Elliot Wolfson: ‘Jewish mysticism is the garment that I wear in this world’

From 18 Questions, 40 Mystics by 18Forty

July 13, 2026 · 38 min · Season 2 · Episode 31

About this episode

Elliot Wolfson discusses Jewish mysticism and its relevance to contemporary thought in an interview with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy.

Professor Elliot Wolfson, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Jewish mysticism, has dedicated over forty years to teaching and researching Kabbala and its expressions across Jewish history. He explores how ancient kabbalistic concepts resonate with contemporary philosophical and feminist theory. Elliot Wolfson is a professor emeritus of religion at University of California, Santa Barbara. He is renowned for his research in the history of Jewish mysticism, but he has also contributed to the fields of philosophy, literary criticism, feminist theory, and more. Now, he sits down with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism including the mechanics of prayer, the constant recreation of time, and Pardes [the orchard]. 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…

People in this episode

Host: Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy

Guest: Elliot Wolfson

Topics covered

Jewish mysticism
Kabbala
philosophy
feminist theory
prayer
Torah study

Keywords

Jewish mysticism
Kabbala
prayer
Torah study
feminist theory
philosophy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of California, Santa Barbara