Seekers of Unity: Recent Episodes
Seekers
Collaborative, Comparative, Interdisciplinary Exploration of Mysticism. Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World. #ProjectUnity
Telling the Story of Mysticism. History, Mythology, Metaphysics, Psychology, Poetry, Philosophy and Science. By Seekers, For Seekers.
Dylan Shaul presents the one of the most important events in modern philosophy, the Pantheism Controversy sparked by the reception of Spinoza in 18th century Germany. The Controversy involved the greatest German philosophers of the period, and laid the foundations for the next 200 years of European thought. In the balance of the Pantheism Controversy hung the fate of the Enlightenment and Modernity; the fate of faith and reason, religion and philosophy; the fate of freedom, of the immortal soul, and even of God Godself. Our story will take us from the renegade Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza, to the heyday of the German Aufklärung or Enlightenment, through the philosophical revolution of Immanuel Kant, and eventually the birth of German Idealism itself. In the first episode of the series, we explored the philosophy of Spinoza and its reception in Germany, which first spurred the controversy. In the second episode we explored Immanuel Kant’s response to Spinozism and the Pantheism Controversy, where he attempted to stake out a middle ground between reason and faith. In this third episode we’ll tackle Hegel’s efforts to solve the Pantheism Controversy by reconciling Spinoza and Kant—thereby attempting to complete the grand journey from nihilism to Absolute Spirit. Dylan Shaul is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His dissertation is titled Hegel's Concept of Reconciliation: On Absolute Spirit. He has also published on Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Adorno, Levinas, Kristeva, and Derrida. See more of his work here: https://www.dylanshaul.com00:00 Introduction to Hegel06:04 Substance and Subject: ‘The True is the Whole’13:30 Hegel’s Encyclopedia System: Logic, Nature, Spirit22:21 Hegel on Pantheism35:51 Hegel on the ‘Death of God’54:49 Critical Reception of Hegel1:02:11 Conclusion Join Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunitySupport Seekers:https://www.patreon.com/seekershttps://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Dylan Shaul presents the one of the most important events in modern philosophy, the Pantheism Controversy sparked by the reception of Spinoza in 18th century Germany. The Controversy involved the greatest German philosophers of the period, and laid the foundations for the next 200 years of European thought. In the balance of the Pantheism Controversy hung the fate of the Enlightenment and Modernity; the fate of faith and reason, religion and philosophy; the fate of freedom, of the immortal soul, and even of God Godself. Our story will take us from the renegade Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza, to the heyday of the German Aufklärung or Enlightenment, through the philosophical revolution of Immanuel Kant, and eventually the birth of German Idealism itself. In the first episode of the series, we explored the philosophy of Spinoza and its reception in Germany, which first spurred the controversy. In this second episode we'll explore Immanuel Kant’s response to Spinozism and the Pantheism Controversy, where he attempted to stake out a middle ground between reason and faith. In the third episode we’ll tackle Hegel’s efforts to solve the Pantheism Controversy by reconciling Spinoza and Kant—thereby attempting to complete the grand journey from nihilism to Absolute Spirit. Dylan Shaul is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His dissertation is titled Hegel's Concept of Reconciliation: On Absolute Spirit. He has also published on Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Adorno, Levinas, Kristeva, and Derrida. See more of his work here: https://www.dylanshaul.com00:00 Introduction to Kant04:25 Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason09:35 Practical Rational Faith14:26 Critical Reception of KantJoin Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunitySupport Seekers:https://www.patreon.com/seekershttps://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Dylan Shaul presents the one of the most important events in modern philosophy, the Pantheism Controversy sparked by the reception of Spinoza in 18th century Germany. The Controversy involved the greatest German philosophers of the period, and laid the foundations for the next 200 years of European thought. In the balance of the Pantheism Controversy hung the fate of the Enlightenment and Modernity; the fate of faith and reason, religion and philosophy; the fate of freedom, of the immortal soul, and even of God Godself. Our story will take us from the renegade Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza, to the heyday of the German Aufklärung or Enlightenment, through the philosophical revolution of Immanuel Kant, and eventually the birth of German Idealism itself. In this first episode of the series, we’ll explore the philosophy of Spinoza and its reception in Germany, which first spurred the controversy. In the second episode we’ll turn to Kant’s response to the controversy, in which he tried to stake out a middle ground between reason and faith. In the third episode we’ll tackle Hegel’s efforts to solve the Pantheism Controversy by reconciling Spinoza and Kant—thereby attempting to complete the grand journey from nihilism to Absolute Spirit. Dylan Shaul is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His dissertation is titled Hegel's Concept of Reconciliation: On Absolute Spirit. He has also published on Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Adorno, Levinas, Kristeva, and Derrida. See more of his work here: https://www.dylanshaul.com00:00 Intro the Series06:04 Introduction to Spinoza11:21 Spinoza’s Philosophy17:53 Critical Reception of Spinoza22:47 The Pantheism ControversyJoin Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunitySupport Seekers:https://www.patreon.com/seekershttps://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join Biti Roi in a critical and meaningful exploration of religious faith and doubt as filtered through the mind of a radical mystic, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and the luminous words of the Tikkunei Zohar. Dr. Biti Roi is a Senior Fellow of the Kogod Research Center of Contemporary Jewish Thought. Biti holds a Ph.D from Bar Ilan University and is a lecturer in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University and the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, where she teaches kabbalah and Hasidism. She was a leader and participant in the first cohort of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis and teaches at the Shalom Hartman Institute for various programs in Israel and abroad.Biti has won several prizes and post doctorate fellowships (Kreitman, Polack, Elyashar) at Ben-Gurion University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Her book, Love of Shekhina: Mysticism and Poetics in Tiqqunei ha-Zohar, was awarded the Matanel World Union of Jewish Studies Prize for the best book in Jewish Studies.Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/biti-roi/
00:00 Excerpt00:17 Opening 01:20 Why R' Nachman is still alive08:29 A Personal Journey15:01 R' Nachman18:50 R’ Nachman's Path 26:08 The Body30:48 Radical Mystic35:32 Scholar and Seeker41:54 Question47:39 Storyteller59:06 R' Nachman and the Zohar1:12:08 Core Themes 1:17:35 Thank youJoin us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join us on a journey of faith and heresy with Rabbi Dr. Shraga Bar-On through a neglected chapter in the history of Jewish mysticism, the mysticism of the great sages of the Mishna and the Talmud. In a rich culture of dispute, rabbinic voices debate the mystical. Shraga gives us a first-hand creative rereading of one of the most mystical rabbinic passages, the famed ‘Four Who Entered the Orchard’ shedding light on its secret history and transformation from a forbidding tale of three, to a cautionary tale of four. Join us as we venture into the orchard, discover its pitfalls, promises, presences and pleasures, and whatever you do, don’t say ‘water, water.’ Rabbi Dr. Shraga Bar-On is the Director of the Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought and the David Hartman Center for Intellectual Excellence, and a lecturer of Talmud and Jewish Thought at Shalem College.
At the David Hartman Center, he is responsible for the advanced training of aspiring public intellectuals through the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, the David Hartman postdoctoral fellowship, and the Maskilot fellowship for women pursuing their doctorate. His research in Jewish philosophy and identity addresses a wide range of eras and topics: Second Temple literature, Mishnaic and Talmudic scholarship, medieval Jewish literature, early Zionism, and contemporary Jewish identity. His books and other works have been published in academic, popular, and educational contexts.
Shraga lives in Beit Horon, is married to Vered, and is the father of Peleg, Sinai, and Gefen. Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/shraga-bar-on/
00:00 Excerpt00:48 Mysticism among the Rabbis11:50 A Culture of Dispute 26:41 Normal Mysticism – Akiva30:21 Four Who Entered44:39 Battling Schools52:53 Encountering Two Gods59:45 Relevance TodayJoin us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Frederique, Laurie, Joshua, Spacecowboy, Cliffton, Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join us for a laborious and enlivening conversation on birth and rebirth, hope and fear, beauty and chaos, spirit and matter - winding through the tunnels of Kabbalah and Psychoanalysis.Dr. Ruth Kara-Ivanov Kaniel (Ph.D. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2010) is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Jewish History and Thought at the University of Haifa where she heads the Posen Saulire Foundation-funded Jewish Israeli Culture Program. She also serves as Research Fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Her research deals with intersections between mysticism, gender, and psychoanalysis.Dr. Kara-Ivanov Kaniel was a postdoctoral fellow at New York University, the HBI center at Brandeis University, and a Kreitman and Matanel at Ben-Gurion University. She also headed a Research Group on “Psychoanalysis and Kabbalah” at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. Her book Holiness and Transgression: Mothers of the Messiah in the Jewish Myth was published by Academic Studies Press (2017). Her book Human Ropes—Birth in Kabbalah and Psychoanalysis” won the Gorgias Press competition for Jewish Thought and will soon be published by De Gruyter Press. Her new book, The Feminine Messiah: King David in the Image of the Shekhina in Kabbalistic Literature (2021) was published recently by Brill. A poet and editor of poetry, as well as translator of Russian poets into Hebrew, her book The World Has No Silence (2011) won the Rachel Negev Literature Award. Her The Soul is Moved was published in the Ritmus Poetry Series of the Hakibbutz Hameuhad Press in 2017. Her latest poetry book, Diamonds and Ashes, will be published by Pardes Press in 2022.Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at: www.shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday - www.youtube.com/@ShalomHartmanInstitute00:00 Excerpt00:48 Scholarship 09:09 Ruth’s Books18:40 What is Birth?24:17 Beauty 32:54 Psychoanalysis41:23 Hope 48:10 A New Paradigm56:30 Facing the Fear59:47 Darkness and Light 1:07:04 Hope1:09:16 Rebirth1:11:09 Dreaming1:12:43 Born again, and again1:14:54 Not to be or to be?1:16:32 Closing and openingJoin Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunitySupport Seekers:https://www.patreon.com/seekershttps://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Moshe Idel, considered the world’s leading scholar of Jewish mysticism by many, joins us in conversation to discuss his unique relationship to the texts of Jewish mysticism, his psychedelics experiences and the role of mystical experiences in the study of mysticism, Jewish Mysticism’s relationship to other mystical traditions, ‘Unio Mystica’ in Judaism and the techniques employed to achieve it, the Divine Feminine and the centrality of Mitzvot in Kabbalah and lastly whether he finds any truth, meaning or beauty in mysticism. Join us for this momentous conversation.Moshe Idel is a Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Max Cooper Professor of Jewish Thought at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Professor Idel has served as a visiting professor and researcher at universities and institutions worldwide, including Yale, Harvard, and Princeton universities in the United States, and Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.Professor Idel’s book, Ben: Sonship and Jewish Mysticism, won the 2007 National Jewish Book Award, and was published by the Institute’s Kogod Library of Judaic Studies. In total, he has published over one hundred books, translated into a dozen different languages. Amongst a long list of professional achievements, Professor Idel was a recipient of the Rothschild Prize for Jewish studies in 2012, and was elected to the Israel Academy for Sciences and Humanities in 2006. In 1999, he became an Israel Prize laureate for excellent achievement in the field of Jewish philosophy.00:00 Excerpt00:33 Overview00:53 Biographical 08:23 The Accidental Scholar11:15 Reading Manuscripts 13:23 Meeting Scholem17:03 New Perspectives20:59 Documentation22:15 The Enigma27:54 Instability of Texts32:26 ‘Phenomenological’37:28 Communicating with Kabbalists39:03 Experiencing with the Mystics40:35 Easy Experiences41:39 Abulafia48:11 Unio Mystica52:04 Jewish Unio Mystica53:47 Techniques54:32 The Common57:08 Whence the Drive?1:03:00 Definition1:02:32 Continuity1:06:36 Hans Jonas1:08:22 Traditionalism1:09:10 Inner Readings1:12:15 Divine Feminine1:17:58 Mitzvot1:19:48 Terrestrial Mysticism1:21:25 Unique to Jewish Mysticism?1:23:14 The Essence of Jewish Mysticism?1:24:28 Italian Kabbalists1:25:58 Perennialism & Eranos1:30:29 Unity?1:32:08 Beyond Particularism?1:34:09 Truth?1:36:49 Meaning?1:38:42 Hasidism Ashkenaz1:45:10 The Besht1:47:36 Lightning Round1:58:15 Jewish Mysticism and other Mysticism2:03:36 Final Questions2:05:14 Thank you2:06:34 BeautyJoin us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comSupport us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join us on a journey into the fascinating world of comparative religion. Join us as we explore the intersection between ethics and metaphysics, and the intricate relationship between meaning and mysticism. From the descriptive to the prescriptive, from the dangers to the rewards of interiorization, Professor Margolin's exploration of these concepts offers a unique perspective on the modern role of religion. Whether you're seeking deeper insights or pondering the meaning of mysticism, this conversation promises to be an intellectual and philosophical delight.Professor Ron Margolin is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute, with a doctorate in Jewish thought from Tel Aviv University.He teaches modern Jewish thought in the Department of Jewish Philosophy and Comparative Religion at Tel Aviv University.His publications include The Human Temple: Religious Interiorization and the Structuring of Inner Life in Early Hasidism (Hebrew, 2006).Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/ron-margolin/Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at: www.shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday - www.youtube.com/@ShalomHartmanInstitute00:00 Excerpt00:41 Introducing Professor Margolin01:37 Comparative Religion: Pitfalls and Benefits 07:05 William James and the Modern Role of Religion 14:27 The Humanistic Values Guiding Ron’s Research 17:43 A Question of Ethics19:46 Can we have Ethics without Metaphysics?22:31 The Descriptive to Prescriptive Leap25:03 The Meaning of Meaning 37:30 The Meaning of Mysticism 1:04:09 Finding Meaning1:10:40 Are you a Mystic?1:13:12 The End of Ron’s Book1:27:38 The Ends1:40:16 A Process of Interiorization1:44:59 The Dangers of Interiorization1:50:59 Logic of Mysticism1:59:27 PracticumJoin us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Cliffton, Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
What does the teacher-students entail in the world of Hasidism and do we need it anymore? Join Alexandra and Zevi in conversation, exploring questions of charismatic religious leadership, teachers and students, masters, disciples and the potential for redemption.Alexandra Mandelbaum is a fellow in the Maskilot program at the David Hartman Center for Intellectual Leadership. She is writing her doctoral thesis in the Department of Jewish Thought at Ben Gurion University and her research focuses on Breslov Hasidism and the ideological fluctuations within Jewish society.Over the years, she has been involved in leading and coordinating projects in the field of Jewish and Israeli culture. As part of the “Cultural Brigade” she wrote, produced, and created two plays that dealt with Russian-Israeli identity.Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at: www.shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday - www.youtube.com/@ShalomHartmanInstitute00:00 Excerpt01:10 Chasidism in the Academy04:26 Story09:37 Israel13:44 What is a Rebbe?18:00 Dangers of Rebbes19:30 To be a Chasid24:41 Negotiating Relationships 27:20 The Besht35:37 Is it still Hasidism?44:45 Self Aware 51:34 Teachers and Students 56:24 Apology 58:56 A Question of Succession1:00:53 of Messianism 1:17:36 Messianic teacher and disciples 1:20:42 Messianic People 1:27:12 Us1:30:58 Teaching as a Woman2:00:06 Succession2:13:06 Death of the Teacher Join Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join Israeli writer, journalist, television host and teacher, Dov Elbaum, in a frontier testing discussion addressing the relationship between Judaism and Shamanism, the real meaning of Idolatry, the Face of God and the End of the Law. Asking, how might one live if they saw the truth?Dov Elbaum is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute and chief editor of Yediot Ahronot Publishing. He has published extensively in Israel’s leading Hebrew dailies. A graduate of the Interdisciplinary Program at Tel Aviv University, his academic expertise is in philosophy, Kabbalah and Hassidism.Dov edited and produced the documentary “Making Way” for Israeli television and is the host of the popular weekly television talk show “Mekablim Shabbat”.His publications include: Zman Elul (Am Oved, 1997); My Life with the Ancestors (Am Oved, 2001), which won the 2002 President Prize for Young Writers; and A Walk through the Void (Am Oved, 2007).Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/dov-elbaum/00:00 Excerpt00:20 Judaism and Shamanism 08:05 India13:13 Cross-Cultural Learnings 19:53 Brothers in Faith23:34 Idolatry28:53 Interfacing with Reality31:53 the End of the Law37:05 A Vision for the Future43:28 Immanentizing the Eschaton 46:09 Moral safeguards54:19 Are we ready?59:10 A Love StoryJoin us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join us for a tell-all conversation with a leading biblical scholar on what really happened at the trial of Jesus, the concept of the Divine Messiah, the Holiness Code in Leviticus, Messianism and Mysticism in the Bible and the Deification of Moses – and what all of this might mean for us today.Dr. Israel Knohl is a Senior Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute. He has a doctorate in Bible from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he is the Yehezkel Kaufmann Professor of Bible.Professor Knohl has served as a visiting professor at Harvard University, University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University and the University of Chicago Divinity School.https://www.hartman.org.il/person/israel-knohl/Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at: www.shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday - www.youtube.com/@ShalomHartmanInstitute00:00 Excerpt00:48 The Trial of Jesus08:25 The Divine Messiah22:48 Was Jesus' claim radical?27:53 Israel’s Thesis - the Holiness Code35:16 The Priestly Agenda40:30 Messianism 50:07 Mysticism in the Bible57:01 The Apotheosis of Moses 1:02:25 Scandals1:11:09 Meaning1:13:25 Book of Bahir - Meaning of Blessing1:21:40 Personal Reflection1:26:33 The Takeaway1:35:55 Niggun Join Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Encountering Divinity after the Death of God. Join Menachem and Zevi in conversation as they explore the hero’s journey in Judaism, traversing the biblical landscape from history to destiny. Dr. Menachem Lorberbaum is a Senior Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute, where he led the Bet Midrash program for four years. He has a doctorate in philosophy from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is professor of Jewish Philosophy at Tel Aviv University, where he was founding chairperson of the Department of Hebrew Culture Studies, and where he chaired the Graduate School of Philosophy.His most recent book on Jewish theology, I Seek Thy Face, is soon to be published. Dazzled by Beauty: Theology as Poetics in Hispanic Jewish Culture was published by the Ben Zvi Institute, Jerusalem.Menachem is co-editor of a four-volume work, The Jewish Political Tradition , along with Michael Walzer and Noam Zohar . The third volume, Community, is now in press. Along with Michal Govrin he edits the poetry series Devarim at Carmel Press, which has published four volumes of his verse.https://www.hartman.org.il/person/menachem-lorberbaum/Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at: www.shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday - www.youtube.com/@ShalomHartmanInstitute00:00:00 - Excerpt 00:01:24 - Encountering God00:16:34 - Fate vs Destiny00:21:36 - Israel's Limp00:23:20 - Becoming Creator00:26:12 - The Place00:34:01 - Exile00:41:05 - Disagree00:46:17 - The Encounter00:54:19 - Encoutering Otherness01:00:16 - Not Mysticism01:06:00 - Loving God after Nietzche01:13:09 - Practice01:20:33 - Spontenaity01:21:21 - Niggun01:26:34 - Father and King01:28:11 - QuestionJoin Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Exploring Mystical Union and Spiritual Embodiment in Jewish Mysticism with Professor Adam Afterman.Adam Afterman is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute and the chair of the Department of Jewish Philosophy and Talmud at Tel Aviv University.Professor Afterman’s main fields of research are medieval Jewish philosophy, kabbalah, and Jewish mysticism.His most recent book, And They Shall Be One Flesh: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism (Brill, 2016), offers an extensive study of mystical union and spiritual embodiment in Judaism.Professor Afterman studies Jewish thought in its broader Muslim and Christian contexts and explores how medieval Judaism was transformed in detailed response to philosophy and Muslim and Christian high culture. Professor Afterman is active in the field of academic interreligious research and study in Israel and abroad.00:00 Excerpt02:02 Dvekut39:13 Mystical Union1:22:21 Holy Spirit1:35:56 What does this mean for us today? Join us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm
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https://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Esther, Moshe, Isaac, Jorge, AARon, Rick, Eden, Leo, Francis, CyberArt, Laurie, Alana, Gary, Frederique, Laurie, Joshua, Spacecowboy, Cliffton, Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join us for a profoundly heartful conversation on the musical and textual life of Jewish mysticism with Melila Hellner-Eshed.Melila Hellner-Eshed, Ph.D., is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute and the Director of Maskilot, an intensive two-year program for female doctoral candidates, now opening its fourth cohort. She also founded and co-directs the Rabbinical Students Seminar, a interdenominational program for rabbinic students spending a year in Israel.She has been a professor of Jewish mysticism and Zohar in the Department of Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for over two decades. She received her degree from Hebrew University under the tutelage of Professor Yehuda Liebes. At the Hebrew University, Melila also taught in the honors teacher-training program Revivim and in the Amirim honors program for liberal studies.For the past three decades, she has been a central figure in the Israeli renaissance of study of Jewish texts by Israeli adults of all paths of life in various frameworks. She has been teaching and working with Jewish communities in North America, Europe and the former Soviet Union for many years.Her publications include A River Flows from Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar, (Hebrew, Alma and Am Oved Publications, 2005 and English, Stanford University Press, 2009). Her book Seekers of the Face – From the Secrets of the Idra Rabba in the Zohar was published in Hebrew in 2018, forthcoming in English from Stanford University Press.Melila also serves on the faculty of the Institute of Jewish Spirituality in the U.S. and is active in the ‘Sulha’ – a reconciliation project that brings together Israelis and Palestinians.Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/melila-hellner-eshed/02:20 A Journey to Jewish Mysticism 12:40 Staying Centred on the Path22:44 A Mystic in the Academy 31:59 Popularizing Jewish Mysticism 47:42 Mystical Signposts51:42 Studying Jewish Mysticism as a Woman1:02:20 Next Time?Join Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join Tomer Persico for a comprehensive survey of Jewish mysticism, past and present, from the Bible, through Hechalot and Merkava, Maimonides, Abulafia, Kabbalah, Sabbateanism and Hasidism. Asking, is there such a thing as “Jewish meditation”? What might it be? And how might we go about doing it? Dr. Tomer Persico is a Research Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute. He was the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at U.C. Berkeley, where he was also a Senior Research Scholar in the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.Dr. Persico is a social activist advocating for freedom of religion in Israel. A leading thinker about secularization, Jewish Renewal and forms of contemporary spirituality, Persico writes the most popular blog in Hebrew on these subjects and has published articles in the Washington Post and Haaretz (English) as well as numerous other Israeli newspapers and periodicals.He is a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and formerly taught in the department of Comparative Religion at Tel Aviv University.Dr. Persico is also the author of The Jewish Meditative Tradition (Hebrew , Tel Aviv University Press, 2016), a critically acclaimed book about the cultural history of Jewish meditation. His second book, about the way the idea of the Image of God influenced modern Western civilization, will be published this summer by Yedioth books.Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/tomer-persico/Find Tomer onlineTwitter: https://twitter.com/tomerpersicoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomer.persico/Blog: https://tomerpersico.com/Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday 00:00 Excerpt00:39 Introducing Tomer02:28 Overview of Jewish Meditation06:13 Core themes of Jewish Meditation08:16 History: Bible14:06 Defining terms19:59 Hechalot and Merkava29:58 What's going on here?40:23 Maimonides and Abulafia 47:41 Kabbalah59:04 Sabbateanism 01:01:41 Hasidism1:17:54 How to – Practical1:23:45 How’d you get into this?1:26:53 Closing Join us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm
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https://www.twitter.com/seekersofuThank you to our beloved Patrons: Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Can philosophy provide meaning to the modern person? Join us for YouTubes largest philosophy collab as we try to get to the bottom of this question. 00:00 Intro00:19 Eternalised x After Skool02:28 Einzelgänger04:08 Freedom in Thought07:00 Hochelaga08:55 Let’s Talk Religion11:09 Esoterica13:10 Carneades.org 14:48 Gregory B. Sadler16:47 Altrusian Grace Media18:47 Fiction Beast20:39 Jared Henderson 22:20 TheLivingPhilosophy24:55 Weltgeist27:13 John Vervaeke29:24 Mystiverse31:59 Angela’s Symposium34:35 Kane B 36:30 60Second Philosophy38:44 Let’s Talk Philosophy40:43 PhilosophyToons 42:12 Humble-U Media45:06 SEEKER TO SEEKER47:11 Reyna Singh48:10 Mythos and Logos50:49 The Machiavellians 54:33 The Inner Self57:15 Abbas the Alchemist59:45 KatiaPavlovart1:00:44 Anderson Todd1:04:12 Existentialist Non Grata1:06:09 Self-inflicted Philosophy1:08:16 Eric Young1:10:17 OutroSpecial thank you to @Eternalised for helping put this series together.Where I’m filming: https://www.costudiox.com/ https://www.instagram.com/costudiox/ Join Seekers:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons, Moshe, Isaac, Jorge, AARon, Rick, Eden, Leo, Francis, CyberArt, Laurie, Alana, Gary, Frederique, Laurie, Joshua, Spacecowboy, Cliffton, Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU00:00 Thank you03:15 Individual Names06:48 More Thank Yous 09:47 Channel Update 10:47 Next Series11:25 Future thoughts: Community 13:33 Last Thank yous14:42 Post ScriptJoin us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.com
Join Shlomo and Zevi in conversation exploring shared themes across the world’s mystical traditions, the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Lag Be’omer, the dangers of mysticism, mysticism and messianism and the urgency of intimacy for the mystics.Check out Shlomo’s podcast here:Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empowered-jewish-living-with-rabbi-shlomo-buxbaum/id1537507236Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1WpjEGMISVv8Sv1tIFXQCr?si=681351231e174d04Website: RabbiShlomo.comInstagram: @shlomobuxbaumYouTube: @levexperience 00:00 Excerpt00:49 What is Seekers of Unity? 05:51 What are the shared themes across mystical traditions?11:22 Mysticism outside of Judaism?15:32 Lag Be’omer, Rashbi, Zohar26:16 Is there shared theology?37:06 Dangers of Mysticism40:38 Mysticism and Messianism49:33 The Divine LoversBooks mentioned in this episode: Hasidism Incarnate, Shaul Magid, 2014How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman, 2014Messianic Mystics, Moshe Idel, 1992Join us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Frederique, Laurie, Joshua, Spacecowboy, Cliffton, Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join us as we delve into the depths of Jewish mysticism and the revitalization of spirituality with Professor Arthur Green. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in Hasidism and Neo-hasidism,Professor Green shares his profound insights and personal journey. From his formative years studying under renowned scholars to his role as a leading figure in the Jewish Renewal and Neo-Hasidism movements, Green offers an exploration of the intricate teachings and transformative power of Jewish mysticism. Discover the wisdom and contemporary relevance of Judaism throughthe lens of one of its pre-eminent scholars, Professor Arthur Green.
00:00 Excerpt
00:12 Art’s Teachers
10:55 JTS and Abraham Joshua Heschel
16:21 Opening a window to Judaism
22:52 Too many Books?
25:30 Honestly and Complexity
31:41 Why Judaism?
36:34 The Baal Shem, A Radical Jew
40:31 Inner, Psychedelic journey of Judaism
44:29 Psychedelic Judaism
52:08 An Ongoing Struggle
54:20 A Neo-Legacy
58:49 NeoHasidism for the Non-Jew
1:03:48 Closing blessing
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Filmed live Wednesday, March 1st 2023 on Parallax Academy. Andrew Sweeny asks: “What is Kabbalah”? and explores Jewish mysticism. Followed by a Q&A00:00 Excerpt00:56 Conversation1:12:00 Q&A Hosted by: https://www.youtube.com/@parallax_mediahttps://parallax-media.eu/parallax-academy/parallax-academy-2-zevi-slavinJoin us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Join me on a journey of faith and doubt, exploring the intersections of the world’s mystical traditions. It’s my hope that sharing this journey might lead to a greater appreciation of the shared beauty of the religious traditions of our neighbors.Join us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm
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https://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: jXaviErre, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
During the Renaissance, Kabbalists attempted to synthesize and interpret Kabbalah through a Neoplatonic lens, based on the belief that Plato had studied the secrets of Judaism. Join us as we explore the secret of Plato and Kabbalah in the Italian Renaissance.00:00 Platonism and Kabbalah during the Renaissance01:30 Shout out04:06 Changing Favours 06:27 The Rise of Plato15:14 How did Plato know Kabbalah?20:12 Prisca Theologia, Perennial Philosophy24:58 Case Study: The Sefirot 32:57 Italy vs Spain 37:57 Ripple Effects of the Renaissance41:01 Summary 43:34 Reading Recs43:57 Thank you & Shout out Sources and Recommended Readings:• Abraham Melamed, “The Myth of the Jewish Origins of Philosophy in the Renaissance: from Aristotle to Plato,” in Jewish History, 26(1-2), 2012, pp. 41–59., 214—219.• Abraham Melamed, The Myth of the Jewish Sources of Science and Philosophy, 2009, pp. 214-219, 299-315• Abraham Melamed, The Philosopher-King in Medieval and Renaissance Jewish political Thought (Albany, 2002), 229, n. 30. • Alexander Altmann, "Lurianic Kabbalah in a Platonic Key: Abraham Cohen Herrera's Puerta del Cielo," HUCA 53 (1982)• Chaim Wirszubski, Pico della Mirandola’s Encounter with Jewish Mysticism • Hava Tirosh-Rothschild, Between Worlds: The Life and Thought of Rabbi David ben Judah Messer Leon (Albany, 1991), 50, 233. • Miquel Beltran, The Influence of Abraham Cohen de Herrera's Kabbalah on Spinoza's Metaphysics. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2016• Moshe Idel "Differing Conceptions of Kabbalah in the Early 17th Century,"in I. Twersky and B. Septimus, eds., Jewish Thought in the 17th Century (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1987), 138-41, 155-57• Moshe Idel, "Jewish Mystical Thought in the Florence of Lorenzo il Magnifico," in La cultura ebraica all'epoca di Lorenzo il Magnifico, ed. D. Liscia Bemporad and I. Zatilli (Florence, 1998), pp. 31-32• Moshe Idel, "Kabbalah and Ancient Philosophy in R. Isaac and Judah Abravanel", in The Philosophy of Leone Ebreo, eds. M. Dorman and Z. Levi (Tel Aviv, 1985) (in Hebrew), pp. 73-112, 197.• Moshe Idel, "Kabbalah, Platonism and Prisca Theologia: the Case of Menashe ben Israel,” Menasseh ben Israel and his World, Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1989, pp. 207-219.• Moshe Idel, "The Anthropology of Yohanan Alemanno: Sources and Influences," Topoi 7 (1988): pp. 201-10; reprinted in Annali di storia dell'esegesi 7 (1990): 93-112; • Moshe Idel, “The Magical and Neoplatonic Interpretations of The Kabbalah in the Renaissance,” in Jewish Thought in the Sixteenth Century, by Bernard Dov Cooperman (ed.), Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983, pp. 186-242• Moshe Idel, “Italy in Safed, Safed in Italy: Toward an Interactive History of Sixteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in David B. Ruderman and Giuseppe Veltri, eds., Cultural Intermediaries: Jewish Intellectuals in Early Modern Italy, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004, p. 243• Moshe Idel, “Jewish Kabbalah and Platonism in the Middle Ages and Renaissance” in Lenn Goodman, Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, State University of New York Press, 1992, pp. 319-351• Moshe Idel, “Metamorphoses of a Platonic Theme in Jewish Mysticism,” in Jewish Studies at the Central European University 3: 67• Moshe Idel, “Particularism and Universalism in Kabbalah, 1480-1650,” in Essential Papers on Jewish Culture in Renaissance and Baroque Italy, edited by David B. Ruderman, 1992, p. 327-8, 338• Moshe Idel, Kabbalah in Italy, 1280-1510: A Survey, Yale University Press, 2007• Richard Popkin, “Spinoza, Neopiatonic Kabbalist?,” in Lenn Goodman, Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, 1992, pp. pp. 367-410• S. Toussaint, "Ficino's Orphic Magic or Jewish Astrology and Oriental Philosophy? A Note on Spiritus, the Three Books on Life, Ibn Tufayl, and Ibn Zarza," Ac- cademia 2 (2000): 19-33
Did Neoplatonism influence Kabbalah? Exploring the reception of Neoplatonism in Early Kabbalah via three themes: Negative Theology, Unio Mystica and Emanationism. 00:00 Three Themes from Neoplatonism to Kabbalah 00:37 Collab shout out01:01 What is Emanationism & the Theory of the Forms?05:12 What is Unio Mystica? 05:56 What is Negative Theology? 06:45 Disclaimers: Pitfalls of Comparison 08:09 The Jewish Neoplatonists 12:44 Mystical Union in Early Kabbalah 17:02 Philo tho…21:19 Negative Theology in Early Kabbalah28:29 The Tension 33:43 An Esoteric En Sof36:51 Sefirot & Emanation in Early Kabbalah45:36 Exogenous vs Endogenous 47:22 A Human Question 52:10 Summary 53:28 Shout out and Thank youSources and Further Reading• Adam Afterman, “And They Shall Be One Flesh,” On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, BRILL (2016), pp. 25-7, 79-101, 130-50• Daniel Matt, “Ayin: The Concept of Nothingness in Mystical Judaism,” in The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy by Robert Forman (ed.), New York, 1990, pp. 121-159• Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah (Jerusalem, 1974), p. 88• Gershom Scholem, Origins of the Kabbalah, 1950, pp. 265-71, 431-45 • Moshe Idel, “Jewish Kabbalah and Platonism in the Middle Ages and Renaissance” in Lenn Goodman, Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, State University of New York Press, 1992, pp. 325-27, 338-340• Moshe Idel, Metamorphoses of a Platonic Theme in Jewish Mysticism, pp. 67-8• Moshe Idel, Absorbing Perfections: Kabbalah and Interpretation (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002), pp. 239–49• Moshe Idel, Kabbalah: New Perspectives, 1988, pp. 31-2• Sarah Pessin, “Jewish Neoplatonism: Being above Being and Divine Emanation in Solomon Ibn Gabirol and Isaac Israeli” The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy, edited by Daniel H. Frank and Oliver Leaman, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003, pp. 91–110• Raphael Jospe, "Chapter Three. Jewish Neoplatonism: Isaac Israeli and Solomon ibn Gabirol". Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages, Boston, USA: Academic Studies Press, 2009, pp. 79-131Join us:https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm
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https://www.seekersofunity.comThank you to our beloved Patrons: jXaviErre, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.Join them in supporting us:patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
Neoplatonism and Jewish Mysticism, an introduction. Exploring the debated origins of Kabbalah. Presenting Scholem’s Gnosticism and Neoplatonism origin hypothesis, Idel’s rejection of it and his own more nuanced theory.
