Jewish mysticism with a bagel

A friend said he was looking into the “wisdom of Judaism” including Jewish mysticism.

Judaism for people who don’t grow up with it is… freaky. We grow up with a blend of simple dogma, complex law/ethics, old traditions, religious practice, lots of living culture, a history of persecution/survival, and food.

You can pick and choose. We do. Start with good bagels! Or Shabbat. Two traditions many young adults try is lighting a pair of candles to start the Sabbath and the Havdalah ceremony at the end, with wine, spices, and a candle. Both are just a minute or so, but they bookend Shabbat nicely, moments to mark separating the six days from the seventh.

Strangely, mysticism rarely comes up in Jewish life. You have to pursue it. We barely discuss the afterlife, cosmology, things like angels.

Advice I got as a teenager curious about chasidic mystical works like the Tanya (full text): Wait until you are married and 40 years’ old. You’ll be well grounded in Torah, in life, in the world, in your family. So the strange and abstract stuff won’t throw you off your game, warp your mind, take you away from the important things. Live a little. Tell a joke. Have a bagel.