Netzach: Creative Journey
by Melanie Gruenwald This semester, I am a teaching a new class, Creative Journey through the Sefirot. This course is inspired by Rabbi Adina Allen’s non-profit organization, The Jewish Studio Project, and her book, The Place of All Possibility. It has been so enlightening to study the sefirot in depth with our class, and […]
Counting Up
by Dr. David Sanders On June 5th we will be celebrating Kabbalah Experience’s 20th year. We are counting up to it. In our relationship to an anticipated event, it is our inclination to count down; 3 weeks to graduation, 2 days to a holiday, 11 hours to a guest arriving, 5 minutes to a […]
We Are All Storytellers: What’s Your Story?
by Melanie Gruenwald We are all storytellers. Once upon a time, I was born. From there, my journey has been shaped by growth, family, study, friendships, love, travel, career, children, loss, and more growth. There’s no “The End” yet—someday there will be. Until then, the narrative continues. We all live within stories, shaped by metaphors […]
The Knowledge Tree
by Dr. David Sanders Two years ago, on Wednesday March 22nd, a petition was signed by over 1,000 leading scientists and thought leaders for all Ai labs to take a sabbatical of no less than 6 months. The pause never occurred. Those predicting singularity, where Ai surpasses human intellectual capacities, remained on course for 2030. […]
Creativity and Kabbalah
by Melanie Gruenwald Creativity is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. It fuels our ability to express, to solve problems, and to bring something entirely new into the world. But where does it come from? Science looks to the brain for answers, while Kabbalah sees creativity as an expression of divine flow. […]
Face to Face
by Dr. David Sanders The Rabbis in the Talmud dedicated much discussion to the phrasing of words, the posture of the body and the timing of when to start or end prayers. In one fascinating discussion the Rabbis concluded that it is useless to pray for that which has already occurred. The first example they […]
Holding Opposites: Power of Choice in the Face of Darkness
First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade […]
Dream and Dreamers
by Dr. David Sanders This past Monday, January 20th, we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. In his inaugural address that day, President Trump declared, that in his honor, “we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.” Reverend Lorenzo Sewel, a young black minister, was among the […]
Los Angeles is on Fire
Los Angeles is on fire. The Palisades are gone. My teacher and friend, Rabbi Bradley Artson shared on TikTok: What are we supposed to do in all of this? All of our traditions, all of our wisdom, teach us to dig down and find he resilience to be there for each other. In the […]
A New Story
by Dr. David Sanders Rabbi Sharon Brous, author of The Amen Effect and founder of IKAR in Los Angeles spoke this past Yom Kippur on the stories which we talk about ourselves, our people, and our society. In her analysis of one particular story regarding Abraham and his wives she concluded that our Jewish […]