INTRODUCTION TO THE KABBALAH AND JEWISH MYSTICISM

This course offers an introduction to Jewish Mysticism, or the Kabbalah, which means the literary tradition, one of the oldest branches of Judaism. Due to its location in the center of Europe, Prague is a special place to study the Kabbalah, as the Kabbalists from Germany, Italy, and Spain had an enormous influence on Czech Judaism. According to a Talmudic dictum, there are four levels of explaining the Scripture: peshat, the direct meaning; remez, the allegorical meaning; drash, the inquiry into Scripture; and finally, sod, the secret meaning. During this course students explore the history of the Kabbalah and examine the major trends in Jewish mysticism.