The Scandal of Kabbalah: Leon Modena, Jewish Mysticism, Early Modern Venice

(Princeton University Press) This book examines the beginnings of the debate between kabbalists and their critics on the nature of Judaism and the meaning of religious tradition. He unspools the tale of Ari Nohem, written by Leon Modena in 1639. Dweck points to it as the first criticism of Kabbalah, arguing that Kabbalah was the subject of critical inquiry in the period it came to dominate Jewish life, rather than much later, as traditionally thought. Dweck is an assistant professor of history and Judaic studies at Princeton.