Kabbalah in the Thought of the Tosher Rebbe

• In Event: Reflections on Hasidic Thought

Abstract

Meshulam Feish Lowy (b. 1921), the Tosher Rebbe, lives in Kiryas Tosh, a Hasidic enclave near Montreal. His teachings, transcribed and edited by disciples, have been published in six volumes in Hebrew and Yiddish, collectively titled AVODAT AVODAH (1993-2009).
The Tosher Rebbe is not a world-changing Hasidic leader like the Satmar or Lubavitch rebbes. Precisely as a second-tier figure, however, he can be seen as representative of Hasidism in recent decades (compare Allan Nadler’s focus on Phinehas of Polotsk in THE FAITH OF THE MITHNAGDIM). His thought is generally consistent with that of other recent rebbes, which Shaul Magid has characterized as emphasizing devotion, prayer and mild asceticism, within a broadly Neoplatonic metaphysics. He has not engaged in any of the controversies among Hasidic communities, and is widely respected in the Hasidic world, with communities of followers in Brooklyn and London and frequent visitors from abroad.
One would not expect Kabbalah to play a large role in the Tosher Rebbe’s teachings. Both the academic consensus and first impressions from Hasidic books suggest that, with the exception of the outreach-oriented Lubavitch and Breslov groups (aware of public interest in mysticism) the importance of Kabbalah in Hasidism has declined steeply since the early generations.
Study of the Tosher Rebbe’s teachings, however, leads to a more nuanced impression. While he does not claim the status of a master of Kabbalah, the Rebbe demonstrates considerable knowledge of Kabbalistic books including the Zoharic literature and the Lurianic writings. He speaks of these works with reverence, and deploys their ideas and images in significant and creative ways. Based on careful reading of the AVODAT AVODAH series, taking advantage of the books’ well-prepared indexes of topics and sources, this paper will describe and analyze the Kabbalah of the Tosher Rebbe. His use of the imagery of Shekhinah, the “raising of the sparks,” his attitudes toward the Zohar and the Lurianic writings, and the relationship between Kabbalah and his approach to spiritual experience, will all be explored, adding to scholarly understanding of the development of Kabbalah in recent times.

author

• Justin Jaron Lewis, University of Manitoba