Defining Jewish Holiness in Sixteenth-Century Kabbalah through Distant Reading: Sanctifying Bodily Practices Vs the Entirety of Proper Performance

This article examines the concept of holiness in Jewish literature, focusing on sixteenth-century ethical Kabbalah in Safed, using distant reading tools. It focuses on two influential moral-kabbalistic works, The Gates of Holiness (Shaarei Kedusha), by Hayyim Vital, and the Gate of Holiness (“Shaar ha-kedusha”), a section in the work Reshit Hokhma, by Eliyahu de Vidas. Utilizing computational and statistical methods, it analyzes shared and distinct holiness terminology. Both texts highlight holiness as a fusion of spirituality and the physical realm, emphasizing contemplation through ritual practices and the threat of impurity and material desires. The article also underscores disparities in holiness definitions, which were not yet observed in previous scholarship. While Vital’s definition of holiness encompasses the fulfillment of all commandments and the correction of human traits, de Vidas takes a more restricted view. He associates holiness with the sanctification of specific aspects of corporality, particularly sexuality and eating, achieved through intentional practices.