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According to tradition, one must have reached the age of 40 before studying Kabbalah. But you can study Leonard Cohen at any age. And with soulful melodies such as “Hallelujah” and “Famous Blue Raincoat,” “Suzanne” and “First We Take Manhattan,” my hope is that we don’t wait another day to study Cohen.

By studying Leonard Cohen one might walk away with an appreciation of the later spirituality presented in his works. With “Bird on a Wire” and “So Long, Marianne,” Cohen presents tales of heartbreak and longing that is wholly romantic. But later songs, like “Hineini,” are both supernatural and transcendent. Cohen expresses a yearning for the unity of the physical and the mystical that is altogether Jewish.

There is good reason for the spiritual evolution in his artistry: Leonard Cohen studied the books of Daniel Matt, our Richard Lehrman Scholar In Residence lecturer. Dr. Matt is perhaps the global expert on Kabbalah and we are delighted to introduce him to the Sinai community. It was Dr. Matt’s books that inspired Leonard Cohen’s spiritual journey. And while they didn’t further connect him to Judaism – Cohen struggled with a belief in God and a full acceptance of any faith tradition – they did familiarize him with a new ethereal vocabulary.

Below you will see opportunities to learn from Dr. Matt starting tomorrow morning and I can assure you that it is not too late to RSVP for any of the gatherings. Whether you are over or under 40 years old, these presentations are sure to inform, to inspire, and to invigorate us in ways we cannot possibly imagine.

RSVP Here for Scholar In Residence events with Professor Daniel Matt

See you this weekend. Shabbat Shalom.

Brad