The years 950-1200 are often called the Golden Age of the Jews in Spain. During this period, the Jews reached a peak of achievement in all aspects of their life-political, spiritual, and cultural. They produced great works of literature and philosophy; their poetry represents a peak of literary achievement unparalleled in Hebrew until the twentieth century. The poets of the Golden Age forged the language of the Hebrew Bible into a magnificent instrument for the expression of every facet of their experience--love and friendship, war and exile, philosophy and prayer. Their poems reflect their overarching consciousness of Israel's relationship with God and their deep concern with the fate of the Jewish people in exile. Not until modern times did Hebrew poetic genius flourish again with such freedom and with such intensity. This volume conveys in modern English something of the greatness of that literature while as far as possible preserving the poetic values and beauty of the Hebrew original. Brief notes on the work of each of the thirteen poets represented put the poems in their proper perspective and do much to elucidate their meaning. The poets included are Dunash Halevi ben Labrat, Joseph ibn Abithur, Isaac ibn Kalpon, Samuel Hanagid, Solomon ibn Gabirol, Isaac ibn Gi'at, Moses ibn Ezra, Judah Halevi, Abraham ibn Ezra, Joseph ibn Zabara, Judah Alharizi, Shem Tob ben Palquera, and Todros ben Judah Abulafia. 'Remains the only anthology in English devoted entirely to the Golden Age with selections from all the major and some minor poets presented in verse translations. The book is a gift to the academic world and to all readers interested in the literary achievements of the Jews.' From the Foreword by Raymond Scheindlin

Joseph Weiss (1918–69) showed a single-minded commitment to identifying and describing the mystical element in Hasidism and to unraveling the spiritual and historical meaning of the Hasidic movement. The studies collected here most of them written more than forty years ago are still quoted in every serious study of Hasidism. Joseph Dan’s Introduction written especially for this paperback edition examines Weiss’s scholarship both in the context of subsequent scholarly research and in the light of the resurgence of Hasidism since the Second World War. He concludes that many of Weiss’s detailed perceptive and empathetic studies are as relevant to understanding developments in the contemporary Hasidic world as they are for understanding the emergence and growth of Hasidism in the eighteenth century.

The Zohar is the fundamental work of Jewish mysticism. Isaiah Tishby’s classic and definitive Wisdom of the Zohar makes the world of the Zohar available to the English-speaking reader in all its complexity and poetry. The extended extracts are arranged by topic each section being prefaced by introductory explanations and accompanied by copious notes. There is also a General Introduction on the complex symbolism of the Zohar and on its historical and literary background. The scholarly value of David Goldstein’s acclaimed translation is enhanced by an index expanded to include references to passages cited in the introduction and notes and by the addition of a subject index and an index of biblical references. Isaiah Tishby was awarded the Bialik Prize 1972 the Israel Prize 1979 and the Rothschild Prize 1982 mainly for his work on The Wisdom of the Zohar. David Goldstein was awarded the Webber Prize 1987 for this translation. Isaiah Tishby was awarded the Bialik Prize 1972, the Israel Prize 1979, and the Rothschild Prize 1982, mainly for his work on The Wisdom of the Zohar. David Goldstein was awarded the Webber Prize 1987 for this translation.