Weekly Kabbalah Newsletter #234

“Only the spiritual body, or the soul, is the human being in me because the animate body cares only for itself, the animal, and exists only as long as this animal is alive. More…”

Awakening the Spiritual Human
That Exists in Us All

A collection of weekly quotes, highlights from events, book deals and new articles and videos.

Please click here to read Weekly Kabbalah Newsletter #234.

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This week’s recommended reading: 19th Adar – 25th Adar, 5769

Torah Reading for Week of March 15-21, 2009 – Adar 19-25 5769

Pekudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38) – It’s All in the Timing – by Rabbi Max Weimman

Advanced Parsha – Pekudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38) – His Soul’s Fire – by Rabbi Noson Weisz – Aish Jerusalem

Insights from the ZOHAR on the Weekly Torah Reading – Pekudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38) – The Supernal Source of War By Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai

Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom – “Childless”, By Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron

Chassidic Pearls – Seeing and Hearing the Tzaddik, First-hand – Parshat Vayakhel – By: Rabbi Lazer Brody

Stories for the Shabbos Table – The Holiness of a Shabbat Gathering – Vayakhel – By The Baal Shem Tov

The editorial page of Breslev Israel’s English website – The Deer and the Wolves By Rabbi Lazer Brody

The Final Exile of Yishmael (forefather of Arabs)

From the The Final Exile of Yishmael (forefather of Arabs), reprinted with the kind permission of:

The Final Exile of Yishmael (forefather of Arabs) by Rav Chaim Vital (1543-1620)

Rabbi Chaim Vital was unquestionably the leading disciple of the Holy Arizal, Rabbi Isaac Luria, and his foremost interpreter. The Ari himself wrote very little and what is commonly known as the “Ari’s writings”, were in fact transcribed by Rabbi Chaim. The Divine flow experienced by the Ari was so overwhelming that he was unable to commit it to writing. As he himself expressed it: “When I begin to reveal a Torah secret to you the flow of knowledge becomes like a mighty stream and I look for ways to open a small channel that you will be capable of absorbing .”Rabbi Chaim Volozhin bears witness to the fact that when he mentioned the Ari to the Vilna Gaon the Gaon’s whole body trembled (hakdama l’sefer dtzinuata). The following is a quote from his book “Etz Hadaas Tov” section Tehilim 124. “You already know that the exiles (from Egypt until the Mashiach) are four, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome (as represented by the four cups of wine on Pesach, the four beasts in Daniel 7, and many other places. The fourth, Rome stretched out from the 2nd temple destruction and apparently ended with the holocaust.) However, the Jewish people are destined further in the end of days to be in the exile of Yishmael, as mentioned in Pirkei D’Rebi Eliezer, and in the Midrashim of our Rabbis, and in the Zohar end of Parsha Lech Lecha. And there in (Zohar) Parsha Lech Lecha it says that being that Yishmael is the son of Avraham, and was circumcised, he is called “Pereh Adam” (“A wild donkey of a man” – Bereishit 16:12), implying not a full man, because he was circumsized without Priah (an integral part of the Bris Mila). But the other four exiles are compared to beasts as mentioned in the book of Daniel (Chapter 7). Behold King David prophesied with ruach hakodesh in this psalm (Psalm 124) all that the future holds for the Jewish people to be in, in these exiles. (here’s a quote of the Psalm 124:) 1 A Song of Ascents; of David. ‘If it had not been the L-ORD who was for us’, let Israel now say; 2 ‘If it had not been for the L-ORD who was for us, when a man (Adam) rose up over us, 3 Then they had swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us; 4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul; 5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.’ 6 Blessed be the L-ORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the L-ORD, who made heaven and earth. Behold, while in the fourth exile, they will say (verse 1) “If it had not been for the L-RD who was for us’, Israel will say;”, which means now in these four exiles we would have been destroyed completely, as he says afterwards “Then they had swallowed us up alive” (verse 3). And expound the verse as if it says “Israel will say ‘if it had not been for the L-ord’”, which means, now during these four exiles. But there is an additional fifth and final exile for all of them and which is harder than all of them. And this is the exile of Yishmael, who is called “Pereh Adam” (“A wild donkey of a man”), and he is not compared to a beast (like the other 4 exiles). Then Israel will call out in a different manner, which is (verse 2) ‘If it had not been for the L-ORD who was for us, when a man (Adam) rose up over us’. (the “man” refers to Yishmael, who is the “Pereh Adam”), because being that he is a man due to being the son of Avraham, and therefore he has the merit of his forefather, as we find, (Avraham praying for Yishmael to G-d): “would that Yishmael live before You (Bereishis 17:18)“, and he also has the merit of the Mila (circumcision). Due to this also, he is called “Adam”, therefore his exile is harder than the other four kingdoms, as our Sages have said: “Because for this he is called Yishmael, that in the future Yisrael will scream out, tremendous screams in the days of his exile, and the ‘Yishma’ – ‘El’ (G-d will hear), and will answer them. And since other nations always had some form of rulership on other (smaller nations), unlike Yishmael, who dwelled alone in the deserts, and who would not deal with other nations…And afterwards Yishmael will rise and become king over the entire world, and over Yisrael. And this is what is meant by “when a man rose up over us” (verse 2), similar to what is said in the Zohar on the verse “a new king rose up” (Shmos 1), because at first he was lower than all the nations and now he rose to Kingship… And this is what Israel will say then “If it had not been for the L-ORD who was for us, when a man (Adam) rose up over us”, which is Yishmael, “Then they had swallowed us up alive” (verse 3), which means then during the fifth exile it will be different than all that passed over us. Because they will want to swallow us alive , in the manner of “and the sheathes swallowed them”, (Bereishis 41:24), “and it was not noticeable that they were inside them”, because G-d forbid, when their wrath will be kindled against us, they will desire to erase the name Yisrael from under the heavens, like something which is swallowed, whose existence is no longer noticeable at all, and as if it never existed. Unlike the other four exiles which are referred to “Then the waters had overwhelmed us” (verse 5), because their exiles are easier and we were compared to one who was overwhelmed by water but his body still exists, and was not swallowed up completely….. …..and he will cause suffering to Israel, great and terrible sufferings, such that none like these had ever been seen, and we will not know what to do. And we will have no other hope than to trust in His great Name to save us from his hand. And this is what is meant in verse 8, “Our help is in the name of the L-ORD, who made heaven and earth. Which means who made heaven and earth for the sake of the torah and Yisrael who as in the verse “if not for my covenant day and night (study of torah), I would not have appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth (Yirmiyahu 33:25)”. Therefore He is forced to help us from their hands, and redeem us a full future redemption, in order that there will be a cause for the existence of heaven and earth. see also: 02-shmos-purpose_of_suffering.mp3 by Rav Nissan Kaplan

