DovBer Pinson is a modern mystic and scholar in Brooklyn, New York. He is an author, lecturer, and scholar of Jewish philosophy

Jewish philosophy

Jewish philosophy , includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or, in relation to the religion of Judaism. Jewish philosophy, until modern Enlightenment and Emancipation, was pre-occupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism; thus organizing...

 and mysticism

Mysticism

Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...

.

Born in Crown Heights

Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....

, Pinson is greatly influenced by the traditions of Chassidus

Hasidic philosophy

Hasidic philosophy or Hasidus , alternatively transliterated as Hassidism, Chassidism, Chassidut etc. is the teachings, interpretations of Judaism, and mysticism articulated by the modern Hasidic movement...

, Lurianic philosophy and mysticism

Isaac Luria

Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...

, and the rational thinking of Maimonides

Maimonides

Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...

. He is rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva

Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

 of The Iyyun Yeshiva, a Jewish religious school

Yeshiva

Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...

 for adults which is part of the Iyyun Institute, which he founded as a center for Jewish enrichment in Brooklyn.

Pinson is an original thinker and displays "remarkable erudition" (Source: Publishers Weekly. Sep 1999) with a gift for blending rational and critical thinking with deep mystical understanding. Brilliant, down to earth and charming, he has touched thousands with his deep insight and his remarkable ability to bring down ancient wisdom and make it relevant today. Because of his unique ability, he has been called a "Rashi" of contemporary culture. At a young age he was already considered one of the world's leading scholars of Kabbalah and Jewish philosophy, featured on the cover of the book, 3-Minute Discourses on Kabbalah by Leading Jewish Scholars.

Pinson is a "prolific author, spiritual mentor, and kabbalist", and is one of the most sought after lecturers on Kabbalah and Jewish philosophy. He has lectured in both scholarly and lay settings throughout the world. He travels extensively, teaching and giving seminars, and his monthly internet essays on spirituality, Kabbalah, and philosophy reach tens of thousands worldwide.

Books

• Reincarnation and Judaism: The Journey of the Soul (1999) ISBN 978-0765760647
• Inner Rhythms: The Kabbalah of Music (1999) ISBN 978-0765760982
• Meditation and Judaism: Exploring the Jewish Meditative Paths (2004) ISBN 978-0765700063
• Toward the Infinite: The Way of Kabbalistic Meditation (2005) ISBN 978-0742545120
• Jewish Wisdom on the Afterlife: The Mysteries, The Myths, and The Meanings (2005)
• Thirty -Two Gates of Wisdom: Awakening Through Kabbalah ISBN 978-1934730249
• Upsherin: Exploring a Boys first hair cut & the spiritual nature of hair ISBN 978-1934730331
• Eight Lights: 8 Meditation for Chanukah ISBN 097866637

External links

• Official site of the Iyyun Institute
• "Into the Heart of Kabbalah: My Year with the Rabbi"
• "Judaism, Meditation and The B-Word", book review by The Forward
  The Forward
  The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
  
  
• "Patrolling the Borders of Truth: Meditation and Judaism", book review by Jewish journal Zeek
• "Yogis merge traditions", by the Jewish Independent
• "Contemplative Judaism", on Pinson, Kaplan
  Aryeh Kaplan
  Aryeh Moshe Eliyahu Kaplan was a noted American Orthodox rabbi and author known for his "intimate knowledge of both physics and kabbalah." He was lauded as an original thinker and prolific writer, from studies of the Torah, Talmud and mysticism to introductory pamphlets on Jewish beliefs and...
  
  , and others in Ziggurat, the journal of religion at Brown University
  Brown University
  Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
  
  
• Chabad articles by DovBer Pinson
• My Jewish Learning
• VIMEO
• Jewish Wisdom on the Afterlife
• Open Center
• Best Thinking