Winter Week of Learning – Hiding in Plain Sight: Kabbalistic Interpretation in Nahmanides

When Nahmanides includes a kabbalistic comment in his bible commentary, he frequently opens with the words "Al derekh ha-emet," 'By way of truth,' and, more often than not, these kabbalistic comments are impenetrable unless one has already been trained in reading kabbalistic texts. On the one hand, Ramban has maintained the esotericism that he believes is fitting for kabbalistic lore; on the other hand, he teases the readers and entices them with these relatively frequent enigmatic comments. In this session we will explore the true nature of Nahmanides' approach to kabbalah and secrecy.