When people think of mysticism, Jewish traditions are rarely the first that come to mind. Yet KabbalahHasidism represent some of the richest and most complex mystical traditions in the world. The problem is that the academic study of these traditions has moved away from
comparative engagement in recent decades, leaving modern Jewish mysticism
underrepresented in broader conversations about what mysticism is and how it works. Dr. Patrick Benjamin Koch, Heisenberg Professor of Judaic Studies at the Universität Hamburg in Germany, and co-director Dr. Jonathan Garb, Gershom Scholem Professor of Kabbalah, lead a project to change that.
Mysticism Beyond Ecstasy
Koch, Garb, and their team are testing several hypotheses that challenge common assumptions. One is that scholastic engagement has a reciprocal relationship with mystical states — study and practice feed each other. Another is that mystical consciousness is characterized by negativity as much as by ecstasy. A third is that mystical experiences need to be placed within a wider life story that includes societal engagement, not treated as isolated peak moments. The project activities include comparative and theoretical study articles, case studies by the principal investigators and their collaborators, a conference session, and research by graduate students.
Reaching Beyond the Academy
The outputs will include academic articles alongside popular articles aimed at broader audiences of spiritual seekers, practitioners, and figures in popular culture. Koch and Garb’s team anticipates that the work will contribute to greater awareness of Judaic texts and contexts in the comparative study of mysticism, while also reaching a wider public through the PRISM program and other projects funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. The result could bring one of the world’s oldest mystical traditions back into the center of a global conversation about the nature of spiritual experience.