Introduction to Kabbalah: Concepts and History to Enhance Your Understanding

4 Wednesdays at 1 p.m. ET, Aug. 14 - Sept. 4

As one of the most mysterious topics in all of Judaism, Kabbalah can be an intimidating field to dive into. But as expert thinker and University of Haifa Professor J.H. Chajes has shown in his work, Kabbalah study can be uniquely rewarding, thanks to a rich and fascinating history.

In this exclusive online class, Chajes — widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost Kabbalah intellectuals — will combine history and practical knowledge over the course of four sessions. All students will leave with a baseline understanding of Kabbalah practice and a deep grasp of the history that led to its formation.

The sessions will span the history of the kabbalistic tradition, from its emergence to its modern transformation in early Hasidism. Chajes will also contextualize Kabbalah as a specific school of Jewish esotericism, framing it against the secret teachings of sages and medieval Jewish philosophers. He will then explore the graphic visualizations of kabbalistic knowledge over the centuries, as expressed in the genre of kabbalistic trees known as "ilanot" — an area of study pioneered by Chajes himself. Finally, he will dig into major concepts including the soul, reincarnation and spirit possession.

You can sign up here.

About your teacher: J. H. (Yossi) Chajes is Sir Isaac Wolfson Professor of Jewish Thought in the Department of Jewish History at the University of Haifa. A former recipient of Fulbright, Rothchild, Wexner, and Hartman Fellowships, Chajes has also been a visiting professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, a three-time fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and a fellow at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies in Jerusalem.

Chajes’ research focuses on the intersection of Kabbalah, magic and science in Jewish cultural history. His first book, “Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism” (2003), was listed by the Wall Street Journal as among the top five books ever written on spirit possession, alongside Aldous Huxley’s “The Devils of Loudun.” Chajes’ foundational book, “The Kabbalistic Tree,” was published in November 2022 by Penn State University Press and was awarded the Jordan Schnitzer Book Prize of the Association for Jewish Studies in the category of Philosophy and Jewish Thought.

For the past decade, Chajes has directed the Ilanot Project, an ambitious and unprecedented attempt to research the history of kabbalistic diagrams and the ilanot genre in particular.

About My Jewish Learning

My Jewish Learning is the internet's leading pluralistic Jewish education resource. We offer thousands of articles, videos, live classes and other resources to help you navigate all aspects of Judaism and Jewish life — from Jewish ritual and practice to texts to history and culture.

My Jewish Learning is geared toward all backgrounds and levels of knowledge and is a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest Jewish digital media organization in North America.