Research Assistant to Moshe Idel

Vision

Professor Moshe Idel seeks to complete groundbreaking scholarship on Hasidic vocal traditions, fallen angel mythology, and Kabbalistic interpretation—totaling over 2,500 pages across seven volumes—grounded in fifty years of manuscript research. This work preserves neglected Hebrew and Kabbalistic sources while bridging medieval mysticism and contemporary religious studies. A doctoral research assistant is essential to finalize proofs, compile indexes, and integrate newly discovered manuscripts, ensuring Idel’s irreplaceable scholarship reaches publication.

Activity

Professor Moshe Idel has produced a comprehensive body of scholarship that encompasses groundbreaking studies on Hasidic vocal mythology (3 volumes), fallen angel traditions (2 volumes), Abraham Abulafia’s radical religious thought, medieval Safedian Kabbalah, Talmudic mystical interpretation, and the magical-mystical properties of Hebrew language in Kabbalistic sources. These works bridge medieval mysticism with contemporary religious studies, offering essential resources for scholars of Jewish thought, comparative mysticism, and religious history.
Hillel Feuerstein will assist in completing final production stages—proofreading, index compilation, and manuscript integration—ensuring this irreplaceable scholarly legacy reaches publication and becomes accessible to the academic community and future generations of researchers.

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Myths have a long life.

- Petre Solomon, Paul Celan, The Romanian Dimension, tr. Emanuela Tegla

Hillel Feuerstein

Hillel Feuerstein recently completed his PhD in Jewish Thought at Bar-Ilan University, specializing in medieval Kabbalah and Zoharic literature.

His research explores cosmogony, hermeneutics, and the textual structures of mystical traditions from early ashkenaz Hasidism through medieval Spain.

A frequent presenter at international conferences including the World Congress of Jewish Studies and SBL, Feuerstein has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Rotenstreich Scholarship and Bar-Ilan’s President’s Scholarship for Outstanding Doctoral Fellows and the Minerva Stiftung fellowship conduct in FU Berlin.

Feuerstein currenly serves as research assistant to Emeritus Professor Moshe Idel with this major scholarly project encompassing multiple monographs. He previously worked as Assistant Librarian at the Gershom Scholem Collection for Kabbalah and Hasidism at the National Library of Israel.