"The Essence of Emunah" by Rav Gamliel Rabinovitch in English

Although I know this is belated, I wanted to let (those of you who don't already know about it) know about a new English translation of Rav Gamliel Rabinovitch's sefer Tiv Ha'emunah, which came out in the fall. It's called The Essence of Emunah: A collection of thoughts, insights and essays from the writings and teachings of [Rav] Gamliel Rabbinovitch. It was translated by Reb Dovid Vatch.

An adam gadol I know personally told me that he feels that it is one of the best seforim out there in either English or Hebrew on the subject of Emunah, both mitzad the content and because of who wrote it (Reb Gamliel) who truly lives every word of what is written in the sefer.

I hope to read it at some point as well but I wanted to let the chevra know about it.

Kol tuv!

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Stories From the Zohar - Part 4! - Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Here is the next part in a series of articles on stories from the Zohar by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman. You can find the first article HERE.

The Book of Radiance: Tales from the Zohar
By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

4. LAYER UPON LAYER

How rich and effulgent with spices it must have been, the garden that King Solomon used to meander about and gather roses from (see Song of Songs 6:2). And one can only imagine how copious in texture and color his nut-garden must have been, too (see Ibid. 6:11). In any event, the Zohar tells us that one day Solomon “set out to penetrate the depths of the nut … so he took hold of one by its shell and began to contemplate its different layers” right there in the garden. He came to realize that “just as the nut itself is surrounded by many shells, so too is the world, with shells both above and below. For, from the beginning of the mystery of the Heavenly Point (all the way up, all the way) down to the lowest of degrees, each thing is subsumed in every other thing, and each serves as a shell to the other” (Zohar 1, 19b).

That’s to say that Solomon came to understand that each and every thing is encased in something else, which is encased in yet some other thing; and that the whole functions as a sort of puzzle within a puzzle which we often can’t solve. For, most of us stumble about and soldier-on doing what we must, never quite sure what’s overhead and what’s within.

We’re told for example that though he was a prophet and privy to all sorts of revelations, Ezekiel saw “a tempest coming from the north, (along with) a huge cloud and a flaming fire with a brightness over-covering it; and from its midst was like the color of the Chashmal (an untranslatable term) from the midst of the fire” (Ezekiel 1:4), one within the other. The Kabbalists tell us that that’s an esoteric depiction of the layers of our being, but at the time Ezekiel was so thunderstruck by the complexity of it all that he didn’t quite grasp what he’d seen for the moment.

Well, touching on this same theme (and we’ll see exactly how so later on), the Zohar presents us with a tale in which it’s recorded that Rabbi Yehudah was walking with Rabbi Abba when Rabbi Yehudah asked the following: “If G-d knew that Adam was destined to sin in His presence (by eating from the Tree of Knowledge) and that G-d would sentence him to death, then why did G-d (bother to) create Him?” (Zohar 3, 159 a-b). Good point!

Thinking Rabbi Yehudah had tread upon ground he shouldn’t have (understand that Rabbi Yehudah was a younger disciple at that point), Rabbi Abba rebuked him and said, “What need do you have to know the ways and decrees of your Master?” After all, he went on, “You can question what you’re permitted to question…”, but “you can’t question G-d’s ways and the supernal secrets that He has hidden away!”

But apparently that didn’t sit quite right with Rabbi Yehudah. In point of fact, he wasn’t the only sage to have wished to have the Great Curtains of Heaven opened for him but couldn’t. After all, none other than Moshe once asked G-d to grant him insight into His governance of the world but he received only an arcane answer (Menachot 29b).

It only stands to reason that Rabbi Abba would have been reticent to disclose a secret to him, though; for weren’t we warned that “the secret things belong to G-d our L-rd” (Deuteronomy 29:29) and not us? And isn’t it said in Sefer Yetzirah that when it comes to certain things that we’re to “stop (our) mouth from speaking and (our) heart from thinking” about them, and that if our heart “runs” there because we want to delve into it, that we’re to “return to the place” -- the subject at hand -- only intermittently and warily (1:8)?

And haven’t we also been cautioned not to “seek things that are too hard for you (to decipher), and not (to) search for things that are hidden (from you), and (only) to think about things you have been permitted to; (for) you have no business with secret things” (Chaggiga 13a)? Nonetheless, sometimes the soul yearns to know and the heart can’t live without insight, and that was apparently true of Rabbi Yehudah.

But Rabbi Abba continued to discourage him. “Who can know and grasp G-d’s hidden thoughts?” he remonstrated him. “Common people (like us) haven’t permission to speak of concealed things”; only people like “the Holy Luminary”, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochei do, not us, he went on to say.

Nevertheless it seems that something had him change his mind. We don’t know what did it -- whether Rabbi Abba suddenly came to see that the younger Rabbi could be trusted with the secret; whether the mention of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochei evoked his presence, and Rabbi Shimon himself allowed Rabbi Abba to go on, or something else -- but Rabbi Abba suddenly went on to reveal the following to Rabbi Yehudah and to us as well, his onlookers. It’s based on the famous verse, “And G-d created man in His image, in the image of G-d did He create him” (Genesis 1:27) and it too speaks about our inner and outer layers, and of how interlaced they are.

“The Holy One, blessed be He, is hidden in the midst of three worlds”, he said quite curiously. “The first one is very lofty, it’s the most secret of them all… and it’s only known to Him, as He’s concealed in it. The second, which is connected to the first, is the one in which G-d can be known …. And the third, which is the lowest, is the world in which… the angels dwell, and where G-d Himself is (both) there and not there.” That means to say that “while He’s there now” to be sure, “He nonetheless leaves it once you start to reflect upon and grasp Him” and He escapes your grip.

Thus, if you want to find G-d you’d need to pass through three separate layers, one deeper than the next: first, past how He presents Himself in this world, where He’s knowable to us on some levels but not on others; second, past how He is when He dwells up high where He’s knowable to sages and prophets; and third, deep within the highest level, where He’s only known to Himself. The point is that all three levels are intertwined, to be sure, but finding G-d anywhere along the line is still and all a challenge.

Now, man, who is created in G-d’s image as we’d learned, is like that too; and this is Rabbi Abba’s point as well. For, man also occupies three “worlds”, if you will. The first is the one in which he is at once both “there and not there” -- that’s his physical existence, where he’s most manifest but where he doesn’t really belong at bottom. His “second world” which is “connected to the supernal worlds, is man’s (experience of the) … Garden of Eden” after he passes through this world. And his “third world” which is “supernal, mysterious, concealed, and hidden” is also “incomprehensible”, because it’s even beyond The Garden of Eden.

