Tapping into the mysticism

Finding a spiritual roadmap to higher living is the premise of an

eight-week course offered by the Newport Jewish Center called

Kabbalah Rhythms.

The Newport Jewish Center is a constituency of the Jewish Learning

Institute based out of New York that offers college-level seminars on

diverse topics in Judaic philosophy, laws, mysticism and more.

“It’s adult education and the first international endeavor to

present Judaism in an intellectual way that it establishes it as the

foremost program in Jewish education,” said Rabbi Reuven Mintz from

the Newport Jewish Center.

He said that it is the fastest growing adult education course in

the country, with a tremendous amount of work put into it by leading

scholars, historians and rabbis.

“We’re attracting record numbers of people in Orange County, in

which historically there hasn’t been much adult Jewish education,”

Mintz said. “We have 70 people every Thursday night.”

Mintz said there has been a surge of interest in cabala among

people with and without a Jewish background. Cabala has been studied

by Jews and non-Jews for several hundred years, he said.

In general, cabala is an aspect of Jewish mysticism that searches

the nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and the fate of the

soul and the role of human beings with meditative, devotional,

mystical and magical practices that were originally taught to a

select few. The earliest cabala documents date to the first century.

The course takes place at the Hyatt Newporter at 1107 Jamboree

Road every Thursday from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m.

The cost is $95. Mintz said that each lesson is on tape, so if

someone misses a class or two at any point in the course, they can

easily catch up.

“Everyone can walk away with something and be able to attach

personal relevance to the material,” Mintz said.

“We don’t turn anyone away if they can’t afford it,” Mintz said.

“I recommend people to come by any of these lessons and experience

firsthand without commitment, if they’re unsure. We welcome that.”

The Newport Jewish Center picks up where other organizations leave

off, providing services and holiday programs to the community, Mintz

said. The center is at 3412 Via Oporto, Suite 201, Newport Beach. For

information, call 949-721-9800.