About
Vision
At Mishkan Hakavana, we delve into the lineage of Kabbalah as transmitted by Ba’al HaSulam, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, under the guidance of Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal. Our vision is to cultivate and expand the Mishkan into a vibrant, nurturing, and supportive spiritual community that makes Kabbalah accessible to all who seek it. Through our efforts, we aspire to contribute to tikkun olam, the healing and transformation of the world into a true dwelling place for the Divine.
What is the Mishkan about?
The Mishkan began as a small study group of 10 friends who gathered to listen to the Rabbah’s teachings over 20 years ago. Over time, the group and the Rabbah’s offerings grew into Mishkan Hakavana, a group of almost 150 students from Israel and abroad that together form a thriving spiritual community based in Yakum, Israel. The study of Kabbalah prepares us for a new reality in which the soul connects with its Creator. To achieve this, a threefold learning environment is required: Rabbah-Books-Group
Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal is our community's founder, teacher and guide. She is a sage of Kabbalah with deep knowledge of theologies, history, art, technology, philosophy, and current events from around the world. She teaches in the tradition of Ba'al HaSulam (Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag), who revolutionized Kabbalah's teaching by adapting it and harmonizing it to the needs of our generation. From the words of Rabbah:
"Kabbalah is subversive, it constantly challenges the existing order.
It challenges the way we perceive ourselves and the divine, it challenges what we think faith is,
what we think Torah is,
what we think a Mitzvah is, or what we think Halacha is.
It always forces us to ask questions anew and to establish a new order."
Our study is grounded in striving to understand the Torah and to let it work upon us, to re-form us. The texts we study extend from both the written and oral Torah through a long lineage of Kabbalistic sages’ wisdom.
In addition to the written and oral Torah, we study The Zohar, The Sulam (Ladder), The Study of the Ten Sefirot (TA’AS), and the works of Rabbis Isaac Luria (the Ari), Yehuda Ashlag (Ba’al HaSulam), Baruch Ashlag (Rabash), Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), and Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (the Ramchal).
The Group, or the chaverim, refers to all the students who study together. The Group plays a crucial part in the study beyond the support we each offer fellow students as spiritual peers. Group study (Hevruta and Minyan) without the Rabbah is a regular and necessary part of our work, helping us to form questions and pushing us to feel where we are connected and disconnected. Ba’al HaSulam speaks at length about the importance of cultivating love of friends for this love forms a shared intention that acts as the foundation for our interaction with the Higher.
How to begin
Newcomers are gently welcomed through the doors of Mishkan Hakavana, be it in person or on Zoom. The Mishkan is unique in the sense that everyone is invited to learn Kabbalah at their own pace. Beginner and seasoned learners alike are able to dive deep into any lesson, all of which are based on studying a text and raising questions to the Rabbah. Lessons and study groups at the Mishkan do not exclude any person from any demographic, religion, or upbringing– all are welcome.
As learners of Kabbalah, we are all learners of a language- the language of Kabbalit. At the Mishkan, beginners’ questions help everyone in the group deepen their understanding of everything they have previously come to understand in the study. This means that the study is not rote or pre-structured, but rather a fluid, organic discovery of wisdom that unfolds as we all till the soil together. Beginners often report feeling that the words and phrases in Kabbalit take on a vastly different meaning from what was previously familiar. For this reason, beginners are always valued and needed within the study.
If you are interested in learning more, please call or email us. We are happy to answer questions and get you started in the study.
What members say
-
A journey of search... and it is not you who is the traveler, nor you who is the seeker, only a strong feeling that someone has placed your hand on good fortune and says to you, 'Choose for yourself.' In study and spiritual work, a new language is learned, a pure language, a language that builds a new vessel. A vessel of seeing, hearing, and understanding in the clearest and most revealed way, a vessel that something higher will choose to dwell in.
-
-
I am happy and proud to call this place home. Mishkan Hakavana is my home. It’s the place that allows me to return home, time and time again. It’s the place where I can hear the true inner calling of my soul. I thank God for guiding me to walk this path. Here. Just like this. With the most straightforward, loyal, and genuine guidance, in the way of Baal HaSulam. I feel it is a great privilege for me to be part of the group that is fortunate enough to experience this. I invite you all to come and be part of us, because there is room for everyone.
-
"I came to Mishkan Hakavana after what I thought was a spiritual search for most of my life. After my parents passed away, as well as my brother, I found myself learning the Kaddish. This sparked immense curiosity about Aramaic, Judaism, and everything my secular existence had postponed for a 'suitable' time. I began studying Kabbalah in various frameworks but was not satisfied. Until one evening, I arrived at Mishkan Hakavana. I listened to Rabbah Sapir Neuman Eyal and said to myself with great confidence, 'You’ve come home.'
If you come to study Kabbalah with wishes for finding a relationship, livelihood, health, and the like, it’s guaranteed that there’s no point in coming to learn at Mishkan. The learning does not promise to improve anything in your world, nor is it intended to fulfill the questioner's wishes… Maybe they will be answered, maybe not. Slowly, you will discover who the questioner is and what their wishes truly are. The questioner changes, the wish changes… Nothing specific changes, except the entire world of the questioner."
