Safed
A hill town in Galilee where, in the sixteenth century, scholars of Kabbalah gathered and made it one of the centres of Jewish mysticism.
Practised and told of here
Best time: Spring and autumn; Lag BaOmer brings very large crowds to nearby Meron.
After the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, many settled in Safed. Within a few decades it housed rabbis such as Moses Cordovero, Isaac Luria (the Ari) and Joseph Karo, who wrote the Shulchan Aruch.
Kabbalah in Safed
The Zohar, a text of Jewish mysticism, was already known in Spain. In Safed, Luria taught a system in which creation involved the breaking of vessels of light and in which human acts help mend the world. The practices that grew here include meditation, night prayer and the welcoming of the Sabbath in the fields.
Amulets and teachers
Jewish folk practice also includes written amulets, protective names of God and the red thread. Rabbis differ over how far these fit with Jewish law, and many hold that Kabbalah's study is closed to those without grounding. Shops in Safed sell objects marketed as Kabbalistic, and critics say the commercial market has little to do with the study.
Visiting
Dress modestly and keep Shabbat hours in mind. Ask before photographing people at prayer, and visit graves with respect.
A respectful visit to Safed
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- The Ari Ashkenazi synagogue Visit the synagogue on the hillside.
- Old cemetery See the graves of the sages, including the Ari and Karo.
- The Artists' Quarter Walk the lanes of the old Arab quarter.
- Abuhav synagogue Look at the blue painted interior.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Safed" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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