His point here is to illustrate that “all (below) is as it is above”, in that we too have our inner and outer realms, which are also intertwined. Thus, if you want to understand man you’d also need to pass through three separate layers, one deeper than the next: first, past how he presents himself in this world; second, past how he is when he dwells in the Garden of Eden after his passing; and third, deep within his being, where man’s essence is “supernal, mysterious, concealed, hidden” and “incomprehensible”. For uncovering one’s own makeup is also a challenge, since we too are comprised of layer upon layer of being over-covering our essence.

Having touched upon the Afterlife, and bringing the conversation back to where it had started (when Rabbi Yehudah asked why man must die), Rabbi Abba then makes the point that just as we were created in G-d’s image and thus are comprised of various layers of being, we’re likewise worthy of “a supernal inheritance” from our Father, immortality. For man “will never be annihilated but will enjoy (residence in) goodly, supernal, and precious worlds” after death, he assures us. In other words, Rabbi Abba is telling Rabbi Yehudah that though death is inevitable and daunting, it’s nevertheless purposeful and beneficial.

So we’re to “rejoice when the righteous depart from this world” rather than mourn. For the truth be known, “had man not sinned, he would never have tasted death”; but since he did, we must all “taste death before (we) enter the other worlds” we’d cited above. And on some level life and death are intertwined, too; as everything lies within everything else like shells upon shells.

© 2011 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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Stories from the Zohar - Part 3 - Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Here is the next part in a series of articles on stories from the Zohar by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman. You can find the first article HERE.

The Book of Radiance: Tales from the Zohar
By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

3. CREATION

Arguably the best known sentence in all of world literature is this: “In the beginning, G-d created the Heavens and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1), which sets in motion the laying-out of just how G-d created the cosmos. But what does it mean that “G-d created Heaven and Earth”? How did He do that?

Well, according to the Zohar it come to this: “When the King’s Will began to manifest itself, a Firm Spark made an engraving within the Supernal Light that emanated from The Most Concealed and within the mystery of The Infinite One. (That Firm Spark) assumed a Formless Form which was then placed within a circle that was neither white nor black nor red nor green, nor any color at all. And when (that Firm Spark) began to assume size and dimension, it then created radiant colors (Zohar 1, 15a).

Very well, but then what does that mean? The Kabbalists have their explanations, to be sure, but since our task here is to simply catch sight of the wondrous ways the Zohar expresses its truths in all their glory, we won’t offer those explanations.

Before we present a number of other Zohar depictions of creation, though, let’s see the mysterious ways that other early sages depicted creation without recourse to the Zohar’s imagery.

But let’s make a couple of things clear. First off, that when the Zohar and other traditional sources speak about the creation of “the world” they aren’t simply referring to the formation of planet Earth, or even of our galaxy or the entire universe. They’re addressing the creation of reality itself, its known and unknown parts, its physicality and non-physicality: that’s to say the formation of everything other than G-d Himself! And second, let’s underscore the fact that none of this is meant to be taken literally to be sure; it’s all a process of depicting the undecipherable and of laying out the unfathomable.

As such, we’re taught for example that seven things were created before the rest of reality came into being: the primordial Torah, repentance, the Divine Throne, The Garden of Eden, Gehenom, the primordial Holy Temple, and the name of the Moshiach (Pesachim 54a). And interestingly enough, we’re also taught that G-d actually created whole other forms of reality we can’t even imagine -- more than a thousand of them in fact (Zohar Chadash 9a)-- before He created this one which He then rejected (Breishit Rabbah 3:7, 9:2; Kohelet Rabbah 3:11).

Our sages referred to some strange amorphous “primal stuff” from which the world was created, including unknowable forms of “fire”, “water”, and “wind” (Shemot Rabbah 15:22); of “light”, “darkness”, “chaos”, “the void”, and “the deep” (Pirkei d’Rebbi Eliezer 3); and of “water within water” which then turned to “snow” before turning to “earth” (J. T. Chaggiga 2).

And we’re taught that a number of other non-material things played a role in creation, including the twenty-two letters of the primordial Aleph-Bet (Midrash Konen 23-24) which were then arranged into three orders (see Ch. 3 of Sefer Yetzirah), the original Ten Utterances (Pirkei Avot 5:1), and Wisdom (see Proverbs 8:22-29),

But wait a minute, now -- haven’t we been taught that G-d created the world ex nihilo -- out of sheer nothingness? Yes indeed, and the Zohar (as well as many other sources) says as much when it declares that “when the Holy One, blessed be He, created His worlds, He created them out of nothingness” (Zohar Chadash, Breishit 17b). But as it makes the point elsewhere, that the “nothingness” or “non-materialness” spoken of here refers to “a single hidden light out of which all revealed lights emerged and shone” and from which everything else was formed (Zohar 1, 156b). The point is that the series of attenuating lights of “nothingness” all morphed into the universe, and each sage described the process his own way (based on his own insights as well as on his generation’s stature).

Let’s explore another series of fascinating statements found in Tractate Chagigah (12a) before we return to the Zohar’s revelations.

We’re told there that the world was created by means of ten things: “wisdom, understanding, reason, strength, rebuke, might, righteousness, judgment, loving-kindness, and compassion”. (Students of Kabbalah would easily catch reference to the Ten Sephirot here, but once again, that’s not our area of concentration.) And we’re also taught there that the world is founded upon “pillars” (either one alone, or either seven or twelve in all), which stand upon “the waters”, which stand upon “mountains”, which stand upon “the winds”, which stand upon “the storm”, all of which are “suspended on the arm of the Holy One, blessed be He”.
So let’s now return to the Zohar and see how it differs.

“Come and see!” we’re adjured, that “when it arose in The Holy One’s Mind, blessed be He, to create the universe, He brought forth a Single Flame from a Black Spark which brought about spark after spark . It then darkened and came aflame. And The Holy One, blessed be He, then brought about a Single Drop from the recesses of the Deep, and joined them together in order to create the universe” (Zohar 1, 86b).

But at one point at another depiction of creation, the Zohar likens the world to a “house” that sits “at the very center of all there is” and is surrounded by “hidden holy places where the birds of Heaven build nests” upon “a huge and mighty tree” which “ascends up to the clouds of Heaven”. This “house” which is “nourished and watered by the tree” somehow or another “conceals innumerable heavenly and secret treasures”. At certain points every single day, the Zohar seems to be saying, “when darkness sets in” -- that is, when all is studded with mystery and rich wonder -- “spirits flit about in the air trying to enter … it because they’re curious about what’s in it”, this world (Zohar 1, 172a).

The point seems to be that though reality was formed in all sorts of G-dly ways, at bottom it’s a single, solitary house lying deep in the fold’s of G-d’s bosom, if you will, with life abounding, secrets yet to be deciphered, and wonders yet to be unearthed. If you, too, are “curious about it” like the spirits who revel in its secret messages, you’ll also catch sight of the “Firm Spark”, the “Formless Form”, and the “Single Flame (that emits) from a Black Spark”. And you too will know that G-d Almighty alone is behind it all, fashioning the “house” and residing smack dab in the middle of it.

