THEMES of Featured Contemporary Kabbalists Articles

King Solomon said, "G-d's lamp is the human soul." The flame of a candle constantly flickers upwards, as if yearning to leave the wick behind and ascend to the heavens. The soul shares this nature, constantly striving to break out of the boundaries imposed on it by the body and the physical world and reconnect with its spiritual source.

There are two methods of serving G-d: the path of "righteousness" - represented by the regular Passover celebration, and the path of "repentance", embodied by Pesach Sheini. In order to return to the proper path, it is not enough to merely avoid impropriety; the individual must strengthen the weak point in his relationship with G-d, thus transforming the power of evil into holiness.

The lamps of the Menora must be kindled until the wicks catch flame and burn on their own. This is an allegory for our purpose on earth: to kindle the flame of Divine consciousness until all of created reality burns on its own with the enthusiasm required to fulfill its Divine purpose—to make the world into G‑d's home.

The allegorical "trumpet" we sound in order to enlist God's help against the evil inclination is our heart-broken cry, the silent tears we shed over being so spiritually weak that we are vulnerable to the evil inclination's strategies. When we beseech G-d to have mercy on us, He comes to our aid and rescues us from our enemy.