-
"A feeling of being so close to the truth, and therefore a sense of gentleness and caution in front of it. From the learning, an inner desire was born within me—to sit, to pray, for blessings that received renewed intention, a desire to be good to others. Relationships with others took on a different meaning. I discovered that many perceptions and concepts needed clarification. Many patterns of thought were disproven. There is a taste of truth at Mishkan Hakavana, a well of wisdom, a network of companions on the journey, and books that are truly a treasure, along with a Rabbah who acts out of authentic mission."
-
"And how can one write a testimonial about something so alive, endless, renewing and renewed with every pulse? It is so much the opposite of existence where everything moves in recycled circularity. Closed life cycles, like a lentil stew. Then, you come to the Rabbah's lesson, to the books, and to the friends. And like a finger extended to a wedding ring, your circle opens to an infinite line, and everything is renewed, and your existence comes to life."
-
"Sometimes we tend to say about various situations in our lives that they are a privilege, a miracle, or divine providence. But rarely do we truly feel the depth of the matter. The learning allows for this feeling of depth. A sense of privilege in a way that is beyond words. I come from a religious Zionist background, deeply studying the physical commandments according to the Shulchan Aruch. I raised my children in this way. But from a young age, my heart was always searching for the truth and the intention behind the commandments, behind what is happening in the world. After all, how can there be so much evil in the world—both personally and globally? Why hasn’t redemption arrived? What is the meaning of 'Make for yourself a teacher'? What is the role of a woman? And the ultimate question for me: What does the Holy One, blessed be He, want and expect from us, His creations, and how can we bring Him pleasure?
The learning at Mishkan Hakavana gave legitimacy to this search. Under the guidance of the Rabbah and with the help of the unique group gathered from Israel and around the world, and through the sacred books, a new language was opened up for me—the language of Kabbalah. Now, a more precise reading is finally possible. Sometimes you can sit in a class and not understand a word. Sometimes you understand a lot. But the heart always knows and feels that something precise is happening.
There is no rest or ease in the learning. I certainly don’t have all the answers to all the questions. But there is a movement towards a more genuine prayer. And there is a quietness in the heart, knowing that I have come home. I have arrived at a place where it is possible to change something in the world. But truly change."
Frequently asked questions
-
The best way to get an initial taste for the Mishkan is to join one of our monthly info sessions for English speakers. These are conducted by veteran members of the Mishkan on Zoom. Please be in contact with us by emailing [email protected] to get information about the upcoming session date and time.
-
No-- weekly lessons are conducted in Hebrew and are simultaneously translated into English via Zoom. Participants are welcome to come in person to study at our study center in Kibbutz Yakum or join via Zoom. Once a week, the Rabbah also holds a Kabbalah class taught in English, intended for our students from around the world. Members and participants, even those joining remotely, also have access to the lesson archive, which contains audio and video recordings of all lessons.
-
Absolutely. Beginners without prior knowledge are welcome to join a mentoring program that combines the study of foundational articles and concepts in Hevruta (study groups), led and mentored by experienced learners, along with plenary study sessions led by the Rabbah. Learn more here about joining the next round of study. Before joining the study, we recommend watching the many video clips available on the website, which allow for an introduction to the language, and/or learning from our digital study systems, which can be purchased online.
-
No. Members of Mishkan Hakavana come from different and diverse backgrounds, traditions, and religions. No student is required or guided toward a specific way of life beyond the learning itself. The learning reveals a new and Kabbalistic meaning to the commandments, and from it, each student explores and forms their own way of life in accordance with their understanding, perception, and upbringing.
-
Mishkan Hakavana is a non-profit organization managed by a board of directors. All of Mishkan Hakavana's operations, including maintaining the center, establishing and running the broadcasting, recording, editing, translation systems, making articles accessible, and distributing content, are carried out voluntarily by the members of the Mishkan, who are also members of the non-profit. The organization is sustained through membership fees and donations from supporters who value the existence of Mishkan Hakavana in the world.
-
Throughout the year, there are three intensive learning gatherings, each consisting of four consecutive days of day and night studies. Additionally, on holidays and special occasions, special classes are often held, some of which are open to the public.
-
Deep Kabbalah study requires a suitable and lively ecology made up of a Rav, or Rabbah, books, and group. If you wish to gain knowledge and understanding in this wisdom, there is no substitute for participation. However, all of the Rabbah's lessons at Mishkan Hakavana are recorded, and some are made available to the public, so you have access to them even if you cannot or do not wish to join. Open materials can be found throughout the website and on our YouTube channel.
-
The Mishkan was founded in the spirit of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ashlag, also known as Ba’al Hasulam, and the series of texts that are studied follow this lineage. Books that we often study are the Zohar, the Sulam Commentary on the Zohar, Talmud Eser Sefirot, Shamati, and additional texts by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato and Rabbi Baruch Ashlag, among others.
