Jonnie Schnytzer: 'The world caught up with kabbalists'
About this episode
Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer discusses Jewish mysticism and its implications on personal growth and understanding of the world.
For Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer, Jewish mysticism teaches us to recognize that nothing in this world is the way it appears to be. Kabbalistic study is a process in deconstructing something we think we understand and rebuilding it. Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer has a PhD in Jewish Philosophy and currently teaches at Bar-Ilan University. Previously, Jonnie has served as advisor to the CEO of Taglit-Birthright Israel, led Israel advocacy delegations with StandWithUs, and directed the strategic partnerships of the Israel-Asia Center. Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy including how teshuva [repentance] begins with knowing you were born perfect, the question of Jewish governance, and how Torah study is the pathway to personal growth. 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…
People in this episode
Host: Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy
Guest: Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer
Topics covered
- Jewish mysticism
- Kabbalah
- personal growth
- Torah study
- repentance
- Jewish governance
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Bar-Ilan University, Taglit-Birthright Israel, StandWithUs, Israel-Asia Center
More episodes of 18 Questions, 40 Mystics
- Dina Etigson: 'The point is not to transcend this world but to bring God here into it'
- Biti Roi: 'Every generation brings mysticism to a different stage'
- Zvi Leshem: 'Modernity in general was a movement that was anti-mystical'
- Devori Nussbaum: 'I see God as this one coherent frequency of truth'
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the 18 Questions, 40 Mystics podcast page.