|
|
The New Kabbalah The New Kabbalah is a perspective in
philosophy, theology and psychology, grounded in the union between
traditional Jewish mysticism and modern and postmodern thought. Rooted in the
visionary mythos of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-72),
and interpreted through such modern and postmodern thinkers as Freud, Jung,
Hegel, Wittgenstein and Derrida, the New Kabbalah seeks to uncover and
further develop the philosophical and psychological significance of
Kabbalistic symbols and ideas. In addition, the New Kabbalah is enriched by comparative
studies and dialog between Jewish mysticism and other religious and
philosophical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Platonism, and
Gnosticism. The New Kabbalah is born out of the conviction that the
theosophical system of Luria and his followers
promotes an open economy of thought, dialog and criticism, while at the same
time providing a comprehensive account of the world and humanity's role
within it that is intellectually, morally and spiritually vital for us today.
The New Kabbalah seeks to build upon the
recent explosion in contemporary Kabbalah scholarship by formulating a
Kabbalistic approach to philosophy, theology and psychology. The New Kabbalah
is open, multi-perspectival and pluralistic, and
while it is rooted firmly in Judaism, it seeks dialog, participation and
constructive criticism from those of all backgrounds and disciplines. This
site is not affiliated with any "movement," but seeks to promote
respectful dialog across the full spectrum of Jewish affiliation and
non-affiliation. While the author of this website seeks to
make scholarly contributions to philosophy, theology and psychology, neither
this site nor its author offers individual spiritual, philosophical or
psychological guidance to its readers. Individuals in search of such guidance
are advised to consult a rabbi, licensed mental health practitioner, or other
appropriately qualified persons. If you entered this
site via a search engine, and there are no "flash contents" on the
left hand side of your screen, the site will function better if you click
here and go directly to www.newkabbalah.com
and follow the instructions at the bottom of your screen to either enter the
site or load Flash 4, if you do not already have it. All material on New Kabbalah
website (c)2000 by Click here for An Interview with Sanford Drob on Kabbalah and
Psychotherapy. Click here for pdf version . Click here for S. Drob, God and the Democratic Party Contents Click here for REVIEWS
of Dr. Drob's books on the New Kabbalah. A general description of
the Lurianic Kabbalah, with links providing
interpretations of key Lurianic symbols and ideas,
and discussions of the relationship between Jewish mysticism and various
systems of ancient and modern thought. Books
Articles Interviews
Dialog
Send Email to the author or
post your own views, constructive criticism, or ideas pertaining to the
themes discussed on this website and related publications. New
Projects Some ideas for
collaborations on new projects relevant to the New Kabbalah. Jung
and the Kabbalah Previous
publications and work in progress pertaining to the author's research on Carl
Gustav Jung and Jewish Mysticism. Jewish
Review Author
Bio A brief biographical
sketch of Sanford Drob. Information regarding Dr. Drob's
Lectures and Workshops. Links
Links to other websites relevant to the New Kabbalah. Tikkun/Tzedakah S. Drob,
Jung’s Kabbalistic Visions (Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice,
Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp 33-54). Jung’s 1944 Kabbalistic Visions, which he described
as “the most tremendous things I have ever experienced”, are discussed against the background of Jung’s earlier
provocative remarks about Jewish psychology and National Socialism, Jung’s
attitude towards the Jewish sources of his own theories, Jung’s interest in
Jewish mysticism, and from the perspective of
both
Jungian and Kabbalistic dream theory I
myself was, so it seemed, in the Pardes Rimmonim, the garden of pomegranates, and the wedding of Tifereth with Malchuth was
taking place. Or else I was Rabbi
Simon ben Jochai, whose
wedding in the afterlife was being celebrated. It was the mystic marriage as it appears in
the Cabbalistic tradition. I cannot
tell you how wonderful it was. I could
only think continually, “Now this is the garden of pomegranates! Now this is
the marriage of Malchuth with Tifereth!” I do not know exactly what part I played in
it. At bottom it was I myself: I was
the marriage. And my beatitude was that of a blissful wedding (C. G. Jung,
Memories, dreams, reflections (A. Jaffe, Ed.). S.
Drob, 19 Kabbalistic Ideas: Philosophical Implications of the New Kabbalah Click here for pdf version The author describes 19 Kabbalistic Ideas
that form the foundation of his current thinking regarding the New Kabbalah. S. Drob, Jacques
Derrida and the Kabbalah. Click here for pdf version How the Kabbalistic conception of the
Absolute (Ein-sof) must lead us to a conception of the divine and religion in
general that is entirely free of dogma. Contemporary scholarship on the Kabbalah
has focused considerable attention on the Kabbalist's views of language and
interpretation. One reason for this is, as Moshe Idel
and others have observed, is that there is an important affinity between the
Kabbalistic conception of infinite layers of meaning in scripture and
contemporary philosophical ideas regarding the infinite interpretability of
both texts and the world. In this essay the author shows how a careful
consideration of Kabbalistic notions of "infinite interpretation"
can not only lead to a new understanding of the relevance of Kabbalah to
contemporary thought, but also to a radical new understanding of the Kabbalah's attitude toward "Torah" and
religious life. Dialog on the Kabbalistic significance of
wearing a red string that has been tied around the tomb of Rachel. S. Drob:
Ein-Sof, Nothingness and the Problem of Creation Ex Nihilo
Dialog on the Kabbalistic Kabbalistic equation of Ein-sof with
"Nothingness" and the problem of creation out of nothingness. S. Drob: The Lurianic Metaphors, Creativity, and the Structure of
Language. Click here for pdf version The author shows how the Lurianic metaphors of Ayin,
Ein-sof, Tzimtzum, Sefirot, Shevirah, and Tikkun,
provide an account of both human and divine creativity and language. S. Drob: The
Coincidence of Opposites in Jewish Mysticism.. The discusses the role of the opposites in
Jewish mysticism, considers the Kabbalistic notion that the divine is the
union of all contraries, and argues that the Jewish Mysticism points to a way
of thinking that permits one to embrace even ideas and perspectives that
appear to contradict one another (e.g. that God created humanity and that
humanity creates God). In S. Drob: A
Rational Mystical Ascent the author makes use of the notion of coincidentia oppositorum to develop
the theme of a rational-mystical ascent to the absolute. Click here for pdf
version Those interested in how an application of
the coincidentia oppositorum idea
to the problem of arriving at a comprehensive understanding of the human
psyche are directed to: S. Drob: Fragmentation In Contemporary Psychology: A Dialectical
Solution. Click here for pdf
version The author discusses the
multi-paradigmatic state of contemporary psychology and offers a dialectical
solution inspired by his study of Hegelian philosophy and the history of
mysticism. Readers may also be interested in: S.
Drob: The Dilemma of Contemporary Psychiatry, which also explores the
fragmentation and multi-paradigmatic state of psychiatry and clinical
psychology. Click here for pdf version S. Drob, “Under
Construction”: The Kabbalistic Tree: Value Firmament of the New Kabbalah
The author is in the process of developing
a New Kabbalistic "Tree of Life" which interprets Isaac Luria's theosophical system from an axiological point of
view. Each branch or "leaf" on the "Tree of Life"
represents a value that is implicit in Luria's
theosophy. The values are depicted in the opening table/tree and the author's
detailed explanations will appear as notes below. Click here for New Kabbalah discussion of the World Trade Center and Pentagon
Terrorist Attacks (Posted Sanford L. Drob, Ph.D. is on the Faculty of the doctorate program in
Clinical Psychology at |
|
|
Home | Lurianic
Kabbalah | Books | Articles | Interviews | Dialog |
New Projects |