Ideas of God in Jewish Mysticism

with Dr. Eitan Fishbane, Jewish Theological Seminary

In this session, we will explore the varied, fascinating, and inspiring ways in which Jewish mystical thinkers and practitioners have understood and described the nature and character of Divinity. Drawing on lyrical and symbolism-infused texts from the Kabbalah of 13th century Spain (especially that of the Zohar), the Kabbalah of 16th century Tzfat, to that of the spiritual masters of modern eastern European Hasidism, we will study such ideas as: the Ein-Sof (No End or Infinity); the sefirot as the inner luminous dimensions of God‘s self, the emanations of a river of heavenly divine light and breath; God as the ultimate fountain of pure compassion/Rahamim; the monistic and pantheistic — the radically immanent — vision of God as the interconnected life force of all Being. 

Dr. Eitan Fishbane is Professor of Jewish Thought at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), where he has taught for 17 years. Among Professor Fishbane’s published books are: The Art of Mystical Narrative: A Poetics of the Zohar (Oxford University Press, 2018); As Light Before Dawn: The Inner World of a Medieval Kabbalist (Stanford University Press, 2009); and, most recently, Embers of Pilgrimage (Panui Poetry Series, 2021). Fishbane received his Ph.D. and B.A., summa cum laude, from Brandeis University.

Please click here to register online. Zoom information will be shared a few days before program.