This article, reprinted with the kind permission of:

Messiah’s Horn

Following are excerpts taken from the article “Messiah’s Horn“, hosted in www.kabbalah.info, by Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (1884-1954) known as Baal HaSulam (Owner of the Ladder) for his Sulam (ladder) commentary on The Book of Zohar.

Redemption Only through Kabbalah

Know, that this is what it means that the children of Israel are redeemed only after the wisdom of the hidden is revealed to a great extent, as it is written in The Zohar, “With this composition, the children of Israel are redeemed from exile.” This is because at that time there was great hope.

Writing The Zohar and Concealing It

The writing of The Zohar began at the time of the disclosing of Bar-Kokheva, of which Rabbi Akiva, Rashbi’s teacher, said, “There shall step forth a star out of Jacob.” Additionally, after the ruin of Beitar, there was great hope.

And because of that, Rashbi permitted himself and disclosed the wisdom of the hidden in his books the Zohar and the Tikkunim. However, it was with great care, since he only permitted Rabbi Abba, who could disclose in secret, so only the sages of the children of Israel would understand, and the sages of the nations of the world would not understand, for fear lest the wicked would know how to serve their masters. Therefore, as soon as they saw that the time was too soon for Israel’s redemption, they hid it. That was at the time of the sages, the Savoraim, because we find that our sages, the Savoraim, wrote plenty concerning matters in The Zohar.

Disclosing the Kabbalah Is God’s Will

Indeed, it was God’s will that it would appear. This is why it wandered onto the widow of Rabbi Moshe de Leon. She inherited the manuscript from her husband, and he probably told her nothing of the prohibition to disclose, and she incidentally put it up for sale.

