Or Shalom Synagogue – אור שלום

Pre-eminent scholar of Jewish Mysticism, Dr. Daniel Matt, will share the wisdom he has procured over the last 20 years to spiritual seekers here at Vancouver’s Spiritual Playground.

Dr. Matt, one of the world’s leading authorities on Kabbalah, recently completed an 18-year project translating and annotating the central text of Jewish mysticism, The Zohar. The Zohar: Pritzker Edition is the result of sifting through multiple manuscripts to produce the most accurate English translation from the original Aramaic. He has received several awards for this effort, including the Koret Jewish Book Award, who described his ninth volume as “a monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought.”

Dr. Matt will be in Vancouver for three days, first giving a talk at the Vancouver School of Theology at UBC followed by two days at Or Shalom Synagogue in East Vancouver. The program at Or Shalom opens on Friday, Sept. 20 for Shabbat with a vegetarian potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m.; it will be followed by Dr. Matt’s talk on Shekhinah, the Feminine Half of God, which will discuss the nature of divinity as presented in the Zohar. On Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m., the evening begins with short teachings interspersed by songs on the theme of yearning to join with the One. Dr. Matt will then deliver a teaching titled How Kabbalah Can Stimulate Us to Renew Our Lives. A reception follows.

Space is limited for some evenings – register now to get your seat!

Plans to bring Dr. Matt to Vancouver began over a year ago. Join us for this free-of-charge program made possible by a grant from the Phyliss and Irving Snider Foundation. The special weekend is sponsored by Or Shalom Synagogue, the Inter-Religious Studies Program at Vancouver School of Theology, and University of British Columbia Diamond Chair in Jewish Law and Ethics.