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The New Kabbalah
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 Illustration: “Ein-sof” by James
R. Russell
Dr. Drob’s books can be
ordered from
Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and various other on-line booksellers. Just
go to these sites and enter: Sanford Drob  Symbols of the Kabbalah:
Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives (Jason Aronson, 2000) provides
a philosophical and psychological interpretation of the theosophical Kabbalah.
It shows that the Kabbalah, particularly as it is expressed in the school of
Isaac Luria, provides a coherent and comprehensive account of the cosmos, and
humanity's role within it, that is intellectually, morally, and spiritually
significant for contemporary life.In this book, Dr. Sanford Drob articulates the philosophical and
psychological ideas that are implicit in such kabbalistic symbols as Ein-sof (the Infinite), Tzimtzum (Divine Contraction), Sefirot (Divine Archetypes), Shevirat ha-Kelim (Breaking of the
Vessels), and Tikkun ha-Olam
(the Restoration of the World). Dr. Drob shows how contemporary philosophy
and psychology enable us to gain insight into the theosophical Kabbalah, and
to understand the Kabbalah in a manner that is vitally relevant to
contemporary life and thought.  Kabbalistic Metaphors:
Jewish Mystical Themes in Ancient and Modern Thought (Jason Aronson,
2000) places
the major symbols of the theosophical Kabbalah into a dialogue with several
systems of ancient and modern thought, including Indian philosophy,
Platonism, Gnosticism, and the works of Hegel, Freud, and Jung. The author
shows how the Kabbalah organizes a series of ancient ideas regarding God,
cosmos, and humanity into a basic metaphor that itself reappears in various
guises in much of modern philosophy and psychology. The author shows how the Kabbalah is unique in its position in the
history of Western thought, acting as a "switching station" in
which the biblical tradition, Near Eastern mysticism, and Western philosophy
converge. In the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria these traditions combine with
Luria's profound spiritual insight and intense mythical imagination to
produce a comprehensive philosophical and psychological vision of the nature
of God and humanity that was only imperfectly represented in the prior
traditions. Hardcover, 392 pp.
Click here for An Interview with Sanford Drob on Kabbalah and
Psychotherapy. Click here for pdf version . Contents Click here for REVIEWS
of Dr. Drob's
books , Symbols
of the Kabbalah and Kabbalistic
Metaphors. 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 Some Articles by (Click
on “Articles” for
additional writings by Dr. Drob) 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 S. Drob, God and the Democratic Party Click here for New Kabbalah discussion of the World Trade Center and Pentagon
Terrorist Attacks (Posted Sanford L. Drob, Ph.D. is on the Core Faculty of the doctorate program in
Clinical Psychology at |
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. 
Coming Soon! Kabbalistic Visions, C.G. Jung and Jewish Mysticism, by 
New! Kabbalah and Postmodernism: A Dialogue, by
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