1,423 related texts · Page 13 of 30
We're diving into a curious custom observed in the month of Siwan (roughly May-June), a time closely associated with Shavuot, the celebration of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai....
He’s painted them as law-breakers, as different, as a threat to the kingdom. Basically, the worst sales pitch ever. But then, bam! God steps in—in a manner of speaking, that is. As...
So, picture this: Satan, the ultimate cosmic prosecutor, he's gone and built a case against the Jewish people. And not just any case. This is the kind of indictment that has God Hi...
The story of Esther in the Megillah, the Book of Esther, wrestles with just that. But it's not just her story; it's about the fate of an entire people, hanging in the balance. Esth...
A shadow loomed large over the Jewish community. Haman, the king's wicked advisor, had plotted their annihilation. Mordecai, a righteous leader, knew that only divine intervention ...
Today, we're diving into one such path, guided by the words of Josephus, a first-century Romano-Jewish historian. He's responding to some pretty harsh claims made by an Egyptian pr...
He's responding to the claims of a writer named Apion, who seems to have a real bone to pick with the Jews of Alexandria. Apion, you see, is going after the Alexandrian Jews, criti...
It’s a question worth asking, because the answer might surprise you. : those who create systems of order, who value living under laws, they're often seen as better, more virtuous p...
The historian Flavius Josephus, writing in his treatise Against Apion, thought he had the answer, at least when it came to the Jewish people. And it all came down to a specific app...
Maybe we should look back, way back, to some ancient wisdom. Flavius Josephus, a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, in his work Against Apion, gives us a glimpse into the values ...
Jewish mysticism gives us a fascinating, mind-bending concept: Adam Kadmon. Adam Kadmon, literally "primordial man," isn't just some ancient dude. According to kabbalistic traditio...
According to the Sefer ha-Bahir, they were so well hidden that they couldn't be revealed to just anyone. So, what did God do? This is where it gets really interesting. God decided ...
One powerful answer lies in the concept of the Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה). The Shekhinah, often described as the divine feminine presence, the immanent glory of God, has a fascinating a...
This brings us to a little story, a fragment really, told by the great Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. You probably know him from his famous Sippurei Ma’asiyot, his collection of thirte...
It's so much more than just a physical act; it’s a profound moment steeped in tradition, faith, and ancient promises. And at the heart of it all stands a powerful, unexpected figur...
One of my favorites involves nothing less than the Torah itself, envisioned as a radiant bride. Imagine this: the sixth day of Creation is wrapping up. God surveys everything He ha...
Jewish tradition suggests that might be truer than you think, especially when it comes to the relationship between us, the Torah, and the Shekhinah (the Divine Presence). The Shekh...
These aren't just any years; they're cosmic Shemittot. The word Shemittah might sound familiar – it's the same word used for the sabbatical year, when fields lie fallow, a time of ...
The notion that everything we've learned, everything we've strived to understand, is just a stepping stone to something even greater. According to some traditions, this Messianic T...
It's all about the soul's ascent, and how we get there. The Sha'ar HaGilgul (the reincarnation of souls)im (the reincarnation of souls) speaks of different levels of the soul: the ...
Jewish tradition offers some fascinating ideas about why that might be. Let’s delve into the mystical concepts of Ibur, Yibbum, and Gilgul (the reincarnation of souls) – ideas that...
We're diving into Sha'ar HaGilgul (the reincarnation of souls)im (the reincarnation of souls), "The Gate of Reincarnations," specifically section 3. It’s a dense text, but it revea...
The Kabbalists, those mystical explorers of Jewish tradition, have pondered this for centuries, and one of the most fascinating concepts they discuss is gilgul (the reincarnation o...
Maybe there's a reason for that. Jewish mystical tradition, particularly in the teachings of gilgul (reincarnation), offers a fascinating perspective on how we evolve, correct mist...
Today, we're diving into a particularly intriguing text, Sha’ar HaGilgul (the reincarnation of souls)im (the reincarnation of souls) – "The Gate of Reincarnations" – specifically s...
Jewish mystical tradition, particularly in the teachings of the Kabbalah, explores this fascinating idea through the concept of gilgul (reincarnation). And within gilgul, there's a...
In the Jewish mystical tradition, particularly within the teachings of the Kabbalah, the concept of reincarnation, or gilgul, offers a fascinating perspective. But it's not always ...
Jewish mystical tradition, specifically the teachings on gilgul (the reincarnation of souls), or reincarnation, delves deep into this very idea. The idea we're unpacking revolves a...
The great kabbalist Baal HaSulam offers a powerful answer, deeply rooted in the wisdom of the Zohar. And it all starts with desire. according to Baal HaSulam’s “Introduction to Zoh...
Or maybe you've asked yourself, "Why is redemption taking so long?" It's a question generations have wrestled with. According to Kabbalah, the answer lies in the two paths God has ...
He tells us, point blank, not to worry so much about creatures other than humans. Why? Because, according to him, humanity is the center of creation. Everything else, all the other...
Think of it as a current flowing from the four sacred worlds of ABYA – Atzilut (the World of Emanation)h, Beriah (the World of Creation), Yetzirah, and Assiyah – a concept we'll un...
It suggests that the path to balance isn't about gentle moderation from the start, but about radical, complete removal first. Sounds intense. Think of it like this: imagine a sculp...
It all boils down to this: we're born with a desire to receive. Think of a newborn baby – all they do is receive nourishment, comfort, love. That desire isn't inherently bad, it's ...
Baal HaSulam, a towering figure in 20th-century Kabbalah, provides incredible insight into how we truly grow spiritually. He tells us in his introduction to the Zohar that simply d...
It's not just about dusty old books; it’s about seeing ourselves within a much grander design. One of the most profound ways to grasp this is through the idea that the six thousand...
Jewish mysticism, particularly through the lens of the Zohar, offers a fascinating perspective on this. Imagine the cosmos as a series of nested forms, called Partzufim (literally ...
It's a question that still echoes today, isn't it? "What's the difference," Rav Pappa asks, "between those earlier generations, the ones practically swimming in miracles, and us? W...
We read tales of miracles, of prayers answered instantly, of a connection to the divine that feels almost unimaginable today. But why does it seem so distant? Why can't we conjure ...
And according to some, this feeling has deep roots in how we relate to the most mystical parts of our tradition. : we often focus on the halakha, the practical laws, the dos and do...
Baal HaSulam, a towering figure in Kabbalah, suggests this very feeling is a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. In his introduction to the Zohar, that foundational text of Jewi...
We all probably have at some point. But what happens when that unwavering commitment actually causes harm? That's the kind of sticky situation that Baal HaSulam, in his remarkable ...
It turns out, in Kabbalah, it absolutely is! Today, we're going to delve into a fascinating, albeit complex, concept from the Sulam commentary, which unveils hidden meanings within...
It's not always a smooth, linear process. Sometimes, it takes a little... well, a collision. In Kabbalah, the emergence of a lower partzuf – a spiritual configuration or "face" – i...
See, according to Petichah LeChokhmat HaKabbalah (An Introduction to the Wisdom of Kabbalah), when we talk about higher and lower realms, we're not talking about physical locations...
Let me tell you a story from Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati, a mystical text filled with visions of heavenly realms and encounters with powerful angels. It's a wild tale ...
Imagine, instead, a ladder in your house that does lead somewhere incredible. A ladder to the divine, to the very Throne of Glory itself! That's the image we get from Heikhalot (th...
It’s not your average velvet-rope situation. This one involves angels, mystical ascents, and some serious spiritual prerequisites. We're diving into the world of the Merkabah, the ...
