Moshe Idel Some Observations on Gender Theories in Hasidism

The main purpose of this study is to show reverberations in 18 - and 19 - century Hasidism of what I see as one of the main gender theories in theosophical Kabbalah . This gender theory comprises three stages : a primordial state of the Female within the divinity as ontologically higher than the Male , then Her descent into a situation that is inferior to His , and then a return to Her former status or to a higher one , namely a restorative stage . This last stage may take place at special moments in time , namely during holidays , or in a more final manner in the eschaton . During these special moments , the Female may also acquire a state of equality . Below , this scheme will be referred to as the three - phases gender theory , and it is found in a variety of influential Kabbalistic texts , including Cordoverian and Lurianic ones and those influenced by them such as Sabbatean ones . A mode of thought 1 For an exposition of this theory and many more examples see my “ The Divine Femal...  אל הספר
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