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THEMES of Featured Mystical Classics Articles

Elements of Divine Service
The Tabernacle symbolized the letters of the Hebrew alef-bet
The Torah is alluded to in the construction of the Tabernacle, since the purpose of building the Tabernacle was to house the Holy Ark, which, in turn, contained the tablets inscribed by G-d Himself.
Two Ways of Expressing Desire
One stems from the intellect while the other stems from the heart.
You attach your soul to the Shechinah by observing each and every commandment with desire, enthusiasm, and with great love. You can feel this desire of the heart by, stopping to think of the Holy One with love before fulfilling a commandment. The intensity of your desire will depend on the love with which you think of Him at these times.
Construction Innuendos
By Rabbi Raymond Beyda
The Ark represents Torah learning, the Altar - spiritual perfection and the Table - material success. The measurements of the Holy Ark that housed the Tablets that Moshe brought down from Sinai, were all incomplete sums. The Kli Yakar explains that this teaches us that in spiritual matters, a person should always see oneself only half-way there.
Cherubs of Gold
Intermediate
Cherubs of Gold
Kabbalah teaches that the cherubs unified the spiritual worlds.
The cherubs were symbolic of the fire and the thunder the Israelites experienced during the revelation at Mount Sinai. They were both constructed of gold, being recipients of the attributes Love and Justice. They were male and female in order to teach that these two genders represent the initiating force and the responsive force respectively.
The First Voluntary Offering
The average person donated of 1/50th of his crop; the generous gave 1/40th.
When we refrain from doing bad, the purity of our intentions is not paramount. But when we do good deeds and mitzvot, we make a "home" for G-d in this world, and pure intentions are of the utmost importance.
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