Topics in Judaism (339-0-2)

Topic

Kabbalah

Instructors

Barry Wimpfheimer
847 4912618
Crowe Hall, 1860 Campus Drive, 4-140
Barry Wimpfheimer is an assistant professor of Religious Studies and Law at Northwestern University. A specialist in Ancient Judaism, and particularly the Talmud, Wimpfheimer is interested in the relationship betweeen Jewish Law and the traditional literature and culture of Judaism. He is the author of Narrating the Law: A Poetics of Talmudic Legal Stories.

Meeting Info

University Hall 318: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, is an esoteric (secret)
tradition of deliberating about and experiencing the mysteries
of those spaces that are inaccessible to the five senses.
Though for much of its history Jewish mysticism has been the
province of a select few devotees, at times Kabbalah has
flourished as a popular religious movement. Recent years
have seen a rise in the popularity of Kabbalah as various
celebrities (including Madonna and Ariana Grande) have
become affiliated with The Kabbalah Center. This course will
introduce the discourse of Kabbalah, think about mysticism as
both an experiential and an intellectual tradition and consider
why Kabbalah has become so popular today.

Registration Requirements

None.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand what mysticism is and how it appeals to
practitioners 2. Understand what contemporary Kabbalah is
and why it has become popular

Class Materials (Required)

1. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction by Joseph Dan (Dan).
ISBN 0195300343.
2. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism by
Daniel Matt (Matt). ISBN 0062511637
3. Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism by Gershom Scholem.
ISBN 0805210423.

Class Attributes

Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Ethics & Values Distro Area