ב"ה
THEMES of Featured Contemporary Kabbalists Articles
Beginner
Redemption comes just at the right time.
When Abraham sent Eliezer on a mission to find a suitable mate for his son Isaac, Eliezer merited a miraculous contraction of the earth so that his entire journey was completed in a single day.
Rebecca in her parents' home was a "rose among the thorns". Once the time came to liberate Rebecca, it would have been wrong to leave Rebecca there for even one unnecessary day. |
The 24 books of Scripture form the channel through which G-d's wisdom flows into the world.
Rebecca's pitcher symbolizes the Written Torah; the spring into which it was lowered symbolizes the Oral Torah. Dipping the pitcher into the water thus signifies the combination of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.
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The Cave of Machpela in Hebron is an integral part of the unification of G-d's name
The soul is sent into the body in order for it to accomplish its unique task
in disseminating divine consciousness in this world. When it finishes its task,
it returns "home" to its origin in G-d.
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Via the account of Sarah's passing, Jewish mysticism reveals secrets of the nature of the soul.
When Sarah heard about the
binding of Isaac, she knew that her mission was complete; she had succeeded in
raising Isaac to be unhesitatingly devoted to fulfilling G-d's will.
Thus the Midrash describes Sarah's death as her soul "flew away" from her body, as if released. No matter how high a person may reach spiritually, the body always imposes a limitation on the soul's ability to perceive Divinity. |
Beginner
Sarah achieved what Eve and Noah could not…selfless joy
Sarah remained selfless even while experiencing otherness. This allowed her to "descend" to Egypt and "ascend" unscathed. Not only is she not adversely affected by the impurity of Egypt, she and Abraham manage to leave there heavy with cattle, silver and gold - an allusion to the sparks of holiness that they had elevated through their descent.
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Although her later achievements made earlier ones pale in comparison, Sarah lived up to her fullest potential at all times.
Sarah constantly achieved ever-higher degrees of goodness; her every achievement built upon and perfected her previous accomplishments, preparing her to reach ever greater heights. Sarah eventfully broke through the boundaries of time, creating a cohesive oneness out of her entire life.
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The smaller, plain text is the explanation of the translator/editor.
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