FALL 2024

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Murmurs of Sacred Wells and Flowing Waters

in Hasidic Spiritual Imagination
A live, interactive series led by
R. Prof. Elie Holzer
 

​"The wellspring of the soul is like a hidden well. It requires deep contemplation and devotion to draw forth the pure water of divine insight." Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Tanya, Likutei Amarim, Chapter 21.

This citation reflects a view of wells and water as symbols of inner depth and spiritual nourishment in Hasidic thought, akin to their symbolism of profound emotional and imaginative depths, in Gaston Bachelard’s explorative poetics of life:

"Wells are like hidden sanctuaries of the soul, places where one can draw forth the purest forms of life and reflection." Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space, Chapter 2: "The Dialectics of Outside and Inside."
 

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The underlying concept of our learning is that close, attuned, and dialogical engagement with Hasidic drashot and their spiritual poetics unlocks wellsprings for our individual spiritual avoda.
Such reading is a practice that allows us to slow down, engage deeply with a given Hasidic text, and pay attention to the poetics and imagery opened by language. We mix intellect, imagination, and emotion in each session. We learn to bring a fresh mind to reading, and we develop a creative, actively engaged relationship with our own and our colleagues' insights. In doing so, we reconnect to ancient Jewish spiritual traditions of transformative reading.
To facilitate our learning process, we seek to dedicate two sessions for each drasha. Drashot will be selected from a variety of Hasidic masters.