|
Jewish Holidays
|
Remember and Never Forget! - Parshat Zachor |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 |
|
Shabbat Zachor is upon us, when we have the obligation to remember what Amalek did to us when we departed from Mitzrayim.
"Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you by the way and smote the hindmost of you, all that were feeble in your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he feared not G-d (Devarim, 25:17).
Just what is it that we are supposed to remember?
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 February 2010 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Shovavim - Rectifying Sexual Transgression |
|
|
|
|
Written by Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu
|
|
Tuesday, 05 January 2010 |
|
Every week, Israel’s former Chief Rabbi, HaRav Rav Mordechair Eliahu, shlita, puts out a Torah bulletin for Shabbat, called “Kol Tzofiyech,” which is distributed to synagogues throughout the country.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 January 2010 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf? |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Monday, 28 December 2009 |
|
For the last several years, come this time of year, I try to invite friends to an uplifting night of "Shovavim" prayers designed to cleanse a person from the stains of sexual transgression. The people who come along always have a great time, but others reject the idea outright, saying, "That's Kabbalah," "That's Hasidut," or "Where is it written in the Shulchan Aruch?" |
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 28 December 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 |
|
In our previous articles on the High Holy Days, we traced their connection to Tikun HaBrit, the rectification of the covenant of sexual purity between G-d and the Jewish People. We saw that both the sounding of the shofar on Rosh HaShana, and the service of the Kohen HaGadol on Yom Kippur are designed to cleanse the Divine channel of illumination, the sefirah of Yesod, which becomes blocked because of our sins.
In the spiritual world of the sefirot, where man is considered the microcosm of Creation, it is the Yesod that parallels the organ of the Brit milah. When viewed with this understanding, the High Holy Days come to help us rectify this very fundamental aspect of our lives.  A Succah |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 September 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Yom Kippur And Rectifying The Brit |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Monday, 28 September 2009 |
|
 The Chatam Sofer (1762-1839)
Reviewing his life, he did a scrupulous self-accounting, hoping to discover the cause. But he could not recall ever having committed a sexual transgression.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 September 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Wednesday, 16 September 2009 |
|
There are seven days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. So why is it called the “Ten Days of Repentance?”
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 September 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Monday, 31 August 2009 |
|
From the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in the book, "Likutei Moharan," on the Hebrew month of Elul.
[Editor's note: To understand this essay, one needs to know that according the secrets of the Torah, if, G-d forbid, a person masturbates or has a seminal emission under circumstances where it is not a mitzvah, then his semen gives birth to "spiritual children" which gravitate against him as negative spiritual forces. As described below, through tshuva (remorse and repentance), one may redeem these spiritual children and end their damaging influence upon him.]
If a person merits to truly feel pain over his sins, so that he circumcises the foreskin of his heart - for as long as his heart is sealed closed, he cannot truly feel this pain - then, when his heart is open within him, he will truly experience this great anguish, and he will feel true sorrow and remorse. This powerful remorse will also be felt by all of the hearts of all of the drops of seminal seed that went forth from him, in whatever place they may be, and they will feel in their scattered places, both in the hearts of those who became his actual children in the physical world, and also in the hearts of those disembodied souls who became trapped in the spiritual world of impurity and evil, G-d forbid, for even in this Other Realm (of evil), these drops that emanated from him possess a heart and all of the other organs.
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 18 September 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Kabbalistic Understandings Of The Shofar |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Saturday, 29 August 2009 |
The Goal Of The Holidays
According to the Kabbalah, one of the main themes of the upcoming High Holidays is Tikun HaBrit, the rectification and renewal of the Covenant (Brit) between G-d and the Jewish People.
 The Yesod is associated with the sexual organ |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Monday, 27 April 2009 |
|
Because of the Passover holiday break, we missed a few things, so today, let's take a look at Sefirat HaOmer (the counting of the Omer).  A box reminding the household to count the Omer |
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 04 May 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Pesach and Why Kabbalists Emphasize Tikunim |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Tuesday, 06 January 2009 |
|
Before beginning the search for chametz on the night before Pesach, we scatter 10 pieces of bread, or cookies, or crackers, around the house. The practice was instituted by the master Kabbalist, the Arizal, so those of you who are frightened or ignorant of Kabbalah better beware.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 April 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Sunday, 06 April 2008 |
 The holiday of Pesach celebrates our freedom from the bondage of Egypt with the goal of establishing the Nation of Israel in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). In addition to our physical liberation from the slavery of Pharoah and his evil taskmasters, we experienced a spiritual liberation as well from the impure Egyptian culture and the rampant immorality that festered there.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 April 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Friday, 21 December 2007 |
|
Once again, because of the problem of revealing esoteric Torah ideas to an internet audience of all ages, levels of Torah learning, and religions; and because of the author's paucity of true esoteric knowledge, we will only present some selected insights into the deeper meanings of Hanukah.
At the time of the Hanukah story, under the pernicious influence of Hellenism, the Jewish People became so assimilated and so estranged from G-d, they failed to see the miracle in the incredible military victory of the heroic band of Hasmonean rebels. It took the miracle of the Menorah to make them realize that just as G-d had kept the tiny cruse of oil burning for eight miraculous days, it was also G-d who had miraculously led the Hasmonean fighters to victory.
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 09 January 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Tikun Hatzot - Tikun Leah |
|
|
|
|
Written by Tzvi Fishman
|
|
Tuesday, 04 September 2007 |
Tikun Hatzot - The Actual Text
Part 2: Tikun Leah
Tikun Hatzot is divided into two parts: 1) Tikun Rachel and 2) Tikun Leah which appears in Hebrew below.
Tikun Leah is recited while sitting on a chair.
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 06 April 2009 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Jewish Holidays 