COURSE

Learn The History And Teachings Of Kabbalah

In this 10-day course, Zvi provides an academic and contemplative overview of the major teachings, practices, texts, and figures of the Kabbalah. In each lesson, new historical and metaphysical teachings are introduced, including overviews of the Hekhalot and Merkavah school, the ecstatic methods of Abraham Abulafia, the mystical teachings of the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and Hasidism. With clarity and precision, Zvi teaches us how these ancient mystical teachings understand the true nature of reality and the purpose of human life, and reveals some of the key esoteric teachings and practices that have been passed down by the kabbalists over the past two-thousand years. This course is predominantly content-based, therefore providing little guided meditation instruction.

Contemplative Reading Self-Observation Wisdom Health & Happiness Spirituality Spirituality Kabbalah Judaism Religion

Meet your Teacher

Zvi Ish-Shalom

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Zvi Ish-Shalom, Ph.D., is a professor of wisdom traditions at Naropa University and is the founder of Kedumah, a universal mystical school that teaches a step-by-step approach to spiritual awakening and personal development. Zvi’s teachings integrate classical mystical practices with cutting edge knowledge of psychology, science, and the somatic healing arts. Zvi teaches retreats and inner-work groups internationally and is the author of the book The Kedumah Experience and the forthcoming Sleep, Death, and Rebirth: Mystical Practices of the Kabbalah.

10 Days

2.9k students

4.7 stars

14 min / day

Wisdom

English

Lesson 1

The Merkavah

In this lesson, we will explore the ancient school of Hekhalot and Merkavah mysticism, which was active around two-thousand years ago. Based on the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of a mystical Merkavah (meaning “chariot”), this secret school of Kabbalah taught a powerful method of meditating upon esoteric Hebrew formula in order to facilitate the ascent of the soul to the celestial realms. This lesson will lead us on a fantastical journey to encounter the Divine throne of glory.

Lesson 2

The Book Of Creation

A central focus of the ancient school of Hekhalot and Merkavah is the mystical power of language. In this lesson, we will learn how this radical approach to understanding language seeks to uncover and reveal the deeper secrets of creation. In particular, we will unpack and consult the Book of Creation, the most ancient of all Kabbalah texts, and learn about its unique approach to mystical knowledge. In this process we will understand more deeply how the infinite becomes finite, how the world as we know it comes into being, and how magic can be used to alter reality.

Lesson 3

Divine Names

In the past two lessons we saw how ancient Hebrew mysticism utilizes the power of language as a device to enter into states of prophecy and magic. In the middle ages, this central thread of kabbalistic speculation and activity reveals an even more explicit system of linguistic meditation, particularly evident in the teachings of Abraham Abulafia (one of the most influential kabbalists in history). In this lesson, we will learn about Abulafia’s unique meditation techniques that utilized letters, numbers, and the Hebrew divine names in order to induce states of ecstatic bliss and prophecy.

Lesson 4

The Sefirot

During the same period that Abraham Abulafia was teaching his unique system of ecstatic meditation, a new mystical wisdom stream began to appear. In time this system would come to define the future of Kabbalah. In this lesson, we will learn about the ancient texts known as the Bahir, the “Book of Clarity”, and Sha’arei Orah, “Gates of Light”, both of which begin to introduce the secrets of the sefirot, the divine qualities that constitute the essential nature of the manifest universe. In this process, we will appreciate more fully how the early Kabbalah masters understood the true nature of reality and the human being’s relationship to the Divine.

Lesson 5

The Zohar

In the late decades of the 13th century, cryptic manuscripts begin to appear in northern Spain, which would come to be known as the book of the Zohar; a Hebrew word that means “radiance”. In time, the Zohar would establish itself as the iconic text of the Kabbalah, a treasure-trove of mystical secrets that focus on revealing the dynamic nature of the sefirot and on decoding the innermost meaning of the Hebrew Bible. In this lesson, we will learn about the mysterious origins of the Zohar and will begin to unpack its mystical secrets.

Lesson 6

The Tree Of Life

In the Kabbalah, the Sefirot are traditionally depicted in a structure called the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life serves as a map of God and creation, as well as a map of consciousness. In this lesson we will learn how the Tree of Life reflects the process of creation - a process that occurs through the emanation of the infinite light from its hidden source. We will also see how the Zohar uses the Tree of Life to guide us to properly upkeep the health and balance of both the cosmic realms and the inner state of our consciousness.

Lesson 7

Lurianic Kabbalah

In the 16th century, a new center of Kabbalah appears in the Galilean town of Safed, headed by a charismatic mystical teacher named Isaac Luria. In this lesson, we will learn about Lurianic mystical concepts such as tzimtzum (divine withdrawal), shevirat ha-kelim (the breaking of the vessels), and tikkun (repair). We will appreciate more fully how specialized meditation practices can be used to raise up the sparks of divine light trapped inside the material world, and how, in this process, we can unify the fragmented parts of our consciousness into a unified state of wholeness.