Israel’s Trouble Are because of the Disclosure of Kabbalah

From the Orchards of Jerusalem – Parshas Acharei Mos/Kedoshim

by Daneal Weiner

Parsha Acharei Mos/Kedoshim

(May this Torah be a zchus for a Refua Shlaima B’karov for a bochur who had a terrible fall tonight.)

Omer Tov! For the past two weeks we’ve learned quite a bit about the greatness of Nadav and Avihu. So this week I was thinking about a change. Pretty inane thinking since this week the Diaspora is reading

Parshas Acharai Mos / Kedoshim

and the first of these two parshas opens with, “Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon’s two sons…” So they’re good enough for the Torah to bring up again but I should move on to other things??? If I were you guys I would stop reading this right… n-n-n-not yet…n-n-no not yet…n-n-n-now on the other hand, let’s not be quick to judge.

Speaking of judging, it says in the Book of Iyov, 38:22-3, “Have you come upon the storehouses of snow or seen the storehouses of hail which I have kept for a time of travail, for a day of battle and war?” Hashem is asking Iyov this question to make him realize the limits of his wisdom. The hail, as we saw by Egypt, Hashem uses when he judges the enemies of Israel. This info on the verse, however, is FYI! All in need is that the words “battle and war” in Hebrew are “krav u’milchamah”. “Krav” which here means battle is the same three letter root of a word meaning “came close”. The obvious connection between ‘battle’ and ‘close’ is “Don’t shoot till you see the whites of their eyes.” The two go hand in hand.

“Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon’s two sons when they approached before Hashem, and they died.” The word “approached” in Hebrew is “b’karvasam”, from the same dual identity root word ‘krav’. This enables us to retranslate the verse, “…after the death of Aharon’s two sons in their battle before Hashem, and they died.” They certainly didn’t do battle with Hashem!! Before Him they came and put their lives on the line. What were they fighting for? No less than the Tikun Olam- redemption of the world! The time wasn’t right, however. Hashem, in the very next verse, warns Moshe to tell Aharon “he shall not come at all times into the Holy [of Holies]” because certain things can be done only when the time is right.

In this chapter the Torah prescribes and describes for us the Yom Kippur service! It is from here that Chazal- our Sages ask, “Why is the death of the righteous mentioned in connection with the Yom Kippur service?” They answer, “Because just as Yom Kippur brings atonement, so too does the death of the righteous.” The Sfas Emes takes it a step further and writes, “It seems Bnei Yisrael merited the Yom Kippur service by their [Nadav and Avihu's] hands and so we read this chapter on Yom Kippur”!!! Baruch Hashem!

Reveiwing some ideas from the death of Nadav and Avihu, like when it took place, back in Parshas Shmini the first Rashi says it was on the first of the month of Nissan. Although some feel the parshas name, Shmini- 8th, tells us it was the 8th day of the month of Nissan, Rashi asserts it was the 8th day of the inauguration of the Mishkan- Sanctuary, which fell out on the 1st of Nissan. He supports his assertion with the book “Seder Olam” which mentions 10 ‘crowns’ which were taken by that day. It was a Sunday, the first day of Creation. It was the first day the regular alter service began. It was the first day the gifts brought by the princes were offered. It was the first time a fire descended from heaven onto the alter. If you haven’t a Seder Olam, all 10 are brought down in ArtScrolls Sapirstien Vayikra as well. The one crown important to Rashi was for being the first day of the first month of the year. 1 Nissan. The New Moon

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Bnei Yisrael are sometimes depicted by the moon. After waning and seemingly disappearing, if you look hard enough you see we’re still there. Then there is a rebirth. A new beginning. But THAT new moon, Nadav and Avihu knew there hadn’t been a day like it since Creation. 10 crowns! (I don’t know what it means either.) Such a strong power of hischadshus- newness! The time of the Tikun Olam, which is the time of the Mashiach, will be the ultimate in hischadshus! Nadav and Avihu wanted to take advantage of the force of these 10 new crowns, and bring the final redemption right then and there!

