Dr. Avishar Har-Shefi

Curriculum Vitae and List of Publications

Dr. Avishar Har-Shefi

Curriculum Vitae                                                                  

E-mail Address: avishar.h@gmail.com        

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2. Education - Undergraduate, Graduate Studies and Post-Doctoral Studies

Education

• B.A. – Jerusalem College, Department of Talmud and Jewish Thought (1996–1999).
  Specialization: Talmud and Jewish Thought.
• M.A. – Bar-Ilan University, Department of Hebrew Literature (2004–2007).
  Specialization: Zoharic Literature.
• Ph.D. – Bar-Ilan University, Department of Hebrew Literature (2008–2011).
  Specialization: Zoharic Literature.
  Dissertation Title: Malkhin Kadmain – The Myth of the Edomite Kings in the Zoharic Literature.
  Advisor: Prof. Zvi Mark.

Academic Positions

• 2015–2025 – Lecturer, Department of Literature of the Jewish People, Bar-Ilan University.
• 2007–2018 – Lecturer, Department of Hebrew Literature, Herzog College.
• 2011–2012 – Lecturer, M.A. Program at Beit Morasha (Bern College).
• 2017–2020 – Lecturer, Department of Hebrew Literature, Ariel University.

Other Relevant Positions

• 2017–2022 – Supervision of research and doctoral students as a research assistant (20% position).

Awards and Honors

• 1994–1995 – Dean’s Honor Award, The Open University.
  Award for excellence in B.A. studies.
• 2007–2010 – President’s Scholarship, Bar-Ilan University.
  Scholarship for outstanding Ph.D. students.
• 2010 – David Yekutieli Award for Outstanding Doctoral Students, Department of Hebrew Literature, Bar-Ilan University.
  Award of excellence for outstanding doctoral research.

Courses Taught

• 2019–2025 – Introduction to the Hasidic Story (Online Course) – 12–31 students.
• 2017 – Introduction to the Stories of the Midrash and the Aggadah (Lecture) – 23 students.
• 2019 – The Zoharic Story (Lecture) – 4 students.
• 2020 – Reading and Interpretation of the Hasidic Story in Its Generations and Genres (Lecture) – 4 students.
• 2021 – The Hasidic Movement Through Its Stories (Lecture) – 6 students.
• 2022 – The World of Hasidism – Themes, Stories, and Figures (Lecture) – 6 students.
• 2023 – Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev: History, Thought, Literature (Online Course) – 34 students.
• 2023 – The Miraculous Character in the Stories of the Zohar and Hasidism (Seminar) – 13 students.
• 2024 – From the Midrash to the Stories of the Zohar and Hasidism (Lecture) – 10 students.
• 2025 – The Miraculous Character in the Stories of Hasidism (Lecture) – 15 students.

Conference Participation

International Conferences – Held Abroad

• “On the Question of the Origins of the Hasidic Story.”
  International Conference on Hebrew Language, Literature, and Culture, Boston University, Boston, 24 June 2019.

International and Local Conferences – Held in Israel

• “The Myth of the Edomite Kings – First Appearance.”
  The 15th World Congress of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 3 August 2009.
• “The Affinity of Rabbi Nahman of Breslav with Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai and the Turning Toward Sippurei Ma‘asiyot.”
  Kabbalah Research: Continuity, Development, and Transformation, Van Leer Institute, Jerusalem, 10 July 2012.
• “The Zoharic Image of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair.”
  The First Conference on Zoharic Literature and Its Generations, Ben-Gurion University, Be’er Sheva, 12 June 2014.
• “Sections and Multi-Generational Discourse in Zoharic Literature.”
  Zohar – East and West: The First International Conference, Ben-Gurion University & Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem, 30 December 2015.
• “The Hasidic Story and the Concept of Holiness.”
  The Third Annual Conference of the Israeli Association for the Study of Religions, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 8 April 2019.
• “Esau Who Preceded the World.”
  Jacob and Esau: Jewish European History between Nation and Empire (Book Launch), Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 21 January 2020.
• “The Discourse of Love and the Discourse of War in Zoharic Stories.”
  The 18th World Congress of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, 10 August 2022.

