Moshe Idel

Moshe Idel (b. 1947) is a preeminent scholar of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, recognized for fundamentally revising the paradigm established by Gershom Scholem.

Ecstatic and Magical Kabbalah

While Scholem focused heavily on the theosophical and mythological aspects of Kabbalah (such as the Zohar), Idel's methodology brings the "Ecstatic Kabbalah" (specifically of Abraham Abulafia) and magical practices to the forefront. Idel demonstrates that Kabbalah was not purely theoretical; it involved intense, somatic meditative practices utilizing the permutation of divine names (Tseruf) to achieve mystical union. Idel's work is crucial for understanding Renaissance Christian Kabbalists like Pico della Mirandola, who were heavily influenced by these active, magical interpretations of Jewish mysticism.