Tag Archives: Tiferet

Kabbalah of the Omer

What is the deeper significance behind the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot? Why do we count the days, and what is their mystical connection to the Sefirot? Also, where did “mourning” during Sefirat haOmer really originate, and what is the proper way to approach these customs? Find out in this eye-opening class as we dive into Sefirat haOmer and explore what it takes to become a complete, refined human. Plus, the primordial elements associated with the Sefirot, and a Kabbalistic look at Yom ha’Atzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, and Yom haShoah.

 

Erev Rav (Video)

Who is the Erev Rav, the “Mixed Multitude”, first mentioned in Exodus? How do they return and manifest in every generation? And why are they locked in a cosmic battle with Moses that spans all of human history? Find out in this class as we being to explore the mysterious and dangerous Erev Rav phenomenon, and what we can do to defeat this ideology—which the Zohar says is a necessary precursor to the Final Redemption and the forthcoming Messianic Age.

For a written summary and lots more information, see here.
For the previous class that explored the Erev Rav’s connection to the Tree of Knowledge, see ‘Queen Esther’s Kabbalah’.
For more on the “quantum brain” theory and a scientific explanation for reincarnation, see here.

Origins & Secrets of Birkat Levanah

This weekend we welcome the month of Cheshvan and celebrate the first Rosh Chodesh of the new year 5785. In ancient times, the Sanhedrin would officially announce the start of a new month upon sighting of the new moon. Once the Sanhedrin was disbanded, the Sages fixed a set calendar for the millennia ahead. And since then, instead of a formal announcement of a new month upon new moon sighting, we recite a birkat levanah, a “blessing on the moon”. Where exactly did this blessing and practice originate? And what is the meaning behind its enigmatic text?

The earliest source for birkat levanah is thought to be a passage in the tractate Sanhedrin. Amidst a discussion of examining witnesses in a Jewish court, the Talmud asks a side-question: “Until when may one recite the blessing on the new month?” (41b) Two answers are given, one that it should be recited within the first week of the month (seven days) and another that it can be recited until just after the full moon, ie. the sixteenth day of the month, since at that point the moon begins to wane. Continue reading →