      Main Research Interests and Scientific Activities (briefly)

My research focuses on the Hasidic movement, with a particular emphasis on the Hasidic tale, and on Kabbalistic literature, concentrating on the poetic dimensions of the Zoharic corpus.

In my doctoral dissertation and in my book The Myth of the Edomite Kings in Zoharic Literature: Creation and Revelation in the Idrot Texts of the Zohar, I investigated the Idrot texts—the most intricate and profound literary stratum of the Zohar. My research, which examined the textual structure of the Idrot, was unique in its extensive application of literary methodologies, opening new horizons in the study of the Zoharic myth, which had previously been conducted solely within the field of Jewish thought.

My second book, The Active Tale, explores fundamental aspects of the Hasidic story: the question of its origins, its development over time, the characteristics of its various genres, and its modern adaptations. The book sheds light on the birth of the Hasidic tale, providing a comprehensive perspective on its place within the movement and highlighting key historical milestones in its evolution since the Hasidic movement’s founding in the mid-18th century. Notably, this is the first book since Joseph Dan’s The Hasidic Story (Jerusalem, 1975) to offer a comprehensive examination of the Hasidic tale.

Additionally, I served as the chief editor (alongside an accompanying editorial board consisting of Moshe Idel, Yoav Elstein, Louis Glinert, Hannah Handler, and Rela Kushelevsky) of the book 

Ohr Chozer – Hasidism and Its Values. This volume comprises twenty-seven entries that explore central themes in the Hasidic world, integrating Hasidic thought with its stories.

Further studies of mine in the field of Kabbalistic literature focus on the Idrot corpus as a whole, the Zoharic narrative—including discussions of its central motifs and characters and the various textual layers of the Zoharic corpus, with a particular emphasis on the middle stratum and the stratum of the Tikkunim.

In my research, I strive for scholarly depth and an engagement with the essential questions of each subject. My work is characterized by textual sensitivity, a rigorous examination of primary sources, and a comprehensive reevaluation of the material, paying careful attention to all its aspects. I am committed to challenging conventions and shedding new light on my fields of study.

15.  Major Research Findings (briefly)

In my research on the myth of the Edomite kings in Zoharic literature, I challenge previous interpretations that viewed the various appearances of this myth in the Idrot as mere reflections of a single myth with a unified meaning. The fundamental premise of my study is that each appearance of the myth must be examined within its unique textual and conceptual context, with particular attention to its linguistic stratum and poetic function.

Through this approach, I have demonstrated significant differences between the myth's manifestation in the Idrot and its presentation in other homiletic sections of the Zohar, where the Edomite kings are typically associated with the realms of impurity and the kelipot (shells), and are at times interpreted as waste cast off in a cathartic process.

This fresh and unbiased analysis of the Idrot led to the conclusion that the distinctive feature shared by these narratives is their function as draft stories of primordial worlds that did not endure in their original form. These tales reveal how such worlds can be restored and sustained, offering insight into the concept of din (judgment), its origins, and its place in the highest levels of being and the beginning of the process of emanation (atzilut).

My research on the Hasidic tale investigates its place within the Hasidic movement and its diverse functions. The book sheds light on the origins of the Hasidic tale and offers a comprehensive perspective on its role within the movement. In contrast to previous scholarship, it argues that the Hasidic story is not a secondary phenomenon designed to serve a specific purpose, but rather a multifaceted, dynamic, and active force. It is intricately woven into the ideological and experiential fabric of Hasidism, forming an integral part of its worldview and inner life.

In exploring this question, the book addresses core issues surrounding the Hasidic tale, presenting a fresh perspective on its beginnings and sources, its various genres, its role and function within the movement, the ways it was understood, and its diverse narrative strategies. With regard to the tales of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the book offers an innovative 

interpretation, emphasizing his effort to draw renewed vitality from myth. Through his stories, Rabbi Nachman sought to move beyond the traditionally developed legalistic Torah and return to its mythic origins. This aspiration reflects a defining feature of the early Hasidic movement, which Rabbi Nachman brought to its fullest expression through his storytelling.