1,216 texts · Page 8 of 26
Josephus points out a fundamental problem: when historians lack reliable source material, disagreements are bound to arise. If there are no original records, then individual interp...
The historian Josephus, writing in his work Against Apion, gives us a glimpse into the Jewish perspective on this very question. He contrasts the Jewish reverence for scripture wit...
Josephus, the first-century Romano-Jewish historian, certainly felt that way, and in his work Against Apion, he confronts this head-on. Josephus points out that some writers chose ...
Flavius Josephus, a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian, knew that feeling all too well. In his work, Against Apion, he defends Judaism against its detractors, and in this section,...
Agrippa went from debtor, to exile, to suicidal fugitive, to prisoner in chains, to king of all Judea. His life reads like the plot of a novel that an editor would reject as too im...
It suggests that the entire universe, everything we know, exists only because God is actively, constantly, paying attention. for a second. A sixteenth-century Kabbalistic text, Or ...
Like an invisible wall is standing between you and... well, anything? According to Kabbalah, that feeling might be more real than you think. The great Kabbalist, Baal HaSulam, in h...
Jewish mysticism wrestles with this very idea, particularly when it comes to our own imperfections. The great Kabbalist, Baal HaSulam – Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag, known for h...
It's all about desire, at least according to the wisdom of Kabbalah. We've been talking about the different levels of creation, and how each one embodies a greater degree of ratzon...
He suggests that the answer lies in the very structure of creation itself, in the Partzuf (a divine configuration)im (divine countenances) of the worlds and souls. Think of it like...
And the answer, according to the great Kabbalist Baal HaSulam in his "Preface to Zohar," lies in how we perceive the world around us. Baal HaSulam breaks down our perception into f...
The whole universe, from the tiniest grain of sand to the most articulate philosopher, is interconnected. There's a hierarchy, sure, but also a deep, underlying unity. That's preci...
And the answer, according to Kabbalah, is…imprints. Think of it like this: each world, each level of existence, leaves its mark on the one below. It’s a cascading effect, a divine ...
It’s a question that has driven mystics for centuries, and it all boils down to understanding the difference between potential and actuality. Baal HaSulam, in his preface to the Zo...
What if our perception is just... a cosmic illusion? In Kabbalah, this idea gets even more mind-bending, especially when we start talking about the sefirot (the divine emanations),...
And the answer, according to Kabbalah, might surprise you. Baal HaSulam, in his profound "Preface to the Zohar," gives us a clue. He suggests that form and similitude – the very es...
You grasp for words, knowing they’ll always fall short. And that, in a nutshell, is a tiny piece of the challenge we face when we talk about the Divine. Because here's the thing: w...
It’s a question that’s haunted mystics for centuries. And one of the key concepts in the Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, to understanding that process, involves something called the se...
And today, we're going to peek into one specific corner of that journey: the Malkhut (Sovereignty) of the head. Now, Malkhut (מלכות) itself means "kingdom" or "kingship." In the Ka...
One of the core concepts in Kabbalah is the idea of partzuf (a divine configuration)im (singular: partzuf) – divine personas, or faces of God, if you will. Think of them as archety...
To understand this, we need to talk about Malkhut (Sovereignty) and Bina. Malkhut (מלכות), often translated as "kingdom" or "sovereignty," is the last of the ten Sefirot, the emana...
In Kabbalah, the ancient Jewish mystical tradition, there's a concept that speaks directly to this feeling: the idea that everything – every level of existence, every aspect of our...
That feeling, that subtle tension, can be found even in the highest realms of Kabbalistic thought. We're diving into a concept from the Sulam commentary, a key to understanding the...
Think of them as filters, each one expressing the divine light in a different way. Now, within this framework, we encounter Yisrael Sabba and Tevuna. These are elevated spiritual c...
They're not just decorations! They're vowels, and in Kabbalah, they're so much more than just sounds. They're pathways to understanding the deepest secrets of creation. Today, let'...
But in Kabbalah, the ancient Jewish mystical tradition, even the smallest detail can unlock immense understanding. Today, we're diving into a concept from the Sulam Commentary that...
In Kabbalah, the mystical Jewish tradition, there are fascinating explanations for this sense of lack, rooted in the very structure of the cosmos. Today, let's peek into the inner ...
So, what's going on? According to the Sulam Commentary, because of the ascent of Malkhut (Sovereignty) – which we can think of as the divine feminine, or the Kingdom – it drew the ...
In Kabbalah, the concept of brokenness and repair is central to understanding creation itself. And a key part of that story involves Ze’er Anpin and his Nukba. We've been talking a...
That’s Kabbalah for you! to a particularly fascinating layer: the partzuf (a divine configuration)im (the divine configurations), or divine countenances, specifically within the re...
That feeling isn't just a modern phenomenon. The mystics of Kabbalah, seeking to understand the structure of the divine, also grappled with complex relationships. to some of those ...
Think of them as divine countenances, aspects of God interacting. Today, we're diving into the relationship between two of these partzuf (a divine configuration)im (the divine conf...
It’s a story of light, vessels, and intricate relationships, a dance of creation that's both complex and beautiful. Today, we're going to delve into a specific part of that story: ...
Jewish mysticism, especially in the Kabbalah, explores this concept through the lens of partzuf (a divine configuration)im (divine countenances or configurations). And it suggests ...
It seems like a simple astronomical fact, but in the world of Jewish mysticism, the Kabbalah, it’s a story brimming with cosmic drama, ego, and ultimately, divine wisdom. Imagine, ...
At the heart of this answer lie the sefirot (the divine emanations). These are the ten divine attributes, the ten ways that God manifests in the world. Think of them as facets of a...
Think of it as a veil, a filter, a cosmic dimmer switch. Now, this partition, according to the teachings of Petichah LeChokhmat HaKabbalah, isn’t just a single thing. It operates o...
Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, has a fascinating way of explaining this feeling, using the metaphor of vessels and lights. Specifically, we're talking about the partzuf (...
We're going to be talking about partzuf (a divine configuration)im (divine countenances or configurations) – specifically Ab and Sag. Think of them as cosmic blueprints, intricate ...
In Kabbalah, the ancient Jewish mystical tradition, that feeling isn't just a feeling. It's often a clue to understanding the complex relationships between different aspects of the...
We're diving into a fascinating, and frankly a little unnerving, corner of Jewish lore today, exploring a passage from Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati. What is Heikhalot R...
The Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati, a key text in the Heikhalot literature—think of it as ancient mystical guidebooks to heavenly palaces—hints at just such a figure. It ...
Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati, a text from the Heikhalot literature – these are mystical Jewish texts describing ascents to the divine realm – gives us a glimpse. It pai...
The Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati, a fascinating and somewhat terrifying text from the early Kabbalistic tradition, hints at the impossibility – and the danger – of such...
The text paints a picture of unparalleled majesty, asking, "Who is like unto our King among all the lofty ones… Who is like our Maker? Who is like unto the Lord our God?" It's a rh...
And while the Torah itself seems to discourage the idea, hinting at the impossibility of seeing God and living, the mystical tradition, particularly the Heikhalot (the heavenly pal...
That’s the image conjured in the ancient mystical text, Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati. Heikhalot Rabbati, meaning "The Greater Palaces," is a key work in the Heikhalot l...
The Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati, a foundational text in Jewish mystical literature describing ascents into the heavenly realms, gives us a glimpse. It asks a staggerin...
