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KABBALAH & MYSTICISM
These are our most popular courses in this area:
Ten-class course
Ongoing registration
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Birkat Kohanim, the priestly blessing, is one of the most ancient formulas of blessing and protection that is found in our tradition. Layers and layers of meaning and use have accumulated through the ages, connecting it to warding off evil, priestly secrets, the relationships between parents and children, and different unifications of the Divine name.
We will explore the many dimensions of this prayer, and also the Angels’ (four directions) prayer, Psalm 91 - the psalm against evil spirits, and more. This journey will take us through archaeology, Tanach (Hebrew Bible), Talmud, Zohar and other mystical sources, through singing and chanting and other spiritual practices.
INTRODUCTION
TO KABBALAH:
THE SEFIROT OF
THE TREE OF LIFE
Rabbi Daniel Silverstein
Eight-class course
Ongoing registration
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How can the primary system of Kabbalah help us to understand and refine our inner selves, our creativity and our relationships?
The Sefirot of the Tree of Life are often described as attributes of the Divine, or gateways, through which the Divine brings existence into being.
The Sefirot can also be understood as archetypes or character traits, which we can identify and refine in our own selves. By learning about each Sefirah and how they may manifest in our internal and external lives, we will grow intellectually and experientially, internalizing the Kabbalists' potent wisdom to enrich every aspect of our day-to-day existence.
DREAMIDRASH
WORKSHOP
Rabbi Mordechai Zeller
Six-class course
Ongoing registration
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Explore your dreams through a broad range of Jewish texts, and modern psychoanalytic theory.
Join us for this exciting new course at AJS with clinical psychologist and rabbi Mordechai Zeller, as we delve into ancient dream texts from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), Talmud, Zohar and from the diaries of the Mystics and Hassidic masters. We will read these works together with some classic psychological theory, from Freud and Jung to Bion, Ogden and Eigen.
Each session focuses on archetypal and recurring dream themes, we will follow them through early mentions in Jewish sources. We will learn how to begin writing/recording our dreams and how to begin working with them.
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Ten-class course
Ongoing registration
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Ana B'Khoach is an ancient mystical chant, used by many great Kabbalists, that encodes the mysterious 42-letter name of God.
In this online course, taught by Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan, we will explore the power of this chant like spiritual detectives, discovering a new layer of meaning in each class.
As we study and chant Ana B’Khoach together, we will encounter deep insights into the nature of reality and a wealth of mystical and kabbalistic practices, ranging from simple ones for everyday use, to advanced ones for those who are further on along the mystical path.
Seven-class course
Ongoing registration
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Kabbalistic teachings view “the Omer," the seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, as a potent season of self-cultivation and growth; a period focused on bringing attention to the Divine qualities within ourselves as a preparation for receiving the revelation of Torah. The seven weeks of the Sefirah (counting) are mirrored by the seven lower Sefirot - the Divine energies that are expressed throughout Creation, and that form our very personalities and self. This course guides participants through the sefirot, uncovering layers of meaning to help understand what they are, how they live inside of us, and how we can attune ourselves to our own innate Divine nature.
Ten-class course
Ongoing registration
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From the Bible through the Talmud, Midrash, Zohar and other mystical texts, the amazing smell of the ketoret (incense) and its symbolic and mythical powers have never ceased to fascinate our ancestors.
Our ancestors have already explored and understood this ancient, earth-based ritual on every level of our being: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.
In addition, the ketoret was connected to battling plagues since Biblical times, which adds a timely dimension.
In each session, we will explore a specific aspect of the ketoret, which we will seek to experience on each of the four levels mentioned above.
SPIRITUAL
PRACTICES
OF THE BESHT
Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan
Ten-class course
Ongoing registration
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The Ba'al Shem Tov (also known as the Besht) founded the spiritual revolution that became the Chasidic movement, in the mid-1700s.
The oral teachings of this Jewish shaman/medicine man (this is what it means to be a "ba'al shem"), are gems of transformative wisdom, and are often full of surprises.
Of the many ideas which the Besht originated, Rabbi Ruth has chosen some of her most beloved teachings which are linked to spiritual practices. You are invited to practice them between classes or keep the teachings in your hearts to use when the right time arrives...
Classes will incorporate the four worlds (levels of consciousness) of the holistic Chasidic system: Stories, Niggun, Torah and Prayer/Silence.
Year-round course
Join any time
2 Classes per month
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What are the unique spiritual and psychological opportunities and challenges of each month and festival?
What are the practices that our tradition recommends for each month, to maximise our potential in every area of our lives?
In this course, we will explore the depth and breadth of Torah and Kabbalah, and integrate their wisdom with insights from the contemporary mindfulness world.
Every month, we will explore a broad and deep range of texts, and participants will receive detailed and clear practice instructions for meditative and creative practices that will help to effect tangible changes in our inner lives, our routine activities and our everyday interactions with others.
Eight-class course
Ongoing registration
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R' Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook, sometimes referred to as the Rav, was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel. He is revered as a scholar, thinker, legal authority, kabbalist, poet, and a modern day prophet.
He writes, "On the holy night of the festival, we are full of redemption, full of a higher freedom. Our freedom liberates our spirit...Our redemption is universal - the redemption of all worlds."
In this online course with Yiscah Smith, we will explore, through Rav Kook’s commentaries on the Passover Haggadah, the spiritual practice of cultivating mindfulness to our innermost selves, which will then birth the consciousness of remaining faithful to that sense of deeper being.