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ב"ה

THEMES of Featured Ari Articles

Shabbat of the Eighth King
Kabbalah explains how Shabbat is the secret of the rectification of all Creation.
The commandment to keep Shabbat - or as it says in the verse, "the Shabbats" - is used to illustrate the process of the rectification of Creation. The Ari describes the concept of the Shattering of the Vessels and how it brought about the created world, relating it to the weekly cycle. In short, the seven lower sefirot which "crashed", unable to receive the lofty spiritual influx from the higher three "balanced" sefirot due to their own immature self-absorption, correspond to the weekdays, while the Shabbat following those " weekdays" relates to the light of rectification and the world in its state of perfection.
From the Eye to the Soul...and Back
It is praiseworthy to look at positive things.
Sight is an outward projection of the soul to "grasp" the image of the object being looked at. If you look at a pure thing, its goodness will cling to the soul and it will have a good effect on the one who sees it. If, on the other hand, you look at impure things, you will be adversely affected and become like what you look at.
Shabbat Wages
Spiritual and Monetary Rewards
If one does not prepare his meals and other needs before Shabbat, he will not be able to enjoy them on Shabbat, since those preparations are forbidden to do then. Likewise, the extent of one's spiritual experience or level of consciousness on Shabbat is proportional to the amount of spiritual preparation for Shabbat one engages in during the preceding week.
Wild and Wooly
The spiritual roots of the offerings of Cain and Abel illustrate mystical truths of forbidden mixtures.
The prohibition against shaatnez is explained in the context of the mystical dimension of the sin of Cain and Abel. Cain sought to elevate the flaxseed, the inner vitality of malchut, to Zeir Anpin, instead of keeping it in malchut so it could inspire Zeir Anpin to couple with it on its own level. Abel then attempted to rectify Cain's error, and brought an offering of wool.
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