An Introduction to Kabbalah for the 21st Century

Name: An Introduction to Kabbalah for the 21st Century
Rating: 4.4 (45 reviews)

A very basic and modern introductory course that answers 26 simple questions about Kabbalah.

Created byJordan Shai Franzel

Last updated 9/2015

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

understand the basic ideas of Kabbalah, its history, its literature, and major concepts. This course is an overview and is aimed at whetting the desire to learn more.

Course content

6 sections • 27 lectures • 58m total length

Introduction0:44
A basic exploration of mysticism's basic concepts and how they appear in Kabbalah.
What is Kabbalah?3:04
A hard question to answer. Kabbalah has a very rich, varied, and complex history and philosophy. It's hard to know to what people are referring when they use the term.
What does the word Kabbalah mean?1:00
A very brief lesson in Hebrew in order to define the word, 'Kabbalah.'
What is Mysticism?1:29
A working definition of 'mysticism' and 'spirituality.'
Why Study Kabbalah?1:15
Why do people study Kabbalah? Is it for the same reasons?
Is There Only One Kabbalah?3:01
A look at the three major categories of the types of Kabbalah that exist.

When Did Kabbalah Begin?3:16
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when Kabbalah began.
Who Was the First Jewish Mystic?2:55
Could the first human also have been the first Kabbalist?
Who Are Some of the Most Famous Kabbalists?3:08
Is Madonna the most famous Kabbalist?
Where is Kabbalah Studied Now & Who is Practicing it?1:24
Kabbalah is studied world wide by Jews and non-Jews. Modern English translations help to make it easier for those mystically inclined.
How Has Kabbalah Developed?1:50
Kabbalah has evolved as Judaism evolves in response to historical circumstance.
Do Kabbalists Have Their Own Way of Following Judaism?1:47
Explains how Kabbalah is practiced within normative Judaism, with mystics using blessings to invoke and feel God's presence, while respecting variations from Orthodox to non-orthodox.
Is Kabbalah a Religion?1:15
Kabbalah is not a religion unto itself; it is one aspect of a person practiced within traditional Jewish life. Jewish mystics studied Kabbalah within the context of regular Judaism.

How is God Portrayed in Kabbalistic Texts?3:08
Explore how kabbalistic texts portray God as the cause of causes and one with creation. Discover how God's many names become keys, accessed by meditation and Hebrew letters.
What is Ein Sof?3:07
Learn how the Rambam blends philosophy with Jewish theology and uses negative theology, while cabalists depict Ain Sof as the infinite before creation and the source of creation's light.
How is the Creation of the Universe Portrayed?3:02
Explore contrasting kabbalistic accounts of creation, from the Zohar’s detailed moment of birth to Isaac Luria’s contraction of the divine light, revealing sparks embedded in the material world and panentheism.
What if I Don't Believe in God?4:17
Explore how the story reframes belief by contrasting an unstable biblical God with a depersonalized, transcendent divine, and how Kabbalah guides the soul in a world of technology.

Does Kabbalah Address Different Levels of Reality?1:14
Kabbalah acknowledges multiple levels of reality experienced simultaneously through our senses, such as the world of vision and the world of hearing, including realities we are not aware of.
What Are the Four Worlds?3:17
Study the four kabbalistic worlds—Azzi loot, Berea, Yetzirah, and Asiya—and how they mirror human perception, existing simultaneously in a spiritual realm beyond physical space or time.
Does Kabbalah Speak to the Existence of a Soul?!2:51
The lecture outlines five levels of the soul, showing that humans embody the last three—nephesh, ruach, and ma—while the soul animates the universe and matter becomes more diffuse.

What is the Tree of Life?2:08
Explore the tree of life and its alternative interpretations within a kabbalistic frame, contrasting eternal life with knowledge of good and evil and the choice facing Adam and Eve.
What are the Ten S’firot?3:40
Explore the ten emanations as divine qualities and a map of the universe—the Tree of Life—and learn how sparks from a shattered divine light repair the tear.
What is Adam Kadmon?!1:47
Adam Kadmon denotes the primordial atom and the fifth world formed after the vessels shatter, with light returning to form the Tree of Life and mediate between end and universe.

What is Required of Us?2:00
A sample of texts from various places in scripture all indicating what our mission is.
How Can I Learn More?1:12
Do I Have to Live in a Cave?0:52
Discover how Kabbalah can be practiced in daily life rather than in isolation, embracing public, everyday interactions while noting a suggested hour of solitude.
Why Study Kabbalah?2:14
Explore how studying Kabbalah reveals the divine in everyday moments, guiding you to put meaning into your life and measure spirituality by your actions toward others.

Requirements

Download the extra readings before each part of the course. You do not need to be familiar with the course subject.

Description

Are you looking for answers to the big questions of life? Do you want to engage the world with meaning and purpose? Are you seeking more depth in your day to day routine? This course is for you! In this introductory course we will learn what mysticism is and how it is found in the Jewish religion. We will learn the history and development of Kabbalah, its major concepts and rituals, and its application in our real lives.

This course will consist of video lectures that contain music as well as spoken word. Texts in English, will be available as pdf files.

The course is in six sections and can be done slowly or quickly, at your pace. There are no quizzes.

One should take this course if you are curious about Kabbalah but don't want to practice orthodoxy or join a community to learn about it. This course should be taken if your are interested in the road to enlightenment and want to know the Jewish version of it.

Who this course is for:

This course is intended for seekers, those who are looking for meaning in their lives, and anyone with a basic curiosity about Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism.

An Introduction to Kabbalah for the 21st Century

What you'll learn

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Course content

Part One6 lectures • 11min

Part Two7 lectures • 16min

Part Three4 lectures • 14min

Part Four3 lectures • 7min

Part Five3 lectures • 8min

Part Six4 lectures • 6min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: