Pagan & Mystical Roots of the Jewish Calendar

 

Ira Steingroot will be teaching this class and I’m very excited about it.  It’s going to be a LOT of fun.  Ira is… how can I explain this – he’s a fountain of facts, insightful, thoughtful, stimulating and exciting.

Come on, you’ll love it!

 

Pagan & Mystical Roots of the Jewish Calendar

Christianity has been described as Jewish wine in a pagan vessel. Likewise, the classical monotheistic grapes of Jewish history and law were grafted on to hardy mythic and magical rootstock, the agricultural year as a mirror of heaven. The medieval Kabbalists were able to link their mystical understanding of Jewish belief to these ancient pagan roots in ways that deepened the meaning of our traditional holidays and observances. Mystical texts like the Zohar did this not just for the mystics themselves, but for the average devout Jew who found cold comfort in Jewish philosophy. This workshop will explore the magical, numerological, astrological and mystical depths hidden within our own normative Jewish practice with the intention of reconnecting us to the life of the earth.

 

Date:   Wednesday, March 4

Time:   7:30 – 9:00pm

Place:   Cong. Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley

Cost:    $15; $10/members of Alameda co-sponsors

Directions/parking:  (510…