The first two terms have been designed to provide a firm grounding in the fundamentals of rationalist philosophy, and to offer an historical and conceptual introduction to Kabbalah and mysticism.

The course will culminate in the third term with an in-depth study of Menachem Kellner’s acclaimed work, Maimonides’ Confrontation with Mysticism.  You will follow Kellner as he argues that Maimonides’ arch-rationalism was a reaction to a deeply ingrained - and, in his opinion, problematic – mystical tendency in Jewish tradition. The background knowledge you acquire in the first two terms will enable you to critically engage with Kellner’s work and its key issues. In particular, we will grapple with the following questions:

·         Should biblical texts be understood metaphorically or literally?

·         Does superstition have a place in Judaism? Is there a difference between Jewish and non-Jewish souls?

·         What does it mean for a person, place or language to be holy?

Explore the different approaches to these questions with the great rationalists, Saadya Gaon and Maimonides, and renowned mystics including Isaac Luria and Hayyim Vital.

Get credit for this course - if you write three essays for this course, you can qualify for an LSJS certificate or diploma.

Teaching faculty

R. Harvey Belovski

Dr Simon Cooper

R. Dr Michael Harris

Ariel Kahn

Michael Pollak

Dr Tamra Wright

visiting guest lecturers

Study times & term dates

Mon 8:00pm – 9:30pm

1st term: 25 Oct – 13 Dec 2010

2nd term: 17 Jan – 14 Mar 2011

3rd term: 16 May – 18 Jul 2011

Course fee £250

Book online anytime and save £5 www.lsjs.ac.uk

Book by Wednesday 15 September 2010 and get £25 off any year-long course