5,112 texts · Page 21 of 107
Jewish tradition paints a picture far more intense and overwhelming than we might imagine. The idea that the Torah was given through a single voice? Well, that's just the beginning...
How can you possibly do both? That's the dilemma our ancestors faced after their return to Zion. The story goes that the people, overwhelmed by the demands of rebuilding, found the...
Let’s journey back to Prague, to the time of Rabbi Loew, the famed Maharal. The emperor had just decreed that the horrific blood libel accusations – the false claims that Jews used...
Vital, as recounted in Sefer ha-Hezyonot, dreamed of a very unusual Simhat Torah, the joyous holiday that celebrates the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. Imagine this:...
You might be surprised. It’s not just about commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. According to some mystical traditions, Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks) is actually...
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 ...
It's more than just a day off. It's a portal, a moment when the entire cosmos shifts. According to ancient wisdom, Shabbat (the Sabbath) isn't just about our rest, it's about the u...
It's more than just challah and rest, my friends. The Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah (Zohar 2:88b-89a), paints a stunning picture. It tells us that on the Sabbath, when ...
The Torah tells us that Abraham did. But the story, like so many in our tradition, is layered with meaning, prompting centuries of interpretation and debate. The scene is set in Ge...
One powerful idea, found in Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) ha-Ne'elam and the Zohar Hadash, is that the Garden of Eden is actually hidden. So hidden, in fact, that "it ...
Eternal bliss, unimaginable beauty... who in their right mind would say no? Well, Jewish tradition tells us about righteous rabbis who did just that, refusing the heavenly reward o...
Maybe that’s because the rainbow we see today isn’t the rainbow of the Messiah. Not yet, anyway. : the rainbow we know is a promise, a beautiful one, certainly. It's a reminder 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 HaGilgulim (the reincarnation of souls) (the reincarnation of souls) speaks of different levels of the soul: the ...
Jewish mysticism, specifically through the lens of gilgul (reincarnation), offers an intriguing perspective on this feeling. The Sha'ar HaGilgulim, a core text on the Kabbalistic u...
It’s a question that has occupied Jewish mystics for centuries. to a fascinating idea from the Sha’ar HaGilgulim (the reincarnation of souls), the "Gate of Reincarnations," a text ...
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 HaGilgulim (the reincarnation of souls) (the reincarnation of souls), "The Gate of Reincarnations," specifically section 3. It’s a dense text, but it revea...
Jewish mysticism offers a fascinating, if complex, answer: gilgul (the reincarnation of souls), or reincarnation. Now, when we talk about gilgul, we're not just talking about a sim...
Today, we’re diving into a specific scenario: what happens when someone dies without children, failing to fulfill the mitzvah, the commandment, of Pru u'rvu, "be fruitful and multi...
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...
In Jewish mysticism, particularly within the Kabbalah, this idea is explored in profound and intricate ways. Today, we're diving into a fascinating piece from the Sha'ar HaGilgulim...
In Jewish mystical thought, particularly in the teachings about gilgul (the reincarnation of souls), or reincarnation, it's not just baggage, it's… well, it’s complicated. We’re di...
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 HaGilgulim (the reincarnation of souls) (the reincarnation of souls) – "The Gate of Reincarnations" – specifically s...
It’s a question that’s haunted humanity for, well, forever. And in the Jewish mystical tradition, particularly in the teachings of the Kabbalah, we find some fascinating and intric...
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...
The "Gate of Reincarnations," that little loose end can have some pretty profound implications. To understand this, we need to talk about Rav Sheishet. Now, Rav Sheishet wasn’t jus...
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 idea of reincarnation, or gilgul, is a thread woven deeply into the tapestry of Jewish mystical thought. It suggests that souls, after their time in this world, might return in...
The Sha'ar HaGilgulim (the reincarnation of souls), the "Gate of Reincarnations," a profound Kabbalistic text, delves into this very idea. It explores the intricate dance of souls,...
It holds within it a reflection of every single Jewish soul. The text tells us something pretty : that there are precisely 600,000 souls. Not one more, not one less. And the Torah?...
Tackling it requires us to ask some fundamental questions of our own. But before you run screaming into the night, let’s clarify: We’re not talking about diving into the unknowable...
Some, particularly those who've distanced themselves from the yoke of Torah and mitzvot (commandments), argue that God created the universe and then, essentially, walked away. We'r...
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...
It’s a question that has plagued theologians and philosophers for centuries, and it's a question that sits at the very heart of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. To understand the answer...
Jewish tradition offers a powerful, layered answer, especially when we delve into the mystical teachings of the Zohar. And to understand the Zohar, we need a guide. Enter Baal HaSu...
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 – Atziluth (the World of Emanation), Beriah (the World of Creation), Yetzirah, and Assiyah – a concept we'll un...
It’s a question that’s plagued philosophers and theologians for centuries. But Jewish mystical tradition, specifically as illuminated by Baal HaSulam in his introduction to the Zoh...
It’s a question that sits at the heart of Jewish mystical thought, especially when we delve into the wisdom of the Zohar. Now, the Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah, isn't ...
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...
Jewish mysticism, especially as illuminated by Baal HaSulam in his introduction to the Zohar, offers a fascinating perspective on this very human experience. It suggests this insat...
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 ...
We often think of serving God, or doing good deeds, as something that needs to be completely pure, motivated by selfless love and devotion. But what if the path to that pure intent...
Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, often talks about this very challenge. It’s the struggle to move beyond our inherent self-centeredness and connect with the Divine. And one...
