In sixteenth-century Safed, a fellowship of Jewish mystics pursued one of history's most demanding paths of spiritual transformation. Through prolonged fasting, voluntary homelessness, sexual restraint, sleep deprivation, and disciplined silence, these married scholars sought not escape from the world but its repair—and the refinement of their own consciousness.
This book is both a historical investigation and a practical guide. Grounded in rare manuscripts and kabbalistic teachings, it reconstructs how these practices were actually performed, what inner states they aimed to cultivate, and how suffering was intentionally shaped into prayer, attention, and ethical sensitivity. At the same time, it brings these traditions into dialogue with modern neuroscience and psychology, illuminating how ascetic discipline alters perception, desire, and identity.
Clear-eyed about both the power and the dangers of extreme practice, the book offers reflective frameworks and carefully adapted exercises for contemporary readers—showing how ancient disciplines of hunger, silence, and restraint can be approached today without romanticizing harm. For scholars, practitioners, and seekers alike, it opens a path to understanding how embodied practice can transform pain into meaning, and devotion into lived awareness.

In sixteenth-century Safed, a fellowship of Jewish mystics pursued one of history's most demanding paths of spiritual transformation. Through prolonged fasting, voluntary homelessness, sexual restraint, sleep deprivation, and disciplined silence, these married scholars sought not escape from the world but its repair—and the refinement of their own consciousness.
This book is both a historical investigation and a practical guide. Grounded in rare manuscripts and kabbalistic teachings, it reconstructs how these practices were actually performed, what inner states they aimed to cultivate, and how suffering was intentionally shaped into prayer, attention, and ethical sensitivity. At the same time, it brings these traditions into dialogue with modern neuroscience and psychology, illuminating how ascetic discipline alters perception, desire, and identity.
Clear-eyed about both the power and the dangers of extreme practice, the book offers reflective frameworks and carefully adapted exercises for contemporary readers—showing how ancient disciplines of hunger, silence, and restraint can be approached today without romanticizing harm. For scholars, practitioners, and seekers alike, it opens a path to understanding how embodied practice can transform pain into meaning, and devotion into lived awareness.

In sixteenth-century Safed, a fellowship of Jewish mystics pursued one of history's most demanding paths of spiritual transformation. Through prolonged fasting, voluntary homelessness, sexual restraint, sleep deprivation, and disciplined silence, these married scholars sought not escape from the world but its repair—and the refinement of their own consciousness.
This book is both a historical investigation and a practical guide. Grounded in rare manuscripts and kabbalistic teachings, it reconstructs how these practices were actually performed, what inner states they aimed to cultivate, and how suffering was intentionally shaped into prayer, attention, and ethical sensitivity. At the same time, it brings these traditions into dialogue with modern neuroscience and psychology, illuminating how ascetic discipline alters perception, desire, and identity.
Clear-eyed about both the power and the dangers of extreme practice, the book offers reflective frameworks and carefully adapted exercises for contemporary readers—showing how ancient disciplines of hunger, silence, and restraint can be approached today without romanticizing harm. For scholars, practitioners, and seekers alike, it opens a path to understanding how embodied practice can transform pain into meaning, and devotion into lived awareness.