Rachel Aberlin

Rachel Aberlin
Other names	Rachel ha-Ashkenaziah
Occupation	Mystic
Spouse	Judah Aberlin

Rachel Aberlin or Rachel ha-Ashkenaziah (fl. 1582–1609), was a Jewish mystic. She is described in the Sefer ha-Ḥezyonot ("The Book of Visions") by Hayyim Vital. She was an influential figure of the early Sabbateanism and a spiritual leader of women.

She was married to Judah Aberlin in 1564, a wealthy man and leader of the Jewish community of Safed in Jerusalem and Damascus, and settled in Safed. After the death of her husband in 1582, she acted as the patron of religious Jewish leaders and was herself a leading religious figure, known for regularly experiencing mystical visions, from pillars of fire to Elijah the Prophet.

In Sefer ha-Ḥezyonot, Aberlin is depicted as a woman who frequently had mystical experiences, ranging from seeing pillars of fire to encountering Elijah the Prophet. She was reportedly "accustomed to seeing visions, demons, souls, and angels," and made prophecies of the future.

Her date of death is not recorded but she made an intervention in a case of spirit possession involving a young woman in Damascus in 1609.

See also

• Francesa Sarah of Safed

References

• Emily Taitz, Sondra Henry & Cheryl Tallan, The JPS Guide to Jewish Women: 600 B.C.E.to 1900 C.E., 2003
• J.H. Chajes, Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism (2003)
• M.M. Faierstein, Jewish Mystical Autobiographies: Book of Visions and Book of Secrets (1999).