Robby Adler Peckerar · Holy Spirits: Ecstatic Joy and the Wine of Torah

There's a curious bit of mystical arithmetic: the Hebrew word for wine, יין [yayin], adds up to 70. And Torah, according to the rabbis, has 70 faces: 70 ways of reading, arguing, and turning the text inside out. Like wine, interpretation reveals new flavors with every pour.

The Hasidic masters, especially the restless, often grief-stricken Nachman of Bratslav, took this a step further. They insisted that holiness wasn't confined to the study hall. Drinking, singing, dancing: these acts of earthly joy could become genuine divine communion. It's a paradox that transformed spirituality in Eastern Europe and still resonates today.

This program explores how joy became a spiritual practice in Hasidic thought. Drawing from Adler Peckerar's new translation of Nachman's tales, the evening will feature readings, Hasidic melodies, and drink—plenty of it.

Come discover what those Hasidic revolutionaries knew: sometimes the most direct route to the sacred runs through song, story, and a well-filled glass.