We have a glimmer of this hischadshus at various times on the Jewish calendar. On Pesach we were certainly given a new start. Every year we can tap into that power and throw off whatever chains that may bind us. We then count to Shavu’os, the day we received the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. They were “charus”- engraved on stone. Chazal say don’t read it “charus” but “chairus”- freedom. Again a new beginning to draw energy from. Another new beginning is every Rosh Chodesh- the New month. Certainly Rosh Hashanah- New Years. Yom Kippur is a stronger dose still. It gives us atonement. A new slate. The most prominent manifestation of the force of the Mashiach, though, is the Yovel Year- the Jubilee.

Yovel occurs after 7 times 7 years. In the 50th year Hashem tells Bnei Yisrael that Yovel is a time to “proclaim freedom throughout the land for all its inhabitants.” All slaves go free, whether they like it or not. Also all lands revert back to their ancestral owners. Everyone gets a fresh start. When does the proclamation occur? (25:9) “You shall sound a broken blast of the shofar on the 10th day of the 7th month, the Day of Atonement.” Yom Kippur! We see the strongest force of hischadshus in the Yovel year which is tied securely into Yom Kippur, which brings it right back around to Nadav and Avihu.

Nadav and Avihu wanted to make it not just any Yovel year but the final Yovel year, so to speak! Rav Wolfson (you didn’t think I came up with all this!?) says this is hinted at the end of our opening verse, “…when they approached/battled before Hashem and they died.” In Hebrew that’s “b’karvasam lifnay Hashem vayamusu”, it’s 4 letter acronym being the letters which spell “Yovel”!!!

The Zohar tell us Nadav and Avihu’s souls wandered on earth a short time till they joined with Pinchas who we now was also Eliyahu. Eliyahu will Herald in that Yovel of all Yovels! Nadav and Avihu had the ability and they will bring it to fruition. As mentioned earlier, that time wasn’t right for it. Hashem did say (16:3) “with this may Aharon come into the Holy [of Holies]“. There are times and conditions that Aharon may enter. When we can glean a bit of the Hischadshus. For now, Nadav and Avihu’s efforts have given us the Yom Kippur service!

As only Rav Wolfson can, he sums it all up with Hashem’s aforementioned warning not to bring the redemption early, “And he shall not come at all times into the Holy [of Holies]” = 1024. Because when the time is right “I send to you Eliyah the prophet.” = 1024! “V’al yavo b’chol ais el haKodesh” = 1024 = “Anochi sholayach lachem es Eliyah HaNavi” (If you’re 6 off in your calculation, that’s “Eliyah,” not “Eliyahu”! Malachi 3:23)

Not that Rav Wolfson needs my confirmations- I recall a vort from Parshas Shmini. When the Torah tells us of the death of Nadav and Avihu, there is much discussion over what their sin was. The Torah says about Nadav and Avihu, “each took his fire pan.” They each thought to do the same thing and did it on their own. [You know what, I think I typed it on this very same computer... abracadabra........v'zing! ]

Chazal say this describes another shortcoming, that they acted individually, even while together. Had they discussed it with one another, played devil’s advocate to each other, they would have realized their slightly less than 100% pure intentions which would have stopped them immediately. When Moshe tells the two surviving brothers to enter the Mishkan to remove the bodies he commands them saying ‘kirvu’, from the root ‘karev’ which means ‘come close’. A strange verb to use. Moshe is warning them to be unified. The opposite of the sin.

This is a great vort! Till we come to this weeks Parsha where it says, “Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon’s two sons when they approached before Hashem and they died.” And the word “approached”- b’karvasam, is from the same root as the word Moshe used to command the brothers to stay united! So Nadav and Avihu did go in unified!?! Unless, like Rav Wolfson said, you translate it not from the root meaning ‘near’ but from the root meaning ‘battle’!

