The Non-Jew in Kabbalistic Literature by the Circle of Sefer Ha-Temunah and Its Influence in Eastern Europe

Over the centuries, the religious images and discourse that shaped the image of the Other affected the intricate web of relations between Jews and non-­ Jews, generating a range of attitudes toward non-­ Jews in various periods and locations. Interestingly, several eastern European kabbalistic homilies reveal a moderate approach toward non-­ Jews, arguing for an essential spiritual partnership. Their authors adopted esoteric traditions that diverge from the radically polemical, negative attitude of the Zohar and the kabbalists of sixteenth-­ century Safed, according to which the non-­ Jew is the ultimate Other: evil, impure, and even demonic. Despite the important role of the Safed traditions in molding kabbalistic thought, these kabbalists propounded ideas found in works by the circle of Sefer Ha-­ temunah. These texts served as the basis on which some eastern European kabbalists justified a new attitude toward the surrounding non-­ Jews, making them spiritual partners in the messianic process.