HDS 1649 – Sources of Jewish Spirituality

HDS 1649 – Sources of Jewish Spirituality

Semester: Spring
Offered: 2024
Instructor: David Wolpe
Meeting Time: M, W 10:30am-11:45am

In the 11th century Rabbi Bahia Ibn Pakuda wrote a book called “Hovot Halevavot” — duties of the heart. He wrote it to counteract the idea that Judaism was a tradition of practice and did not prescribe or evoke emotional and spiritual responses.  Bahya and others made clear that Judaism has a long and rich spiritual tradition, which encompasses not only biblical and Talmudic texts, but mysticism, poetry, song, story, art and ritual objects.  Tracing this from the Bible, we will explore how generations of poets, mystics, philosophers and artists have elaborated and innovated themes of the soul and its yearnings, seeking God, nature, relationship, depth theology, a sense of wonder, laughter and love.  Questions of evil, the Hidden face of God, mystic ecstasy and insight, relations to other faiths and the foundational biblical stories and ideas that undergird these quests will be discussed, bringing us into practices and ideas current in present day Jewish life.  Class will be a combination of lecture/discussion with both the midterm and final being a creative working of these themes orally or in writing.

For more details please visit the Harvard Course Catalog.