Check out the rest of our wonderful collaborators:
@LetsTalkReligion What is Neoplatonism: https://youtu.be/vZEUo_sHoBw
@TheEsotericaChannel Neoplatonism vs Gnosticism: https://youtu.be/ZV5ubPPzT7U
@drangelapuca Plotinus and Iamblichus on Theurgy and Magic: https://youtu.be/lNqnNjsGExM
@TheModernHermeticist The Platonic Philosophers' Creed by Thomas Taylor: https://youtu.be/Wzd98YSG6Hs
@johnvervaeke Neoplatonism & 4E Cognitive Science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbk3lA6zCic
00:00 Disclaimer
00:45 Shout out
02:06 Where does Kabbalah come from?
04:44 a word from our sponsors
05:21 Kabbalah as a Historical Phenomena
07:37 What is Kabbalah?
08:28 Why then, why so?
09:57 Gershom Scholem
11:55 What is Neoplatonism?
14:20 From Scholem to Idel
15:23 Moshe Idel
18:55 Idel’s Theory
22:01 Thank you and shout out
Sources and Further Reading
• Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah, 1974, pp. 45, 98.
• Gershom Scholem, Major Trends, 1941, pp. 74-75.
• Gershom Scholem, Origins of the Kabbalah, 1987, pp. 269, 363.
• Moshe Idel, "On Binary 'Beginnings' in Kabbalah-Scholarship", in Aporemata. Kritische Studien zur Philologiegeschichte 5 (2001): Historicization-Historisierung, pp. 322-25
• Moshe Idel, Kabbalah: New Perspectives, 1988, pp. 30-2
• Moshe Idel, “Jewish Kabbalah and Platonism in the Middle Ages and Renaissance” in Lenn Goodman, Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, State University of New York Press, 1992, pp. 318-9
• Lloyd P. Gerson, Foreword, Neoplatonism (Hackett Classics) 2nd Edition, by Lloyd P. Gerson and R. T. Wallis
• Pauliina Remes and Svetla Slaveva-Griffin, “Introduction: Neoplatonism today,” in The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism by Pauliina Remes and Svetla Slaveva-Griffin (eds.)
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Exploring Hegel’s relationship with Mysticism. Beginning with an introduction and biographical sketch of Hegel's life and a summary of his philosophical system. Next we discuss the various debates in the interpretation of Hegel's work. Following which we present his mystical influences and examine the mysticism in Hegel's own writings, as well as criticism of his 'mysticism'.
Dylan Shaul is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His dissertation is titled Hegel's Concept of Reconciliation: On Absolute Spirit. He has also published on Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Adorno, Levinas, Kristeva, and Derrida. See more of his work here: https://www.dylanshaul.com
00:00 1. Introduction
03:04 2. Biographical Background
04:44 3. Summary of Hegel’s System
09:51 4. Debates in Hegel Interpretation
12:51 5. Hegel’s Mystical Influences
21:28 6. Mysticism in Hegel’s Works
34:18 7. Criticism of Hegel
42:39 8. Final Words
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Freud waged a war against religion and occultism. His main weapon? Sex and Science. Exploring Freud’s response to mysticism.
Part 1: The Most Dangerous Mind of the 20th Century https://youtu.be/4sge_4KfCrM
Part 2: The Mystic that Challenged Freud https://youtu.be/NSNVB-iYNyY
Part 3: FREUD, Sex & Science vs JUNG, Religion & Occultism https://youtu.be/m2t0Yi2OJvE
00:00 Black Tide
03:02 Sex vs Mysticism
05:28 Worthless for the External world
06:43 Other Mystical Mentions
11:07 Rolland slaps back
13:17 In Kabbalah
15:26 Sum up
17:28 The "Goetz Letters”
20:46 Wrapping up
23:01 More in Heaven and Earth
26:06 Last Words
26:57 Final Question
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Who was Freud's Secret Mystic Friend? Exploring Freud's relationship with a mystic and the chapter in Freud's best-selling Civilization and Its Discontents, in which he attempts to answer this mysterious mystic.
Part 1: The Most Dangerous Mind of the 20th Century https://youtu.be/4sge_4KfCrM
Part 2: The Mystic that Challenged Freud https://youtu.be/NSNVB-iYNyY
Part 3: FREUD, Sex & Science vs JUNG, Religion & Occultism https://youtu.be/m2t0Yi2OJvE
In collaboration with Dr. Justin Sledge @TheEsotericaChannel Watch his episode here: https://youtu.be/zuHwws5aXBE
Check out our convo with Justin: Is Mysticism Rational? LOGIC and MYSTICISM with Esoterica's Justin Sledge
https://youtu.be/CaLDtvUJI_A
00:00 Freud and the Mystic
01:20 Freud and Rolland, fanboying
04:56 Freud and Rolland, the beef
13:20 Civilization and Its Discontents
20:51 Psychoanalytic Explanation
31:25 Objections to Unity
32:34 Longing for Oneness
36:42 Science/Sex vs Mysticism/Religion
Sources and Further Readings:
• Ayon Maharaj, “The Challenge of the Oceanic Feeling,’” in History of European Ideas, 2017
• Charles P. Heriot-Maitland, Mysticism and Madness: Different aspects of the same human experience?, 2008, 11(3), 303
• Christine Downing, “Sigmund Freud and Jewish Mysticism: An Exploration,” In Cattoi, Thomas; Odorisio, David M. (2018). Depth Psychology and Mysticism, p. 151-166
• Dufresne, Todd (2017). “Mysticism, War, Love, and Religion: Civilization and Its Discontents, Reality, and Romain Rolland,” in The Late Sigmund Freud
• Letters of Sigmund Freud, edited by Ernst Freud, London: Hogarth Press, 1970
• Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 1930
• Vermorel & Vermorel, Sigmund Freud et Romain Rolland, 1993
• William Parsons, The Enigma of the Oceanic Feeling 1999
• William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, 357-60
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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freud
mysticism
Despite being long rejected, there are very few thinkers who have framed the way you, the modern person, thinks about yourself and the world around you as the irreverent neurotic Jewish Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Shlomo Freud. Join us to learn about his life, his ideas and his legacy.
Part 1: The Most Dangerous Mind of the 20th Century https://youtu.be/4sge_4KfCrM
Part 2: The Mystic that Challenged Freud https://youtu.be/NSNVB-iYNyY
Part 3: FREUD, Sex & Science vs JUNG, Religion & Occultism https://youtu.be/m2t0Yi2OJvE
00:00 Introduction
03:45 Freud's Life
24:15 Freud's Ideas
31:31 Freud's Legacy
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The Great Myth Awakens; Mysticism for the Modern World: An exploration of the unitive experiences, theories and practice of the world’s mystical traditions. Seeking a universal spirituality, a mysticism which transcends all boundaries while remaining deeply rooted in tradition. Exploring an upgraded operating system for religion, a rationally, empirically, scientifically and philosophically sound approach to the mystical which might just show us how to live beautiful lives.
00:00 Opening Quote: The Great Myth
04:35 Today’s Talk
11:05 A New Story for a New World
19:10 Mysticism, in Experience, Theory and Practice
35:46 Redefining the Self
42:03 A Vision of Mysticism, summarized
44:25 The words of the Prophet
47:03 The Final Question
48:26 Closing Quote
51:31 Closing Words
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Off the Record Interview with the fastest growing new religion in the world. What being Baháʼí is Really All About | Spiritual Conversation about the Life of Faith
00:00 Excerpt
00:56 Contextualizing Baháʼí
07:57 Coming to Baháʼí
14:15 Community of Volunteers
20:57 Mysticism in Baháʼí
27:41 Manifesting God
36:51 13 Key Principles of Faith
56:04 Spiritual Practice & Experience
1:02:02 Prayer in Baháʼí
1:06:59 Marriage in Baháʼí
1:08:16 Closing Words
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Leila, Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Join us for an Exclusive Interview at the Baha'i World Centre as we take a deep dive into the faiths of our neighbors to find out what they actually believe.
00:00 Excerpt
01:06 Brief History of the Bahá'í faith
10:45 Prayer/Invocation to begin the conversation
14:55 Mysticism and the Bahá'í faith
30:44 Becoming God
40:33 On the Nature of God
49:08 Bahá'í, a Perfect Faith?
51:40 Emanation, Manifestation and Revelation
1:16:55 Experientiality
1:24:42 Contradictions between Religions
1:38:54 Religion of Today, Religion of the Future
1:49:16 Is the Bahá'í faith too Idealistic?
1:57:58 Heaven and Hell
2:03:18 Science and Religion
2:10:32 Divinity and Humor
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Wael, jXaviErre, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Can religion still provide us with real connection, salvation and redemption in our modern alienated world?
00:00 An Idea
10:21 Paradigm Shift
19:30 The Kabbalists
30:29 Our Role
34:57 About Seekers
40:00 Q&A
47:03 Q#2
52:39 Q#3
mysticism #religion #unity
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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The Perennial Philosophy, or Perennialism for short, claims that the depth traditions found within the major world religions all converge upon the same metaphysical vision - namely, the identification of our deepest selves with a divine, transcendental ground. Popularized by Aldous Huxley in his 1945 The Perennial Philosophy it has a natural appeal to many thinking, spiritually inclined individuals - including those who have never explicitly heard of it. - Jon
In this debate Jonathan will critique the perennial philosophy; Zevi will defend it.
Jonathan Weidenbaum is a professor of philosophy and world religions at Berkeley College.
Zevi Slavin is a seeker, a teacher, and creator of Seekers of Unity.
See Jonathan’s work here:
https://berkeleycollege.academia.edu/JonathanWeidenbaum
https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/Jonathan-Weidenbaum/103460987
Particularly:
A Little Disillusionment is a Good Thing: Perennialism, Process Theology, and Religious Diversity
The Metaphysics of Alterity and Unity: Levinas and Perennialism
Why I am Not a Pantheist (Nor a Panentheist) Metaphysics, Totalization, and the Cosmos
With Open Doors and Windows, Doing theology in the spirit of William James
Upcoming with Nicholas Colemean: The Bell and the Hammer: for and against a perennialist philosophy (seeking a publisher, if you know any…)
00:00 Introduction: Omar Lughod
00:54 Introducing Perennialism: Jonathan
06:09 Critiquing Perennialism: Jonathan
31:50 Defending Perennialism: Zevi
51:50 Response: Jonathan
56:38 Response: Zevi
Q&A Session
1:01:27 What about religions that disagree?
1:04:12 From debate to discussion
1:07:53 What would it take to change your mind?
1:13:11 Is this all just ideas to you?
1:16:53 Baruch Thaler: What’s the bottom line?
1:18:46 What’s with all this New Age-ism?
1:33:03 Closing words
“Neither the mystic nor the philosopher can remain content with an irreducible heterogeneity of mystical experience, the mystic because the ultimate character of the experience implies a universal claim, the philosopher because a diversity of ultimate claims is a challenge not a resting-place. Thus, it is not an uneducated essentialist desire, but religious integrity or philosophical urgency that leads those who no longer find an exclusive claim by any single tradition convincing to seek an underlying unity and to investigate the equivalence of symbols under their diversity.”
- Charles Davis in his review of Mysticism and Philosophical Analysis, by Steven Katz, ed.
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Martin Buber is a name that will forever be associated with mysticism and philosophy. His book, I and Thou, continues to touch the lives of thousands. There is perhaps no person who has done more to preserve and present his work than world-renown Buber scholar, Paul Mendes-Flohr. In this conversation we explore Buber's transition from Mysticism to Dialogue.
Professor Paul Mendes-Flohr is a leading scholar of modern Jewish thought.
He has written some thirty books, edited another forty-five, and authored some 300 articles on modern Jewish intellectual history, philosophy and religious thought, with a focus on the lives and ideas of the leading German-Jewish intellectuals of the 19th and 20th-centuries: Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Gershom Scholem and Leo Strauss.
Paul is Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish History and Thought at the University of Chicago, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Senior Research Fellow at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, was the director of the Franz Rosenzweig Minerva Research Center and is the editor in chief of the twenty-two volume German edition of the collected works of Martin Buber, as well as a series on German-Jewish literature and Cultural History.
Some of his recent works include:
Gustav Landauer. Anarchist and Jew (2014).
Dialogue as a Trans-Disciplinary Concept (2015).
Martin Buber: A Life of Faith and Dissent (2019).
Cultural Disjunctions: Post-Traditional Jewish Identities (2021).
00:00 Excerpt
00:54 Introducing Paul Mendes-Flohr
02:41 Why Mysticism?
3:39 Buber and Mysticism
6:25 Ecstatic Confessions
07:28 Story time
08:27 Escapist Mysticism & Hasidism
10:25 Buber, Do you believe in God?
11:19 Buber philosophy of Dialogue
15:14 The Eternal Thou
17:13 Shalom
19:29 Judaism isn’t a political identity
22:11 How did you come to Buber?
26:43 Translating I and Thou
29:22 Buber vs Gnosticism
34:18 Hearing vs Listening
36:33 I _&_ Thou
38:01 Where is Buber today?
39:29 The Academy
41:12 Buber and Palestine
44:28 From Mysticism to Dialogue
50:24 The Reluctant Prophet
56:47 A Positive formulation of Judaism
1:03:47 To be a Child
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Come behind the scenes with Zevi as he tries to figure out what is going on in Maimonides’ Guide with the help of a new friend, the young and brilliant scholar David Fried.
David Fried teaches Talmud, Halakha, and Jewish Thought at the Ramaz Upper School in New York City. He is also an editor and frequent contributor at thelehrhaus.com David’s articles can be found here: https://thelehrhaus.com/author/davidfried/
These are David's two articles referenced in the conversation:
https://thelehrhaus.com/scholarship/mysticism-and-its-alternatives-rethinking-maimonides/
https://thelehrhaus.com/scholarship/revisiting-maimonidess-merkavah-chapters/
Full “Maimonides and Mysticism” Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9
00:00 Excerpts
01:38 About David and how he got into Maimonides and Mysticism
04:41 Synthesizing Maimonides and Mysticism
06:32 The Article and Beyond
08:00 David's New Thinking - Negative Theology
09:00 Maimonides shift away from Aristotelianism
10:38 Why Negative Theology?
12:46 Away from Aristotle
14:55 The Goal of Prophecy
17:26 Questioning Motivations
19:24 What’s Maimonides moving towards?
23:09 Into the Contradictions
25:52 David’s take on Hakham Jose Faur
27:48 What about Emanationism?
28:53 Some other Scholars
30:26 Mysticism and (Muslim) Philosophy
32:37 Maimonides
33:29 Critical Feedback on the Series
34:54 Was Maimonides a Pantheist?
39:49 Maimonides’ Two Gods
43:28 Does Union ever happen with God?
47:23 The Theological Irony of it All
49:49 Whom does Maimonides speak of in 3.51?
52:57 An Orthodox Façade?
54:11 Can the Human Experience God?
1:02:33 Feel like I’m missing something…
1:04:04 Etcetera
1:05:21 Guide ‘for’ the Perplexed or ‘of’ the Perplexed?
1:07:42 Again, the Irony
1:09:20 Towards a Phenomenology of Maimonides Mysticism
1:13:04 Ethics of Imitating God. The End of the Guide
1:16:18 Who was the Real Maimonides?
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If exacting rationalism and ecstatic mysticism are mutually exclusive, how does Maimonides thrive in a contemporary dynamic, ecstatic, kabbalistic mystical movement?
In this episode, we explore Maimonides’ rich afterlife in the Chabad Hasidic movement. We’ll investigate how this mystical movement embraces Maimonides philosophical and Aristotelian teachings, using Maimonides to ground its mysticism. We’ll look at Chabad’s theological and philosophical explanations for how to reconcile the apparent dissonance between Maimonides and its own symbolic teachings. Finally, we’ll learn how Maimonides' work provides a model for Chabad’s idealized spiritual activism.
Maimonides the Hasid? Chabad and Rambam.
Check out the rest of our Maimonides series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9
Elisha Pearl is a student and teacher of Jewish texts, practices, and traditions. He has taught from the Himalayas to the Alps, and from the Judean Hills to the Texan Plains.
Elisha grew up in Brooklyn, studied Jewish mysticism at yeshivot around the world and is an ordained Rabbi. Elisha also holds degrees in philosophy and psychology. Elisha is particularly interested in how Jewish texts and embodied practices answer perennial existential questions and illuminate the human experience.
Elisha’s youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1jjMY4zr97S8AetoqWoKnw
Some of Elisha’s lectures can be found at https://www.yutorah.org/rabbi-elisha-pearl/
Special thanks to Chabad of West Orange for hosting Elisha for the filming.
Sources and Further Reading:
-
Torah Or p 120c
-
Toras Menachem Hisvaaduyos 5744 v. 3 p. 194
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Toras Menachem Hisvaaduyos 5749 v. 1 p. 140.
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Derekh Mitzvotekha Mitsvat Milah pages 8b-9a
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Chayyei Moharan, teachings 407-409
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Guide 3.43
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Derech Mitzotecha Mitzvat Chametz U’Matza.
