ב"ה
THEMES of Featured Mystical Classics Articles
There exists a spiritual shadow which foretells one's demise.
"Their shadow is removed from them"
This means that death had already been decreed upon the princes of the nations. No nation falls unless they fall first, for the princes are their protection. Thus, the Jews are being reassured that the power under whose protection the nations in the land of Canaan live has already been removed, and you need 'fear them not'. |
Advanced
Israel is distinguished by being "the beginning"
Both the commandment of tzitzit and that of challah are described as "reishit". The first word of the Torah, "Bereishit", alludes to the world having been created on account of that gift of "challah", the piece of dough donated to the kohen.
Tzitzit are made up of 32 strings, symbolizing the 32 "paths" which G‑d employed in bringing this universe into being; the Targum Yerushalmi translates the word "Bereishit" as "with wisdom". |
The mystical dimension of why the commandment of tzitzit-fringes applies only to garments which are four-cornered.
We are commanded to attach tzitzit-fringes only to garments which are four-cornered, to serve as a symbol of our being servants of the L‑rd, Whose Kingdom extends to the four corners of the globe.
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Intermediate
Kabbalah states that by eating, we elevate the holiness found in the food.
"Man does not live by bread alone, rather on all that emanates from the mouth of G-d."
The Ari explains that the intake of food enables the soul to remain attached to the body, although the soul, by definition, does not need to eat for food is something both physical as well as spiritual. The soul can benefit from those spiritual ingredients in food, just as the body derives strength from the foods' nutrients. |
