18 Questions, 40 Mystics

Gedale Fenster: 'Focus on the message, you won't stay in the mess'

For Gedale Fenster, Jewish Mysticism is not a retreat from reality but the "expanded consciousness" needed to see that “the problem is the solution.” Gedale Fenster is a

Victoria Hanna: 'The riddle is a part of our existence'

Victoria Hanna sees tremendous power in riddles. In many ways, she argues, questions are more important than answers. The Israeli musician uses sounds and letters to unde

Shlomo Pill: 'Mysticism is really just a mapping of human experience'

For Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Pill, self-satisfaction is the biggest obstacle to living a more spiritual life. Based on the teaching of the Arizal, Rabbi Isaac ben Solomon Ashkena

Fally Klein: 'To me, God is the unanswerable question that keeps you asking'

Fally Klein stumbled upon Jewish mysticism almost on her own, as a teenager battling cancer. Now she’s on a journey to fill in the gaps in her knowledge and anchor her na

Eli Rubin: 'The Arizal was the first herald of modernity'

For Rabbi Dr. Eli Rubin, in an ideal world all people would be mystics. He argues that if mysticism means connecting to God, then everyone should feel that connection. An

Aron Moss: 'The term religious doesn't really exist in Judaism'

It is difficult to navigate the complexities of the world without having inner purpose. For Rabbi Aron Moss, Jewish mysticism provides this crucial depth. He describes Go

Yussie Zakutinsky: 'God is as much part of this world as He was before Creation'

For Rabbi Yussie Zakutinsky, Jewish mysticism means reintroducing the soul into the body of the world, turning every action into a gateway for the Infinite, who is closer

Faigy Blumstein: 'Take that darkness, flip it over, and see the light'

For Faigy Blumstein, mysticism is the secret that reveals the vibrant, colorful layers hidden beneath the surface of a black-and-white world. It is a soulful GPS for navi

Judah Mischel: 'I identify as somebody who is living in the days of redemption'

Raised in a home that focused on the soul of Judaism, Rabbi Judah Mischel was immersed in the world of mysticism from a young age. For Rabbi Judah, true connection with G

Elliot Wolfson: ‘Jewish mysticism is the garment that I wear in this world’

Professor Elliot Wolfson, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Jewish mysticism, has dedicated over forty years to teaching and researching Kabbala and its expressions

Efraim Palvanov: 'Every person can be the Messiah'

What is taught today as basic science, argues Efraim Palvanov, was taught centuries ago in the Zohar. To Efraim, complex scientific functions such as quantum physics, epi

Fruma Schapiro: 'The direct path of connection to Hashem is through the simple and the small'

Fruma Schapiro’s connection to Jewish mysticism is deeply entrenched in Chabad Hasidism. She has seen the way it can transform lives and nourish souls, and she is particu

YY Jacobson: 'Jews were chosen to hold onto the frequency of redemptive consciousness'

In this insightful conversation, Rabbi YY Jacobson presents Jewish mysticism as a dynamic framework for consciousness and connection rather than abstract theology. He pas

Oshra Koren: 'If this is not redemption, I don't know what is'

For Rabbanit Oshra Koren, mysticism is the soul and spirit of the Torah that animates the "body" of Jewish law. It is a path of deep longing that wakes the sleeping heart

Jonnie Schnytzer: 'The world caught up with kabbalists'

For Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer, Jewish mysticism teaches us to recognize that nothing in this world is the way it appears to be. Kabbalistic study is a process in deconstructin

Dina Etigson: 'The point is not to transcend this world but to bring God here into it'

For Dina Etigson, encountering Jewish Mysticism has been a transformative experience. Beyond the academic and textual Judaism she already knew and loved, she describes th

Biti Roi: 'Every generation brings mysticism to a different stage'

For Dr. Biti Roi, the texts of Jewish mysticism aren’t just ideas to study – they are a life force. A renowned scholar of Zohar, Kabbala, and Chasidut [Hasidism], these t

Zvi Leshem: 'Modernity in general was a movement that was anti-mystical'

As director of the Gershom Scholem Collection for Kabbalah and Hasidism at the National Library of Israel, Rabbi Dr. Zvi Leshem dedicates much of his time to the study of

Devori Nussbaum: 'I see God as this one coherent frequency of truth'

For Devori Nussbaum, Jewish mysticism is the study of the soul behind the psyche, a transformative framework that integrates the profound spiritual truths of Chasidut [Ha

Simon Jacobson: 'The music of Judaism is what I’m looking for, not just the mechanics'

Rabbi Simon Jacobson describes his childhood years as being shaped by his nature of being a “skeptic and a seeker.” As he grew older, he began to study other traditions,