Chabad of Binghamton invites the community to a new course on Kabbalah’s “wildest ideas” led by Rivkah Slonim beginning on Monday, October 26, from 7-8:30 pm. The class will meet on six consecutive Mondays both in person and on Zoom.
The course, titled “Kaballah and the Hidden Architecture of You,” is a six-part course on Kabbalah’s “most fascinating ideas. ... We’re taking ideas like reincarnation, soul mates, dreams, names, even your taste in music, and unpacking what they reveal about the design of your life,” says Slonim, course instructor. “Each one of us has a mystical back story that makes us who we are. Every soul is rooted in a sefirah, a mystical attribute. Souls return to complete unfinished missions; and the struggles, idiosyncratic passions and talents that set you apart are messages pointing to your life’s mission.”
Divided into six sessions, the course will explore 40 kabbalistic ideas that can help people understand themselves and the world around them. These topics will include what a soul is, insight into human psychology (like why some people’s flaws bother us so much) as well as mysteries like reincarnation, why we marry the people we do and why we enjoy music. 
“It’s like tearing the facade off the world’s surface and seeing the spiritual forces at work behind the scenes,” said Slonim. “Your soul is spilling out into your body’s life all day every day. It’s not a Yom Kippur special. It’s there in the music you like, your yearning to be married, in your sleep and even your strangest dreams.”
The course has garnered critical acclaim from leading scholars of Jewish mysticism. Professor Daniel C. Matt, author of “The Essential Kabbalah,” has said that this course “offers all seekers the opportunity to discover the profound insights of the Jewish mystical tradition.” Professor Ariel Even Mayse of Stanford University says that “this magnificent program throws open the doors of Jewish mysticism and spirituality to all.” And Professor Elliot Wolfson of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has noted that “students will be exposed to the intricate mysteries of the world and of the soul.”
“You don’t have to read Hebrew and you don’t have to know what Kabbalah is. This course is open to the whole community,” says Slonim. “All you need is curiosity.”
Before Friday, October 9, the course fee is $90 per person or $165 for a couple with one book (extra books are $25). After October 9, the course fee is $99 per person and $175 per couple.
To register for the course, click here or call Chabad at 607-797-0015.