# Elliot Wolfson: ‘Jewish mysticism is the garment that I wear in this world’

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/elliot-wolfson-jewish-mysticism-is-the-garment-that-i-wear-in-this-world
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/elliot-wolfson-jewish-mysticism-is-the-garment-that-i-wear-in-this-world.md
Podcast: [18 Questions, 40 Mystics](https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776)
Published: 2026-07-13T10:00:06+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/elliot-wolfson-jewish-mysticism-is-the-garment-that-i-wear-in-this-world--72936099
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72936099/d5f004d1_9cba_4ad1_9c16_019a73c03fb2.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/episodes/elliot-wolfson-jewish-mysticism-is-the-garment-that-i-wear-in-this-world
Duration seconds: 2276

## Resource

Professor Elliot Wolfson, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Jewish mysticism, has dedicated over forty years to teaching and researching Kabbala and its expressions across Jewish history. He explores how ancient kabbalistic concepts resonate with contemporary philosophical and feminist theory. Elliot Wolfson is a professor emeritus of religion at University of California, Santa Barbara. He is renowned for his research in the history of Jewish mysticism, but he has also contributed to the fields of philosophy, literary criticism, feminist theory, and more. Now, he sits down with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism including the mechanics of prayer, the constant recreation of time, and Pardes [the orchard]. Here are our questions: What is Jewish mysticism? How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism? In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics? What do you think of when you think of God? What is the purpose of the Jewish people? How does prayer work? What is the goal of Torah study? Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same? Should Judaism be hard or easy? Why did God create the world? Can humans do something that is against God’s will? What do you think of when you think about Moshiach? Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption? What is the greatest challenge facing the world today? How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism? What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism? Can mysticism be dangerous? How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others? What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/episodes/elliot-wolfson-jewish-mysticism-is-the-garment-that-i-wear-in-this-world/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/18-questions-40-mystics-6941776/elliot-wolfson-jewish-mysticism-is-the-garment-that-i-wear-in-this-world.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.