(c) 2010 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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Indentured Servitude & Marrying the Shfcha Kena'anis - The Inside Story

Rav Moshe Wolfson has a fascinating piece at the beginning of Parshas Mishpatim in his sefer Emunas Itecha (partially translated here). He brings a yesod found in the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh in Parshas Vayechi, on Breishis 49:9 (Ohr Hachaim text online, HT Parsha Blog.)

Rav Wolfson is coming to address the reason that the appropriate punishment for one who steals is being sold into temporary slavery to repay his debt.

He quotes the Ohr Hachaim in Parshas Vayechi (though he brings down this yesod even more in depth in Parshas Ki Seitzei [which I wrote about in the comment section of this post]) has a fundamental yesod about the nature of things. He said that there's a "natural rule" that if you want to remove something from something else, you have to use something similar to the thing that you want to remove to draw out the desired object from the environment in which it finds its self.

He says that this yesod is the deeper reason why a Jew who steals is sold as an eved. Regardless of his physical stature, he and his situation may seem to be a little bittie eved, but there is a very lechatchila reason for this result. By stealing, he made himself a merkava, a resting place for the klipos, the forces of impurity. Therefore, in Hashem's mercy, he decreed that this person should be sold into slavery so that he should temporarily be matched up with a shifcha kena'an is, someone from the level of impurity with whom he should have a child (Shmos 21:4). According to the principle that we learned from the Ohr Hachaim, the isha mitzad hatumah that he is matched with draws out from him the tumah that he brought into himself through the act of stealing. That tumah is removed from him in the form of the child that he has with her, which remains with her even after he goes free. Id.

Thus we see how Hashem ensures that every person has their tikun for what they have done. The Ohr Hachaim explains how very often, his yesod explains where the souls of Gerim come from. For instance, he points out how there were souls made up of a mixture of purity and impurity. The pure side needed someone pure to draw it away from its impure side. In the case of Dina, the Ohr Hachaim shows how Shchem ben Chamor was attracted to Dina because of the holy spark within him. The relationship between them allowed the holy soul of Dina to draw the holiness out of Schem so that the neshoma of R' Chanina ben Teradiyon could come into the world.

The Ohr Hachaim also said that it sometimes happens that the sparks of holiness get so numerous in the world of impurity that they get "bumped" out "spontaneously" without any holy soul to draw it out. This is the source of many Gerim who simply emerge from the nations of the world to join klal Yisroel and find their Aba shebashamayim. He gives many more examples in the piece in Vayechi and the one in Ki Seitzei which are really fascinating. Ayin sham!

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Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai's Zohar - With Us Till the Geulah

In the Hakdama to Likutei Moharan, cited in the Likutei Halachos Chumash, Rebbe Nachman points out that there is a hint to Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai in this past week's Parsha, Vayelech. In Devarim 31:21, Moshe says, "כִּי לֹא תִשָּׁכַח מִפִּי זַרְעוֹ," "because [the Torah] will not be forgotten from the mouths of his [the Jewish people's] descendants." He points out that the sofei teivos, the end-letters of the those words just quoted in the pasuk spell "Yochai." This is meant to imply that the specific person's decendents who's Torah will not be forgotten from the Jewish people is Yochai's descendant, i.e. Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai.

This is also taught in the Zohar Parshas Nasso 124b, which says "With this book, the Sefer HaZohar, [The Jewish people] will be redeemed from exile." Meaning that the teachings of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, in the Zohar Hakadosh, will be those that are with the Jewish people through the final redemption, and this is hinted at by the aforementioned pasuk in this past week's Parsha.

As has already been observed by others, as the teachings of Kabbalah, as made applicable to the masses through the students of the Baal Shem Tov Hakadosh, become more and more widely known and followed, we can see how this promise in the Zohar Hakadosh come closer to fulfillment.

May the teachings of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and the Talmidei HaBaal Shem take hold in our hearts to help bring us closer to Hashem and bring the Geulah!

-Dixie Yid

(Picture taken at Meiron, the kever of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, courtesy of po-pi.co.il)

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My Kasha on Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai & Emerging From the Cave

There's something about the story in Shabbos 33b that I couldn't understand. Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the holy Tanna, had to hide in a cave for 12 years so that he would not be killed by the Romans for speaking against them. During that time, he and his son devoted all of their time and kochos hanefesh into learning the deepest secrets of the Torah. So much so, that when he came out after 12 years, he couldn't fathom how regular people could waste their time working instead of learning. The gemara says, "חזו אינשי דקא כרבי וזרעי אמר מניחין חיי עולם ועוסקין בחיי שעה כל מקום שנותנין עיניהן מיד נשרף." They saw people planting and seeding. He said, 'They abandon the eternal world and engage with the transient world?!' Everything they looked at was burned up."

Hashem did not like this so He sent down a heavenly voice to say, "חיזרו למערתכם!" "Return to your cave!" My question is this: The whole source of the problem with the Tzadik's attitude toward Jews' involvement in worldly things was the fact that he was immersed in the holiness of plumming the depths of the secrets of the Torah and learning the secrets of what would become the Zohar Hakadosh, the holy Zohar! And he was in this for so long that he was unable to fathom how anyone could live in anything other than this most exalted state. So why does Hashem tell him to go back into the cave?! This was the very source of the problem to begin with!

I asked this question to my rebbe last Shabbos. As I understand it, this is what he told me, primarily in the name of Reb Simcha Bunim of Peshischa:

Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, through his learning and hisbonenus in the cave reached the deepest and biggest hasagos (comprehensions) in the world, the secrets of the Zohar Hakadosh. But, lulei d'mistefina, there was one thing that was so deep that he did not yet understand. The Neshoma of a Jew. He had to go even deeper and understand even more to understand that. This is why going back into the cave to understand even deeper depths was the tikun for his inability to fully understand the Neshoma of a Jew. The neshoma of a Jew is even deeper than all of the secrets of the Zohar Hakadosh.

Of course it does not bother us that the holy Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai, at that temporary point in his development, in his first excursion from the cave, did some damage. Because ultimately, without the whole process, Klal Yisroel would never have had the Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai that we now have. He transformed and deepened our understanding of Hashem, Yiddishkeit, the Universe and everything, B"H! Hakol haya l'tov.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of Carol Darby)

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Guarding the Covenant - Translation & Selection from Upcoming Sefer

I would like to share my translation and the original Hebrew of a small section from an upcoming sefer by a young Talmid Chocham, Rabbi Ronen Shaharabany. He wrote his first sefer on halacha, hashkafa and Kabbalah related to Nisuin, marriage. He wrote this sefer between the time he got engaged and the time he got married. Copies of the sefer were distributed to all of the guests at the wedding and I am priviliged to a have a copy of this great sefer as well. You may download the full chapter from which this selection came in THIS WORD DOCUMENT. Just "right click" on the link and select "Save Target As" to view the original hebrew Word file.

