Mondays, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
April 16, 23, 30
May 7, 14
A self-described “religious anarchist,” the groundbreaking German-Israeli philosopher and historian Gershom Scholem considered the Kabbalah an energetic source that offered visions of the future, explanations of the painful past and a persistent challenge to authority in almost any form.
In this course, we’ll situate him within the socio-intellectual atmosphere of early-20thcentury Germany and explore the “radical Zionism” that presaged his move to Jerusalem. But our main focus will be on understanding and mapping Scholem’s incredible work in Kabbalah with selections from his most important writings.