THE SECOND WEEKEND COURSE OF KABBALAH IN BUDAPEST

Led by

Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi (Warren Kenton)

Budapest 4-5 April 2009

About Hungary: The Sanskrit translation of the name Budapest (Buddha pest) is ‘Buddha’s furnace’. Even without such word-gymnastics, the country and its capital have a glorious and drama-filled past that left its imprint on its people. According to legend, it was Attila the Hun who brought his tribes to the land which later became Hungary. Surviving the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, Hungary became one of Europe’s leading powers in the 14th-15th centu-ries. In its heyday, its territory extended from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Since then Hungary has been landlocked, ruled by the Ottoman empire for 150 years and later on it became one half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s dual monarchy -only to lose 2/3 of its territory to the surrounding nations at the Versailles treaty- and has been part of the ‘communism’ experiment for over 40 years. Adding to its gloomy recent history is its “no one understands us” syndrome which in Hungary’s case is true. Although surrounded by Slavic and Latin speaking nations, the Hungarian language has only a remote relationship with Finnish and the language of some Ural tribes. Hungary has a very colourful and long lasting Jewish presence. Even in the 3rd century Jews were living here, though the mass immigration -mainly Sephardic- arrived in the 16-17th century, followed by the Ashkenazi influx in the 19th century. Owing to the different im-migration waves, Hungary had a rich tapestry of Jewish practices, ranging from the Hassi-dism in the Eastern part to one of the first reform communities –called Neologs- estab-lished in the 19th century. The Holocaust wiped out almost all the Hungarian Jews apart from those living in the capital. Some of us are planning to stay on till Tuesday for there is plenty on offer. On Monday morning there will be an English-speaking guided walk in the old Jewish quarter located in the heart of Budapest, where we will visit the exquisite Dohány street synagogue, which is not only the largest in Europe but also houses a brilliant permanent exhibiton. Other opportunities that Budapest has to offer are: river trips on the Danube, sightseeing (Castle Hill, Heroes’ Square, Parliament, Central Market, Communist Statue Park etc.), visiting one of the many famous thermal/Turkish baths, listening to gypsy music and tasting the excellent Hungarian cuisine. Also, in the Opera House on Friday 3 April, from 6pm till 9pm there will be a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni (www.opera.hu) As the course coincides with the Budapest Spring Festival (the largest cultural event in Hungary) there are many concerts, exhibitions, ballets and operas on offer. For details see: www.btf.hu

About the Teacher: Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi is the Hebrew name of Warren Kenton, who was born into an English Sephardic family. After over forty years of study and visiting the ancient centres of Kabbalah in Europe, North Af-rica and Israel, he sees it as his task to translate the Judaic line of Kab-balah into a modern form for anyone who wishes to walk the Way of Kabbalah. He has taught groups in Britain and on the Continent and has run courses in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Australia, Japan and Brazil as well as in Israel. This is his first lecture in Hungary. His fourteen books on Kabbalah, have been translated into thirteen lan-guages, including Hungarian. He lives and works in London with his wife.

Saturday, 4 April: 10:00- 11:15 – session 1: Introduction The course begins with a general introduction to the Tradi-tion. In this session, we will see the Kabbalistic view of Exis-tence and how it is divided into four levels of Reality. This will be followed by the idea of Humanity being a Microcosm of the universe, which is a reflection of the Divine. 11:45- 13:00 – session 2: Life, Death and Reincarnation In this part, we will examine life, death and reincarnation and all the phases of development. 14:15- 15:30 – session 3: Inner exercise In this class, we will practise an interior exercise to gain some insight into the past and other lives. This is a traditional working method of going beyond the ordinary mind and memory. 16:00- 17:15 – session 4: Questions Sunday, 5 April: 10:00- 11:15 – session 1: Kabbalah and Astrology We begin by looking at Astrology, a subject as old as Kabbalah. This was the ancient and

medieval form of psychology, dating back to Ur of the Chaldea's, the home city of Abraham. Here we will show how the two traditions com-plement each other in understanding the evolution of the soul. 11:45- 13:00 – session 2: Anatomy of Fate Here the anatomy of Fate will be seen in terms of the birth chart when put on the Kabbalistic Tree. Then the process of development will be examined and shown how it relates to Destiny, that is, the purpose of an individual's role in the universe, in aiding God to behold God. 14:15- 15:30 – session 3: Inner exercise (The pilgrims way to Jerusalem - meditation) In this interior exercise we will go on a Pilgrimage to the Heavenly Jerusalem. In doing so we will pass through various stages of ascent and view Hell and Paradise, meet our inner teacher, before coming to the Holy Celestial City, where we may ask three important questions. 16:00- 17:15 – session 4: Questions

Course Details: This weekend course consists of an intensive study of the theory of Kabbalah and the experiencing of it through medita-tion practice.

Cost: Around £300/ person (including course cost, flight and accommodation) based on 3 nights. Course cost £90 per person, hotels are from £30-35/ night (based on sharing a twin room), flight ticket varies (wizzair.com, easyjet.com, malev.hu, britishairways.com). To book the course please contact Dalma Garner. Assistance with booking accommodation, flight ticket and other programs is also happily provided. For other programs see the 3rd and 4th para-graphs of ‘About Hungary’ . Course booking & further information/ assistance: Dalma Garner, 07712008689, 02089225455 or dalmecky@gmail.com

The front of Dohány Street Synagogue Interior of Dohány Street Synagogue Hungarian Puli Heroes’ Square Hungarian Horseman from the Hortobágy Crown Jewels

Jewish tombstone, Esztergom, 3rd

century

Window of the Dohány

street synagogue

Paprika

Holocaust memorial in the Jewish quarter

Funeral of L Spira,

the famous orthodox rabbi from Munkács

Gypsy musicians

Founding meeting of Hungarian Isralites

National Society in 1950. On the wall are

pictures of Lenin, Stalin and Rákosi The Little Princess

by

László Marto

n

Hungary in Europe Margit Is

land Fish

ermenás

Bastion

Parliament on the

Danube bank

Hortobágy

Reich Koppel B

udapest Chief

Rabbi and members of th

e

House of Lords

Empire of Attila

the Hun

Margit Island