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Lesson 6 of 10·Creativity and Confrontation: The History of Medieval Jewry

The World of Jewish Mysticism

As Christian anti-Semitism grew, many Jews turned to a new way of thinking about Judaism: mysticism. Jews used mysticism to try to become closer to God even when it seemed as if he was further away than ever. Rabbi Schacter explains the basics of Jewish mysticism, the role it played in the life of medieval Jews, and the ways in which Christian anti-Semitism evolved in the High Middle Ages.

Taught By

Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter
Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter is University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and senior scholar at the Center for the Jewish Future at Yeshiva University. From 2000 to 2005, he served as dean of the Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Institute in Boston, and from 1981 to 2000, he served as…