Why Sneezes Were Created

Alphabet of Ben Sira 32

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·March 24, 2026

ו "Why were sneezes created?" He said to him, "If not for sneezes, people would defecate in their clothes, but when a person knows that sneezes are coming upon them, they can go and attend to their needs, so they they do not come to shame, and sitting in their soiled clothes.

Themes

Continue Reading

Kalach Pitchei ChokhmahEyn Sof's Concealment as the Key to CreationKalach Pitchei Chokhmah – a key work of Kabbalah whose title means "A Garland of Openings of Wisdom" – offers a fascinating way to understand it. It all hinges Idra ZutaEverything Rabbi Shimon Revealed Was Face-to-FaceRabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the sage traditionally credited with authoring the Zohar, makes a powerful statement. He declares that everything he has revealed about Ben SiraWho Can Count the Sands of the Sea"The sands of the seas, the drops of rain, and the days of eternity, who can count them?" he asks. It's a rhetorical question, of course. The answer is: nobody.Letter of AristeasFools and Sages of LetterThere's a deeper reason, a philosophy woven into the very fabric of Jewish life. You're sitting with a wise sage, someone deeply connected to the ancient tradit Letter of AristeasPtolemy's Intellectual Feast with Jewish SagesEveryone retires, full of food and, no doubt, thought. The next day, the intellectual feast truly begins. The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating historical text,Baal HaSulam's Preface to ZoharAtzilut's Planned Design and the Lower WorldsIn the Kabbalah, the answer lies, in part, in understanding the relationship between different spiritual realms, specifically Atzilut (the World of Emanation),