“The Beginnings of Kabbalah” examines the fundamental theological questions that gave rise to the tradition of Jewish texts and ideas known as Kabbalah.

The program historically locates Kabbalah’s origins in Medieval Europe and considers how Kabbalah arose, in part, as a response to philosophical conceptions of the divine.

The program will then explore some early Kabbalistic texts to understand how Kabbalists understood both the nature of divinity and the relationship between G-d and the world with a focus on humanity’s place therein.