Between Secret and Living Tradition: Kabbalah in Text and Contemporary Culture
The course “Between Secret and Living Tradition. Kabbalah in Classical Sources and Contemporary Culture, directed by Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer, was devoted to the study of Kabbalah and to examining it as a historical, intellectual, and cultural phenomenon. This course explores Kabbalah as both a historical development of mystical thought and a living, evolving phenomenon within contemporary Israeli culture. Structured to reflect the unfolding of Kabbalah through time, the course begins with a survey of its key historical stages — from early esoteric writings to medieval texts like the Zohar, pre-modern texts found in Lurianic Kabbalah, on to Hasidism, and modern interpretations of these. Alongside the study of core concepts such as the Godhead, theodicy, prayer, Torah and redemption, the course regularly features guest speakers — including contemporary spiritual figures and academics — who engage with Kabbalah in diverse and sometimes unconventional ways. Through this integrated structure, students encounter Kabbalah as both a textual tradition and a living discourse, one that continues to shape consciousness, identity, and cultural imagination in Israel today.
View the sessions (videos in Hebrew)
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Introduction: Kabbalah Then and Now ǀ Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer -
What is Kabbalah, and who is Kabbalist? ǀ Prof. Avi Elqayam -
The Development of Kabbalistic Literature in the Medieval Era ǀ Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer -
From Spanish Kabbalah to Lurianic Kabbalah ǀ Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer -
From Lurianic Kabbalah to Kabbalah in Modernity ǀ Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer -
The Experience of the Zohar ǀ Dr. Melila Hellner Eshed -
Kabbalah and Reels in the Wake of October 7th ǀ Dr. Mordy Miller -
Intentions of Prayer and Who is a Kabbalist ǀ Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer -
On the Concept of ‘Tikkun’ (Repair/Rectification) ǀ Rabbi Mordechai Gotlieb -
On the Idea of the ‘Havurah’ ǀ Rabbi Dov Zinger -
Conclusion ǀ Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer
