Charles Mopsik (2 September 1956 – 13 June 2003) was a French thinker, researcher and writer who renewed the study of the

Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...

and of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

Biography

He was one of the important figures in the revival of Jewish studies in France at the end of the 1970s, a revival characterized by its philosophical consequences. In 1979, he founded the book collection "Les dix paroles" (The ten words) published by Editions Verdier, with

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

's ''Guide des égarés'' (''

The Guide for the Perplexed ''The Guide for the Perplexed'' (; ; ) is a work of Jewish theology by Maimonides. It seeks to reconcile Aristotelianism with Rabbinical Jewish theology by finding rational explanations for many events in the text. It was written in Judeo-Arabic ...

'') as the first emblematic volume, followed by a translation from the

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

of the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

in the ''

Zohar The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...

''.Les Dix Paroles
editions-verdier.fr. Retrieved 18 March 2022. A student of Jean Zacklad (1929-1990), he was himself initiated into Kabbalah by Rav Levi Saadia Nahmani. He specialized in the study of Jewish mystagogical and theurgic traditions which developed in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

from the 12th century and 13th century. He defended his doctorate in philosophy at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

I in 1987, with his thesis ''Recherches autour de la'' Lettre sur la sainteté: ''Sources, texte, influences'' (Research into the Letter on Holiness: Sources, Text, Influences), under the direction of Pierre Thillet, a specialist in the

Peripatetic Peripatetic may refer to: *Peripatetic school, a school of philosophy in Ancient Greece *Peripatetic axiom, in philosophy *Peripatetic minority, a mobile population moving among settled populations offering a craft or trade. *Peripatetic Jats T ...

tradition. As a translator, an historian and a researcher, Charles Mopsik was a major figure in the study of the Kabbalah. He died at the age of 46 following a serious illness. The Charles Mopsik Association was created after his death with the aim of preserving his memory and promoting his work.

External links

Association Charles Mopsik
- website dedicated to C. Mopsik
Charles Mopsik
- obituary by Catherine Chalier

References

1956 births 2003 deaths French male writers Kabbalistic scholars French Jews Jewish philosophers {{France-reli-bio-stub