All I need to do is run that past someone with a long white beard and find out if it’s emes or fish rapping! (pun intended)

Coming up this week is Pesach Sheini- the Second Pesach and Lag b’Omer- the 33rd day of Sfiras HaOmer- the counting of the Omer. On the second day of Pesach an Omer offering was brought and from then Hashem commanded us to count 7 times 7 weeks till the Revelation on Mt. Sinai. These days are a time of introspection and working on self improvement. Although “S’firah” means count, in Kabbalistic terms it also means “sphere”. There are 7 spheres or heavens which cloak the world. Each represents a force set in motion through which the world exists and it reflects similar forces which exist in the world itself. The 7 times 7 counting reflects the 7 spheres or forces divisible by the same 7 forces manifest within each other in nature. The Yovel year reflects this pattern and so too the S’firas HaOmer. Each day of the count is labeled paralleling this 7 x 7 matrix. (like 1a, 1b, 1c…1g, 2a, 2b, 2c…2g, 3a…etc. till 7g) Truth is, within the 7th of each 7 is found all 7. And all 7 in that. (That’s 1A1a, 1A1b, 1A1c, etc. till 7G7g) Infinately. (That’s…too much) This 2 dimensional array is enough to reflect this idea. One of the Sfiras (spheres) is called Hode.

Some of Bnei Yisrael who were contaminated Pesach time came to Moshe and asked why they should miss out on the Pesach offering. Chazal say they became contaminated because they were the ones carrying Yoseph’s bones from Egypt or because they came across an unidentified corpse and fulfilled the commandment to bury it. Either way, their question to Moshe was, how could it be that fulfilling one command would render them ineligible for another? Surely an exception could be made? Not only those contaminated but also, at a later time, anyone too far from Jerusalem couldn’t participate. There seems to be this underlying message that when Pesach, the time of redemption, comes, there are going to be some Jews that are not going to be redeemed! They are severely impure or too far off the beaten path! OY! Is there any hope for them?

This coming week we enter into the sfirah of Hode and the 7 forces represented within Hode. Recent Sages have said that Hode is the lowest of the Spheres. Both Pesach Sheini and Lag B’Omer fall in the week of Hode! Lag B’Omer even falls on Hode within Hode!!! Doesn’t sound good. Just the opposite! Pesach Sheini is G-d’s answer to the impure and far off brethren. “You’re in!” Lag B’Omer is a day we remember Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the book on Kabbalah, the Zohar. ‘Zohar’ means ‘beacon’. Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai saw the lowly state that Bnei Yisrael would reached and he took a glimmer of the light of the final redemption and he revealed it to the world in his mystical work. Symbolic of this illumination we have the custom of lighting bon fires on Lag B’Omer.

Although the most fitting time for our final redemption has past, the month of Nissan, and we have not been redeemed, Hashem does not want us to loose hope either! It can happen this 14th of Iyar just the same. And 2 is enough to reflect the infinate! So the redemption can be the 14th of Sivan, Tamuz, Av or any other day of the year and any time of any day of the year! Like right n-n-n-now! N-n-n-now! Now! Ok, now! Now! Now! [Even though Acharai Mos teaches the redemption which will come even at the lowest times and in the lowest states, the second parsha this week says, Kedoshim Tehiyu!!! Don't worry, be HOLY!] Now! N-n-n-ow, R-r-r-r-right NOW!

Now you now have yourselves now a glimmering, now, illuminating, now, holy Shabbot, now, Shalonowm!!!

From the Orchards of Jerusalem is reprinted with kind permission of Daf Yomi Review.

The Eye Sees and the Heart Covets

By Rabbi Shalom Arush
Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody

The Tale of the Lost Princess

Part 22 from The Garden of Yearning

Rabbi Zev “Velvel” Cheshin of blessed memory, one of the prominent Breslover Chassidim of the previous generation, would say in the name of the Zohar that the Yetzer Hara is not allowed to enter a person except through the eyes. In our tale, we see this principle clearly. Had the viceroy guarded his eyes – and that means closing them, especially to temptation – he wouldn’t have suffered a setback and he’d have rescued the princess then and there.

The very first sin in the world – Adam’s – began with the eyes, for it is written (see Bereishit, chapter 3), “And the woman saw that the tree is good for eating, for it was irresistible in her eyes and pleasingly enlightening so she took from its fruit and gave it also to her man with her and he ate.”

All the blemishes imaginable – lust for women, lust for food, lust for money, coveting, jealousy, and many more – all begin with the eyes. Rashi teaches us (see his commentary of Parshat Shlach), that “what the eye sees, the heart covets.”

Read complete Essay.