Expert: Robert Waxman - 9/22/2008

Question
QUESTION: Bob, I live in a small town and there are no classes here that teach kabbalah. We don't even have a jewish synogogue here! Can you give me any advice on how to learn more about it?

ANSWER: Hi John,

Thank you for your question.

I understand your predicament since attending classes is the best way to learn about Kabbalah.

As a suggestion, I recommend the following:

1) Please see Rabbi Michael Laitman's site: http://www.kabbalah.info.
Rabbi Laitman is one of the leading Kabbalists in the world today, and his website offers many effective options for learning Kabbalah. I also recommend his videos/dvd series called 'The Kabbalah Dialogues'. The website also offers lessons online, source materials, and the necessary texts that are ideal for someone like yourself who is unable to attend classes.

2) I like Rabbi Max Weiman's website: http://Kabbalahmadeeasy.com. He & I were part of the original 'Kabbalah Education Network', and I always enjoyed his articles and teaching philosophy.

3) Israeli scholar, Micha Kovler is another excellent teacher who was part of the 'Kabbalah Education Network'. His website is very
informative: http://kabala.org  

4) Read books by Rabbi David Cooper, Gershom Scholem, Aryeh Kaplan and Daniel Matt (and M. Laitman). My suggestion is to start with "God Is A Verb" and then read Scholem's "Origins of Kabbalah".

5) Plan a trip to Safed, Israel and visit 'Ascent of Safed' http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi - ask for 'Big Moshe' - a friend of mine who I met there, and who visited me several times in NYC. Safed is considered the traditional 'home' of Kabbalah due to its popularity during the 1500's CE. If you go there, please visit the Kabbalah Art Museum which was founded by Phillip Ratner. His artwork is on the cover of my book - and throughout the entire book. Phillip is a world-renowned artist, and is also the founder of The Israel Art Museum in Bethesda, MD. He has created an incredible collection of magnificent bronze sculptures based on characters and scenes from The Hebrew Bible. He is friendly, creative, and enthusiastic individual, and I hope you have a chance to meet him: http://www.israelbiblemuseum.com

6) Check with The Open Center in NYC to find out if they have any weekly seminars. I attended a seminar there in the 90's and it was excellent. The teacher was Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi of http://www.kabbalahsociety.org/

Well John, this information should be helpful for you. If you need additional advice, please feel free to contact me again.

With best wishes, Bob Waxman

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Bob, great information, the links are terrific! But will I need to know Hebrew to study Kabbalah? Should I take a course in Hebrew online?

Answer
John,

Thanks for the follow-up question.

Learning Hebrew is an excellent idea, but first, you may want to familiarize yourself with the Hebrew alphabet. You'll find that every Hebrew letter is also a number and a symbol(s). It is truly a fascinating language and each word has a total numerical value. This is why Kabbalistic numerology - Gematria, Temurah & Notarikon - are so intriguing.

Despite not knowing the language, you can still begin to study Kabbalah. You will find that many Kabbalah books use Hebrew words with the English translations along side.

Rabbi Laitman's learning program should teach you the correct pronunciations. If you speak with any of the people that I've recommended, they will also give you precise pronunciations and definitions.

If you are interested in learning Kabbalah - pick up that first book and start reading. You will know soon enough if it's a subject you wish to pursue.

With best wishes, Bob Waxman