home, his Mishna has too…
Religious Anarchist and Unobservant Orthodox: On Gershom Scholem, Harry A. Wolfson and Agnostic Sermons
Though they were both among the leading scholars in their field, Gershom Scholem had some fascinating critiques of his contemporary, Harry A. Wolfson
The Missing Tomes: Gershom Scholem’s Wandering Talmud
The story of how Gershom Scholem’s Talmud set finally found its way to the National Library of Israel