It comes out that one who guards the covenant (is careful not to stray innapropriately with his eyes, thoughts or actions) will always feel satisfied. This is because he will be a proper vessel to receive brachos and hashapa'os (Divine blessings) in spirituality and phisicality, and Hashem will always cause him to be happy. The secret of this matter is that feeling satisfied is a reward for guarding the covenant. This is because the root of guarding the covenant is from the aspect of "starving it" (as in the Gemara in Sukkah 52b "אבר קטן יש לו לאדם, מרעיבו שבע, משביעו רעב," "Man has a small organ. When he starves it, it is satisfied and when he feeds it, it is hungry."). For then, he will be satisfied and guarded. as a reward for the person starving his desires and holding onto the trait of being-satisfied, Hashem will bless him with the blessing of contentment and satisfaction, joy and every good in spirituality and physicality.

It comes out that the result of guarding the covenant, the aspect of "starving it," is that he will be "satisfied and always content with what he has in the aspect of "שמח בחלקו," being happy with what one has. (There is an amazing hint to this in that "בחלקו" is the letters of "in the portion of the letter "vav." The letter vav cooresponds to the covenant and the mida of Yesod to hint that the person will be happy because of his portion in guarding the covenant. This is also the secret of the bracha, "ברוך את ה' הזן את הכל" Blessed are you Hashem, who sustains everything. "זן," "sustains" is the aspect of satiety. and the intent is that Hashem sustains and satisfies specifically those who are in the aspect of "כל" everything, i.e. one who guards the covenant. (See later on in in the full piece, that "כל" cooresponds to the mida of Bris.) However, one who feeds [his desires] will remain hungry and will never be satisfied at all.

In contrast to this, it is known that the root of depression and sadness comes as a result of abusing the covenant. By abusing the covenant, one holds onto the powers of impurity and thereby automatically dwells in complete sadness. So too, holiness will not dwell on him and he will not be a vessel capable of receiving any hashpo'os or brachos. He will never be satisfied with what he has and he will not be happy with his portion. He will always feel empty and lacking, which is the opposite of one who guards the covenant. The secret of the matter is that all of this is a result of abusing the covenant. The root of abusing the covenant comes through trying to "satisfy" [one's desires]. Then, one ends up wanting more and more. He runs after his desires and tries to fulfill all of his wishes. The punishment from Heaven is that he will always feel "hungry," and he will want more and more and he will never be satisfied or happy with his portion, even if he would get all of the wealth in the world.

נמצא שאדם שמשמר את בריתו, לעולם מרגיש מסופק, שהרי הוא כלי מוכן לקבל את כל הברכות וההשפעות ברוחניות וגשמיות, והקב"ה תמיד משמחו. וסודם של דברים, שזה שמרגיש מסופק הוא שכר לשמירת בריתו, שהרי שורש שמירת הברית היא בחינת "מרעיבו", שאז הוא "שבע" ומשומר, ובשכר שהאדם מרעיב את תאותו ואוחז במידת ההסתפקות, ה' מברכו בברכת ההסתפקות של שמחה וכל טוב ברוחניות וגשמיות. נמצא שהתוצאה של שמירת הברית, בחינת "מרעיבו", הוא שנעשה "שבע", שלעולם מסופק במה שיש לו, בבחינת "שמח בחלקו" (ורמז נפלא לזה, ש"בחלקו" אותיות בחלק - ו', והאות ו' כנגד הברית ומידת היסוד, לרמוז ששמח על ידי חלקו בשמירת הברית. וזה גם סוד ברכת "ברוך את ה' הזן את הכל", ש"זן" הוא בחינת שביעה, והכוונה שה' הוא זן ומשביעה דווקא את מי שהוא בבחינת "כל", ששמור את בריתו (עיין לקמן ש"כל" כנגד מדת הברית), אולם המשביעו נשאר רעב ואינו ניזון מה').

ולעומת זאת, ידוע ששורש העצבות ומרה שחורה באה כתוצאה מפגם הברית. שעל ידי שפוגם בבריתו אוחזים בו כוחות הטומאה, וממילא שרוי בעצבות גמורה. וכן אין קדושה שורה עליו ואינו מוכן לקבל שום השפעות וברכות. ונמצא שלעולם אינו מסופק במה שיש לו ואינו שמח בחלקו, ותמיד מרגיש ריק וחסר, הפך מזה ששומר את בריתו. וסוד הדבר, שכל זה הוא תוצאה משום שפגם בבריתו, שהרי שורש פגם הברית הוא על ידי בחינת "משביעו", שרוצה עוד ועוד, ורודף אחר תאותיו ומנסה למלאות רצונותיו. והעונש הוא שמן השמים לעולם ירגיש "רעב", שרוצה עוד ועוד ולא יהיה מסופק ושמח בחלקו, ואפילו אם יהיה לו כל הון דעלמא.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of afterimagegallery)

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Mapping Out the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh Seforim - Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Building a Sanctuary in My Heart -- Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

We know his name by now, but he doesn’t cite it in his many books (nor does he include a copyright). And the phone number listed on the inside-cover of all the works for more information isn’t his, but rather a student’s. But those are just a few of the captivating things about the author of the now voluminous series of seforim that (almost) all go by the name of Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh.

To my mind among the many other wonderful things that the author has done was to “introduce” the Ribbono Shel Olam into contemporary Jewish conversation and to re-introduce Him to more advanced learners, as we’ll explain below.

For while the second Rebbe of Lubavitch (R’ Dov Baer) once said quite off-handedly that all Jews are just naturally moved to the core when certain things about G-d’s presence in the cosmos are presented to them (Kuntres HaHispa’alus) … that doesn’t seem to be true today. In fact, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov’s dire prediction that there would come a time when a simple person of faith would be considered on par with the Baal Shem Tov has come true. But I contend that the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh series is doing all it can to change that.

Let’s start off with some facts, though, like the Bilvavi’s published works and their contents.

The most popular of his works is the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh series, numbers 1 through 10. These are the works that introduce the Ribbono Shel Olam into the conversation that I spoke of above. The first of the series details how to draw His Presence into your day-to-day life; and the others expand upon that idea and introduce us to notions that, while familiar to enthusiasts of Mussar and Chassidic works, are often unexplored by otherwise fine and fully-observant Jews, like loving and revering Hashem, serving Him wholeheartedly, humbling yourself in His presence, and more.