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Siddur Im Dach s.v. Sheshet Yamim and the two subsequent essays:
-
Shaar HaEmuna chapters 1-20
-
Derech Mitzvotekha 5a – Mitzvas Millah
-
Derech Mitzvotekha 22b – Mitzvas Pesach U’Matza
On Maimonides Aristotelianism as grounding for Chabad thought:
https://www.academia.edu/77790775/All_is_One_Maimonides_Doctrine_of_Divine_Cognition_as_a_Pillar_of_Habad_Thought
https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/1032671/rabbi-elisha-pearl/all-is-one-exploring-rambam-s-aristotelean-doctrine-of-divine-cognition-as-a-pillar-of-chabad-thought/
On Maimonides relationship with Chabad, two important Hebrew works are:
Yaakov Gottlieb, Sachlatanut B’Levush Hasidi, Rationalism in Hasidic Attire, which offers a somewhat different, but much fuller narrative account of Maimonides relationship with the Chabad tradition. https://www.biupress.co.il/index.php?dir=site&page=catalog&op=item&cs=1313
YMM Ezagui, Dvar Malchut, which offers an exhaustive nearly 800-page compilation of the Rebbe’s essays and lectures on Maimonides writings concerning the Messianic era. Exploring the integrative project that the Rebbe engaged in between Maimonidean rationalism and Chabad mysticism. https://seforimplace.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=8281&search=%D7%93%D7%91%D7%A8+%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%AA
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Judaism’s greatest philosopher, Moses Maimonides, believed that Judaism’s ancient mystery tradition with all her secrets, had been lost to sands of time, and took it upon himself to reconstruct them, on his own, from scratch, with the tools of philosophy and rationality.
Maimonides is known as the great Jewish rationalist of the Middle Ages, but his rationalism, goes deeper than most might suspect. Maimonides was a rationalist who believed that through the very tools of philosophy, with a perfect synthesis of mysticism and rationalism, he could re-discover the lost secret traditions of ancient Jewish mysticism, and uncover the true meaning of the bible.
Join us in this final episode, where we hope to, for once and for all, answer the question of whether Maimonides was a rationalist or a mystic and find out he was really up to in his Guide for the Perplexed.
Watch the rest of the Maimonides and Mysticism series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4ZgHJxQQVo&list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9
00:00 Maimonides Rationalism
13:13 Maimonides Mysticism
28:42 Lost Traditions
31:47 Prophecy and Reason
48:09 Telling Secrets
53:41 Maimonides today
Thank you to Elisha Pearl, David Fried, Jeffery Radon and Levi Morrow for their thoughtful feedback and suggestions on this episode.
Sources and Further Reading:
• J. Heschel, “Did Maimonides Believe That He Had Attained the Rank of Prophet,” in Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets, 1996
• Alexander Altmann, “Maimonides’ Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism,” in Alfred Jospe, ed., Studies in Jewish Thought: An Anthology of German Jewish Scholarship (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981), 200-219
• Diana Lobel, “Silence Is Praise to You” Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience, in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly vol. 76, no. 1, 2002, pp. 35-6
• Elliot R Wolfson, Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet Hermeneutics, Theosophy, and Theurgy, 2000, pp. 9-93
• Elliot Wolfson “Via Negativa in Maimonides and Its Impact on Thirteenth- Century Kabbalah.” In Maimonidean Studies 5, 2008
• Gideon Freudenthal, The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon
• Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides’ Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996)
• José Faur, Homo Mysticus: A Guide to Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, 1998
• Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide Of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East And West Library New York, 1947
• Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. v, ed. Byron L. Sherwin and Michael Carasik (Chicago Spertus College of Judaica Press, 1990, pp. 45-55)
• Moshe Halbertal, “The History of Halakhah, Views from Within: Three Medieval Approaches to Tradition and Controversy,” in Harvard Law School Gruss Lectures (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law School, 1994), 1-19
• Moshe Idel, “Maimonides and Kabbalah,” in Studies In Maimonides, Isadore Twersky (ed.), Harvard University Press, 1990
• The Cultures of Maimonideanism, by James T. Robinson (ed.) 2009, p. xi
• W. Z. Harvey, "The Return to Maimonideanism," Journal of Jewish Studies 42 (1980) 263, n. 1
• Yamin Levy, “How I was Taught to Read the Guide” in Principles, Essays on Halakha, Maḥshaba and History, Journal of the Ḥabura, January 2022, Edition 4
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Something very odd happens in the very last chapter of Maimonides’ Guide which remains an elusive puzzle even today, 800 years on.
Maimonides, in Guide 3.51, lays out in stunning detail, the pinnacle of religious worship and human striving, culminating in an immortal union with the divine, what he calls the ‘kiss of death,’ the peak of his mystical journey.
However, the Guide does not end with that peak of religious experience and erotic mystical ecstasy, nor with the striving to know (and unite with) God intellectually, neither does it in the depths of silent praise in which nothing at all can be said of God. But it ends instead with a final beautiful idea which combines all three.
Join us as we take a final journey through the final chapter of the magnificent Guide, to see Maimonides final teaching to the perplexed, to make sense of his ultimate word to the seeker.
Check out the rest of our Maimonides series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9
00:00 Intro
01:13 Rationalist and Mystic
02:00 Bad Mysticism
03:08 Knowledge of God as the Pinnacle
03:36 The Four Perfections
05:43 Maimonides the Arch-Rationalist
06:27 A Different Ending – Ethics
08:02 Actions of Attributes, not Essence
08:41 Imitato Dei, 1.54
11:42 Imitato Dei in Halacha
13:04 Compassion, even to a Slave
15:19 Mysticism tho…
20:04 Resolution
18:41 Why we do this
22:53 Technical Again
24:16 Concluding Prayer
25:11 Afterthought
27:25 Thank you
Sources and Further Reading
• Jonathan Gorsky, “Maimonides Spirituality: Intellectual Mysticism and the Love of God,” in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Mystical Perspectives on the Love of God, S. T. Hidden (ed), 2004
• Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East and West Library New York, 1947
• Shlomo Pines, "The Limits of Human Knowledge According to Alfarabi, Ibn Bajja, and Maimonides," Studies in Medieval Jewish History and Literature, vol. 1, ed. I. Twersky, 1979
• Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism, unpublished
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There’s one final question to ask when examining Maimonides mysticism and that is, did Maimonides believe that the human could actually reach, know and experience God? Getting down to the fine print in the debate about Maimonides mysticism: Did Maimonides believe that one could know and unite with something metaphysical? And if so, which metaphysical entity does he believe the aspiring seeker can know and unite with, is it an entity which can be considered divine, God, or ultimate reality, making this union properly mystical in nature, a unio mystica? Can one, according to Maimonides, unite with God or only with the Active Intellect? And if it’s the later, does he believe that the Active Intellect is divine, and if so in what way, and what does that mean for his mysticism?
Sources and Further Reading: • Adam Afterman “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, 2016, pp. 105-119 • Alexander Altmann, "Maimonides on the Intellect and the Scope of Metaphysics," 1987, 60-129. • Alfred L. Ivry, “Maimonides and Neoplatonism” in Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, 1992 • Aviezer Ravitzky, “The Secrets of the “Guide to the Perplexed,” Studies in Maimonides, 1990, 159–207. • Barry Kogan, "What Can We Know and When Can We Know It?," in Moses Maimonides and His Time, 1989, 130-7 • David Fried, Mysticism and its Alternatives: Rethinking Maimonides, 2018 • Diana Lobel, “Silence Is Praise to You” Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience, in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly vol. 76, no. 1, 2002. • Gideon Freudenthal, “The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon,” in Maimonides and his Heritage, 2009, 117-118. • Hannah Kasher, “Self-Cognizing Intellect and Negative Attributes in Maimonides’ Theology.” • Herbert A. Davidson, Alfarabi, Avicenna, and Averroes on Intellect: Their Cosmologies, Theories of the Active Intellect, and Theories of Human Intellect, 1992, 197-207. • Herbert Davidson, "Maimonides on Metaphysical Knowledge," Maimonidean Studies 3 (1992-93): 79-87. • Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, Maimonides and St. Thomas on the Limits of Reason, 1995 • Josef Stern, “Maimonides’ Demonstrations: Principles and Practice,” Medieval Philosophy and Theology 10 (2001): 80. • Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism, unpublished • Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, 1947 • Julius Guttmann, Religion and Knowledge, 103–118, especially 111. [Hebrew] • Michah Gottlieb, “Two Paradigms of the Nexus Between Philosophy and Mysticism Judah Halevi and Moses Maimonides” in Faith, Reason, Politics, 2013 • Moshe Idel, Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah (NY: SUNY Press, 1988), p. 4 • Philip Merlan, Monopsychism, Mysticism, Metaconsciousness: Problems of the Soul in the Neoaristotelian and Neoplatonic Tradition, 1963 • Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides • Shlomo Pines, "The Limits of Human Knowledge According to Alfarabi, Ibn Bajja, and Maimonides," Studies in Medieval Jewish History and Literature, vol. 1, ed. I. Twersky, 1979, p. 94-100 • Shlomo Pines, “The Philosophical Purport of Maimonides Halachic Works and the Purport of the Guide of the Perplexed,” in Maimonides and Philosophy, 1986, 1-14.
Join us for a wild ride through the mind of Maimonides into the mind of God. Exploring Maimonides theory of knowledge (epistemology). How one may activate their mind by uniting with the divine active intellect. Followed by Maimonides radical and brilliant re-reading of divine providence.
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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An attempt to leave our 21st century heads and get back into the mind of a 12th century philosopher who saw the world in entirely different ways than we do. Diving into the Middle Ages thought the mind of Maimonides. Exploring Maimonides on the Cosmic Spheres, the Flow, the Active Intellect, his theory prophecy and.. how to becoming an angel.
Sources and Further Reading
• A. J. Heschel, “Did Maimonides Believe That He Had Attained the Rank of Prophet,” in Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets, 1996, pp. 69-126
• Adam Afterman “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, 2016, p. 103-127 • Adam Afterman, “Moses Maimonides on the Holy Spirit,” in Journal of Religion vol. 100, 2020
• Alexander Altmann, Maimonides's Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism, p. 213
• Alfred Ivry, The Guide and Maimonides’ Philosophical Sources, p. 59 • Christopher A. Morray-Jones, ‘‘Transformational Mysticism in the Apocalyptic-Merkabah Tradition,’’ Journal of Jewish Studies 43 (1992): pp. 1–31
• Daniel Abrams, “Orality in the Kabbalistic School of Nahmanides: Preserving and Interpreting Esoteric Traditions and Texts,” Jewish Studies Quarterly 2 (1995): 85–102
• Diana Lobel, “’Silence Is Praise to You’: Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience,” American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 76, no. 1 (2002): 31-58
• Diana Lobel, “A Dwelling Place for the Shekhinah.” Jewish Quarterly Review 90 (1999): 103–125
• Elliot Wolfson, ‘‘Yeridah la-Merkavah: Typology of Ecstasy and Enthronement in Early Jewish Mysticism,’’ Mystics of the Book, 13–44, esp. pp. 23–26 • Elliot Wolfson, “By Way of Truth: Aspects of Nahmanides’ Kabbalistic Hermeneutic,” AJS Review 14, (1989): 153–78
• Elliot Wolfson, “Mysticism and the Poetic-Liturgical,” p. 186
• Elliot Wolfson, “Seven Mysteries,” p. 191
• Haviva Pedaya, Nahmanides: Cyclical Time and Holy Text, (Tel Aviv: Am Oved, 2003) (Hebrew).
• Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides’ Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 147
• Justin Sledge, “Maimonides at the Crossroads of Jewish Occultism, Magic and the Kabbalah” @ESOTERICA, Youtube, 15 April 2022, https://youtu.be/i6qclz26OYY
• Matthew David Litwa, Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought, Becoming Angels and Demons, Cambridge and New York, Cambridge University Press, 2021
• Moshe Idel, “Enoch is Metatron,” Immanuel 24/25 (1990): 234–237
• Moshe Idel, “Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman: Kabbalah, Halachah and Spiritual Leadership,” Tarbiz 64, (1995): 535–580 (Hebrew)
• Moshe Idel, “We Have No Kabbalistic Tradition on This,” in Rabbi Moses Nahmanides: Explorations in His Religious and Literary Virtuosity, 1983, 51–73 • Moshe Idel, The Angelic World, pp. 102-4; 210
• Pico Della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man, trans. A. Robert Caponigri, 1967, p. 9
• Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2005
Would you believe us if we told you that a ninth century forgery, attributed to one of the greatest philosophers of all time, went on to fool centuries of readers and introduce its true author, one of the greatest mystics of the west, to the world of medieval philosophy?
Exploring Maimonides' struggle with the peculiar notion of God that he adopts from the Theology of Aristotle. Join us to learn about Maimonides Apophatic/Negative Theology, Creation vs Emanation, Immanence and Transcendence, Contradiction and Humility.
Thank you to Shalem College for hosting this week's vid: https://shalem.ac.il/en/ and thank you to Chezi and Seth for connecting us.
00:00 The Philosopher and the Mystic
00:57 The Forgery
06:21 Neoplatonism
10:43 Primary themes of the Theology
13:30 A Theological Mix
15:28 Pure Being, Negative Theology
20:06 Creation vs Emanation
23:24 Immanence and Transcendence
24:51 Contradiction and Humility
Sources and Further Reading
Alexander Altmann, "Maimonides on the Intellect and the Scope of Metaphysics," in idem, Von der mittelalterlichen zur modernen Aufklärung, Tübingen: Mohr, 1987, 60-129, at 123.
Alfred Ivry, "Islamic and Greek Influences on Maimonides' Philosophy," in Maimonides and Philosophy, 1986, p. 149-51
Alfred Ivry, ‘Isma’ili Theology and Maimonides’ Philosophy,’ in The Jews of Medieval Islam, 1995, p. 280.
Alfred Ivry, “Neoplatonic Currents in Maimonides’ Thought,” in Perspectives on Maimonides, ed. Joel Kraemer, London: Littman, 1996, 115–140
Alfred Ivry, Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: A Philosophical Guide, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016, p. 38
Arthur Hyman, "Maimonides on Religious Language," in Perspectives on Maimonides (see note 6), 175-91
Christian Wildberg, "Neoplatonism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition)
Cristina D’Ancona, “The Theology attributed to Aristotle: Sources, Structure, Influence,” In The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Philosophy, New York, Oxford University Press, 2017
Cristina D'Ancona, "Pseudo- Theology of Aristotle, Chapter 1: Structure and Composition," Oriens 36 (2001): 78-112.
Cristina D'Ancona, "The Arabic “Theology of Aristotle”" In obo in Classics. 2 May. 2022.
Diana Lobel, “Silence Is Praise to You” Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience, in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly vol. 76, no. 1, 2002
Elliot Wolfson “Via Negativa in Maimonides and Its Impact on Thirteenth- Century Kabbalah.” In Maimonidean Studies 5, 2008
F.W. Zimmerman, "The Origins of the So-Called Theology of Aristotle," in Pseudo-Aristotle in the Middle Ages, London: Warburg Institute, 1986, 110-24.
Herbert A. Davidson, Moses Maimonides: The Man and His Works, 2001, p. 111
Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides’ Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 145.
Kraemer, “Maimonides and the Spanish Aristotelian School,” p. 45
Moshe Idel, "Jewish Kabbalah and Platonism in the Middle Ages and Renaissance," in Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, 1992, pp. 338-43;
Paul Fenton, "The Arabic and Hebrew Versions of the Theology of Aristotle,” in Pseudo-Aristotle in the Middle Ages 241-64.
Peter Adamson, The Arabic Plotinus: A Philosophical Study of the 'Theology of Aristotle,’ 2002
Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2005
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Introducing the greatest work of Jewish philosophy ever written. Moving masterfully through a thousand years of Greek, Jewish and Muslim philosophy, this text grapples profoundly with the problem of evil, the nature of reality and the meaning of life. Culminating with an astonishing re-reading of the Bible, which radically redefines God, religion and humanity in the process.
Banned and burned by religious authorities, it continues to stir controversy hundreds of years later, perplexing the guided, and guiding the perplexed… Join us as we explore Moses Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed, the Rambam’s Moreh Nevuchim.
Check out the rest of our “Maimonides and Mysticism” series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9
00:00 A Guide to the Guide
01:39 Maimonides Series Recap
02:22 Intro, Influence, Controversy
05:22 Overview of the Guide
09:00 Maimonides’ Sources
12:35 Maimonides’ Puzzle
14:53 The Goal of the Guide
Sources and Further Reading
• Elliot Wolfson, “Beneath the Wings of the Great Eagle: Maimonides and Thirteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in Moses Maimonides, 2004, p. 213.
• Joel Kraemer, “Maimonides and the Spanish Aristotelian School,” in Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval and Early Modern Spain, 1999.
• Joel Kraemer, Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization’s Greatest Minds, New York: Doubleday, 2008.
• Joel Kraemer, Moses Maimonides: An Intellectual Portrait, in The Cambridge Companion to Maimonides, Kenneth Seeskin (ed.), 2005, pp. 40-45.
• Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism, (unpublished), 2005.
• Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East and West Library New York, 1947.
• Leo Strauss, "How To Begin To Study The Guide," in The Guide of the Perplexed, tr. Pines, pp. xiii-xiv.
• Mark Daniels, “The Perplexing Nature of the Guide for the Perplexed” in Philosophy Now 50:20-22, 2005.
• Menachem Kellner, "Maimonides' Disputed Legacy," in Traditions of Maimonideanism, ed. Carlos Fraenkel (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 245-76.
• Moses Maimonides, “Introduction” in The Guide of the Perplexed, translated by Shlomo Pines, 1963.
• Moshe Idel, “Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah” in Jewish History 18: 197-226, 2004.
• Sarah Stroumsa, Maimonides in His World, Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker, 2009.
• Shlomo Pines, “Translator's Introduction: The Philosophical Sources of The Guide of the Perplexed.” The Guide of the Perplexed, 1963.
