“Fantastic Beasts”: Angelic Alphabets, Raven’s Brain, and the Amazing World of Jewish Miracle Workers

The Baal Shem Tov has come down to us as the founder of Hasidism, but he began as a prominent example of a type of itinerant Jewish miracle worker who deployed magical and mystical techniques. Who were these ba‘alei shem (masters of the name) and what role did they play in early modern Eastern Europe? This talk will introduce their magical world, a world deeply in harmony not only with nature and its manifold secrets, but also with the wider cosmos and a profound love of God. The books of secrets they left behind—often richly illustrated with strange diagrams, angelic alphabets, and amulets with geometric designs—teach us about attitudes to nature, male and female bodies, creation and procreation, the cosmos, and the divine among Jews of the era. 

Do You Believe in Magic?

In this online lecture series, expert speakers unravel the esoteric and occult in Jewish history. How have widespread magical traditions coexisted with mainstream Judaism, and what, if anything, makes Jewish magic unique? Dive into the kabbalistic ideas, spells and potions, demons and spirits, and more that have made up the rich tapestry of Jewish magical practice from the ancient world up to today.