Tag: torah
A Short Tribute to Etrog for Tu B’Shvat
The word for etrog (אתרוג) relates to the Hebrew root, רגג, which means, “to long and desire"; etrog corresponds to to the heart area, the center of conscious emotion and desire.
Chanukka: Harbinger of Messianic Gender Shifts to Come
Chanukka references toward the future, R. Luria associates them with Mashiach ben David, when “the woman of valor becomes the crown to her husband.”
Masters of Judgement
Rosh Hashana marks the conception and Pesach marks the birth of Knesset Yisrael, the Mystical Body of Israel, born on the other side of the parted sea.
Black Fire on White Fire: Torah of Atzilut
This Torah of Atzilut was what Adam would have received had he not opted for duality, and what we received at Sinai, but forfeited when we too betrayed its calling.
The Klipah Precedes the Fruit
The passion lights of the gevurot, when unpacked and enlightened by their matching lucid-lights, produce all the bliss of future times.
ZOT CHANUKKA: A TRIBUTE TO THE SHEKHINA
The kabbalists read into Chanukka’s eight days, a journey of progressive tikun down through the sefirot from Binah to Malchut, beginning and ending on a feminine note.
Shame is Nothing to Be Ashamed About
Divine perfection, in order for it to be infinite, must include the possibility of perfecting… it’s a paradox.
The Shame Behind Causeless Hatred
Baseless Hatred is what caused our exile, and yet for two thousand years we haven’t managed to fix it. Why?
Converts: Unsung Heroes of the Oral Torah
Shavuot 5778 / 2018
"And you shall know the soul of a convert, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Symbolic Resonance Permeates the Seder
Pesach 5778 / 2018 We start the seder by pronouncing the fifteen steps that comprise the ritual which marks the birthday of our peoplehood.
The Akeida: A Hero’s Journey
Rosh HaShana 5778 / 2017 Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Gellman’s exploration of the Mei HaShiloach’s teachings on the Akeida that appears in his book “The Fear, the Trembling, and the Fire.”
When the People are Ready the Obstacles Dissolve
Tisha B'av 2017.
Enemies are the primary obstacle to quality of life. If they would just disappear, we could finally focus on our soul work instead of getting sidetracked by the need for self-defense. But it's not so simple.
Blessed Be the Makom…Blessed Be the Giver of Torah…
Pesach 5777 / 2017 HaMakom refers to the womblike vacuum produced by the cosmic tsimtsum that hosts the unfolding of creation from Bereshit till the end of time.
Like it Or Not, We Are In This Together
Shavuot 2014 / 5774 One could depict the whole course of history as the process by which Israel assimilates its Torah into the heart, bones, cells and the spaces of its being.
A Tribute to Wheat for Tu B’Shvat
It is customary to eat fruits in celebration of Tu B’Shvat, and to admire each fruit and speak its praises before you eat it. A Still Small Voice presents a tribute to wheat.
Dewdrops of Light: Shavuot 5773/2013
When HaShem revealed the Torah at Sinai, the Israelites died at every word... Hashem revived them with the dew that He will use to resurrect the dead.
Tsafun—Afikoman
Pesach 5773 / 2013 The 12th step in our seder, Tsafun, marks the time for “dessert” which, at the seder, means our last portion of matzah, called the Afikoman.
Shavuot (Inspired by Meor v’Shemesh)
Jacob’s ladder reaches up through the worlds to the inwardness of G-d called the Infinite Light.
On Chanukka Everyone’s a High Priest
When the High Priest lit the menorah his intention was actually a prayer, that the lights now kindled should impart to the people an even deeper understanding of what it means that G-d is one.
Shavuot 2011 / 5771
Every person and creature is hooked up to one or another of these 600,000 spiritual dynasties who received the Torah at Sinai.
The Evolving Feminine: An Enlightened View from Kabbala
The Ari's “The Seven Stages of Feminine Development” describes a stepwise path of growth that moves from diminishment toward fullness of stature which he presents as the universal pattern of feminine development.
The Messianic Vision of Equality and Beyond
The Voice of the Bride
by Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi,
Presented and Elucidated by Sarah Yehudit Schneider
Shavuot 2009 / 5769
Shavuot, the anniversary of the Torah’s revelation, is called the marriage ceremony between the Jewish people and HaShem.
Shavuot 2008 / 5768
The Torah’s revelation was the most profound manifestation of God that has ever transpired on the planet. Its impact continues to impel their generations to be seekers and servants of God and is certain to do so until the end of time.
Holiday Teachings