Before attendees begin studying with Rabbi Shlomo Zarchi at his monthly Kabbalah class, they unwrap their Subway sandwiches. Then they exchange business cards.
After all, this is a business “Lunch and Learn Kabbalah Study” in downtown San Francisco, where the networking never stops.
The rabbi of San Francisco’s Orthodox Congregation Chevra Thilim, Zarchi launched the class six months ago, and so far has drawn a regular crowd of around 20 attendees, with the numbers rising steadily.
They represent all kinds of vocations, from psychotherapy and social work to business consulting and entrepreneurship.
Aside from imparting Torah knowledge and offering networking opportunities, the purpose of the class is “to show the connectivity of all souls, all people,” Zarchi says. “It wasn’t just to find business friends. Kabbalah shows how, deep down, we are originally one.”
The class meets on the third Monday of every month in the conference room of a Market Street office building. Topics covered usually center on a kabbalistic tenet, from the definition of the soul to explaining the origin of the bow-and-arrow as a symbol of Lag B’Omer.
“Kabbalah speaks in a slightly different language,” notes Zarchi when describing his class. “It speaks in absolutes, in energy forms. It uses terms for celestial ideas that don’t have a comparison in our [daily] language.”
A veteran teacher, Zarchi had been seeking a new forum for Torah study. Attorney Joel Siegal, a Chevra Thilim congregant, says he and Zarchi first discussed the concept of a lunchtime Kabbalah class during the height of the recent recession.
“I knew real estate brokers and business people who were hurting,” Seigal recalls. “I suggested we combine Kabbalah study with networking, so that some of those folks and others could make contacts and maybe put some deals together. Rabbi Shlomo thought it was a great idea.”
The class meets in Siegal’s building.
Most attendees are Jewish, though some non-Jews come to the class, as well. A Presbyterian minister has been a frequent student. Zarchi says the universal values explored in class appeal to all.
“For people who had little exposure to Judaism in general, this has been an eye-opener,” he says. “Kabbalah for many people is an entry point for Jewish learning. All you have to do is make the first step.”
Classes usually start with personal introductions, with students also adding something about the work they do. The goal is to open the doors to new business opportunities, even as the group studies Kabbalah.
Zarchi designs the classes so that anyone attending for the first time will not feel lost.
He says he first presents a Jewish text and how it’s been understood for thousands of years. Then he switches it up to give a kabbalistic understanding.
“Kabbalah is a commentary on the Torah,” Zarchi says. “We spend the majority of the session talking about how Kabbalah is a metamorphosis of a story and a character, to show it has many layers. Every month,” he adds, “we try to start from the beginning.”
Zarchi relishes the idea of bringing the work world and spiritual world together, even if it’s just for lunch.
“People assume Torah lives in one space, career in a different sphere,” he says. “Kabbalah explains that we don’t have separate lives.
“Downtown is not separate from Torah. How we run our business should be permeated with Torah values.”
The next “Lunch and Learn Kabbalah Study” takes place Monday, June 20, at 703 Market St., S.F. Information: www.sfshul.org.