Rachel Aberlin or Rachel ha-Ashkenaziah (fl. 1582–1609 CE), was a Jewish mystic.[1] She is described in the Sefer ha-Ḥezyonot ("The Book of Visions") by Hayyim Vital. She was an influential figure of the early Sabbateanism and a spiritual leader of women.
Rachel Aberlin | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Rachel ha-Ashkenaziah |
| Occupation | Mystic |
| Spouse | Judah Aberlin |
Her brother was R. Judah Mishan, a well-known mystic, and her family is believed to have been from Safed.[2]
In 1564, she married Judah Aberlin, a man who had been born in Salonika but moved to Safed, becoming a leader of the Ashkenazic Jewish community of Safed in Jerusalem and Damascus.[3][2] After his death in 1582, she acted as a patron of famous mystics within the Jewish community (such as Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, with whom she was very close), establishing a court for mystics to study and practice within.[2][4] She herself was a leading mystical figure, particularly known for regularly experiencing mystical visions, from pillars of fire to Elijah the Prophet.[2][4]
In Sefer ha-Ḥezyonot, Aberlin is depicted as a woman who frequently had mystical experiences, ranging from seeing pillars of fire to encountering Elijah the Prophet. She was reportedly "accustomed to seeing visions, demons, souls, and angels," and made prophecies of the future.[2]
Her date of death is not recorded but she made an intervention in a case of spirit possession involving a young woman in Damascus in 1609.
See also
editReferences
edit- Emily Taitz, Sondra Henry & Cheryl Tallan, The JPS Guide to Jewish Women: 600 B.C.E.to 1900 C.E., 2003
- J.H. Chajes, Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism (2003)
- M.M. Faierstein, Jewish Mystical Autobiographies: Book of Visions and Book of Secrets (1999).
- ^ Chajes, J. H. (2005). "He Said She Said: Hearing the Voices of Pneumatic Early Modern Jewish Women". Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues. 10 (10): 99–125. doi:10.2979/NAS.2005.-.10.99. ISSN 0793-8934. JSTOR 40326599.
- ^ a b c d e Chajes, J. H. (2012-03-07). Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-0155-0.
- ^ "Rachel Aberlin". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ a b Taitz, Emily; Henry, Sondra; Tallan, Cheryl (2003-02-01). The JPS Guide to Jewish Women: 600 B.C.E.to 1900 C.E. Jewish Publication Society. ISBN 978-0-8276-0752-1.
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