Daniel Rowe: 'It's very easy to either idolatrize God or just misuse mystical teachings'

From 18 Questions, 40 Mystics by 18Forty

March 16, 2026 · 1h 2m · Season 2 · Episode 15

About this episode

Rabbi Daniel Rowe discusses Jewish mysticism and its connection to the Torah and the divine.

Rabbi Daniel Rowe sees Jewish mysticism as a path to deepen one’s relationship with God. He connects Jewish mysticism to the deeper dimensions of the Torah, viewing it as a unifying principle that integrates various aspects of Judaism such as its commandments and stories. Formerly the executive director and senior educator at Aish UK, Rabbi Rowe holds a BA in philosophy from University College London and an MPhil from Birkbeck College. He recently moved to Jerusalem to assume the role of senior lecturer at Aish Global. Rabbi Rowe does not consider himself a great expert in Jewish mysticism. Nevertheless, he sits down with us to answer eighteen questions with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy on Jewish mysticism including the inner dimensions of the Torah and how one can connect with the divine 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…

People in this episode

Host: Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy

Guest: Rabbi Daniel Rowe

Topics covered

Jewish mysticism
relationship with God
Torah
prayer
modernity
redemption

Keywords

Jewish mysticism
Torah study
prayer
divine will
Moshiach
State of Israel
modernity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Aish UK, Aish Global, University College London, Birkbeck College