Drawing from the wisdom of Chasidic teaching, the most basic building blocks of existence will be reexamined from the bottom up, revolutionizing our understanding of life, reality and our place in the world.

"I find that many people, particularly in Vail, are looking to deepen their experience of life," Mintz said. "This course invites participants to live more deeply, by deepening their thinking, insight and awareness of the fundamentals of life and of our universe."

"What Is?" explores six questions that have challenged mankind: Is the world real? Is time travel possible? Why does evil exist? Who is God? What is consciousness? Are we bound by fate?

"Our goal is to invite participants to seek out a deeper understanding of their world," said Rabbi Zalman Abraham, of the Jewish Learning Institute, which created the course. "By doing so, we hope to give people the tools to experience a richer, deeper, and more meaningful life."

The course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All institute courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple or other house of worship.

To learn more, call 970-476-7887 or go to http://www.jewishvail.com for registration and for other course-related information.