Tag Archives: Baal Shem Tov

Torah of Fire: Adele & Metatron

This weekend we conclude the annual Torah reading cycle with the final parasha, v’Zot haBerakhah. It begins by saying: “This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, bade the Israelites farewell before he died. He said: YHWH came from Sinai, and shone upon them from Seir—appearing from Mount Paran, and approaching from Ribeboth-Kodesh; lightning flashing at them from His right.” (Deuteronomy 33:1-2) The three concluding words, esh dat lamo (אש דת למו), are cryptic and mysterious, giving rise to various interpretations and translations.

The first word, esh, is seemingly clear, meaning “fire”. However, in an actual Torah scroll, it is fused with the next word and written as eshdat lamo (אשדת למו). This combined term is more difficult, and can mean “slope“ or “waterfall” or “cascade“, so some translations of the verse say “a fiery stream for His people”. Meanwhile, the word dat later came to mean “law” or “religion” (see Em laMikra on the verse). So, some interpretations translate the phrase as “He gave a fiery law to His people”. Others say God gave the Torah “out of the fire”, or that He gave a “flaming Torah”. Rashi comments here that it refers to the famous mystical teaching that God gave the Torah as “black fire on white fire”.

The Tikkunei Zohar (57b) expands on this fiery Torah theme and first suggests that it’s a Torah of fire because if we don’t fulfil the Torah, God’s fiery wrath comes down upon us, chas v’shalom. This is what led to the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and the exile of the Shekhinah. Later (in 127b), the Tikkunei Zohar has a much deeper discussion. The meaning of that fiery Torah on God’s right side is actually a reference to the “angel of the Torah”, who is always described as God’s “right-hand man”, so to speak. This is, of course, Metatron. Continue reading →

Ten Types of Kabbalah

This week’s double parasha, Nitzavim-Vayelekh, contains the famous verse “the concealed things are for Hashem, and the revealed things are for us and for our children, forever” (Deuteronomy 29:28). The “concealed things” are typically understood as referring to the concealed secrets embedded in the Torah, the deepest dimension of sod. The Torah is written in simple and plain language, in the style of narratives and stories, so that all people in all generations could understand it, even “children, forever”. For those who want to plunge deeper, however, there are profound secrets encoded within each word and letter. This field of study is commonly referred to as “Kabbalah”.

When we look at the various branches and styles of Kabbalah over the course of history, we can ten types altogether. This is fitting, since the core teaching of Kabbalah is the notion of Ten Sefirot, and we find countless things in Creation that parallel and reflect the Ten Sefirot. So, what are the ten types of Kabbalah, and how exactly do they parallel the Sefirot? Continue reading →

Understanding Chabad, Part 2

How and why did a messianic movement develop around the Lubavitcher Rebbe? Could he have been Mashiach? What are the hidden beliefs of Lubavitchers about the Rebbe, and some of the lesser-known secret practices of the community? Plus: the true mystical and messianic meaning behind the Rebbe’s tefillin campaign, and an exploration of tefillin conspiracy theories and “Chabad tunnels”.