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.

0 Comments

Lecture: Meditation in the Eyes of Medical Research – On the Border between Spiritual and Scientific

Is there a connection between the fact that Mindfulness has become fashionable in the cultural space and the scientific recognition it has received? How did Mindfulness turn from a spiritual practice to a evidence-based scientific practice? In this lecture, we presented the development process of the scientific-medical discourse about Mindfulness, in an unusual context: observing this phenomenon as part of a cultural process. One of the main conclusions was that the intensity of the secularization and the Westernization of the meditation is a predictor of the degree of its acceptance in the Western discourse.

0 Comments

Lecture: The Mindfulness Trend Conquers the Scientific-Medical Discourse

this lecture presented the scientific-medical discourse on mindfulness, in which this meditation became an accepted and desirable trend. In order to illustrate the success of mindfulness - a comparison with the status of Transcendental Meditation in the scientific-medical discourse is also presented.

0 Comments

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.

0 Comments

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.

0 Comments

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.

0 Comments