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Guide of the Perplexed
Guide for the Perplexed
There’s been a lot of talk about whether Maimonides was a mystic. Unfortunately, the discussion has been sorely confused by a lack of clarity about the basic terms of the discussion. It’s time to clear things up and get straight about the relationship between these misused and abused words: Kabbalah, Mysticism and Rationalism. Join us for the fourth installment of our series on “Maimonides and Mysticism.”
Watch the rest of our Maimonides Series:
Part 1: Who was Maimonides? https://youtu.be/w4ZgHJxQQVo
Part 2: The Many Maimonides https://youtu.be/UbjX-ypvEys
Part 3: Maimonides and the Kabbalists https://youtu.be/8fpQPAMqATk
00:00 Kabbalah vs Mysticism
08:40 Rationalism vs Mysticism
Sources and Further Reading:
Marc Saperstein, European Judaism Volume 41, Number 2, Autumn 2008: 161–172
David Fried, Mysticism and its Alternatives: Rethinking Maimonides, Lehrhaus, 2018
Menachem Kellner, Science In The Bet Midrash: Studies in Maimonides, 2009, p. 10
Alexander Altmann, Maimonides's Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism
Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. v, 1990, pp. 45-55
Gideon Freudenthal, “The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon,” in Maimonides and His Heritage, 2009, p. 116
Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East And West Library New York, 1947, p. 7
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Exploring the relationship between Maimonides and the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. A history of rejection, acceptance, influence, secret conversions and archenemies. Join us in our attempt to get to the bottom of this love-hate relationship in this third part of our series on Maimonides and Mysticism.
Sources and Further Reading:
-
Alexander Altmann, “Maimonides’ Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism,” in Studies in Jewish Thought, ed. Alfred Jospe (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981), pp. 200–219 - Daniel Silver, Maimonidean Criticism and the Maimonidean Controversy 1180-1240 (London, 1965), 183.
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Elliot Wolfson, Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet; Hermeneutics, Theosophy and Theurgy, Cherub Press, Los Angeles, 2000, Introduction.
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Elliot Wolfson, “Beneath the Wings of the Great Eagle: Maimonides and Thirteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in Moses Maimonide, Würzburg: Ergon Verlag, 2004, pp. 209–237 - Felicia Waldman, ‘Some Considerations on Maimonnides’ influence on Mysticism’, Studia Judaica no.17 (2009). - Gershom Scholem, ‘Mehoker limekkubal, Sefer Harambam’,Tarbiz, 6: 3 (1935), pp. 90-8 (Hebrew).
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Harvey, Warren Z. “Aspects of Jewish Philosophy in Medieval Catalonia.” In The Life and Times of Mosse ben Nahman, Girona: Ajuntament de Girona, 1994, pp. 141– 157 - Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, “Philosophy and Kabbalah, 1200–1600.” in The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 218–257;
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Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism (unpublished) - Jonathan Dauber, “Competing Approaches to Maimonides in Early Kabbalah,” in The Cultures of Maimonideanism, ed. James T. Robinson (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2009), pp. 57–88.
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Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. 5, Judaica Press, 1990, pp. 45-55 - Moshe Idel, “Maimonides and Kabbalah,” in Studies In Maimonides, Isadore Twersky (ed.), Harvard University Press, 1990.
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Moshe Idel, “Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah” in Jewish History 18: 197-226, 2004.
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Looking at the many ways Maimonides has been received and perceived through time, from the 13th century up until the 21st, with a focus on the debate about Maimonides relationship to mysticism. A survey of scholars on Maimonides, a little literature review for the series.
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.
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Introducing the genius philosopher, torah scholar and physician, the man whose books were banned and burned and still went on to change the face of Judaism; Moses Maimonides, the Rambam.
Maimonides timeline:
1138 Born in Cordoba, Spain under Almoravid rule.
1148 Cordoba invaded by the Almohades. Maimonides flees.
1158 Maimonides starts work on intercalation and Astronomy
1160 Family surfaces in Fez, the Almohad capital in Morocco.
1165 Family spends 6 months in Acre before leaving for Cairo
1168 Maimonides finishes his commentary on the Mishna
1170 Writes the Sefer haMitzvot on the 613 commandments.
1171 He is appointed the Head of Jews in Fostat, Cairo.
1171 Saladin/Ayyubids replace the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt. 1180 Finishes the Mishneh Torah, his legal magnum opus.
1185? Maimonides becomes doctor of al-Fadil, Saladin’s vizier.
1190 Finishes the Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the Perplexed).
1204 Maimonides passes away.
Maimonides works (selection):
Treatise on Logic, Millot ha-Higayon
Commentary on the Mishna, Pirush HaMishnayot
Book of the Commandments, Sefer haMitzvot
Mishneh Torah, Yad HaChazakah
The Guide for the Perplexed, Moreh Nevuchim
Letter to the Jews of Yemen, Iggeret Teiman
Treatise on Resurrection, Maamar Tekhiyat HaMetim
Iggeret HaShmad, Maamar Kiddush HaShem
Mark Daniels, The Perplexing Nature of the Guide for the Perplexed, Philosophy Now, Issue 50
Exploring competing methodologies in the study of Mysticism, (Essentialism, Perennialism and Common-Core vs Contextualism and Constructivism) and questioning the very category of Mysticism itself. Slipping into the crack between Experience and Interpretation, and asking if it can be healed.
The Series: Exploring the history of an idea, the story of the major developments in our collective understanding of the word “mysticism.” Join us as we attempt to understand what this word meant historically, how it came to mean what it does today, and what, if anything, it might mean for us going forward. Learning how this category was formed, transformed, discussed and debated throughout the ages. Join us for a journey from the Ancient Greek mystery religions, through the early Christian centuries up into the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, into the Early Modern period, the Enlightenment, ending with the Modern and Post-Modern decades of its study, debate and development.
Sources and Further Reading:
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Peter Moore, "Recent Studies on Mysticism: A Critical Survey," Religion 3 (1973): 146-56.
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Steven Katz, "Review Article: Recent Work on Mysticism," History of Religions 25 (1985-86): 76-86
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William Wainwright, Mysticism: A Study of its Nature, Cognitive Value and Moral Implications, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1981.
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Randall Studstill, The Unity of Mystical Traditions, The Transformation of Consciousness in Tibetan and German Mysticism, Brill Leiden, Boston, 2005.
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The Making of Modern “Mysticism” Leigh Eric Schmidt, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 71, No. 2 (Jun., 2003), Oxford University Press.
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Bernard McGinn, The Foundations of Mysticism, Vol. I of The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, Crossroad Publishing, 1991. - Jeffrey Kripal, “Mysticism” in The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion, by Robert Segal (ed.), 2017.
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Saeed Zarrabi-Zadeh, “The ‘Mystical’ and the ‘Modern’: Mutual Entanglement and Multiple interactions,” in Studies in Religion, 2020.
-
Hal Bridges, American Mysticism: From William James to Zen, New York: Harper and Row, 1970 - Richard King, Orientalism and Religion: Postcolonial Theory, India and “The Mystic East,” London: Routledge, 1999.
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Order of the Artisans, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.
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Exploring the history of an idea, the story of the major developments in our collective understanding of the word “mysticism.” Join us as we attempt to understand what this word meant historically, how it came to mean what it does today, and what, if anything, it might mean for us going forward.
Learning how this category was formed, transformed, discussed and debated throughout the ages. Join us for a journey from the Ancient Greek mystery religions, through the early Christian centuries up into the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, into the Early Modern period, the Enlightenment, ending with the Modern and Post-Modern decades of its study, debate and development.
Sources and Further Reading:
-
The Making of Modern “Mysticism” Leigh Eric Schmidt, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 71, No. 2 (Jun., 2003), Oxford University Press.
-
Bernard McGinn, The Foundations of Mysticism, Vol. I of The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, Crossroad Publishing, 1991.
-
Jeffrey Kripal, “Mysticism” in The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion, by Robert Segal (ed.), 2017.
-
Saeed Zarrabi-Zadeh, “The ‘Mystical’ and the ‘Modern’: Mutual Entanglement and Multiple interactions,” in Studies in Religion, 2020.
-
Hal Bridges, American Mysticism: From William James to Zen, New York: Harper and Row, 1970
-
Richard King, Orientalism and Religion: Postcolonial Theory, India and “The Mystic East,” London: Routledge, 1999.
-
Robert H. Sharf, The Rhetoric of Experience and the Study of Religion, Journal of Consciousness Studies 7 (11-12):11-12 (2000)
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Order of the Artisans, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.
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Understanding Mysticism: Join us as we attempt to understand what this word meant historically, how it came to mean what it does today, and what, if anything, it might mean for us going forward.
Exploring the history of an idea, the story of the major developments in our collective understanding of the word mysticism itself.
Examining how this category was formed, transformed, discussed and debated throughout the ages. Join us for a journey from the Ancient Greek mystery religions, through the first few Christian centuries up into the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, into the Early Modern period, the Enlightenment and finally end with the Modern and Post-Modern decades of its study, debate and development.
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Order of the Artisans, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.
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Hayyim Rothman is a scholar of modern Jewish thought, focusing on political theology and Jewish Anarchist theology in specific. Hayyim was a Fulbright postdoctoral scholar at Bar Ilan University and taught at Boston College, where he earned his doctorate in philosophy focusing on the political thought of Baruch Spinoza. Hayyim is an ordained rabbi with advanced degrees in Jewish thought and education, from Yeshiva University and Florida International University.
Hayyim is the author of No Masters but God, Portraits of Anarcho-Judaism, a study of Jewish religious anarchism, in which he brings to light the forgotten legacy of religious Jewish anarchism, and the adventures and ideas of its key figures.
Set in the decades surrounding both world wars, No masters but God identifies a loosely connected group of rabbis and traditionalist thinkers who explicitly appealed to anarchist ideas in articulating the meaning of the Torah, traditional practice, Jewish life and the mission of modern Jewry. Full of archival discoveries and first translations from Yiddish and Hebrew, it explores anarcho-Judaism in its variety through the works of Yaakov Meir Zalkind, Yitshak Nahman Steinberg, Yehuda Leyb Don-Yahiya, Avraham Yehudah Hen, Natan Hofshi, Shmuel Alexandrov, Yehudah Ashlag and Shmuel Tamaret.
With this ground-breaking account, Hayyim Rothman traces a complicated story about the modern entanglement of religion and anarchism, pacifism and Zionism, prophetic anti-authoritarianism and mystical antinomianism.
In this conversation with Hayyim we discuss the legacy of Spinoza's rationalism, mysticism and anarchism in German Idealism and later Marxists thinkers, followed by focusing on two of thinkers in Hayyim’s research, Shmuel Alexandrov and Yehudah Ashlag, looking at their mystical anarchism, unitive metaphysics, nationalism and universalist politics, their optimism and response to Nazism, their apolitical messianism and critical utopianism.
Continuing our series on the Druze by sitting down with Sheikh Professor Fadel Mansour, senior member of the Druze community, member of the management committee of the Higher Druze Religious Council in Ussafiya and a retired biologist at the Vulcani Institute.
We spent the past few months encountering, befriending and filming religious minorities in the Holy Land, turning strangers into friends. We crossed political, cultural, linguistic and religious borders and boundaries, in an attempt to chip away at the fear of the unknown, to show people that one step past their comfort zone, lies open arms, brothers and sisters, kindness, compassion and hospitality. On the other side of fear, we found love.
“The precondition for peace is dialogue” said Martin Buber, and the precondition for love is knowledge. Deep encounters lead to deep understanding, leads to deep love. Know thy neighbor.
This docuseries attempts to break down barriers, move past the fear of the unknown and get to meet our neighbors to find the common threads that bind us.
Continuing our introduction to the philosophy of Hasidism with a discussion of her inner work. Introducing Bitul and D’vekut, Hiskafya and Hishapcha, Nefesh Habehamit and Nefesh HaElokit, Alma D’Hiskasya and Alma D’Hisgalya, Hitbodeut and Hibonenut, Avoda B’Gashmiut, Shvira and Tikkun, Ohr and Keli, Klipot and Kavana, Avodat Habirurim and B’chol d’rachecha
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.
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Continuing our introduction to the philosophy of Hasidism with a discussion of her directionality on the divine and human realms. Introducing Ratzu and Shuv, Dira B’tachtonim, Tzimtzum lav K’pshuto, and Ayin and Yesh.
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Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.
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A Philosophical Poetical Foray into Hasidic Thought. Exploring the History, Characteristics, Definitions, Metaphysics, Message and Mission of Hasidism, Mysticism for the Masses. Part 1: Nothing But God: The Metaphysics of Hasidism.
This is part of a collaboration with Filip Holm from @Let's Talk Religion Check out his sister video here: https://youtu.be/qi9JW95P1T8
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A Metaphysical Dialogue Between the Mystical, Logical and Dialogical. Join us for this final instalment of the series around the thought of Martin Buber. A three-way dialogue between John Vervaeke, Guy Sengstock and Seekers of Unity, working together to draw out and clarify the connections between dialogos, mystical experience and transformation.
Professor Gregg Henriques, author of A New Unified Theory of Psychology, directs the Combined Clinical and School Psychology Doctoral Program at James Madison University. He is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in depression, suicide and the personality disorders. He has developed an integrative meta-theoretical framework for the field of psychology an integrative meta-theoretical framework for the field of psychology and is now applying his framework to researching well-being, personality and social motivation. Henriques teaches courses in personality theory, personality assessment, social psychology and integrative adult psychotherapy. He is married to Andrea Henriques and they have three children, Sydney, Jon, and Lanie.
Shammai Siskind is an intelligence analyst, congregational rabbi, teacher of Jewish philosophy and a self-proclaimed chocolate snob. In this convo we discuss Jewish Pantheism, Comparative Theology, the place of Subjectivity in Religion, the meaning of the Soul, Messianic Consciousness, Becoming God, Sanctifying the Ordinary, the need to Articulate the Moment and to Transcend the Ordinary, Metaphors of Directionality and Partzufim.
Demystifying Mysticism and Decanting Kabbalah. Attempting to make sense of Seder Hishtalshelut, Kabbalah’s ‘Great Chain of Being.’ Exploring Cordovero’s liminal Keter, the middle-most point in existence, and Luria’s Tzimtzum, concealing and revealing, literal and non-literal. Dance with us between the cosmic curtains of consciousness, as we trace the traces of light lingering in the void, and find God hiding in plain sight. Part of a series on Jewish Pantheological thought. Looking at the way thinkers within the Jewish tradition thought about the relationship between God and World, in creative, daring and inspiring ways. This is the second instalment looking at the thinking of the Kabbalists on this issue, trying to get a glimpse of just how they go about thinking and unpacking nothing less than what they believe to be the mysteries of the universe, God and the human condition.
Making Sense of the Infinite, En Sof, the God of the Kabbalists. Is Kabbalah Pantheistic? Find our in this instalment of Pantheism and the Metaphysics of Mysticism. Continuing our series on Jewish Pantheological thought. Looking at the way thinkers within the Jewish tradition thought about the relationship between God and World, in creative, daring and inspiring ways. In this instalment we’re looking at the thinking of the Kabbalists on this issue, and trying to get a glimpse of just how they go about thinking and unpacking nothing less than what they believe to be the mysteries of the universe, God and the human condition.
John Vervaeke lays out a plausible, even persuasive case for Mysticism. Making Mysticism viable for us moderns. Marshaling the latest findings in Cognitive Science and Developmental Psychology in support Higher States of Consciousness and Transformative Mystical Experiences. What, Why and How? Attempting to provide a Descriptive (what is happening, phenomenologically), Prescriptive (why it should be taken seriously, why such transformations are rationally justifiable) and Functional account (how these states function from a cog-sci perspective, mechanisms at play and the Cognitive Continuum hypothesis) of Transformative Mystical Experiences.
Looking at the Seeds of Jewish Pantheism in the Bible, Philo, and the Rabbis.
We begin by distinguishing between pantheism and panentheism and suggest why those terms may be worthless but necessary. We then briefly quote some key biblical verses that went on to inspire and define the parameters of Jewish theological immanence and pantheologies. We then speak of the clash of culture that occurred under the Greek influence on the Jewish Hellenized community of Alexandria, and one philosopher who typifies that culture clash, Philo of Alexandria, and the seeds he lays to undermine his own transcendent God. We then take a quick tour through some classic Rabbinic explorations of God’s relationship with the world, God as the place of the world and God as the soul of the world. Followed finally by a look at later Rabbinic philosophers, Ibn Ezra and more extensively, Maimonides and his conception of the unity of God, and the world or the human and God, via the act of intellection, the unity of the knower, the known and the knowing.
@John Vervaeke is using the latest findings from cognitive science and psychology to integrate science and spirituality to alleviate the ongoing Meaning Crisis. Dr. Vervaeke is an award-winning lecturer at the University of Toronto in the departments of psychology, cognitive science and Buddhist psychology, and the creator of Awakening from the Meaning Crisis series, in which he distils years of research and thinking from the cutting edge of cognitive science, psychology, history, philosophy and religion, all geared towards understanding and showing the way out from our current Meaning Crisis, through the cultivation of meaning, wisdom and self-transcendence, which John proposes are intimately tied-up with one another. John searches for a solution to this crisis by reaching deeply into the past to salvage the wisdom of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, Plotinus, Jesus, and the Buddha, just to name a few, and modern figures like Jung, Nietzsche, Heidegger. Combining the best of the past with the best work being done currently by contemporary psychologists, cognitive scientists, philosophers, neuroscientists. In the series John goes deep into topics like shamanism, altered states of consciousness, mystical and psychedelic experiences. Existentialism. Nihilism. Artificial Intelligence. Neuroenlightenment. Just to give you a little taste. The series ultimately projects the audacious, promethean goal of “systematically creating psycho-technologies that transform consciousness, cognition, character and culture in a way that religions have [in the past],” which we’ll need “if we're going to address the current meaning crisis.” Oh, and as a by-product he proposes what may just amount to a comprehensive psychological theory of enlightenment. But John provides no easy answers, instead he helps us get clear about the problem and clear about what a potential solution might look like. So we together, can awaken from the meaning crisis.
