The first good class on Kabbalah took place—not amongst mystics in a secret cave by candle light—but amongst all Jews in the open by the foot of Mount Sinai.

In fact, while Kabbalah is known as the concealed part of the Torah, and Talmudic Law as the revealed part, at the Giving of the Torah at Sinai it was the other way around. The entirety of Jewish law was actually concealed in the words—in an extra letter here, a turn of a phrase there—meant to be uncovered and understood throughout centuries of Talmudic study.

Kabbalah, on the other hand, was bursting colorfully in the air like a fireworks display. The sky parted like a curtain and the mystical realms were revealed, so that even the simplest person caught a glimpse, so to speak, of the transcendent greatness of G‑d. It was so exciting that people's souls exited their bodies to soar like angels.

This experience is still available at a good Kabbalah class, only in miniature, with some imagination required.