The tenth in the series is actually a republishing of an earlier work known as Kol Demamah Dakah. It’s very erudite and concentrates on some astounding gematrios, allusions to things in pasukim that we wouldn’t have thought of, the significance of certain contemporary phenomenon, and then some.

It was actually the first of his works that I came across. I live in the Monsey area, so as you might imagine, I have the luxury of browsing several excellent seforim stores, as I often do. I was struck by Kol Demamah Dakah the first time I came across it, but for one reason or another I just decided not to buy it. I came upon it again a couple of weeks later, perhaps at another store, picked it up again to look it over, and did the same -- though I was captivated. When I came upon it a third time and delved into it I was hooked. It’s utterly original -- which is true of everything written by the author -- and as soon as I sat down with it at home I was convinced I wanted to follow this author. I came upon numbers 1 and 2 and was delighted with them, and etcetera.

Then I was privileged and delighted to discover the Bilvavi’s more esoteric works including Lahav Aish (Baal Shem Tov v’Talmidav), Sefer HaEmunah (which is largely unknown), his comments on Sefer Baal Shem Tov, on the Parshios and the Moadim, and his Toras Remez.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Rav has also begun series of works that serve as comments to the Ari’s Eitz Chaim, on Hakdamas Rechovos HaNahar (an exceedingly recondite work by the Rashas), on Ramchal’s Klach Pischei Chochma and his Derech Hashem, and on Rav Yitzchak Ayzik Chaver’s Pischei Shaarim. And He has also started a phenomenal series of works termed Da Es Atzmecha (translated as “Know Thyself”, as the expression goes) which is touted as being “For the Thinking Person” right on the cover, which it certainly is.

As I said, these more advanced works manage to re-introduce the Ribbono Shel Olam to advanced learners. For while they may delve into Kabbalah seforim for the best of reasons, they may have forgotten Him in the process, since it’s easy to get lost in the minutia of the glorious details of Kabbalah and to forget the Source of it all. But let’s put it another way.

I am most struck by the Bilava’s Ohr Makif perspective. As many know, Kabbalah seforim speak of Ohr Makif and Ohr Penimi -- “Surrounding Light” and “Inner Light”, or to my way of thinking, better put as the difference between “The Big Picture” and “The Details”, “The Forest” and “The Trees”. Many students of Kabbalah get lost in the thicket. A slew of sefiros, olamos, etc. come upon him which he then tries to integrate into his being, and he gets lost in it all. He becomes enticed with the way the cosmic elements work with and against each other; how close one is to the other and yet how far apart and separate they are; the quick and radical way they each carry out their separate mission on the one hand and the subtle ways they make room for each other; and far much more.

The over-arching point, though, is that they’re all in partnership. For while like separate and unique shevatim with flags and colors of their own, each element of the olamos help comprise one Nation, if you will: a huge Union. And if one concentrates upon the “Trees” without catching sight of “The Forest” he forgets that -- he forgets The Ribbono Shel Olam, who stands as the Great Backdrop of them all, of the Grand All.

The Bilvavi gets that. And he’s sure to set his readers back on course again and again throughout his comments upon the Kabbalistic minutia, which I very much admire.

Now, as anyone who has ever seen his videos at http://www.bilvavi.net/ can see, the Bilvavi is only in his mid-thirties, which is both frustrating to us older folks who are frankly envious of his genius at such a young age, and is exceedingly encouraging for the Jewish future. His relative youth has been noted in an earlier haskama from Rav Deblitzky of Bnei Brak. In fact, many may wonder how so young a person could have such a deep and wide view of some of the greatest secrets of the Torah, but I believe the Rav himself explained it in his comments to Derech Hashem.

He wrote there (on p. 29 of the first volume) that the great Sfas Emes had been made a Rebbe at age 26, and was asked how he managed to garner such great wisdom and insight at such a young age. He replied with a mashal. “It would be as if a mountain-climber who worked for years to gather a team together, to get in shape for the awesome ordeal, and to do everything he had to do for so long, then reached the mountaintop -- and came upon a kid there. ‘How did you ever get here at your age?’ asked the mountain-climber. ‘It’s simple,’ said the child. ‘While some have to expend the effort to reach the mountaintop, others are born and raised on it’.”

We don’t know much about the Bilvavi’s background (though it’s clear from the progression of his works and citations that he started off with a Yeshivish background and only later came upon Chassidus and Kabbalah), we nonetheless know that he came from extraordinary roots and was born to do his holy work. At bottom I’d say that everything that the author touches turns to wisdom, and he’s always original and very, very deep!

May the Ribbono Shel Olam grant him a long and productive life, and may we be zoche to draw from his Torah for many years!

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has authored a number of books and has been offering weekly e-mail classes for http://www.torah.org/ for years that are subscribed to by thousands of readers. They include “Spiritual Excellence” and “Ramchal.”

-Dixie Yid

Update 7/3/08: With his permission, I submitted this article, which I had solicited from Rabbi Yaakov Feldman, to the The Five Towns Jewish Times. They have published it and it can be accessed HERE!

(Picture courtesy of creative mapping)

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The Seder Plate and the 10 Sefiros - Based on Rav Pincus

If you use this diagram, please give credit.

My friend Reb Yerachmiel just informed me that today is Rav Pincus, zt"l, and his wife and daughter's Yhortzeit today. May his Torah that people learn from this post be an ilui Neshoma for them.

A friend was kind enough to give me a Hagada for Pesach with the Commentary of Rav Shimshon Dovid Pincus, zt"l, called the Tiferes Shimshon. I wanted to share his explanation of the 3 Matzos and the Seder Plate, according to the 10 Sefiros, which is really fascinating. I will use the Picture on top as a visual guide. And even though this post sounds esoteric, it is meant to be applicable in a practical way so try to read it in that light.

The Three Matzos - First of all, he says that the Three Matzos correspond to the Three Intellectual Sefiros, the Mochin, of Chochma, Bina and Daas, ChaBa"D. The 3 Matzos are called "Nahama D'meheimenusa," "Bread of Emunah/Faith." This is because they should be used to focus on incorporating one's intellectual Emunah into one's practical life through the intellectual faculties of Chochma, Bina and Daas. Chochma is the intellectual knowledge that there is a Creator of the world. Bina is understanding all of the implications of the fact of the existance of the Creator, and it also means understanding the obligations that this knowledge imposes upon me. And Daas implies chibur, connection, as in the phrase "V'Adam Yada Es Chava Ishto." So Daas means connecting the knowledge of the fact of G-d's existance and the implications of that fact into one's real way of living so that it affects the person in his daily life. It is through focusing on these ideas in the three matzos at the seder that matzah can live up to it's name, "The Bread of Emunah."