The final chapter of Spinoza’s Magnum Opus, the Ethics has been called “impenetrable,” and its central idea of amor dei intelectualis, intellectual love of God, “the central doctrine in Spinoza’s philosophy” has been called “one of the more opaque elements in a work full of opacity.” Many, even those that taken Spinoza very seriously, have dismissed this final chapter as “worthless,” “an unmitigated disaster,” “a concession to the masses,” they said the rigorous philosopher has “gone soft” and “fallen back into his mystical experience” as his clarity waned. We say nay nay, Spinoza did not go soft, wane, buckle, sway or break at the end. Spinoza’s final chapter - enigmatic religious language and all - is nothing less than the stunning crowing culmination of his life’s work. Spinoza’s great mind glimpsed the secrets of the universe, the rhythm and riddles of Nature and the essence of God. In his final chapter he put pen to paper to pass over what he gleaned, to guide others, for centuries to come, toward a life of love, peace, eudaimonia, salvation and blessedness. All without compromising for a moment on his lucid, rigorous, logical and mathematically form. When one of history’s greatest minds tells us the secret to salvation, we ought to pay close attention. If we do, and manage to penetrate his words, time may just stop and allow us to see things as he did, sub species aeternitatis, under the aspect of eternity. And the love, bliss, calm and respite that seeps through the paused moments of time will find you waiting.
Baruch Spinoza was undoubtedly one of the greatest philosophical minds of history. But does his philosophy have relevance beyond the halls of academia? Can Spinoza, in all his wisdom, help us in our everyday lives? In this vid we share what might be Spinoza’s most powerful idea, one whose insight, if fully digested, might just be literally life changing. Presenting: Spinoza’s Secret to Living a Blessed Life.
Baruch Spinoza is one of Western philosophy’s most lauded geniuses. But how many know what he actually espoused? In this vid we’ll be exploring Spinoza’s philosophy, beginning with a brief biographical sketch, a word on his legacy and methodology, followed by an introductory overview of the heart of his philosophy, his metaphysics. Exploring the Structure of Realty According to Baruch Spinoza.
Join us for a conversation with Yehudah DovBer Zirkind about Paradigm Shifts in Religion, from Truth to Meaning and Existential approaches to Religion. Yehudah DovBer shares openly and honestly about his religious journey into post-Orthodoxy, from fundamentalism to universalism modernism and post-modernism and reconstructing the shattered pieces in between.
In this convo with a fellow seeker, meditator, author, teacher and activist we explore ‘mysticism today,’ the insights of mysticism within a context of healthy modern scepticism and contemporary life. We ask what mysticism might have to teach us in 2021? Is mysticism necessarily ethical, loving and unitive? Are all Mystical traditions teaching the same thing? And does Kabbalah still work? We talk about the falls and peaks of comparative mysticism, Buddhism vs Judaism, Meditation in the Jhana Theravadan Buddhist tradition, Getting beyond Monism and his essay, the Repersonalization of God, Post-monistic theological polymorphism and warm bread. Our guest is Dr. Jay Michaelson, a Lawyer, a Rabbi, a Mediation teacher, and an LGBT rights activist. A columnist for the Daily Beast and editor for Ten Percent Happier. A frequent commentator on NPR, MSNBC, CNN, the Atlantic, Washington Post, the Forward and others. The author of eight books and over three hundred articles on religion, sexuality, law, and contemplative practice. He’s written on Sadness and the Spiritual Path, American Buddhism, God vs Gay, Non-Dual Judaism, Embodied Spirituality, and Postmodern Buddhism. Dr. Michaelson holds a PhD in Jewish Thought, a Law degree from Yale, and nondenominational rabbinic ordination. He has taught at Harvard Divinity School, Yale University, Boston University Law School and the Chicago Theological Seminary. He is the founder of Zeek, the first Jewish online magazine and of two LGBT rights organizations. Dr. Michaelson was listed in the Forward 50 list of the most influential American Jews.
What best accounts for the commonality among the world's mystical traditions? & Is there a shared basic metaphysics of mysticism among the world’s mystical traditions? Filip Holm of @Let's Talk Religion talks religion with @Seekers of Unity We get to chatting about perennialism, essentializing, ineffability and language, language and experience, and the quandary of translations. We talk about: Defining Mysticism, Mystical Experience, Unity as key feature, Dualistic Mysticisms, Duality vs Polarity, Objectivity and Subjectivity, The Real and the Unreal, Ego Death, The Metaphysical Imperative, Unity that unites and transcends religions, Context vs trans-contextual mysticism, The problem of translating mysticism and Filip’s Channel explosion. Filip started the youtube channel Let's Talk Religion with the aim of increasing religious literacy in the world, by exploring subjects within the field of religion and religious studies from an academic, fair and unbiased perspective, with the firm belief that if religious education is improved and religious literacy in the world increases, there will be more room for discussion, tolerance and understanding.
Rav Kook was a polymath, a legalist and rationalist, a mystic and poet. He was a world leader of Jewry and one of her most influential thinkers of the past century. His legacy as both a nationalist and universalist continues to baffle his admirers and detractors. Joining us to help sort out this enigmatic spiritual giant and his messianic vision is Rabbi Bezalel Naor, an author and teacher, a preeminent scholar, translator and lifelong student of Rav Kook, and founder of Orot inc, a research centre and publishing house dedicated to the elucidation and dissemination of the teachings and poetry of Rav Kook. In this conversation we discuss, Bezalel’s journey to becoming a student of Rav Kook, and take a glimpse into Rav Kook’s Spiritual Renaissance, his universal love, and his peculiar mystical atheism. “All religions will recognize each other as brothers; how each serves its purpose... The relationships between religions will be organic. This realization will automatically bring about (and is brought about by) the higher realization of the unity of the light of Ein Sof [the Infinite, God], that manifests in and through all. And with this, automatically the pride of Israel must be uplifted.” - Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook’s Messianic Prophecy
Dr. Shaul Magid joins Seekers of Unity for an interview about living inside the paradox, the possibilities, opportunities and dangers of real spirituality today, the intersection between Jewish theology and other traditions on incarnation and apotheosis, and mystical antinomianism, clash of realities, in today’s day and age. We get to talking about Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s new vision for reality, paradigm shifts in religion, how to build new universal metaphysics without erasing differences, and ask what’s unique about Jewish mysticism? About our Guest: Dr. Shaul Magid is a Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Distinguished Fellow of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, rabbi of the Fire Island Synagogue, contributing editor to Tablet Magazine and editor of Jewish Thought and Culture at Tikkun Magazine. He is also a member of the American Academy for Jewish Research. Shaul received his rabbinical ordination in Jerusalem and his PhD from Brandeis University. His work spans the scope of Jewish thought, specializing in Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah and Hasidism, Modern Jewish thought, with specific emphasis on American Jewish thought and culture, Zionism, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. His published books include: From Metaphysics to Midrash: Myth, History, and the Interpretation of Scripture in Lurianic Kabbalah which won the 2008 American Academy of Religion Best Book Award; Hasidism Incarnate: Hasidism, Christianity, and the Construction of Modern Judaism; Hasidism on the Margin Reconciliation, Antinomianism, and Messianism in Izbica/Radzin Hasidism; The Bible, the Talmud and the New Testament: Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik’s Commentary to the Gospels; and Piety and Rebellion: Studies in Hasidism.
Who was Giordano Bruno? Why was he Killed? and Why did the Catholic Church cover up his Death? Continuing our Series on the History of Pantheism, the Story of an Immanent God, with the Renaissance Mystery Giordano Bruno. Scientist? Mathematician? Philosopher? Mystic? Martyr? Exploring the Mystery of The Man who Bet his Life Against the Catholic Church and Won, His Gambit, His Poem, His Universe and His Miracle.
Sources and Further Reading: Primary: Giordano Bruno, Cause, Principle and Unity, Cambridge Edition (Not only valuable for the main text, but has a nice introduction explaining what made Bruno’s philosophy so revolutionary in its time.)
Secondary: Blum, Paul Richard, 2012, Giordano Bruno. An Introduction, Amsterdam: Rodopi. Gatti, Hilary (ed.), 2002, Giordano Bruno. Philosopher of the Renaissance, Ashgate. Gatti, Hilary, 1999, Giordano Bruno and Renaissance Science Kessler, John J., 1997, "Giordano Bruno: The Forgotten Philosopher" Kuhns, Bill, 1996, Reviewing the Reviews, Giordano Bruno and Marshall McLuhan http://dbanach.com/archive/mickelsen/1_2art5.htmlLux, Simonetta, Giordano Bruno for Saint? Patron Saint of Political Memory? http://www.taniabruguera.com/cms/files/lr_-_giordano_bruno_-_simonetta_.pdfRowland, Ingrid D., 2008, Giordano Bruno, Philosopher, Heretic, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Yates, Frances A., 1964, Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, London: Routledge. Link to recording of R’ Adin Steinsaltz talk at the commemoration of the burning and celebration of the completion of the translation of the Talmud. Campo de 'Fiori November 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRjRtKgz54g
In the ninth century, a Christian mystical philosopher tried to end the world (as we know it), with a book. The Philosopher: John Scotus Eriugena, the Book: Periphyseon, On the Division of Nature. Exploring Eriugena's philosophical system and the deifying implications it holds for us humans, soon to be, and always have been, Gods.
Why was Pantheism suppressed in the Middle Ages? What Darkened the Middle Ages? Is Aristotle to blame for the “Dark Ages”? Join us for an epic showdown: Scholasticism vs Neoplatonism, where we’ll try answer these questions.
How I left Conservative, Fundamentalist, Calvinist, Evangelical Christianity. The Story of Steve as told by Steve. A Story of Self-Discovery, Mystical Experiences, Happiness in Poverty, Finding Ourselves and Jesus in a Bathroom in Miami.
What Happens when East meets West? Exploring the History of Cultural and Philosophical Exchange between Ancient Greece and Ancient India.
In last part of the series we discussed Indian and Greek Pantheism. This week we take a look at some points of historical and conceptual contact between these two great civilizations.
Key words: Buddhist influences on Pyrrhonism, Greek influence on Indian thought. Three Marks of Existence, Deconstructing Personhood, Epoché, Ataraxia and Nirvana, Undifferentiated Nature, Two Truths Doctrine, Dependent Origination, Tetralemma and Catuṣkoṭi Logic. Scepticism, Pyrrho, Pyrrhonism and Nāgārjuna, Madhyamaka, Mahayana, Buddhism.
What do Thales, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Plato, Stoicism and Plotinus have in Common? Were they all Pantheist? Maybe. Pantheism Between the One and the Many. Exploring the attempts of the Ionians (Anaximenes, Thales, Anaximander, Heraclitus and Anaxagoras), the Eleatics (Xenophanes and Parmenides), Pythagoras, Plato, Stoicism and Neoplatonism, To Mend the Broken Relationship between Being and Becoming, the Absolute and the Relative, the Ideal and the Actual, the Infinite-Unchanging with the Finite and Transient. What we call God and the World.
Are Eastern Religions Pantheistic? Is Eastern Pantheism even a thing? Tracing a Theological trajectory through Myth, Mantra and Metaphysics to demonstrate the presence of Pantheistic (and Panentheistic) thought, the belief that identifies God with the Universe, in Hinduism, Daoism and Buddhism. Join us, as we seek unity, sacrality and divinity in the trembling, thunderous dance of Shiva, in the wise, patient, silent presence of the Dao, in the vast, empty, compassionate embrace of the Buddha. In the Om, the Dao and the Here and Now.
Pantheism. Radical. Dangerous. Seductive. Born from the awe and wonder that reality itself inspires. From the experience which dissolves boundaries and egos, of union between the human, the world and God.
Kicking off this series on key concepts of mysticism, by exploring the varieties of pantheism, the ways it has been formulated and expressed. Related concepts; panentheism, pandeism, panpsychism, acosmism and monism… The religious and philosophical arguments make for it. The objections raised against it, and responses. The quandaries it gives rise to and what it might mean for us today and for the future of humanity.
Interview with Bonnie Morris, Professor. Author. Historian. On the Influence of Hasidic Mysticism on the Role of Women in the Chabad Movement. Interviewed by Dovi Seldowitz @ChabadSociologist
Are there any Female Jewish Mystics or is Jewish Mysticism just a Boys Club? Join us as we explore ten incredible women Mystics, Martyrs, Mothers, Messiahs, masters of Kabbalah, Educators, Oracles, Patrons, Prophets, Poets and Philosophers who left an unforgettable mark on Jewish History.
Jung believed God was a projection of the Collective Unconscious. Was he rejecting religion or was he in good company among religion's mystics? A case study of the motif of the Sefirot, as a symbol for the relationship between the Mind of God and Humanity, in Kabbalah and Hasidism. Also, find out why Jung said “the Hasidic rabbi.. the Great Maggid.. anticipated my entire psychology.”
“No one who is a Jew can become a human being without knowing that they are a Jew, since this is the basis from which they can reach out towards a higher humanity." – C.G. Jung
Sources and Further Reading:
Jung and Kabbalah, Steven Joseph, 2007 Jung and the Kabbalah, Sanford Drob, 1999 J
ung, Kabbalah, and Gnosis, Stephan Hoeller, 2012
Jung’s Kabbalistic Visions, Sanford Drob, 2005
Kabbalistic Visions, Sanford Drob, 2010
The Parting of the Ways, Richard Kradin, 2015
Aion, Jung, 1951
Answer to Job, Jung, 1952
Mysterium Coniunctionis, Jung, 1955
Jewish Mysticism in America with Dr. Arthur Green, Dr. Charles Rosen, and Rabbi Zalman Schachter. Sponsored by the Graduate Theological Union Program for the Study of New Religious Movements in America, Berkeley, California, June 7, 1978. "We have here a unique collection of thinkers, scholars, pioneers, the cutting edge of a part of American spiritual life which most people here would like to know more about and we couldn't have a better panel in the universe, in the galaxy, than the present one, for this subject." - Jacob Needleman, program director (The first few minutes are a little dull but then it really picks up. Hang in there, it’s worth it.)
Not all of us wake up in the morning aspiring to create a new religion, philosophy or language. SoU introduces you to one individual who did. Taking notes from the Sikh faith and inspired by darkness to create light (or perhaps to transcend the dichotomy) and to help ‘others’ who are struggling, the intentionally nameless founder of Rën challenges us to re-think our divided ways of living, examine our dualizing language and meditate on the inherent unity of being found in each moment. We discuss the complexities of Non-Duality, Ego Death vs Ego Inflation, the failings of New Age Thought, Mysticism in the Age of the Internet, the challenge of Community, Free will vs Determinism and much, much more..
Mystics are often seen as irrational. The word ‘mystical’ is oft employed disparagingly as a synonym for the vague, dubious and enigmatic. In this convo with Dr Justin Sledge, scholar of religion and philosophy and host of Esoterica, we challenge and debate this conception.
Asking: What is Logic? How does it work? What are its Origins and History? Is it Discovered or Invented? Is there a common Logic among the Mystics? What of Alternative and Paraconsistent Logics? Does a Two Truths Doctrine make sense? Does logic require faith at some level? What happens when mystics take logic to its limits? To what degree, if any, are mystics beholden to or bound by logic? Can mystics give up on logic? All this and more…
Two-hundred years ago, Baptist Missionaries spread Christianity to the indigenous tribes of Nagaland. Born to the Ao Tribe, anthropologist Tiatemsü Longkumer is studying the effects of the religious syncretism wrought by the missionaries on his own people's "worldview." Get ready for some epic animistic, syncretistic, pantheistic, bitheistic, indigenous epicness.
What did Carl Jung say about Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism? Exploring four quotes from Jung about the significance of Kabbalah for Jungian and Freudian Psychology, the Difference between Jewish and Christian Spirituality, and the Evolution of Consciousness. 00:00 Jung and Kabbalah 01:04 First Quote "A deep plunge into the history of the Jewish mind" 03:51 Second Quote "The supreme Triad of Kether, Chochma and Bina in Tiferet" 08:16 Third Quote "I'm glad to quote at least one voice in favor of my involuntary manifesto" 09:38 Fourth Quote "For the first time man[kind's] cosmic responsibility is acknowledged.” 11:37 Beard Stroke Followed by Surprise 12:26 Very Exciting Project Unity Update Jung and Jewish Mysticism Series: Decoding Jung’s Mystical Experience: https://youtu.be/SAvqG7WTynIKabbalistic Concepts in Jungian Thought: https://youtu.be/cGTU83TO8nk Sources and Further Reading: Letters, Carl Jung, 1975 Jung and the Kabbalah, Sanford Drob, 1999 Jung, Kabbalah, and Gnosis, Stephan Hoeller, 2012 Jung, Kirsch, and Judaism:, Sanford Drob, 2012 Jung’s Kabbalistic Visions, Sanford Drob, 2005 The Jung-Kirsch letters, Ann Lammers, 2011 Sigmund Freud and the Jewish Mystical Tradition, David Bakan, 1971 The Parting of the Ways: How Esoteric Judaism and Christianity Influenced the Psychoanalytic Theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, Richard Kradin, 2015
In 1944, on the edge of death, Carl Jung had a blissed out mystical experience, the “most tremendous” experience of his life, filed with intense Kabbalistic imagery. We’re gonna to try explain it. Exploring the relationship between Jung and Jewish Mysticism. 00:00 The Experience 01:12 The Context 03:18 The Break Down 08:25 Jung’s Sources 14:00 A Question 15:58 Upcoming Vids Sources and Further Reading: Jung and Kabbalah, Steven Joseph, 2007 Jung and the Kabbalah, Sanford Drob, 1999 Jung, Kabbalah, and Gnosis, Stephan Hoeller, 2012 Jung, Kirsch, and Judaism, Sanford Drob, 2012 Jung’s Kabbalistic Visions, Sanford Drob, 2005 Kabbalistic Visions, Sanford Drob, 2010 Letters, Carl Jung, 1975 Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Carl Jung, 1961 The Jung-Kirsch letters, Ann Lammers, 2011 The Parting of the Ways, Richard Kradin, 2015 Links to Sanford Drob’s work: http://www.sanforddrobart.com/ http://www.newkabbalah.com/home.html https://www.amazon.com/Kabbalistic-Vi...
