Wednesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CT
June 3 – June 24 (4 classes)
This four-part online series offers an intellectually rigorous and experientially grounded introduction to Kabbalah and Hasidic mysticism as living paths of spiritual transformation. It treats these traditions not as abstract systems, but as practical wisdom meant to be lived, embodied, and integrated into everyday life.
Drawing on classical Jewish mystical texts alongside Hasidic teachings and stories, the course explores the Tree of Life and its ten sefirot in depth. Rather than presenting them merely as metaphysical symbols, it reveals them as a coherent map of spiritual development unfolding through stages of presence, inner refinement, paradox, and integration.
Each session weaves together textual study, historical context, essential teachings, and carefully framed experiential reflection, alongside opportunities for questions and discussion. The goal is to illuminate Kabbalah as a mature spiritual system—one that supports awakening, deep self-awareness, and realization while remaining grounded in ethical life and everyday responsibility.
Member Rate: $60 • Standard Rate: $75
Registrants will receive on-demand access to recording(s). Late registrants will receive recording links to all missed sessions.
Rabbi Matthew Ponak is a teacher of Jewish mysticism, a spiritual counselor, and an author dedicated to making Kabbalistic and Hasidic wisdom accessible to seekers of all backgrounds. He was ordained with 
honors from Hebrew College’s neo-Hasidic rabbinical school and holds a Master’s degree in Contemplative Religions from Naropa University. Blending scholarly insight with somatic spiritual practice, Rabbi Matthew works at the intersection of Jewish and global mystical traditions. He is the author of Embodied Kabbalah, which explores Jewish mystical wisdom for modern life through an integrative, grounded lens. To learn more about Rabbi Matthew’s work, visit matthewponak.com
Class Outlines
Session 1 – Presence and the Living World
The Tree of Life begins not in abstraction, but in presence: cultivating openness, groundedness, and relationship as the foundation of spiritual life. This session explores the first gateway of the Tree of Life as a mode of spiritual connection and embodiment, resting on a foundation of ethical intentions and actions.
Session 2 – Divine Qualities and Inner Transformation
The heart of Kabbalah lies in the refinement of human qualities as vessels for divine attributes. Drawing on central sefirotic teachings and Hasidic spiritual psychology, this session examines transformation through character refinement, balance, disciplined compassion, and the aspiration to become a merkavah—a living vehicle for the Sacred.
Session 3 – Nothingness, Paradox, and the Limits of Knowing
At the peak of the mystical arc lies a sacred undoing: encountering paradox, unknowing, and the depth beyond conceptual grasp. This session introduces teachings on ayin (nothingness), divine concealment, and the spiritual power of not-knowing, as pointed toward by the upper dimensions of the Tree of Life.
Session 4 – Integration, Wholeness, and Ein Sof
The culmination of the path is not escape from the world, but integration: holding multiplicity and responsibility within an awareness of the Infinite flow. The final session explores spiritual maturity and everyday Kabbalah through the vision of Ein Sof, bringing embodiment, inner transformation, and transcendence into a unified whole.
Program Format
This is a live, interactive online program that will also be recorded. Registrants will receive on-demand access to recording(s) following the conclusion of the program.
Join online via a Zoom link that will be emailed during the week before the program.
Please download Zoom for free at zoom.us/download and test your connection at zoom.us/test. For further information, check out www.theosophical.org/FAQ or email webinars@theosophical.org.