18 Questions, 40 Mystics

Rabbi Shmuel Ozhekh first encountered Jewish mysticism as a teenager at an outreach camp, where a class on angels sparked a sense of purpose and opened a lifelong spiritual path for him. In this conversation he stresses that Jewish mysticism is for everyone – not only for the religiously observant – and that accessing these teachings can enhance one’s inner life, relationships, and sense of purpose.

Originally from Australia, Rabbi Ozhekh is the rabbi of the Ohr Somayach community in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the founder of the Rejewvenate Young Professional outreach movement and co-creator of EDEN, the first Jewish meditation app of its kind. 

Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy including viewing prayer as a point of connection and how misperception is a hindrance to living a more spiritual life. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?

1. What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

Ricka Razel did not grow up religious; she grew up a musician in a famous Israeli family band. Nowadays, she still sings, though she is an observant mother of eight. Jewish mysticism has been the bridge between music and religiosity, revealing to her the hidden workings of the world. 

Ricka Razel is a mother, musician, restaurateur, and a mystic. She performs for female audiences in Israel, and her music can be found on various streaming platforms.

Now, she sits down with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism including how gratitude can improve our existence, the role of men and women, and the difference between happiness and simcha.

For Rabbi Dr. Meir Sendor, mysticism is fundamentally the “direct experience of divine reality.” His profound engagement with Jewish mysticism, he shares, was initially sparked by a series of personal “enlightened experiences,” transformative moments that prompted him to delve deeply into the rich heritage of Jewish mystical traditions.

Rabbi Sendor is the rabbi emeritus at Young Israel of Sharon, MA and the director of Tal Orot, the center for Jewish contemplative practices. A distinguished scholar, he received his doctorate in medieval Jewish history from Harvard University.

Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy including how prayer is indicative of our closeness with God, the flexibility of human will, and the dangers of a mystic becoming self-absorbed. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

Rabbi Shmuel Braun draws an important distinction between the terms mysticism and Pnimiyut HaTorah [inner dimensions of Torah]. While mysticism is about having an experience of the divine that is not part of the rational world, Pnimiyut HaTorah is about experiencing God in our regular, mundane lives. 

Rabbi Shmuel Braun is a teacher, lecturer, and mentor. He studied for many years at the Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore and at the Brisk Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He is the founding rabbi of Congregation Lev Le’Daas in Teaneck, New Jersey. 

Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy including the importance of being fully present in spiritual experiences and the limited nature of free will.

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

For Gedale Fenster, Jewish Mysticism is not a retreat from reality but the "expanded consciousness" needed to see that “the problem is the solution.”

Gedale Fenster is an internationally renowned motivational speaker, spiritual leader, life coach, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. He is well known in the field of personal development. His teachings are firmly rooted in spirituality and the belief that problems are truly blessings in disguise. 

Now he sits down with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy to discuss eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism including how to unpack the transformative power of mysticism for success and how to live a life of unshakeable faith and joy. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

Victoria Hanna sees tremendous power in riddles. In many ways, she argues, questions are more important than answers. The Israeli musician uses sounds and letters to understand God and the world, believing in the power of the “limitless within the limits.” 

Victoria Hanna is a multidisciplinary singer, artist, and musician. Her first single, “Aleph Bet,” went viral in 2015, garnering over two million views, and her music has been described as kabbalistic rap.

Now, she joins us to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy including the connection between the Hebrew letters and the parts of the body and how the human body can be a place for divine revelation. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

For Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Pill, self-satisfaction is the biggest obstacle to living a more spiritual life. Based on the teaching of the Arizal, Rabbi Isaac ben Solomon Ashkenazi Luria, he argues that a sense of lack is what promotes true spiritual growth.

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Pill is a professor at Emory University School of Law, where he earned his SJD. He is also a research scholar at The Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Rabbi Dr. Pill is the co-author of Setting the Table: An Introduction to the Jurisprudence of Rabbi Yechiel Mikhel Epstein’s Arukh HaShulhan and has published numerous articles in a variety of forums. 

Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy including how mysticism is the soul of the Torah and prayer is the avenue through which we recognize God’s role in reality. 

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

Fally Klein stumbled upon Jewish mysticism almost on her own, as a teenager battling cancer. Now she’s on a journey to fill in the gaps in her knowledge and anchor her natural spiritual inclinations in the deep-rooted, ancient tradition of Jewish law and peoplehood.

Fally Klein is a Jewish educator, licensed hypnotherapist, and breathwork facilitator based in Brooklyn, NY. She is known for an integrated approach that combines Torah-aligned principles with deep emotional and spiritual healing.

Now, she sits down with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism including finding God in the everyday and where the Messiah might come from.

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions?
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

For Dr. Eli Rubin, in an ideal world all people would be mystics. He argues that if mysticism means connecting to God, then everyone should feel that connection. And through it, everyone should be able to live better, more meaningful lives. 

Eli Rubin is the author of Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity as well as a number of articles that have been published in the AJS Review, Jewish Currents, and The Lehrhaus. He is also a contributing editor to Chabad.org and holds a PhD from the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London. 

Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism, including how it has changed modernity and free choice of the “essential soul.” 

Here are our questions:
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

It is difficult to navigate the complexities of the world without having inner purpose. For Rabbi Aron Moss, Jewish mysticism provides this crucial depth. He describes God not as a distant figure but as the inner reality of everything and the life force of all beings, enabling a personal and immediate connection to the divine. 

Rabbi Aron Moss is the rabbi of the Nefesh community in Sydney, Australia and is a frequent contributor to Chabad.org. He is the author of Can I Name My Dog Israel? 

Here, he joins us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including the centrality of free will and the ramifications of modern-day accessibility to Jewish mysticism.

Here are our questions: 
What is Jewish mysticism?
How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?
In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?
What do you think of when you think of God?
What is the purpose of the Jewish people?
How does prayer work?
What is the goal of Torah study?
Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?
Should Judaism be hard or easy?
Why did God create the world? 
Can humans do something that is against God’s will?
What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?
Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?
What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?
How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?
What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? 
Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?
Can mysticism be dangerous?
How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?
What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?