Trailblazer in the extra-ordinary, cartographer of the unknown, Jeffery (Yehuda) Mishlove is a clinical psychologist, host and producer of Thinking Allowed and New Thinking Allowed. Jeffery studied the psychology of religious mysticism, and completed a PhD in Parapsychology, the only ever awarded by an accredited University (Berkley 1980), published later as Psi Development Systems. He is the author of The Roots of Consciousness and The PK Man. Over the past few decades Jeffery has been a pioneer of innerfaith dialogue and has had the great distinction of interviewing many of characters who have shaped our current world of Mysticism, Religion, Philosophy and Psychology, with the likes of Colin Wilson, David Chalmers, Huston Smith, Irvin Yalom, John Searle, Oliver Sacks, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Jean Houston, Ram Dass, Robert Anton Wilson, Rollo May, Rupert Sheldrake, Stanislav Grof, Steven Pinker, Terence McKenna, U. G. Krishnamurti and Whitley Strieber, just to name a few. In this lit conversation Jeffrey shares his story with us, tells of his falling in and out of religion, we discuss his most memorable interviews, mystic vs psychic, particularism vs universalism, initiating yourself, being true to ourselves in religion and how to create meaning. We farbreng about the broken tablets and the trees of Eden, we cry, laugh, smile and sing in an adventure of human connection. Join us. Timestamps: 00:00 Excerpt 01:38 Intro to Jeffrey 04:35 Jeffrey’s Story, in his own words 37:08 Finding/Creating Meaning in a Deconstructed World 39:50 Making Oneness real in our lives | Innerfairth Dialogue 43:59 Do we need to practice one tradition? Particularism vs Universalism 48:43 Did Judaism take a wrong turn with Moses? 50:49 Living between Exile/Samsara and Redemption/Enlightenment: Broken tablets and whole tables, tree of knowledge and tree of life 54:08 Mysticism vs Psychic phenomenon? and What is a Mysticism? 56:18 Jeffrey's favorite interview? 57:56 Conclusion and Upcoming Projects “We live in an era where the spiritual tradition of the world are everybody inheritance” - Jeffery Mishlove
A Muslim and a Jew walk into a Zoom… (Timestamps below) I had the distinct privilege of interviewing my Muslim brother Ihsan Alexander, creator of Soul of Islam Radio and a luminous Sufism Youtuber. And what a pleasure it was. Ihsan shares his story, teaches us about the inner dimension of Islam, pushes us towards unity and harmony, guides us in staying true to our tradition while respecting and loving the traditions of others, tells of his corona Ramadan experience and the importance of innerness in religious practice, dispels myths about conflict between the inner and outer, shares his personal spiritual practice with us, shows us how we can escape from the self, become Nothing and ‘get out of our own way,’ and concludes with charging us to ‘be the way,’ to revitalize religion today as a path to light, love and unity. “To see beauty in the other, that is the path to God” – Ihsan
00:00 Interview with Ihsan
00:35 Introduction
02:11 Live with Ihsan
05:33 Ihsan’s Story and how he received his beautiful name
18:05 What is the inner dimension of Islam?
20:07 Are we all striving after the same unity?
21:23 Proselytism vs harmony? Do we need to convert each other?
23:25 Balancing religious individuality and integrity with religious pluralism and universalism?
30:04 How was Ramadan during Corona?
33:21 Internalized religion vs Religion on display
36:35 Is there tension between the body and soul, the spirit and the law, of Islam?
39:42 Do you find any tension between the internal and external in your own practice?
42:44 Is God conceptualized differently in Sufism vs ‘Orthodox’ Islam?
46:45 Ihsan’s personal spiritual practice
53:43 The inner, psychological experience of Zikr | Forgetting the self
56:42 Escaping from the self
59:20 The Paradox of a Youtube channel about Egolessness
1:05:37 Transforming Religion | Be the way
1:12:09 When to find more of Ihsan
1:14:23 Final words
Yehuda Katz, a brilliant young master of Kabbalah, shares his story, gives us a peek into his beautiful mind and a glimpse though the cosmic star-speckled spheres into the mind of God.
00:00 Introducing Yehuda Katz
04:40 Yehuda’s story, in his own words
11:10 Living an Authentic, Colorful Judaism | Beyond the Black n White
18:02 Ascending through Silence, beyond Words and Images | Via the Bahir
21:11 Seeing Visions vs Beyond Vision | To a Place of Listening
22:53 Imagination in Judaism | פנטזיהדות
27:43 Quieting the Mind in Kabbalah and Eastern Mysticism
30:25 How did we Implement these Ideas into our Lives?
35:58 Understanding Kabbalah contextually | Who's on First?
41:46 Kabbalah vs Hasidut? | The Eternal vs the Timely
47:08 Who are your top Kabbalists and Why?
54:28 Paradigm Shift | Who/What is God to you?
59:56 The Question We Need to Ask Ourselves
1:06:42 Understanding Kabbalah Accurately and Developmentally
1:20:21 Yehuda's Plan going forward
1:25:25 Final Words
To ask Yehuda your own questions, get access to his online classes or hire him as a teacher, please email: LKatz07@Yahoo.com
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"In the latter part of the thirteenth century, at the time when theosophic kabbalah was flourishing, there emerged an alternative kabbalistic tradition with a different focus. The main exponent of this tradition was Abraham Abulafia." Explore one of the most important, prolific, complex and controversial figures in the history of Jewish mysticism. A self-proclaimed, Prophet and Messiah, an itinerant Mystic who risked his life attempting to meet the Pope. Banned and ostracized, during his own life time, he has now returned to his rightful place in epic story of Kabbalah.
00:00 Abulafia
01:45 Abulafia’s Biography
16:40 Abulafia’s Opposition
20:13 Abulafia’s Influence
23:30 Abulafia’s Bibliography
26:01 Abulafia’s Kabbalah
33:38 Abulafia’s Messianism
36:41 Abulafia’s Linguistic Mysticism
53:52 Abulafia’s Practice
58:47 Exercise
Part 1: Ezekiel's Vision, Merkaba, Hekhalot, Four Entered the Orchard: https://youtu.be/Ek-bbbhmPLk
Part 2: Midrash, Neoplatonism, 12th-13th Century: https://youtu.be/Wg_DEtvewBM
Part 3: Introduction to the Zohar, the book that changed Judaism forever: https://youtu.be/nObu-d2Xv0I
Subscribe to more quality Kabbalah and Mysticism content, for free: https://www.youtube.com/seekersofunity Sources and Further Reading: Meditation and Kabbalah by Aryeh Kaplan The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia by Moshe Idel Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah by Moshe Idel Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism by Moshe Idel Language, Torah and Hermeneutics in Abraham Abulafia by Moshe Idel Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet by Elliot Wolfson The Heart and the Fountain by Joseph Dan Chaye Ha-Olam Ha-Ba - Life in the World to Come, Translated by Yaron Ever Hadani Abraham Abulafia: Meditations on the Divine Name by Abraham Solomon
Enter the Cosmic Drama of a World of Words, a Mystical Journey, the third holiest textual corpus of Judaism. The undullable Masterpiece, the Magnum Opus of Kabbalah. A Renaissance of Human Spirit, wound to Birth forth again, to have us Reborn, rediscovering our Why.
The Zohar is no book, it’s a World, an intricate, subtle and complex one, it’s the mythological Soul of the Soul of Judaism. Wrestle with its Historical context, controversial Authorship, its internal quixotic Structure, and the daringly provocative Ideas it brought to Life. A Paradigm Shift of Epic Proportions, radically and fundamentally reconceptualizing God, Man, Torah (the Bible) and the World.
Settlers of the frontiers of Consciousness, Perspicacious Pioneers of the undulating precipitous pyrenees of perspecation, Sages, nay Saints, nay sacred Sorcerers, God’s of Men, embarked to Unite the Transcendence and Immanence in the Infinite Divine Romance and bring final messianic closure to the millennia-long arc of the meta-story of the inner life of God. Answering for millions the realest existentially infernal questions, why do we suffer? why are we in a state of internal alienation and external estrangement?
More that the Zohar appeared in our universe at some God given moment, more so do we inhabit the world painstakingly conconted, constructed and conjured by the punctuation, paragraphs and pages, sapphires, spheres and sefirot, sefer, sofer and sipur of this holy text. Augmenting our perception of Being and awareness of the Divine, the unity of our lives, reaching that tipping-point of illumination, the immediacy of the ever-present messianic moment becoming a manifested reality, a tree of Life to all who grasp it, Here and Now.
With this Book we will go out of Exile. - Zohar, 124b, Ra'aya Meheimna
00:00 Zohar, the Masterpiece
06:15 What we’re going to cover
06:59 Historical Context
08:51 Who wrote the Zohar?
13:00 Literary Structure of the Zohar
14:30 Core Ideas of the Zohar: 15:02 God: En Sof, Sefirot and a Divine Romance 26:50 The Human, the Fulcrum of the Cosmos 33:31 Torah, a Secret Code 41:12 The World, Illusions of Duality 43:50 The Meta-Story, From Exile to Redemption 48:58 Post Class Conversation, Knowing thru Love, Writing our own Zohar “This comes about as close as anybody ever came to actually pushing the entire contents of the universe down into about fourteen cubic inches.” - Terence Mckenna Introduction to Kabbalah Part 1: Ezekiel's Vision, Merkaba, Hekhalot, Four Entered the Orchard: https://youtu.be/Ek-bbbhmPLk Introduction to Kabbalah Part 2: Midrash, Neoplatonism, 12th-13th Century: https://youtu.be/Wg_DEtvewBM Subscribe to more quality Kabbalah and Mysticism content, for free: https://www.youtube.com/seekersofunity?sub_confirmation=1 Join Seekers on: facebook: https://facebook.com/seekersofunity instagram: https://instagram.com/seekersofunity podcast: https://anchor.fm/seekersofunity website: https://www.seekersofunity.com “This is a very Talmudic idea, that somehow a book is the primary reality. The idea in some schools of Hasidism is that all of the future is already contained in the Torah. Then when you ask them, ‘Well, if it’s contained there, then isn’t it predestined’ the answer is no, because the letters are scrambled and only the movement of the present moment through the text correctly unscrambles and arranges the letters.” - Terence McKenna tags: introduction to Kabbalah intro to Kabbalah History of Kabbalah Holy Zohar Moshe de Leon Sefirot Primary texts of Kabbalah #Zohar #Kabbalah #ProjectUnity
Attempting to explain the mystery of the emergence of 12th-13th Century Kabbalah of Isaac the Blind and Nachmanides in France and Spain, by examining the merger of the mythological genre of early Jewish mysticism with the Neoplatonic philosophy of Ibn Gabirol and Plotinus. And exploring the role that their metaphysics of the 'One and the Many', Unity and Multiplicity, Great Chain of Being and Emanationism, play in Kabbalah.
00:00 The Historical Mystery to solve
06:34 The Genre of Kabbalah
08:43 Midrash-Mythos meets Chakira-Logos
10:18 Neoplatonism: Plato, Philo and Plotinus
14:52 Neoplatonism in Muslim and Jewish thought
19:00 Ibn Gabirol: Mekor Chaim, Fons Vitae
21:31 Kabbalah meets Neoplatonism
23:04 Metaphysics of Neoplatonism: The One and the Many
28:32 Kabbalah of 12th Century Provence
31:09 Reaction against Maimonidean-Aristotelianism
35:44 Kabbalah of 13th Century Catalonia and Girona
41:49 Teaser and Recap
43:48 Question Time
i gave an intro to Kabbalah class, here's how it went..
00:57 Class begins with Definitions
02:01 Exoteric/Revealed vs Esoteric/Secret Torah
04:44 Prerequisites for Studying Kabbalah
06:52 Necessity of Kabbalah | Body and Soul
09:39 Genius of Kabbalah | Integrated Mysticism
12:09 Historical Sketch of Jewish Mysticism
13:48 Biblical Mysticism | Ezekiel's Vision
14:25 Mystical vs Prophetic Experience
16:24 Merkava Mysticism | Second Temple
(20:42 Questions | What is the Purpose of Mitzvot?
26:20 Idols in the Temple? | Beyond Good and Evil)
29:53 The Beautiful Logic of Kabbalah
30:51 Heichalot Mystical Literature
35:12 Four Entered the Garden.. Only one made it out
37:40 (Sefirot)
Subscribe to more quality Kabbalah and Mysticism content, for free: https://www.youtube.com/seekersofunity?sub_confirmation=1
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Gavi Kutliroff is a writer, poet and musician and a firm believer in the necessity of an artistic Jewish renaissance. After studying East Asian Studies and Psychology at Brandeis University, he served as a madrich at Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusalem. Gavi is pioneering the comparative study of Chinese and Jewish Mysticism, particularly between the Daoist (Zhuangzi) and Hasidic traditions (Rabbi Nachman). He also has a strong affinity for aquariums. Forget what you know about knowing as we explore, the Limits of Rationality, Rationalism and Mysticism, Identity, Self-Alienation and Dancing around the Infinite Nothingness. “Knowledge in limitless. The human capacity for knowledge is limited. To use what is limited to pursue what is limitless is dangerous.”
Timestamps: 02:45 Conversation begins
04:29 Scepticism of Rationalism
08:50 Gavi’s Story - Who is Gavi? - Identity Crisis
16:51 Mysticism and Rationalism
19:03 Scepticism and Subjectivity, Information vs Wisdom
21:31 Gavi’s Religious Identity
29:33 Finding Jewish Mysticism
31:45 Self-Alienation in the Universality of Mysticism
41:03 Difference in Similarity, Diversity in Unity
44:14 Difference in Similarity in Self-identity and God’s identity
56:25 Gavi’s thesis: A Comparison of Judaism and Daoism, Rabbi Nachman and Zhuangzi
1:09:18 Playing with Reality
1:13:00 Capital N Nothingness
1:21:05 A Chinese Nothing and a Jewish Nothing
1:26:09 Messianic Paradigms
1:28:25 What Gavi’s up to
1:31:52 Closing words
Join the Seekers community:
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In this episode we’re going to be exploring some Conceptual Crossovers between Islamic and Jewish Mysticism, Mutual Metaphysics, Similar Soteriology’s and Twinned Theologies.
We’ll discuss the
2:54 Theological idea of the Unity of God,
5:03 The metaphysical concept of the Unity of Being,
10:27 The cosmological ideas of the Gradations of Being,
13:08 The process of becoming one with God,
22:34 and Theories to explain how these ideas are found in both traditions.
Sources quoted: “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, Adam Afterman. Pdf: https://www.academia.edu/27761710/Ada...“The Temptation of Abu Yazid”: Hindu and Muslim Mysticism, R. C. Zaehner, p. 129-133. Pdf: https://archive.org/details/hinduandm...Hayom Yom, 18 Kislev, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson If you’d like to stalk us facebook: https://facebook.com/seekersofunityinstagram: https://instagram.com/seekersofunitytwitter: https://www.twitter.com/seekersofupodcast: https://anchor.fm/seekersofunitywebsite: https://www.seekersofunity.com As always, Like, Share and Subscribe. Love you.
In this interview with Sara Sviri, Professor Emerita of Arabic and Comparative Religions of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, we shall discuss:
03:44 Wisdom of the Heart
04:49 Definition of the Mystic
05:56 Knowing - Ma'rifa
06:32 Poetry by Gilani
10:45 Unity of Being - Waḥdat al-Wujūd
13:09 Unity and Duality
19:45 Sara’s favorite Sufis
23:29 Love and Eros
25:26 Sara’s Story
31:23 The Spiritual Path in Sufism
35:42 Ego - Nafs
36:45 The Spiritual Stations - Makamat and Achwal
39:27 Annihilation and Subsistence - Fana and Baqa
43:14 Establishment and Fluctuation - Tamkin and Talween
Sara’s fields of study include Islamic mysticism, mystical philosophy, comparative aspects of early Islam, the formative period of Islamic mysticism, medieval Jewish mysticism and the mystical wisdom of Ibn al-ʿArabī.
Her first book, The Taste of Hidden Things: Images on the Sufi Path, was published in 1997. Followed In 2008 by her comprehensive Sufi Anthology. In 2013, Sara published her latest work, Perspectives on Early Islamic Mysticism, The World of al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī and his Contemporaries.