Now to summarize in advance, the seder plate (1) and its 6 contents comprise the other seven emotional midos that make up the other seven sefiros. The top row, as you can see in the picture, is Zroah, Beitza and Maror. On the top right, representing Chesed, is the Zroah. On the top left, representing Gevurah, is the Beitza. And in the middle, but below and drawing from the top two, is the Maror, representing Tiferes, which represents the pleasing combination of the top two midos, Chesed and Gevruah. The second row is the Charoses, Karpas and Chazeres. The Charoses, on the right, is Netzach. The Karpas, on the left, is the mida of Hod. And the Chazerez (the maror which is used in the rabbinically required "Hillel Sandwich"), in the center and below the other two, is the mida of Yesod. And the seder plate, its self, is the mida of Malchus.

Z'roah - Chesed - The Z'roah is the symbol we use on the Seder Plate today to represent the Korban Pesach. The Korban Pesach is the method through which we internalize the Intellectual Emunah of the Three Matzos. It is the Chesed, the generous giving of the spiritual gift of Emunah. Spiritual gifts are the embodiment of chesed, since chesed implies an unlimited, endless giving of good. And since the good that we are receiving is a spiritual gift, it is appropriate that chesed is the mida through which we receive this gift, since spirituality is an inherently unlimited, boundless gift as well, as opposed to physical gifts which are inherently bounded and limited by the finite-ness of physicality.

Beitza - Gevurah - The Beitza symbolizes the Korban Chagigah. An egg is round, and closed in on all sides, which implies limitation and finite-ness, which is the idea of Gevurah, which implies strictless and limitations. So it symbolizes physical gifts, which are finite and limited. The Beitza is on the plate to remind us that even physical gifts from Hashem must be connected in our mind to their source, which is also Hashem. And we cannot only look at spiritual gifts as having a spiritual source (i.e. Hashem), but we must look at those physical gifts as well as coming from Hashem.

I was also thinking that this breakdown is interesting in another way. The Z'roah is the right side, the side of Chesed, which is the "masculine" side. And its symbol on the seder plate is the Z'roah, which is a Kav, a line, which is similar to the letter zayin, which means "zachar," male. (V'hameivin yavin.) So that's an interesting correspondance. Also, the Beitza is on the left side, and symbolizes Gevurah, which is the "femenine" side. And the Beitza is similarly an appropriate symbol for the femenine side since an egg would certainly correspond to the femine side for obvious reasons.

Maror – Tiferes – Splendor - Maror is Tiferes because the ultimate expression of Splendor is the beauty that comes from the unification between two seemingly opposite characteristics. Chesed and Gevurah are two distinct traits with their own inherent beauty. But the awesome aspect of unifying Chesed and Gevruah. And why is Maror, bitterness, the best expression of connecting Chesed and Gevurah, kindness and strictness? This is because it is the bitter parts of life where one experiences the unified Chesed that is within Gevurah. When one thinks about the bitterness of the hard times and how, within the difficulty and Gevurah that one is experiencing, is hidden only love and Hashem’s desire to do chesed with us, then that is when one truly feels the splendorous beauty of the unification of the attributes of kindness and strictness. And by focusing on this idea when we eat the Maror at the seder, we can achieve the attribute of Tiferes, in it’s most beautiful form.

The bottom three items on the Seder plate, Charoses, Karpas and Chazeres (the Maror used in the “Hillel Sandwich”) are different from the top three in that they are not geared toward fulfilling any mitzvah d’oraisa, any biblical commandment. They are rabbinic mitzvos. The significance of this is that these items are more precious to Hashem than the higher level ones, which we were commanded to use, by Hashem in the Torah. This is because they are our own Jewish expressions of our desire to show our love and gratitude to Hashem. As such, they are a wonderful expression of the preciousness of the Jew. And, since they originate with us, the Jewish people, they are even more precious to Hashem, on a certain level, than the Mitzvos D’oraisa.

Charoses – Netzach – Eternity/Victory - Maror is not bitter for its own sake. Hashem sends us bitter things in life, not to cause us suffering for its own sake, but for a purpose. And often, that purpose is to induce us to leave behind our prior apathy and return to Hashem. We dip the bitter Maror in the sweet Charoses to sweeten the dinim of our suffering. Similarly, when we take the lesson of the Maror of our lives by returning to do good, we also sweeten the din that brought about the bitter suffering to begin with, and obviate the need for it to continue in the future.

Karpas – Hod – Glory – There are two levels of knowledge that Hashem exists. The higher level of understanding is that “Ein Ode Milvado,” that there is nothing in the universe other than Hashem and that He has the power at every moment to do good to us, or to do “bad,” and that if He would cease to will us to exist at any moment, then the whole universe would revert to nothingness. The more b asic level of knowledge is simply the point that there is, in fact, a Creator of the world and that we must therefore serve him with the faculties that we have. It is this simple understanding of faith that we must, as a first level, attain and instill in our children. It is this point that is brought about by Karpas, the mitzvah that we do “so that the children should ask.” It is through things like Karpas, which are there so that we have an opportunity to teach our children about this most basic level of Emunah that we have the mitzvah of Karpas.

Chazeres – Yesod – Foundation – This Maror, used in the “man-made” mitzvah d’rabanan of Koreich, the “Hillel Sandwich,” personifies the types of bitterness that a person brings upon himself. And what kind of bitterness does a person bring upon himself? These are the tests that a person brings upon himself. When the person overcomes those tests, that is when he has attained the level of Yesod. This was the trait of Yosef Hatzadik, who was promoted, through his hard work and Siyata Dishmaya, to the head of Potifar’s house. When the wife of Potifar tried to tempt Yosef, and he overcame this test by thinking of his father’s face, he thus unified the spiritual and physical worlds by giving spirituality dominion of the natural physical aspects of this world. This was why he personified the mida of Yesod. And by focusing on unifying our spiritual and physical sides, in those tests that we bring upon ourselves, when we eat the Koreich, the “Hillel Sandwich,” we internalize the mida of Yesod, the mida of Yosef Hatzadik.

The Ka’arah – Seder Plate – Malchus – Kingship - The seventh of the lower midos, Malchus, is the expression of all of the powers of the King. All of the other six midos have their own essence. However, Kingship means the King’s ability to channel all of the resources of the Kingdom into practical expression. A King has nothing of hid own. All he can do is tax and collect the resources of the Kingdom. However, his is the most important mida because only through unifying the resources of everyone in the Kingdom can those resources find any kind of powerful expression. So too, the Seder Plate facilitates and enables the expression of the other six midos by supporting them. Even though it does not have its own “unique” personality, it gives meaning and expression to all of the other aspects of the Seder Plate, whose meaning we try to inculcate into ourselves at the Seder.

May it be Hashem’s will that the 10 expressions of Hashem’s light be manifest in our own lives this Pesach through the 10 parts of the Seder!

