Maimonides' Cure of Souls

The late David Bakan, who was professor of psychology at York University and a scholar of Jewish mysticism, left this book unfinished at his death in 2004. His work was continued by Merkur, who is in the religion department at the University of Toronto as well as a psychoanalyst, and Weiss, a rabbi and psychiatrist. The result is a blended study of the teachings of Maimonides on the "cure of souls". The great philosopher and legalist saw aberrant behavior as a spiritual illness that could be helped. He drew on both Aristotelian foundations, the work of Arab philosophers and, above all, his own interpretations of the Torah and Mishnah. The authors discuss his ideas in the light of modern psychology, all the while remembering that Maimonides lived long before the concept existed. They stress his emphasis on the interpretation of mystical, visionary Biblical passages and his belief that they symbolized inner conflicts. The final chapter completes Bakan's theory that Freud drew much of his early ideas about the unconscious from the Mamonidean tradition. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

David Bakan (1921–2004) was Professor Emeritus of Psychology at York University and the author of several books, including Sigmund Freud and the Jewish Mystical Tradition.

Dan Merkur is Research Reader in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto and a psychoanalyst in private practice in Toronto. He is the author of several books, including Crucified with Christ: Meditations on the Passion, Mystical Death, and the Medieval Invention of Psychotherapy, also published by SUNY Press.

David S. Weiss is a Ph.D. Psychologist and a rabbi. He is the President of Weiss International, a leadership consulting firm; an Affiliate Professor at the University of Toronto; and the author of several books, including Beyond the Walls of Conflict.