Zvi Leshem: 'Modernity in general was a movement that was anti-mystical'

As director of the Gershom Scholem Collection for Kabbalah and Hasidism at the National Library of Israel, Rabbi Dr. Zvi Leshem dedicates much of his time to the study of Jewish mysticism. He believes Jewish mysticism teaches us to listen, uplift, and shape our world as part of our path towards redemption.

Rabbi Dr. Leshem received his PhD in Jewish Philosophy from Bar-Ilan University and is the author of Redemptions: Contemporary Chassidic Essays on the Parsha and the Festivals. He has previously served as the associate dean and director of overseas programs at Nishmat.

Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including how it transforms relationships, connecting to God through Torah study, and how the world’s greatest challenges persist over generations.

Here are our questions:
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world?
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions?
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(85)

Fruma Schapiro: 'The direct path of connection to Hashem is through the simple and the small'

Fruma Schapiro’s connection to Jewish mysticism is deeply entrenched in Chabad Hasidism. She has seen the way it can transform lives and nourish souls, and she is particularly drawn to the idea that e...

29 Jun 41min

YY Jacobson: 'Jews were chosen to hold onto the frequency of redemptive consciousness'

In this insightful conversation, Rabbi YY Jacobson presents Jewish mysticism as a dynamic framework for consciousness and connection rather than abstract theology. He passionately and clearly illustra...

22 Jun 55min

Oshra Koren: 'If this is not redemption, I don't know what is'

For Rabbanit Oshra Koren, mysticism is the soul and spirit of the Torah that animates the "body" of Jewish law. It is a path of deep longing that wakes the sleeping heart, transforming the way we see ...

15 Jun 15min

Jonnie Schnytzer: 'The world caught up with kabbalists'

For Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer, Jewish mysticism teaches us to recognize that nothing in this world is the way it appears to be. Kabbalistic study is a process in deconstructing something we think we unders...

8 Jun 40min

Dina Etigson: 'The point is not to transcend this world but to bring God here into it'

For Dina Etigson, encountering Jewish Mysticism has been a transformative experience. Beyond the academic and textual Judaism she already knew and loved, she describes the experience as entering “a di...

1 Jun 24min

Biti Roi: 'Every generation brings mysticism to a different stage'

For Dr. Biti Roi, the texts of Jewish mysticism aren’t just ideas to study – they are a life force. A renowned scholar of Zohar, Kabbala, and Chasidut [Hasidism], these texts are the animating energy ...

25 Mai 1h 7min

Devori Nussbaum: 'I see God as this one coherent frequency of truth'

For Devori Nussbaum, Jewish mysticism is the study of the soul behind the psyche, a transformative framework that integrates the profound spiritual truths of Chasidut [Hasidism] with insights of psych...

11 Mai 36min