-Dixie Yid

P.S. For more on this topic, see what was posted today at Revach. See also this article by R. Simon Jacobson, with a HT to Rabbi Brown at Divrei Chaim.

And for the more current and past content at Dixie Yid, click here.

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Why I Wrote A Doctoral Disseration on the Aish Kodesh - Rav Zvi Leshem

In this post, Rav Zvi Leshem answers a question I posed to him about why he chose to write a doctoral disseration on the Rav Klonymous Kalmish Shapiro, the Aish Kodesh. I am very pleased to present his response.

BS”D
MY DOCTORATE – WHY?
Rav Zvi Leshem

In the midst of the post-doctoral “euphoria”, an anonymous Chassidishe blogger sent me the following sobering question:

Can I ask you what moved you to get a masters and a doctorate? You already have all of the qualifications you will ever need in your teaching career and as the Rav of a Shul. And if you just wanted a reason to write about the Piaseczna, then you could have simply written a regular sefer about him.

The following is an attempt to give a brief answer to this serious question, which of course touches upon the question of our attitude towards academic Judaic Studies. Firstly, on the “technical” level, while it is true that I already have, BH, a important position in chinuch, having a PhD does open up the possibility of teaching in university or college (in Israel this primarily means teachers’ college), which is a chance to reach more people. In that sense, an academic degree, like many other things in our world, is a vessel that can be used for good or for bad, in Kabalistic terms, an aspect of klipat noga.

More to the point, I would first state that studying Judaic Studies at University is not for everyone. One may be confronted with varying degrees of heresies that can result in shvirat hakalim, shattering the vessels of the student who is not properly prepared.[1] Returning to the university after close to thirty years in the Bet HaMidrash, I was confident that my Tora would help me to eat the fruit and throw away the peel, and yet the question remains, what did I hope to gain, and was I successful. And why not just write a book about the Piaseczner, why davka a PhD dissertation (which BeH will also become a book)?

At the university I found certain scholars with great knowledge of Kabbalah[2] who were able to teach me in a systematic way. I believe it is crucial to understand the historical underpinnings and interrelationships between the various schools of thoughts and books. My previously disorganized information was organized and sharpened. I was empowered to study works that were previously inaccessible to me. My teachers also pushed me constantly to do better. Had I merely written a book I would have had an editor correcting grammatical errors, but I would not have had a gaon in Kabbalah (my advisor, Prof. Moshe Halamish) constantly forcing me to check every reference, to learn more, to compare new things and to make sure that I understood everything and expressed it clearly. Nor would I have gained the breadth of knowledge that is expressed in my work. The depth of my understanding of these holy works is also incomparable to where it was four years ago. I thus have no doubt that my teaching of Chassidut has also improved dramatically as a result of this process. Perhaps it is just me, but I also needed the framework of a program that would constantly force me to progress and set deadlines that I needed to meet (especially since I did this work while working full time in education and having my own shul). I also learned a language that will better equip me to convey the truth of Chassidut to a much wider audience.

I would go one step further and posit that without my university training I don’t think I would have been able to properly understand certain aspects of the Piaseczner’s writings. I will give one example. The Rebbe writes repeatedly throughout his books that Chassidut is an expression of nevua, prophecy, and in fact it is clear that the Rebbe himself was both trying to achieve some level of nevua and to train his Chassidim to do so as well. Many people in the yeshiva velt refuse to believe that the Rebbe really means what he writes and attempt to explain this whole concept away. This is not surprising, for in yeshiva we were always taught the mainstream view that prophecy ceased with the return from Babylonia and the building of the Second Temple. A couple of years ago I participated in a course with my teacher Prof. Moshe Idel on Kabalistic Interpretations of the Concept of Prophecy. Here I was exposed for the first time to a significant counter-narrative which runs through many Kabalistic texts throughout the ages and maintains that prophecy did not cease and is still an option today. This opinion was the guiding force behind Rav Avraham Abulafia’s “Prophectic Kabbalah” (his term) in the late 13th century, and influenced, among others, Rav Moshe Cordovero in 16th century Zefat. Rav Abulafia’s prophetic techniques were a very major influence upon Rav Chaim Vital’s (also 16th century Zefat) Sheary Kedusha[3], which was one of the biggest influences upon the Piaseczner, especially in his Mevo HaShearim, the most important work for his theoretical definition of Chassidut. Without this course (which needless to say would never be given in a yeshiva setting), I would not have had the tools to begin to understand what the Piaseczner was really saying, in this, one of the most central tenants of his entire approach!

To sum up, I personally benefited greatly from my university training, and the rigorous demands that were made upon me throughout the entire process. The work that I produced was of infinitely greater quality than what I could have produced “on my own”. For me (and again, this is a personal and crucial point) the academic study I did in Kabbalah and Chassidut was a chizuk in emuna, and not, G-d forbid, a threat to it. I do believe that I have succeeded in harnessing academia as an aspect of my Avodat HaShem in a significant way. I thank the Kadosh Baruch Hu for guiding me through this process and pray that all I have done so far in this field and all that I will do in the future will be l’shem Shamayim and a Kiddush HaShem in the world. The ultimate goal remains that of the holy Baal Shem Tov and the Piaseczner Rebbe, k’sh’yafutzu maayanotecha chutza, to bring Mashiach by spreading Chassidut throughout the world.

[1]Using the categories from Rebbe Nachman’s famous Tora, Bo el Paro (Likutai Moharon 64), I would make the following distinction. Academic Bible studies as carried out in most universities are based upon the heresy of the “Documentary Hypothesis”, which I believe corresponds to Rebbe Nachman’s category of apikorsut that results from Shvirat HaKelim. Thus it is within the category of da ma shetashiv l’apikorus, and in theory, needs to be studied in order to be refuted. Nonetheless my honest assessment is that for most students and certainly for young ones this is extremely dangerous heresy that must be avoided at all costs. All other aspects of Jewish studies are, in my opinion, much less severe, and while not for everyone, can be studied by many. I believe that as in many other aspects of the world, it is important for anshei emuna to enter this field and attempt to redeem it from as much of the klipa that has accrued as is possible. There are nitzotzot here to be uplifted. There are also many young students in Judaic Studies who would certainly benefit from exposure to frum professors. As for what in academia would correspond to Rebbe Nachman’s second category of apikorsut that comes from the chalal hapanui, and is too dangerous for all but the Tzaddik who is like Moshe to confront, perhaps this would include certain aspects of postmodern philosophy. In a world that has been entirely de-constructed, leaving one with no Truth, one really can fall into the Chalal HaPanui, in much the same way that the excess focus on the nature of evil can send one over the abyss, G-d forbid.
[2] I would like to point out as well, that the professors that I studied with (I was quite picky), were, in my opinion, quite objective. I never felt that they were trying to convince me of something that was not in the text they were trying to explicate. (I did see this in other professors that I avoided. The presence or absence of a kipa on the professor’s head was not at all an indication of his likelihood to have a personal religious agenda to read into the text). On the other hand, as a yeshiva teacher, I am well aware of the tensions that may result when one is educating for yirat shemayim and dealing with a hashkafically difficult text.
[3] While the average reader may not detect this in the standard edition of Sheary Kedusha, the recently published Part Four, which was suppressed for hundreds of years due to its radical nature, is clearly an Abulafian work, and this sheds light on the rest of the work as well. See Ketavim Chadashim L’Rabeinu Chaim Vital, Jerusalem 1998. See my dissertation, Part Three, Chapter Seven, where I demonstrate the indirect influence (via Sheary Kedusha) of Rav Avraham Abulafia upon the Piaseczner.

