Judaism and Kabbalah

Read more about the article A collection of newsletters sent on behalf of the Department of Mysticism and Spirituality at Zefat Academic College
Education and higher education / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Popular culture and mass media

A collection of newsletters sent on behalf of the Department of Mysticism and Spirituality at Zefat Academic College

A variegated and rich collection of newsletters sent to those interested in the contents of the Department of Mysticism and Spirituality, during the years of its existence at Zefat Academic College. The newsletters included news of the department, as well as news from Israel and the worldwide in the fields of mysticism and spirituality, columns dealing with academic concepts and content related to the department, descriptions of academic literature and academic events, inspirational quotes, and more.

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October 16, 2023
Read more about the article Lecture: Recycled Witches – The Retelling of Narratives from Rabbinical Literature within Contemporary Alternative Spirituality
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Feminism gender and sex / Identity / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Magic and paganism / Myth / Popular culture and mass media / Typology and comparative study

Lecture: Recycled Witches – The Retelling of Narratives from Rabbinical Literature within Contemporary Alternative Spirituality

This lecture presents a surprising and innovative spiritual-alternative strategy of Israeli-Jews to refer to the Jewish tradition - an interpretation of the tradition while identifying with the anti-heroines of an ancient Jewish legend. In this way, the characteristic approach of the "spiritual-but-not-religious" (SBNR) trend that criticizes the religious establishment is expressed, while adopting the criticism inherent in the ancient Jewish sources. In our case it's the retelling of an ancient Jewish legend - about a witch hunt conducted by Rabbi Shimon ben Shatach in Ashkelon in the second century BC.

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October 13, 2023
Read more about the article The Event Marking the Closing of the Department of Mysticism and Spirituality
Education and higher education / Judaism and Kabbalah / Science/medicine and technology

The Event Marking the Closing of the Department of Mysticism and Spirituality

In this event (14th Elul 5784; August 31st, 2023) the end of the journey of the Department of Mysticism and Spirituality at Zefat Academic College (Safed) was marked. An exciting, sad-happy event, which included a presentation by Prof. Marianna Ruah-Midbar Shapiro, memories of students and lecturers, a lecture by Prof. Moshe Idel, a special ceremony, a Playback show by the members of the department, songs and blessings.

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September 13, 2023
Read more about the article Article: “The Most Powerful Portal in Zion”—Kursi: The Spiritual Site that Became an Intersection of Ley-lines and Multicultural Discourses
Feminism gender and sex / Geography / History / Identity / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Magic and paganism / Myth / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Article: “The Most Powerful Portal in Zion”—Kursi: The Spiritual Site that Became an Intersection of Ley-lines and Multicultural Discourses

This article deals with the sanctification process of a site in the Land of Israel, by the Alternative Spirituality, or Neo-Pagans/Shamans. The site, that has a Christian history, and is directed by an Israeli governmental authorities, has become a focus if an invention of tradition that synthesizes a variety of discourses and traditions. Though it is percieved as a hub in a network of power sites arrayedthroughout Israel and the whole planet, some view it as the most powerful spiritual site on Earth.

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June 19, 2023
Read more about the article Panel: Spiritual Leadership in Israel
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Feminism gender and sex / Geography / Identity / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Magic and paganism / State politics and law

Panel: Spiritual Leadership in Israel

This panel concluded the 9th Israeli Conference (and the last one - 2018) for the Study of Contemporary Spiritualities. It included four Israeli spiritual teachers who examined contemporary society, in Israel in particular, and its challenges, from the spiritual aspect they are occupied with.

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May 21, 2023
Read more about the article Lecture: “And the Canaanite was then in the land” – Local Deities from Ba’al to Mother Earth in the Last Century
Feminism gender and sex / Geography / History / Identity / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Magic and paganism / Myth / State politics and law / Typology and comparative study

Lecture: “And the Canaanite was then in the land” – Local Deities from Ba’al to Mother Earth in the Last Century

Two Israeli Pagan movements of the last century have glorified an ancient panteon of god. What is the difference between them? In this lecture we've presented both similarities and differences in the relation to deities in the two movements.

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May 17, 2023
Read more about the article A Textbook for the Matriculation Exam in Jewish Thought (Atate Schools): “Whom my Soul Loveth” – Love and Romantics in Judaism
Education and higher education / Feminism gender and sex / Identity / Judaism and Kabbalah / Myth

A Textbook for the Matriculation Exam in Jewish Thought (Atate Schools): “Whom my Soul Loveth” – Love and Romantics in Judaism

This book deals with concepts of love, relationship, jealousy, etc., on its various aspects: marital love, God's love, philosophy - through a selection of sources from all times. The book is intended for the 10th/11th/12th grades in Idraeli state high schools, as part of the Jewish Thought curriculum (in the scope of 1-2 units for the matriculation exams). The book was published on behalf of the Ministry of Education - the Pedagogical Secretariat - the Department for Curriculum Planning and Development, by Ma'alot Publishing House, in 2007. This rich book contains 372 pages, including sources, interpretations, illustrations and suggestions for educational practice. Mariana Ruach-Midbar wrote the main part of the book, and later it was also adapted and edited by Ariel Aviv and Zila Miron-Ilan. In addition, a teacher's guide book has been authored to this book - again first by Marianna Ruah-Midbar, and later with some adaptations and editting by others.

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January 23, 2023
Read more about the article Essay: From a Hoe to a Hug – A Constitutive Narrative of Zionism and Renewal
History / Identity / Israel / Judaism and Kabbalah / Myth / State politics and law

Essay: From a Hoe to a Hug – A Constitutive Narrative of Zionism and Renewal

"A good story is never just a story. A good story is a founding story; it is a basis for identity, for action; it creates a network of meanings in which we cling to in our lives - as individuals, as a group." With these word the essay opens, dealing with the renewal of cultural values ​​in contemporary Israeli Judaism - the transformation of our national story and our hero/ines. The text (about 500 words, in Hebrew) was incorporated into the "Israeli Talmud - Tractate of Independence", edited by Dov Elbaum, with the support of BINAH. It is included in Unit D of the anthology, entitled "The Israeli Traditionalism in the Present and Its Vision for the Future".

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January 20, 2023