“Jewish Mysticism”

“Jewish Mysticism” Class Begins April 9

The Coastal Senior College will offer a new class, “Jewish Mysticism and Contemporary Spiritual Search,” on eight Thursdays beginning April 9 at 12:00 noon at the Camden Public Library. Steve Shaw will lead the class. You must register with the Coastal Senior College for this class; call 207-596-6906 or 800-286-1594.

Shaw says, “The Jewish mystical tradition has its roots in the ancient biblical book of Ezekiel, although its richest flowering took place in the Spanish middle ages with the emergence of the Zohar and, two centuries later, with the development of Lurianic Kabbalah.  In 18th century Eastern Europe, the Jewish mystical tradition gave birth to a spiritual revivalist movement called ‘Hassidism’ which emphasized serving God with both simplicity and joy.

“Our course will concentrate on the teachings of several major Hassidic masters and the continuation of their communities after the Holocaust in both contemporary Israel and America. We will also explore ‘Neo-Hassidism’ as it appears in the writings of Martin Buber, Rav Kook, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Adin Steinsaltz. Finally, we will examine both sympathetically and critically the contemporary ‘Jewish Renewal Movement’—especially the teachings of Rabbis Zalman Schachter-Sholomi, Shlomo Carlebach, and Arthur Green and their meaning for modern spiritual seekers—both Jews and non-Jews.

Instructor Steve Shaw is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he studied both philosophy and forestry. He holds a rabbinical degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary where, for many years, he served as Director of the Seminary’s Department of Community Education.  More recently, he served as a philanthropic consultant, working with Israel’s Bedouin Arab community in the Negev. Steve now makes his home in Waldoboro, Maine. For more information call 207-542-9029.

Photo: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, 1907-1972, photo by Joel Orent

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