Readings in Hasidic Literature

One of the most enduring contributions of the Hasidic movement to the Judaism and Jewish culture is its rich literary tradition. Revered by the Hasidim as divinely inspired and reviled as obscurantist or heretical by the movement’s opponents, Hasidic writings have fascinated generations of readers and remain the subject of intensive investigation by modern scholars. This class will introduce students to the Hasidic literary tradition by engaging in a close readings of a representative selection of eighteenth and nineteenth century Hasidic texts composed in a variety of genres. We will explore the literary and ideological contents of these works as well as the historical and philological complexities created by the transition from oral to written discourse, from manuscript to the print medium and from the Yiddish to the Hebrew language. We will also reflect on the challenges of cultural translation and the consequences of reading traditional texts in the light of modern critical scholarship.

This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates may register with permission from the instructor. A working knowledge of Rabbinic Hebrew is required.