Books by Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Join author Laura Duhan-Kaplan in the Kabbalah practice of Sefirat Ha'Omer, a forty-nine-day prog... more Join author Laura Duhan-Kaplan in the Kabbalah practice of Sefirat Ha'Omer, a forty-nine-day program of spiritual reflection. Rabbi Laura weaves Kabbalah, philosophy, psychology, and her own experiences of love and loss into a series of daily reflections. She invites readers to explore the meaning of love, boundaries, beauty, endurance, gratitude, grounding, and presence. With a mix of stories and ideas, she helps readers find Shechinah, a divine archetypal mother, in the intimacy of ordinary life.
The Hebrew Bible is filled with animals. Snakes and ravens share meals with people; donkeys and s... more The Hebrew Bible is filled with animals. Snakes and ravens share meals with people; donkeys and sheep work alongside us; eagles and lions inspire us; locusts warn us. How should we read their stories? What can they teach us about ecology, spirituality, and ethics? Author Laura Duhan-Kaplan explores these questions, weaving together biology, Kabbalah, rabbinic midrash, Indigenous wisdom, modern literary methods, and personal experiences. She re-imagines Jacob's sheep as family, Balaam's donkey as a spiritual director, Eve's snake as a misguided helper. Finally, Rabbi Laura invites metaphorical eagles, locusts, and mother bears to help us see anew, confront human violence, and raise children who live peacefully on the land.
Albion-Andalus, 2019
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan shares her experiences of finding her connection with the divine. She ex... more Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan shares her experiences of finding her connection with the divine. She explores spiritual practices from various faith traditions before diving deep into wisdom, practices, and poetry from Jewish tradition.
Edited volumes by Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Spirit of Reconciliation, 2020
Authors representing ten faith traditions talk about their community's work towards Indigenous Ca... more Authors representing ten faith traditions talk about their community's work towards Indigenous Canadian Reconciliation. The book is a joint project of The Canadian Race Relations Foundation and The Vancouver School of Theology
Welcome to you, as you join us in exploring religious pluralism-a topic both simple and complex.
Philosophy in the Contemporary World, 2004
Philosophy in the Contemporary World, 2000
... CONTENTS Editorial Foreword Joseph C. Kunkel xi Preface Laura Duhan Kaplan and Laurence F Hav... more ... CONTENTS Editorial Foreword Joseph C. Kunkel xi Preface Laura Duhan Kaplan and Laurence F Have xiii Acknowledgments xv SECTION I DOMINATION AND ITS ALTERNATIVES Introduction 3 ONE Domination and Other Kinds of Power Robert Litke 5 TWO The Violence of ...
Published Papers by Laura Duhan-Kaplan
TheTorah, 2024
In the Biblical imagination YHWH unleashes locust swarms as a divine punishment for those who exp... more In the Biblical imagination YHWH unleashes locust swarms as a divine punishment for those who exploit people and lands. The idea is well-developed across the Torah and Prophets. This understanding of locusts is not inconsistent with biological understandings. Scientifically, grasshoppers metamorphose into locusts as a response to environmental disruption.
Renew Our Hearts: A Siddur for Shabbat Day, 2023
A short poetic interpretation of the piyyut (hymn) as an expression of likely author's Solomon ib... more A short poetic interpretation of the piyyut (hymn) as an expression of likely author's Solomon ibn Gabirol's philosophical ideas.
Here I read the book of Zechariah as it is presented in the Bible, as a unified whole with an int... more Here I read the book of Zechariah as it is presented in the Bible, as a unified whole with an integrated message. Using apocalypse (chs. 1-6), Zechariah calls on his audience to have faith in the power of the spirit. Using symbolic morality play (chs. 7-11), he urges them to choose an area of activism and step up. Using eschatology (chs. 12-14), he reminds them of the power of hope. On this reading, the historical ambiguity of chapters 9-14 appear as a deliberate invitation to imagination and hope.
Four distinct approaches to Inter-Religious Studies taught at the Vancouver School of Theology
Encountering the Other: Christian and Multifaith Perspectives, 2020
A -representing Jewish traditions, I seek inclusive theological models. Ideally, these models com... more A -representing Jewish traditions, I seek inclusive theological models. Ideally, these models combine universal and particular elements, welcoming multiple traditions without ignoring any tradition's uniqueness. In that spirit, I o er what I call a "kabbalistic ecumenism. " e term "Kabbalah" communicates that I speak the language of a particular tradition, using Judaism's view of Divine in nity and ineffability. "Ecumenism, " a term borrowed from Christianity, communicates my intent to leave room for multiple approaches. 1 In this essay, I will introduce kabbalistic theology and then use kabbalistic concepts to speak of a multifaith ecumenism. In particular, I will draw on the work of Hasidic teacher Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, suggesting his work o ers one of many possible ecumenical applications of Kabbalah. Noting that these possibilities are in uenced by a theologian's time and place, I point to several historical variations, concluding with my own.
A group of Indigenous and settler Canadians study Religious Pluralism together at a week-long sum... more A group of Indigenous and settler Canadians study Religious Pluralism together at a week-long summer school retreat. Here is an account of their journey, with all its ups and downs.
Kerem: A Journal of Creative Jewish Explorations, 2014
Three appearances of the snake in Torah (in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers) are connected to sugges... more Three appearances of the snake in Torah (in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers) are connected to suggest that the snake consistently represents expanded human awareness.
Kerem: Creative Explorations in Judaism, 2012
Psalm 69 speaks of praying at "eit ratzon," a time of desire. Later Jewish sources interpret this... more 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.
Judgment and compassion in the great liturgical poem for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) "Unetane... more Judgment and compassion in the great liturgical poem for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) "Unetaneh Tokef"-- and in life.
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Books by Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Edited volumes by Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Published Papers by Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Here, I present a passage from the Zohar about the kind of friendship its community of comrades share. Using appropriate hermeneutic tools, I draw out its many meanings. Next, I describe the social context of our philosophy class, with its diverse group of students learning together in a stressful time. I focus on our “WOW Journal” listening practice, and its impact on the group. Finally, I theorize about why the practice worked, drawing on Maria Lugones’s understanding of “’world’-traveling,” Lawrence Hoffman’s concept of a “ritual moment,” and Ray Aldred’s discussion of “making relatives” through treaty. All these dynamics, I believe, are subtly present in the Zohar’s story.