(Picture of Bar Ilan University courtesy of cs.cmu.edu)

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Learning Kabbalah: A Guest Posting by Rabbi Micha Golshevsky

Learning Kabbalah
"...ולא במעשה מרכבה ביחיד אלא אם כן היה חכם ומבין מדעתו..."

The Mishnah in Chagigah 11b, states that one should not teach Ma’aseh Merkavah, advanced Kabbalah, even to a single student unless he has already proven his wisdom and ability to grasp the subject matter independently.

Someone once saw Rav Shlomo Bloch, zt”l, learning the Zohar Hakadosh on Shabbos. He asked, “Isn’t this is in the category of Ma’aseh Merkavah?” The “Tzaddik Reb Shlomo” answered, “Actually, my Rebbe, the Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, would learn the Zohar Hakadosh on Shabbos and encouraged others to do so as well. He would even tell bochurim to learn through the Zohar on the parsha. He would say, ‘Most of the Zohar is like Medrash.’”

It was also known that the Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, felt that learning Zohar brings one to Yiras Shomayim.[1] The Chazon Ish, zt”l, likewise said to Rav Shmarayhu Greineman, zt”l, “There is no mussar sefer as good as the Zohar Hakadosh![2]”

Someone asked the Chazon Ish, zt”l, “How about someone not on a level to learn Kabballah. Should he also learn Zohar?” The Gadol replied, “If you are doing it to learn this Chochmah it is prohibited. If your intention is that this limud bring to Yiras Shamayim, not only is it permitted, it is a mitzvah! No ma’amarei Chazal inspire as much as the Zohar Hakadosh![3]”

The famous author of the Leshem Sh’vo V’Achlamah, zt”l, grandfather of Rav Eliyashiv, shlit”a, once confessed that, although he never met Rav Yisroel Salanter, zt”l, when he was a young man, he had always wanted to develop a relationship with the great Baal Mussar. What prevented him was his fear that Rav Yisroel would have tried to prevent him from spending the majority of his time studying nistar rather than nigleh.

Someone conveyed this to Rav Yisroel, who expressed some surprise at the younger man’s reservations. “On the contrary,” he said, “It never occurred to me to discourage a person from following the unique path he has chosen to come closer to Hashem![4]”

[1] Meor Einei Yisrael, III,
[2] Ma’aseh Ish, III, pg. 95
[3] Ma’aseh Ish, IV, pg, 94
[4] Toras Rav Yisrael Salanter, pg, 276

-Rabbi Micha Golshevsky

Rabbi Golshevsky has informed me that, in honor of the Yortzeit of the author of the Hebrew peirush/teich on the Zohar called the Masok Midvash, Rav Doniel Frisch, zt"l, a new shedule in learning an amud a day of Zohar has been started. It is endorsed by Rav Ya'akov Meir Shechter, shlita, The Rebbi of Toldos Aharon, shlita, Rav Tzvi Meir Zilberberg shlita and Rav Yitzchak Moshe Ehrlinger shlita. They all recomended reading the amud yomi even if you don't understand it. Pictured below is the new schedule courtesy of Rav Micha Golshevsky and his Father-in-Law, who scanned it into the computer. Click on each image to enlarge and print them.



-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of Nehora)

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Basic Explanation of the 10 Sefiros

Inspired by a recent conversation with a friend and an all-around great guy, I wanted to post a good introductory explanation of the 10 sefiros in Kabbalah for people's general edification. I found one good explanation by RAbbi Immanuel Schochet at Chabad.org. I'm quoting the first few paragraphs here and then linking to the full article.

-Dixie Yid

Two Systems of Ten Sefirot

By J. Immanuel Schochet

The sefirot
are ten spheres or classes, as it is stated in Sefer Yetzira, "Ten and not nine;
ten and not eleven." This is their order: keter (crown); chochma (wisdom); bina
(understanding); chesed (kindness); gevura (might); tiferet (beauty); netzach
(endurance); hod (splendor); yesod (foundation); malchut (kingship).

In
some schemes keter is omitted from the order of the ten sefirot, as will be
explained further on. These schemes understand chochma to be the first of the
ten and insert daat (knowledge) as a sefira after bina.

Keter is the
highest level or sphere of the sefirot. The term itself denotes its
significance: as a crown is on top of the head and encompasses it, so keter is
on top of all the sefirot and encompasses them all.

The analogy is
carried further: just as the crown is not a part of the head or the body but
distinct from it, so keter is essentially distinct from the other sefirot. It is
the first emanation, and as such the "lowest level" as it were, of the Emanator
Himself. That is why keter is called "the most hidden of all hidden" ("temira
dechol temirin"), and is referred to as "naught" (" Ayin"). These terms signify
the total concealment of the rank of keter due to its supreme sublimity.

Keter is so sublime and concealed that nothing can be said or postulated
of it. While the other sefirot are sometimes represented by various letters of
the alphabet, no letter can describe or represent keter. (In the paradigm where
the four letters of G-d's name Havayah represent the ten sefirot, i.e. yud -
chochma, hei - bina, vav - the unit of the six middot from chesed to yesod, hei
- malchut, keter is represented by the "thorn" of the yud, thus not by any
letter but by a mere dot.)

That is why keter is sometimes excluded from
the scheme of the sefirot. It is too sublime to be included. It is a category
and class all in itself. In fact it is called the "intermediary" between the Ein
Sof and the sefirot, bridging the gap, as it were: it is the "lowest level" of
the Light of the Ein Sof and from it, and through it, issue forth the successive
divine emanations (thus being the very root or soul of the sefirot). Keter
represents the "lever" of divine manifestations and, as such, is called "the
Supreme Will" (" Ratzon Ha'elyon") of G-d: not a particular will focused on some
specific goal but the original Divine Willingness (Ratzon) underlying the
creative will. It is the "Will of all wills", which precedes all powers or
attributes (i.e., the sefirot)...

Click here for the full article.

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