Lesson 8

Reincarnation

In addition to raising up the sparks of light trapped in the material world, the kabbalistic call to repair the world also includes the need to contemplatively re-integrate our individual soul back into the universal cosmic soul, where all beings are united in oneness. In Lurianic mystical teachings, this is accomplished through consciously engaging in the journey of reincarnation, which provides the soul with a mechanism to progressively evolve through the hidden dimensions of reality. In this lesson, we will explore the theories and practices that constitute these esoteric teachings on the secrets of life, death, and rebirth.

Lesson 9

Hasidism

A few hundred years after the provocative teachings of Lurianic Kabbalah, a charismatic mystical master known as the Ba’al Shem Tov begins to inspire thousands of students across eastern Europe. His teachings and the popular spiritual revivalist movement known as Hasidism would forever alter the landscape of the Hebrew mystical tradition. In this lesson, we will learn how the mystical approach of Hasidism sought to empower all people, regardless of one’s intellectual abilities or social status.

Lesson 10

Mystical Union

In this final lesson, we will explore the mystical techniques taught by the early Hasidic masters to empower the common person to achieve the direct experience of mystical union with God. These techniques include: waking up our awareness to realize that the divine is literally everything that we perceive and experience, shifting our consciousness to uncover the hidden divine light that animates the words that we speak and that we read in texts, and binding ourselves to the spiritual core of our everyday activities such as eating, drinking, having sex, and working. By appreciating these more accessible mystical techniques, we will see how Hasidism embodies in a more contemporary manner the key principles of the ancient Hebrew mystical lineage.

Ask your teacher

This course includes 28 community questions and 7 audio replies from Zvi Ish-Shalom. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

4.7 (114)

Recent Reviews

Kara

July 4, 2025

That was incredible. I'm amazed at the depth and breadth this course was able to offer, while still remaining totally bite-sized. So much wisdom, but also practical applications and plenty of jumping-off points for further studying. Thank you for this fantastic offering 🙏

Kristen

April 9, 2025

I am grateful for your thoughtful exploration on Kabbalah and the kind nurturing of these concepts in your words. Thank you for sharing such a clear understanding of consciousness.

Mara

March 9, 2025

Excellent and interesting course!

Diana

April 23, 2024

Superbe!!! Je le réécouterai volontiers!

Denise

March 10, 2024

Wonderful course and beautifully dilivered. Thank you.

Liam

May 12, 2022

Zvi truly knows what he is teaching - you can hear it in his voice! His course gave me an excellent primer on Kabbalah, and cleared up much confusion surrounding people who discuss and explicate on Kabbalah online. This has helped me to witness G-d's presence in my daily life!

Erin

February 15, 2022

Thank you. I learned quite a bit that helps me understand a little better the teachings of the Kabbalah sect of my local meditative synagogue.

Amber

April 22, 2021

Very illuminating course! I'm normally a visual person, so it is hard for me to grasp things in audio courses, but this instructor speaks in a very rhythmic way and also pauses before beginning a new thought, so I always had the time to easily visualize the information for myself and absorb all of the concepts. I really appreciated this! I learned so much and am looking forward to listening to the 30-Day course next! Thank you so much for taking the time to create these courses! 😊🙏🖖🖖

Rose

January 10, 2021

So informative! Puts together lots of pieces of understanding for my understanding of the Spirit. It’s expanded view of Hebraic context shifts perspective!

Yves

May 20, 2020

Very deep and easy to comprehend lessons. I am inspired to get your book The Kedumah Experience, even though I can’t read Hebrew I learned how to recognize the letters and like the way they dance like little flames.

Anne

May 14, 2020

Lots of history 😊

Patricia

May 9, 2020

Very informative and inspirational introduction to Kabbalah. Thank you!

Howard

May 5, 2020

Very inspirational, thank you.

Sharon

May 1, 2020

Another beautiful course with great information about the tradition of Kabbalah

Lynne

March 14, 2020

I really enjoyed the history and the very matter-of-fact way that the teacher spoke

Hadrian

February 8, 2020

The Purple Flame accompanied me through all your teachings of the Light! 💜 I will definitely pursuit this knowledge in more detail. Thank you! 🙏

peter

January 15, 2020

Great

Blissom

December 4, 2019

I wasn’t sure about the class at first but by the end of the 10 sessions I realized the spiritual impact was powerful.

Jorge

October 23, 2019

Very nicely explained. Thank you

Hansa

October 7, 2019

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