(26w4) Kabbalistic Tu b’Shvat Seder

February 1st, 2026, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Learn about and experience Kabbalah – the spiritual foundation of Judaism.

Celebrate an authentic kabbalistic 16th century Tu b’Shvat seder.  The Seder will include live music from members of the Machaya Klezmer Band, explanations of the kabbalistic spiritual meaning of the rituals, and short guided kabbalistic meditations as we taste three types of fruits and drink four glasses of wine.

Prepare by gathering varieties of fruits in three categories:

1. Fruit with inedible outside shells or peels;
2. Fruit with inedible cores or pits;
3. Totally edible fruits.

For the four cups of wine, have bottles ready of both red and white wine.

Discover the meaning and depth of kabbalistic theology by observing this historical Jewish tradition.

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Jay McCrensky holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies, concentrating in Kabbalah and Jewish philosophy with minors in Rabbinic Literature and Sociology of Judaism, from the Baltimore Hebrew University and Towson University.  Professor McCrensky taught in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at St Mary’s College of Maryland of the University of Maryland System.

He is currently the founder and CEO of the Contemporary Kabbalah Institute (CKI).  A nonprofit consortium of rabbis, scholars and students, The CKI works to revive Kabbalah in Jewish education and as the core of contemporary Jewish spirituality. Through the CKI, Professor McCrensky teaches adult education courses on Kabbalah, and conducts a free online Kabbalah course, meeting weekly and open to all. He has taught Kabbalah courses for over 40 years and is a leading teacher of and speaker on Kabbalah in the Washington/Baltimore area.

Dr. McCrensky is author of the books Understanding Evil and Ethics through Kabbalah (2000, 2014, 2022) and Connecting to Judaism: Spirituality through Kabbalah (2013, 2022).  His forthcoming book, The Surreptitiously Subversive Zohar: The Case of Moses will provide a new dimension to interpreting the Zohar.  The goal is that it will become a text for college level courses on Sefer Ha Zohar.

His dissertation, The Concept of Receiving in Contemporary Kabbalah, is a contrast between the schools of Jewish renewal Kabbalah of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and the Kabbalah Center of Rabbi Philip Berg. Current areas of academic study include the Sefirot of Netsach and Hod in the Zohar, development of a glossary of anagoges and symbols in the Zohar, as well as the concept of receiving in 13^th century Kabbalah.  Professor McCrensky presented an academic papers on The Sefira of Netsach in the Zohar at the annual Midwest Jewish Studies Association conference (2005) and on The Surreptitiously Subversive Zohar at the Association for Jewish Studies Conference (2024).

Beyond his direct activity as a Kabbalah scholar, Dr. McCrensky consults startup companies on marketing and financing, founded and co-directs the Machaya Klezmer Band (MC, accordionist and dance leader) and teaches skiing as a certified ski instructor, in all of which he applies insights from the Kabbalah tradition.