FALL 2025 - The Kabbalah of Meaning

Jewish Wisdom for Finding the Purpose That Connects All parts of Life

If everyone knew exactly why they were necessary, this course would be unnecessary. But as King Solomon observed in the book of Ecclesiastes, and as modern studies confirm, most people struggle with a fundamental question: “What makes my life meaningful?” 

6 Tuesday Evenings at 7:30 pm: November 4 - November 9

LESSON 1: THE MEANING WE SEEK

What do people mean when they say “my life feels meaningful”? We begin with the foundational insight that human beings feel most alive and fulfilled when they live in harmony with their core capacities. Using the metaphor of a tree, drawn from Deuteronomy and developed in Chasidic thought, we examine four essential human capacities: personal growth, meaningful contribution, authentic giving, and genuine connection.

LESSON 2: TO MAKE OR NOT EOT MAKE MEANING

Many people today pursue meaning as a feeling—something personally enriching or inspiring. Jewish thought, however, introduces something more stable and resilient: purpose. Drawing on Ecclesiastes, the Tanya, and various philosophical texts, this lesson guides students from self-focused meaning-making toward purpose-driven living. It presents purpose as an externally given mission that precedes the individual self and serves to integrate all areas of life.

LESSON 3; MEANING IN THE MUNDANE

People often assume that meaning must emerge from grand gestures or obviously spiritual activities. This lesson makes a revolutionary claim: Everything in your life can matter. Drawing on Jewish mysticism, the book of Proverbs, and classic ethical literature, we discover that a spiritually meaningful life encompasses work, household chores, and personal talents—and even our character flaws are not obstacles to spiritual meaning but rather tools for achieving it. Meaning isn’t located in some distant realm—it’s already present at your desk, in your kitchen, and on your walk to work.

LESSON 4: MEANING IN THE RYTHMS OF TIME

Modern life tends to view time as a monotonous blank canvas for us to fill with whatever color we choose. Judaism, however, insists that time has texture and significance. This lesson explores how the Jewish calendar—with its daily, weekly, and annual cycles—creates meaningful rhythms that assign different spiritual energies to different moments. We examine the mystical dimensions of the Jewish calendar and what it truly means to “live with the times.”

LESSON 5: MEANING IN THE UNCHOSEN

Not all meaning derives from what we actively do. Sometimes, it emerges from what happens to us. Jewish mysticism’s understanding of Divine providence teaches that meaning can be found even in the unplanned and unexpected. This lesson explores how belief in continuous creation and G-d’s ongoing involvement reframes disappointment and apparent randomness as potentially meaningful experiences. The question shifts from “Why did this happen to me?” to “What can I do with this experience?” Meaning, it turns out, can emerge through our acceptance of and response to life’s challenges.

LESSON 6: I MEAN SOMETHING, THEREFORE I AM

This final lesson challenges everything we’ve explored by posing a fundamental question: Does life have meaning even when I’m not actively doing anything? Many philosophies link human value directly to productivity or output. Jewish spirituality offers a radically different foundation: Every person possesses inherent worth simply by virtue of existing. This lesson explores the philosophical and psychological implications of being created in G-d’s image. It helps students internalize the profound truth that their worth is not earned through achievement but is inherent to their very being, establishing the bedrock for more stable self-worth and deeper enthusiasm in their pursuit of meaning.