Kefitzat haderech, roughly translated as instant travel, is an idea in Judaism that a person can travel from one location to another in a moment – a type of Jewish teleportation. In this podcast episode, David discusses this fascinating concept and its place in Jewish life and texts. He explains four methods for achieving instant travel and the place teleportation will have in messianic times. David also describes several intriguing episodes in Jewish history in which this extraordinary mode of movement is said to have occurred.
This episode explores:
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the four ways to achieve kefitzat haderech
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the instant travel of the patriarchs
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views on kefitzat haderech provided by Rav Hai Gaon, Rashi, and the Ramban
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Kabbalistic and Chassidic discussions on the concept
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the role of magic, meditation, demons, and incantations
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what will happens in messianic times.
Find more of David Solomon’s podcast, with dozens of lectures on Jewish history, the Bible, Jewish philosophy, and Kabbalah here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:51 — 45.1MB)
This lecture was recorded in Melbourne in 2015.