Khelmenisky massacre | David Solomon

In this Jewish history lecture, David explores the early years of the 18th century, heavily overshadowed by two significant and difficult events of the 1600s – the cataclysm of the Khmelnytsky Massacres and the enormous reverberations of disappointment that followed the false messiah, Shabtai Tzvi.

The Sounding of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, illustration circa 1733–1739 by Bernard Picart from “The Ceremonies and Religious Customs of the Various Nations of the Known World”, dated between circa 1733 and circa 1739. Public domain.

He discusses Jewish communities of importance in the 1700s – Prague, Amsterdam, Thessaloniki, and Livorno. He also explores the lives, contributions, controversies, and legacies of notable figures associated with these communities, including:

Glückel of Hameln
David Nieto
Nehemiah Hayyun
Moses Hagiz
Tzvi Ashkenazi, known as the Chacham Tzvi
Jonathan Eybeschutz
Jacob Emden
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, known as the Ramchal.

David also addresses the impacts of:

the Enlightenment
the rise of capitalism and mercantilism
changes in political structures and government.

This remarkable hundred-year period not only contained a vast collection of towering individuals, but also brought a range of cultural, intellectual, and spiritual developments that would shape the modern Jewish world.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:48:14 — 107.3MB)

Continue reading “#74 Revelation & Revolution: Jewish History of the 18th Century (1)”

Kabbalah Since the AR”Y: the Vilna Gaon and Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto

The teachings of Rabbi Isaac Luria, the AR”Y (also known as the Ari or Arizal), have been profoundly influential on Jewish mystical thought of the past five hundred years. In this episode of the podcast, the second lecture in a series exploring post-Lurianic Kabbalah, David discusses the historical background, lives, and ideas of two iconic Jewish intellectual and spiritual figures – the Vilna Gaon and Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. In doing so, he examines their remarkable contributions to kabbalistic thought on G-d, the world, and Divine revelation.

Listeners who find this material new or challenging may wish to refer to the glossary of kabbalistic terms provided here.

Kabbalah Since the AR"Y: David Solomon podcast on sephirot — Kabbalistic Tree Kabbalistic Tree of Life (Sephiroth). Public Domain

Kabbalah Since the AR"Y: David Solomon podcast on emanation — Emanation of Sefirot according to Lurianic Kabbala. Public Domain.

Kabbalah Since the AR"Y: David Solomon podcast on the four worlds — Four Worlds. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Four_World.png0 International license.

Continue reading “#60 Kabbalah Since the AR”Y (2)”