Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS v
3. PREFACE ix
4. Introduction. Love in the Canonical Literature: Dealing with Cognitive Dissonance 1
5. SECTION I. THE ANDROGYNE UNITY; SEPARATION; DESIRE AND UNITY
6. 1. The Androgyne Myth According to Plato 13
7. Chapter One. THE ANDROGYNE MYTH ACCORDING TO PLATO 13
8. Chapter Two. MALE AND FEMALE UNITY, PRIMORDIAL SIN AND REBELLION AGAINST THE GODS 18
9. Chapter Three. IN THE MIDRASH: ANDROGYNOUS ADAM 21
10. Chapter Four. IN THE KABBALAH: AN ETERNAL/DIVINE, SPIRITUAL AND HUMAN ANDROGYNE 35
11. Chapter Five. THE REBIRTH OF THE ANDROGYNE: JUDAH ABRAVANEL CITES PLATO AND MOSES 44
12. Chapter Six. SUMMARY: THE POWER OF MYTHS 53
13. SECTION II. A PROFILE OF THE SAGE OF LOVE
14. Chapter One. INTRODUCTION: THE PHILOSOPHER AS SAGE OF LOVE 59
15. Chapter Two. THE LOVE OF RACHEL 61
16. Chapter Three. THE SAGE OF LOVE “RESCUES” THE SONG OF SONGS 69
17. Chapter Four. PRACTICE AND THEORY IN THE WISDOM OF LOVE 76
18. Chapter Five. THE SAGE AND TEMPTATION 88
19. Chapter Six. LOVE THY FELLOW AS THE BASIS OF HUMAN SOCIALISATION 94
20. Chapter Seven. OPTIMISM OUT OF LOVE 103
21. Chapter Eight. ULTIMATE LOVE 115
22. Chapter Nine. THE ORCHARD OF LOVE 123
23. Chapter Ten. SUMMARY: THE UNIVERSAL SAGE 125
24. SECTION III. THE SAGE OF UNCONSUMMATED LOVE: JUDAH ABRAVANEL’S DIALOGHI D’AMORE
25. Chapter One. INTRODUCTION: PHILO AND SOPHIA 127
26. Chapter Two. THE SAGE’S DESIRE 129
27. Chapter Three. LOVE AS A UNIVERSAL PHENOMENON 140
28. Chapter Four. THE PARADOX OF ABSTRACT PERCEPTION 144
29. Chapter Five. LOVE AND BEAUTY 147
30. Chapter Six. WHEN AND WHERE WAS LOVE BORN? 149
31. Chapter Seven. UNCONSUMMATED LOVE 151
32. SECTION IV. WRITTEN FOR MEN BY MEN: FEMINIST REVOLUTION AND INNOVATION IN THE CANONICAL SOURCES
33. Chapter One. INTRODUCTION: IDENTIFYING REVOLUTIONARY AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN CULTURAL SOURCES 154
34. Chapter Two. A MONOGAMOUS MESSAGE TO A POLYGAMOUS CULTURE 155
35. Chapter Three. ONAH: THE OBLIGATION TO HAVE SEX FOR PLEASURE 178
36. Chapter Four. THE LOVE RELATIONSHIP AS PERFECTION: THE END OF MALE EXCLUSIVITY 185
37. Chapter Five. SUMMARY: INNOVATION AND THE NORM 189
38. SECTION V. CONTRAST AND HARMONY IN MARRIED LIFE: ON SPIRITUALITY AND ABSTINENCE
39. Chapter One. INTRODUCTION: THE DUALISTIC APPROACH 191
40. Chapter Two. MARRIAGE AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH: HELP OR HINDRANCE? 192
41. Chapter Three. CATEGORICAL REJECTION: ABSTINENCE IS PUNISHABLE BY DEATH! 195
42. Chapter Four. THE DILEMMA OF ABSTINENCE FOR INDIVIDUALS ON A HIGH SPIRITUAL PLANE 197
43. Chapter Five. MOSES’ ABSTINENCE 201
44. Chapter Six. ABSTINENCE: A PRECONDITION FOR LOVE IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RABBI BAHYA IBN PAKUDA 208
45. Chapter Seven. RABBI JUDAH HALEVI’S REJECTION OF ABSTINENCE 211
46. Chapter Eight. SUMMARY: MAINTAINING BALANCE 213
47. BIBLIOGRAPHY 217
48. INDEX 221