Book Club Roundup: Kabbalah and the Founding of America (Part 1)
Discussion on the Kabbalistic influence of western thought in the American ethos
Our 2nd book reading is underway. This week we covered the introduction of the book “Kabbalah and the Founding of America: The Early Influence of Jewish Thought in the New World” and discussed the broader topic of the Kabbalistic influence of the founding of the west. For those with little to no knowledge of Kabbalistic teachings, some of the main concepts were discussed here and how they have influenced the modern west.
For those who haven’t joined yet, our book club communications, scheduling and meetings all take place in our Discord community. Paid supporters also will get instant access to all our previous book club recordings, which is well over 10 hours of discussion. This week’s audio recording is posted below.
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In this week’s 2+ hour session we discussed the following:
Announcements/Updates
Upcoming reading schedule
Introduction to the book and author
Kabbalah as transmission and reception of Oral Torah
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson’s Kabbalistic influence
The mystical Jewish symbolism of Jefferson’s proposed “Great Seal”
Shekinah glory depicted on U.S. currency
“Re-divinization” of American politics, parallels with pagan temples
America as not having an ethnic identity - established on Jewish values
Kabbalah as being the main artery of western esotericism
Differences between real Kabbalists and Hollywood’s red bracelet cult
The esoteric interpretation of the Genesis creation narrative according to Sefer Yetzirah
Power of words intertwined with gematria (Kabbalistic numerology) and the significance of the number 72
Jewish magic as essential part of Kabbalistic practice
The 4 types of Kabbalistic magic and how it manifests in the modern world compared to the middle ages
Individualistic principles of America and enlightenment as Kabbalistic
Reformation / Sola Scriptura as individualism
On the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion / Fr. Seraphim Rose
The importance of understanding the Jewish mystical beliefs and “tikkun olam” as justifying Jewish revolutionary movements
Paid subscribers can listen to the 2+ hour recording below and in case you still haven’t joined, I’ve included an invite link. I hope to see you in the next one!
🎧 Listen to: Book Club Roundup Live Audio
Kabbalah and the Founding of America (Pt. 1) ⬇️