Deeply rooted in Judaism, the tradition of Kabbalah is a way of interpreting the Torah and life in general.
Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff, director of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center at Texas A&M, has been working to bring Kabbalah to Jewish Aggie students by holding a series of classes at the Chabad center.
“Kabbalah is something that has been received through generations for thousands of years,” Lazaroff said. “It is an understanding of different aspects on souls, dreams, heaven and hell, etc.”
Although Kabbalah is an ancient teaching, it can be applied to everyday life and studied in ways modern students can understand. Lazaroff has held a class specifically on the Kabbalah interpretation of dreams.
“In the Torah, we find a lot of stories about dreams, for example about how Joseph has dreams and they are explained,” Lazaroff said. “What are the meanings of dreams, are dreams real? Do dreams mean anything? Do they have meaning to our life? What happens when we sleep? Why do we even have dreams? Judaism has always been about scholarship and the perspective that Judaism has is not new and that knowledge is very empowering to our students.”
The knowledge gained by students attending the classes is empowering, students say.
“Kabbalah for Aggies is the deep, hidden meaning behind the specific rules in the Torah,” said Bari Beilinson, sophomore Blinn Team student. “We learn about what Jews think about heaven and hell, tattoos and body piercings, the Jewish soul and more.”
The Kabbalah classes are interactive, with students having the opportunity to initiate conversations with the rabbi and each other as a student body.
“Kabbalah for Aggies is a great learning class,” Beilinson said. “The rabbi gives a handout with all the ideas he will talk about in the class and then the resources he got his answers from. At the end of each major idea, students ask questions.”
The classes leave Jewish students with a better understanding of their Jewish heritage and beliefs.
“I have gained so much insight into the Jewish beliefs of various topics,” said Erin van Creveld, biomedical science freshman. “So many of my questions were answered. Going to the classes and talking with Rabbi Lazaroff opened my mind to many ideas I previously did not have a good understanding of. After leaving the classes, I was always excited to share what I had learned with family and friends.”
Anyone who is interested in this way of learning can attend.
“This program is great for any Jewish Aggie who wants to learn more about his/her religion. Also any Aggie who wants to learn more about Jewish life and the religion,” Beilinson said.
Kabbalah classes are coming to an end this semester, with possibly one or two more classes in the next two weeks. Anyone interested in learning more about Kabbalah can contact the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center.