Kabbalah I - Controversy : Spain 1250-1295

History for the Curious - The Jewish History Podcast

In the 1200s Spanish Jewry faced great challenges within the community including Murder, Immorality & Defection. This was exacerbated by dangerous teachings within Kabbalah which had to be rooted out by the Rashba and banned. But 700 years later a pathway was found to Redemption.

Chapters

00:00 Challenges of 13th-Century Spain: Tensions, Wealth, and Power

03:06 Controversies in Jewish Scholarship: Philosophy and Kabbalah

08:20 Internal Conflicts and Legal Authority

15:03 Religious Challenges and the Ban on Philosophy

26:50 The Legacy of Rabbi Avraham Abulafia

48:26 Kabbalistic Techniques and Mathematics