Check out Sara’s YouTube channel where she is sharing her teacher’s, Irina Tweedie’s book, The Chasm of Fire: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1is...
Poem:
From the heavens descend rain of blessing to the earth.
And the earth produces a variety of plants.
From heaven this thing descends to the ground of the hearts.
The hearts quiver.
And from all knowledge that descends to them – sprout different plants
Secrets, wisdoms, union, trust, silent prayer, closeness to the exalted God.
And they grow in the heart, trees and species of flowers.
And it moves, deserts, wastelands, oceans, rivers and mountains.
The heart becomes a place, a place of meeting for humans and demons, angels and spirits
This matter is beyond the intellect.
Strength, and real power, the will and the knowledge of God Her/Himself.
She/He gives it to a chosen few.
To a rare few of the children of man.
- Gilani
ProjectUnity
A Journey across centuries and continents, tracing the relationship between Muslims and Jews through their shared mystical practices, beliefs and texts. Exploring the moments in history of fruitful interaction between Sufism (Islamic Mysticism) and Jewish Mysticism.
02:52 - 11th Century Spain | Bahya ibn Pakuda: Duties of the Heart
05:26 - 13th Century Egypt | Abraham Maimonides: Egyptian Pietism
10:22 - 16th Century Israel | The Kabbalah of Safed
11:17 - 18th Century Eastern Europe | Hasidism
If there are any Sufis or students of Sufism out there who are keen to collab and come on the channel, please please please let me know. Please do Follow, Like, Subscribe if you dig this kinda content. #ProjectUnity
Thank you to youtube.com/bimbam for the animations.
Sources and Further Reading: “Judaism and Sufism”, Paul Fenton, in The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue, Philosophy and Mysticism in Bahya ibn Paquda's "Duties of the Heart", Diana Lobel Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari, Diana Lobel Jewish Mystical Leaders of the 13th Century, Paul Fenton Judaism, Sufism, and the Pietists of Medieval Egypt A Study of Abraham Maimonides and His Times, Elisha Russ-Fishbane Shalom/Salaam: A Story of a Mystical Fraternity, Thomas Block Sufism and Jewish-Muslim Relations, Yafia Katherine Randall Treatise of the Pool, Obadyah Maimonides, translated and introduced by Paul Fenton “How small is your [conception of] God, if it can't include the beauty of the Muslim, the Jew and the Christian.”
Episode 10 is a Top 10! Ten best books every aspiring student of Mysticism must read, lol
02:00 Joseph Campbell | Thou Art That | Mythology
03:30 Fritjof Capra | Tao of Physics | Physics
04:35 Jill Bolte Taylor | My Stroke of Insight | Neuroscience
05:37 Walter Terence Stace | Mysticism and Philosophy | Philosophy
05:57 Glenn Magee (ed.) | The Cambridge Handbook of: Western Mysticism and Esotericism
07:15 David R. Loy | Nonduality, A Study in Comparative Philosophy | Eastern Mysticism
08:43 Gershom Scholem | Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism | Jewish Mysticism
10:00 Carlos Castañeda | The Teachings of Don Juan | Native American Mysticism
11:05 Annemarie Schimmel | Mystical Dimensions of Islam | Sufism
12:20 William James | The Varieties of Religious Experience | Psychology
12:47 Aldous Huxley | The Perennial Philosophy | Perennialism
13:30 Evelyn Underhill | Mysticism | Christian Mysticism
Hope you enjoyed this lil list Which books would u have put on? What are your favorites? What should I read next? Send a voicenote and let mek now!
Stace's book, Philosophy and Mysticism reviewed here: https://youtu.be/HYxC-qhmV6w
For a really short History of Mysticism check out: https://youtu.be/kiSdWxEWMt8
And for a crack at defining Mysticism see this: https://youtu.be/xziekmekans
ProjectUnity
A story of poets, pirates, sultans, queens, philosophers, mystics, kabbalists and heretics, forced conversions, attempted assassinations, and inquisitions.
01:20 Brief History of the Scholarship
03:30 Story of Avraham Cohen de Herrera
14:44 From Herrera to Spinoza
18:00 The Textual Witnesses
23:03 Spinoza’s Kabbalistic Ideas
28:21 Spinoza and Hasidism
34:03 Spinoza and Mysticism
39:23 Closing thoughts Like and Subscribe for more good stuff like this.
ProjectUnity Check out Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/Sat1pz1N63U
Sources: Ethics, Baruch Spinoza Theological-Political Treatise, Baruch Spinoza Gate of Heaven, Avraham Cohen de Herrera From the Gate of Heaven to the ‘Field of Holy Apples’, Yitzhak Y. Melamed Spinoza and Kabbalah, Henry Walter Brann The Influence of Abraham Cohen de Herrera's Kabbalah on Spinoza's Metaphysics, Miquel Beltrán Spinoza’s Metaphysics, Yitzhak Y. Melamed Baruch or Benedict: On Some Jewish Aspects of Spinoza's Philosophy, Zeev Levy Idel on Spinoza, Warren Zev Harvey Introduction to Spinoza’s Complete Works, Michael Morgan Autobiography, Salomon Maimon Keter Shem Tov, Hosafot, p. 395 Likkutei Dibburim, Tof Reish Samach Aleph, vol. 4, p. 2 Sefer Hasichot, Tof Resh Pei Tzadik, p. 229 Chassidim U-Misnagdim, Mordechai Willensky, vol. 1, pp. 187ff. Plumbing Rav Kook’s Panentheism, Bezalel Naor Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution, Yehuda Mirsky, p. 56. Yonati be-Haguei ha-Sela, Dov Schwarz, pp. 205-206
Check out our dank discussion of Spinoza in the context Western Philosophy, Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah. We'll talk about his Metaphysics, his take on God, about the possibility of seeing him as a Mystic and at the end we'll reconsider his Cherem (excommunication).
#ReclaimingSpinoza #ProjectUnity
01:55 Biographical Sketch
06:19 Spinoza's Fans
10:08 Philosophical Influences
12:22 Spinoza's Metaphysics
29:32 Spinoza's God
33:22 Atheist, Pantheist or Panentheist?
44:45 Perceptions of Spinoza
48:11 Spinoza and Judaism
54:06 Spinoza and the Love of God
56:25 Spinoza and Kabbalah/Mysticism
1:17:39 Reconsidering the Cherem
Being novice enthusiasts, we're bound to have made plenty of mistakes, please call us out in the comments, thx, much love. Also, comment your thoughts about whether Spinoza should be taken out of Cherem. We'll take a tally at the end and pass it on to big rabbis. Check out my good-looking friend's sick poetry at ShaulSolomon.com Subscribe for more epic content. Lmk your thoughts on this vid in the comments 😘
Sources: Spinoza, Ethics Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus Nadler, The Jewish Spinoza Nadler, A Book Forged in Hell Della Rocca, Spinoza Beltrán, The Influence of Abraham Cohen de Herrera's Kabbalah on Spinoza's Metaphysics Buber, Spinoza, Sabbatai Zevi and the Baal Shem Brann, Spinoza and Kabbalah Melamed, From the Gate of Heaven to the ‘Field of Holy Apples’
Adventure into the birth of the cosmos, to find truths that can be scarcely told with words. We're going to dive into the chaos to explore the creation myths of mystical traditions to see what stories they share for us today. On the hunt for the Mega-Myth of Mysticism with Jung and Campbell. We're gonna catch a big one.
Join us in our excavation of the oldest stories mankind has told about Creation, the Gods and ultimately; Ourselves. Separated by thousands of years and millions of miles, disparate cultures still, amazingly, share common profound mythological elements. In this vid we’ll be looking at the key ideas of: The Primordial Chaos. Emerging from the Chaos. The Desire for the Other. Tzimtzum, Creating Space. And Sparagmos, Death and Rebirth
We excavate the oldest stories mankind has told about the Creation, the Formation, the Structure and Destiny of the world, the Gods and ultimately; Ourselves. Separated by thousands of years and millions of miles, disparate cultures still, amazingly, share common profound mythological elements. In this vid we’ll be looking at the key ideas of: The Spark of Creation, Emanations, Separation, Completion, The Fall, Fallen Sparks and The Return.
ProjectUnity
A Reflection on the 3rd of Tammuz - 25 Years since the Rebbe's Passing | Ode to Immortality
Transcript:
This Saturday, the 6th of July 2019 marks and commemorated the 25 anniversary of Gimmel Tammuz, the 3rd of the Hebrew month of Tammuz. The day the sun stood still in its tracks.
This Gimmel Tammuz is 25 years since the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and 25 years is a hell of a long time.
The Rebbe was a radical mystic. The Rebbe was a man who carried the pain of the world on his forehead, and radiated the joy of the cosmos through his smile. A man whose every step oozed courage and inspired conviction. Like Moses standing on top of Mount Sinai. The Rebbe spoke with 3000 years of wisdom. I still saw him still reflected in my father’s eyes, engulfed in flames, dancing in a ring of fire, clutching a burning scroll of black fire on white fire.
There are those that say the Rebbe was larger than life, a common descriptor for people whose lives we're at a loss to describe from the vantage point of our puny egoic existences, the Rebbe, my guess is, would say no, in his warm Russian accent, you only don't yet know, you have no idea, how large life is.
People say as well that the Rebbe was the Messiah, a controversial claim no doubt. But the Rebbe was more than that. The Rebbe was one who made it his lifelong mission to ignite the messianic flame in every soul on this godforsaken planet.
To blow the few remaining ashes of Auschwitz into a blaze that would burn so bright, so bright it would rudely awaken the slumbering messiah in the collective heart of humanity.
The Rebbe was the Messiah whisperer, the one who entreats; wake up, wake up, arise from the ashes, shake off the dust, the time of your redemption has come
The Rebbe was no doubt a man of action, one who inspired and demanded action by example. Action that sanctifies the mundane, that brings meaning, life, beauty and poetry into the ordinary, with one arm raising live to celestial highs and the other tearing down the heavens to plant it in quotidian, in the terrestrial, in the everyday.
But the Rebbe was more than that, the Rebbe was a child, a child with curly hair who had a vision of this world transformed into a beautiful garden. And what set the Rebbe apart was that he kept that vision locked perpetually in his gaze, you could see it in his eyes. And the Rebbe marched toward that vision every day, and pulled us in, in his gravitational wave, towards that vision.
At times it feels that we failed him, we failed to see that vision that that child saw. A child who just wanted for the rest of the world to see how beautiful it could become, so easily, if they only believed it could. The Rebbe was crushed, because we couldn’t share that vision of his.
The Rebbe’s lifelong mission, his single minded obsession was to get us to open our eyes, tzum effen de eygen, as the Rebbe would say, to see the world through that child’s eyes.
Even on those days when I find it hard to call myself the Rebbe’s chosid, I’m still the Rebbe’s child, and as his child I share his eyes. And although 25 years marks the passing of the Rebbe, the Rebbe is certainly not dead, because ideas cannot die, and a life that is lived as the embodiment of an idea, an idea that brings life to those that hear it, scoffs death entirely. Because immortal truths do not die.
25 years is way too long and it’s time for us to take action, to see the world the way that the Rebbe say it, to see ourselves the way the Rebbe saw us, as Godly, to see the world around us, the people around us as beautiful and Divine, and then we will see the Rebbe’s eyes again.
ProjectUnity
Explaining the Why behind this Channel and Launching #ProjectUnity
Inviting You to Dream with Me, Daring You to Share and Join the Revolution.
Post that idea that moves you on YouTube, Facebook, Insta... Tag it #ProjectUnity. Share it with your friends (+ dare them to share too), so we can all see what you're bringing to the good fight.
Take the Plunge, Carpe Diem, Yolo, Just Do It, etcetera, etcetera. You got this. All on You Now. No Pressure.
Defining Mysticism in terms of Experience, Theory and Practice.
• 1 - Experience - Mystical Experience:
Historical and Contemporary
- In language of Psychology:
Ego Death
Unitive Consciousness
Peak Experience / Flow state
- In the Language of Theology:
Prophecy, Theosis, Unio Mystica
Dvekut, Gnosis, Fana, Baqa,
Samadhi, Moksha, Satori, Nirvana
• 2 - Thought/Conceptualization
- Mythology: Death, Rebirth and Immortality Apotheosis
- Theology/Theosophy: Pan(en)theism
- Philosophy/Metaphysics: Monism Non-Dualism
• 3 - Practice/Action
The Mystics Ethical Imperative
Fast-paced intro to the History of Mysticism in under 10, strap in
• (Prehistory) Birth – One with Nature - 1:17Animism, Shamanism, Indigenous/Native Traditions, Egyptian, Proto Indo-Iranian, Proto Indo-European, Vedic and Mesopotamian Religion
• (1000BCE) Infancy - 1:36Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroaster, Greco-Roman Mysteries
• (500bce) Discovering Self - 2:07Upanishads, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hebrew prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Greek Philosophers Pythagoras, Parmenedies and Plato, Taoism - Lao tzu
• (0) Rebellious age - 3:08Early Jewish Mysticism: Essenes, Qumran, Hasideans, Therapeutae, Apocalypticism, Merkava, Hechalot. Philo - Middle Platonism. Early Christian Mysticism: Paul, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Origen, Augustine, Pseudo Dionysius, Christian East: Maximus the Confessor. Gnosticism and Hermeticism. Neoplatonism: Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus. East: The Bhagavad Gita. Theravada and later Mahayana Buddhism
• (5th – 10th/11th) Dark Night / Death of Mysticism - 4:14One exception in the West: John Scotus. Sufism: Al-Hallaj and Al-Farabi. East: Shankara, Advaita Vedanta. Zen and Tibetan Buddhism
• (12th-15th) the Rebirth – Renaissance - 5:14Christian Mystics: Francis of Assisi, Albertus Magnus, Mesiter Ekhart, Raymond Llull, Nicolas of Cusa. Jewish Mystics: Ibn Gabirol, Isaac the Blind, Chasidei Ashkenaz, Eleazar of Worms, Avrohom ben HaRambam, Azriel of Gerona, Avrohom Abulafia, Nahmanides, Publicising of the Zohar, Joseph Gikatilla's Shaarei Orah. Sufis: Rumi, Ibn Arabi. Sikhism. Christian Kabbalists: Marsilo Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Giordano Bruno
• (1500s) Growth - 6:14Safed Kabbalists: Joseph Karo, Shlomo Alkabetz, Moses Cordovero, Isaac Luria, Hayim Vital. Christian Mystics: Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross
• (1600s) - 6:45Spinoza - Pantheism. George Fox - Quakers. Mulla Sadra - Illuminationism • (18th) Enlightenment – Waking up, Mirror Phase Newton, Rosicrucianism, Swedenborg, William Blake, Yisrael Baal Shem - Hasidism, Jakob Böhme - Bohemian Theosophy. Idealism & Romanticism: Berkeley, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel and Schopenhauer
• (1800s) - 7:32Transcendentalism, Emerson and Thoreau. Occultism: Eliphas Levi, Madam Blavatsky and Manly P. Hall - Theosophical Society
• (1900s) Rudolf Steiner - Anthroposophy, Gurdjieff - Fourth Way, René Guénon - Traditionalism. Modern Perennialists: William Jame, Aldous Huxley. Neohasidism: Hillel Zeitlin, Martin Buber, Avraham Yeshua Heschel, Zalman Schecher-Shalomi. Buddhist Modernism and NeoVedanta: Alan Watts, Professor Suzuki, Christmas Humphreys. New Age. Modern study of Mysticism
• [Summary] - 7:55 • (2019:) You #ProjectUnity
Let me know which of these periods, traditions, movements or mystics you want to hear covered in a future episode.
In this colab-convo, Shaul Solomon and i discuss some low-key issues in life, such as Suffering, Enlightenment, the Structure of Reality, Will, Desire and Pleasure, and Beauty, from the perspectives of Schopenhauer and Buddhism.
02:28 Intro to Schopenhauer
05:08 Intro to Buddhism
08:55 Intro to Idealism 16:64 The Ding an Sich
17:30 Schopenhauer's Idealism, the Will
23:06 Suffering and Pessimism
41:33 Schopenhauer's Paths to Enlightenment
1:20:37 Schopenhauer and Chasidut
Being novice enthusiasts, we're bound to have made plenty of mistakes, please call us out in the comments, thx, much love.
Sources consulted:
An Open System: The Meaning of Mysticism in Schopenhauer, Alessandro Medri: https://mondodomani.org/dialegesthai/ame02.htm
Schopenhauer and Buddhism, Bhikku Ñáóájìvako: https://www.what-buddha-said.net/
Schopenhauer and Buddhism, Peter Abelsen: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1399616?seq=1 https://www.iep.utm.edu/schopenh/ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/schopenhauer/
https://www.iep.utm.edu/schopenh/
http://existentialcomics.com/comic/256
Check out my good-looking friend at https://shaulsolomon.com/
Like, follow, or Subscribe to my youtube https://youtube.com/seekersofunity for more epic content. Lmk in the comments what you wanna see covered next 😘 #ProjectUnity
Kicking this station off with a book review series. First piece is the notorious Mysticism and Philosophy from our bad boy W. T. Stace. Woohoo, mazel tov. Timestamps below 👇🏽
1:54 Why this Book
3:06 About the Author
10:39 Summery of the Book
17:32 Big Ideas in the Book
19:43 What i liked about the book
23:23 Passage Readout
24:42 Critical Remarks
27:22 Postamble
Here's the free pdf of the book as i promised u: https://www.academia.edu/30670193/Wal...Your'e welcome.