Inter-Religious Studies Centre

Psychologist James Hillman, in his own work, has developed a vocabulary for understanding and exploring soul-making (Hillman, 1975), and for speaking about the development of imagination (Hillman, 2000). Both vocabularies can be helpful in looking beyond biblical literalism. Key Biblical characters, Hillman has said, often receive “a lesson about literalism,” showing them literalism’s limits, and initiating them into a life of imagination (Hillman, 1971, p. 116). Balaam’s story, read through the lens of Hillman’s description of soul-making, shows Balaam to be such a character.

Depth psychologists have resisted the prevailing positivistic paradigm of research and practice in psychology. That does not mean, however, that their studies lack grounding in a well-formed epistemological model. In this paper, I begin by describing a positivistic approach to psychology. I present a few key ideas from Jung’s depth psychology, showing how they bypass positivism. Next, I offer two examples of epistemological approaches that can be used to legitimate the study of depth psychology: Husserl’s phenomenology and Steinsaltz’s Kabbalistic theology. Finally, I conclude with a few reflections on my method of drawing analogies between ideas from different disciplines.

One way to understand the thought of Abraham Joshua Heschel is to as a unique synthesis of (a) the economic critique offered by the Frankfurt school of critical social theory; (b) the spiritual vision of the Jewish Hassidic movement; and (c)  the del-reflection of the philosophical phenomenological movement.

Autobiographical writing assignments can be useful tools for philosophy teachers who want to stimulate students' interest in philosophy.  They can be delightful journeys of intellectual discovery for students.  And they can be opportunities for students to develop some of the less talked about but essential skills of philosophical creativity: metaphorical thinking, reading one's own questions into a text, and engaging readers in one's own writing.  For teachers interested in using such assignments in the philosophy classroom, I offer examples of student writing, a theoretical foundation of the approach, suggestions for integrating the practice into courses, and comments on a few practical worries.

The purpose of this hermeneutic study will be to explore and understand C.G. Jung’s concept of the “psychoid” realm through the concept of Eyn Sof (Infinity) as presented in selected Kabbalah texts from Hebrew and Aramaic traditions. At this point in the research, the psychoid is defined as a realm “beyond apprehension,” that “precedes conscious experience” (Jacobi, 1959). Eyn Sof is understood as the undefined infinite source of all realities (Tishby, 1989).

On September 11, 2001, giving blood was a powerful collective response of Americans, even as the Red Cross insisted it could not accept more. This symbolic action is understood as a modern version of the hatat (purification) offering described in the book of Leviticus. The hatat and its modern symbolic reenactment are placed in the context of the system of offerings.

Psalm 69 speaks of praying at "eit ratzon," a time of desire. Later Jewish sources interpret this both as a time of the petitioner's desire to offer prayer and as a time of God's desire to answer prayer. This essay explores an intersection between the two interpretations.

Traditional Christian philosophical approaches to Theodicy attempt to solve a logical inconsistency between God's existence, God's justice, and the suffering of innocents. Midrashic commentary on Deuteronomy (Sifre) offers an alternate approach, understanding suffering as a mutual expression of love between God and human beings.

Forty years ago, I read the Book of Revelation for the first time. "What's all the fuss about?" I thought. "This is all plagiarized from the prophets of the Hebrew Bible!" At the time, I did not understand Biblical writing. Now, however, I know that John of Patmos was a master of Biblical style, reinterpreting familiar religious motifs by placing them in new contexts.

Because our sages speak in the anthropomorphic language they drew from the Hebrew Bible, one might hastily conclude that they hold a rather mechanical theurgic view of prayer: when a person prays, God hears, and adjusts the person's fate. Deeper analysis shows that the sages question this mechanical view. They use it as a gateway into an alternate view of prayer as reflexive: its spiritual efficacy lies in its effect on the person praying. This alternative view of prayer is expressed in the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) liturgy, particularly in sections with strong allusions to classical midrash.