Joseph Karo: Lawyer and Mystic

Joseph Karo (1488-1575) was one of the greatest figures of rabbinic Judaism and the author of the Shulhn Arukh, the standard code of Jewish Law. Like many other rabbinic ascetics, who would write on talmudic or kabbalistic subjects yet carefully conceal their intimate mystical experiences, Karo left a diary, Maggid Mesharim, recording the messages that he received from a celestial mentor. As Karo was a leading member of the Safed circle that included Solomon Alkabets and Moses Cordovero, his diary yeilds new insights into the world of sixteenth-century pre-Lurianic kabbalism. In this magisterial study R. J. Zwi Werblowski examines the controversial diary. He also describes Joseph Karo's life and times. Above all, however, it is the psychological interest of Maggid Meshrim which makes it an important source for our knowledge of the types of mystical life cultivated in rabbinic circles. With consummate skill and learning, Professor Werblowsky explores this interest to produce a powerful portrait of mystic piety as practiced by a foremost rabbinic authority.