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ב"ה

Themes of Featured Articles

3:1 Learning From Miracles
Both the soul and the body have to give an accounting before the King of kings.
During the hundreds of years the Temple stood, the Jewish people experienced ten open miracles, including the fact that no unclean emission ever befell the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. This was a clear indication that the putrid drop of semen from which human life originates (mentioned by Rabbi Akavya) has been rehabilitated for another year.
3:2 Shepherdess of the Exile
Kabbalah explains that our survival in exile depends upon the Divine Presence.
While in exile, one should pray for the welfare of the "malchut", meaning the Divine Presence in our midst. For She protects us and Her fear descends upon the seventy nations below and their supernal angelic ministers.
3:2 A Book of Remembrance
Jewish mystics reveal spiritual insights regarding the concept of a yahrzeit.
On the day of its death, one's spirit is judged in the heavenly court if he should ascend to the upper, supernal world. Originally, he is judged only on the very lightest matters and at every subsequent anniversary of the day of death (yahrzeit), he is thus judged again, so as to elevate the spirit to a yet higher level.
3:3 Tasty Fixings
Souls may be reincarnated into food in order to finally become rectified.
A dead person may be reincarnated into an animal that will serve as food for humans, in order that they should say words of Torah over it at their meal table and thus give him new life in the heavenly realm. But if no words of Torah are said, the dead person is cast off to remain an inanimate entity.
3:7 The Gift of Wealth
A person not so deserving of life may still be allowed to live because others depend on him.
Whatever one owns in this world is from G-d; all of one's wealth is only considered a "deposit". The wealthy are merely considered the "guardians" of G-d’s possessions, in order for them to be able to assist the needy and the downtrodden. As a result, they are indeed become worthy of living a life of affluence.
3:9 Wisdom Before Fear
One shouldn't let a lack of fear of Heaven stop him
Not only must the fear of sin come before the acquisition of wisdom, but that fear of sin is directly connected with fulfilling and reinforcing the Torah.
3:10 Satisfaction
Just as every person is a microcosm, so is the entire Jewish people a single spiritual organism.
Just as each and every person is an entire microcosm, so is the entire Jewish people one single spiritual organism. Thus, some are considered the "head" of the people, and some are considered the "legs"; the leaders of a generation are referred to as the "eyes of the congregation".

Every person wields some authority over others. Within this context, we are all "leaders," and are responsible when the spiritual level of our particular group is not what it could be.
3:14 Created in the Divine Image
By tasting the fruit of the Tree of Life we can restore our original Divine image.
Not only was man originally created in G-d's image, but he also continued to retain this image even after sinning. Nonetheless, this is purely passive. All of mankind and especially the Jewish People enjoy a far greater challenge - to return to their original Divine image through the observance of Torah and mitzvot.

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