Gershom Scholem Quotes
Gerhard, later Gershom, Scholem was a German-Israeli philosopher, historian, and the founder of the academic study of Jewish mysticism. Born in Berlin and committed from his teens to a rigorous Zionist and Jewish intellectual life, he emigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1923 and founded the chair of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The quotes below are attributed to Gershom Scholem, organized by topic.
Gershom Scholem on God
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Attributed to Gershom Scholem:
“Mysticism stands at the heart of every living religion.”
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Attributed to Gershom Scholem:
“Kabbalah is the secret history of Judaism.”
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Attributed to Gershom Scholem:
“Messianism is the most dangerous and the most fruitful element in Judaism.”
Gershom Scholem on Time
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Attributed to Gershom Scholem:
“Tradition is not the dead repetition of the past, but its living interpretation.”
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Attributed to Gershom Scholem:
“To recover a tradition is also to remake it.”