1. The 72 Letter Names

The permutations of the 72 Letters are found in both Talmudic as well as Kabbalistic texts.

Commentators say (Ba’al Haturim) that the name that was inside of the Choshen- חושן, the breastplate of the High Priest (called Orim V’tumim) was the 72 Letter Name combination.

The High Priest also had 72 bells studded on the bottom of his cloak called the Me’il- מעיל. We will soon see the connection of 72 with the priesthood and the side of Chesed - Divine kindness.

In the Machzor (the prayer book) of the High Holidays we find the words u’bechen- ובכן repeating it self. The Kabbalists teach that the numerology of this word is 72.

Like keys, there are many word combinations throughout the Siddur that have the specific names of the 72 Letters.

As discussed in our 2nd class on the Divine names that these 72 combinations are different than the name Av- עב which which has the hidden value of Yud and stems from the above the world of Atzilut.

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'All you need is love"- myth or fact?

What happens when an Orthodox and Reform Rabbis talk about love?

What is the definition of true love? and what about gay marriage and dating in the age of the internet? 

Check out this interview for more!

By: Rabbi Amichai Cohen

“When Adar enters we increase in joy”

-Talmud, Taanit 29a

The month of Adar is considered a very auspicious month. Someone born in the month of Adar does not have an evil eye on them and it says that”״מזלו בריא״, there mazal (fortune)is healthy. Why is it is especially connected to joy? What are the components of real happiness?

1. Permutations

The Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) tells us:

1. The permutation of Tetragrammaton is ה ה י ו
2. The tribe of month is Naftali
3. Letter of the month is ק
4. Body part is the spleen
5. The sense of the month is the sense of laughter
6. Sign of month is Pisces- fish

2. Planting An Adar

The Talmud (Tractate Beitza 15b) says “anyone who wants to make sure that there investments will be successful and reap results should plant an Adar”.

Adar isn't found anywhere in the scriptures as referring to a tree but obviously if it is planted it is referring to a tree.

What does it mean that you...

 מ״ה- The 45 Letter Divine Name

The 45 letter name of G-d is connected to the 72 letter name. The difference is in the intensity of the revelation. The Zohar says that the 72 letter name comes from the forehead of A”K Adam Kadmon- Primordial Man which is the dimension which includes everything that existed before creation and everything that will exist until the end of time.

The name Mah is “covered” by the forehead and therefore it’s revelation is limited and dimmed in comparison to the name Av. Also, the name Av is called an old name because it is interwoven with the Ain Sof- the Infinite Divine entity. While the name Mah is called a “new name” because it the name is for the sake of post existence and ultimately achieving the Tikun (fixing) within the finite world as we will see when we get into the combination of the names Mah and Ban.

The name Mah is composed of 45 letters and it’s primary hidden value is Aleph. יוד  קא ...

Permutations & Hidden Value

What are permutations?

In mathematics, permutation is the act of arranging the members of a set into a sequence or order, or, if the set is already ordered, rearranging (reordering) its elements—a process called permuting. Permutations differ from combinations, which are selections of some members of a set regardless of order. For example, written as tuples, there are six permutations of the set {1,2,3}, namely: (1,2,3), (1,3,2), (2,1,3), (2,3,1), (3,1,2), and (3,2,1).

In Kabbalah, permutations are combinations of words or numbers which illicit a deep truth about what a a person, place, or thing. Permutations are the hidden facets of the Hebrew Alpha-Bet. Based on the way the letters are arranged is how these letters convey the latent spiritual potential found within their combinations.

What are hidden values or מילוי (pronounced Milui) in Hebrew?

When we talk, there are the words we say which others hear. However, there is a deeper hidden...

Greetings from the Western Wall, the holiest place in the world for jews and the site of the future 3rd Temple.

The Talmud says that "Adam was created from the place of his atonement. This teaches us that we do not need to be perfect. G-d choose as a work in progress. 

We also learn that Jerusalem in general and the Temple is a place of unity, oneness and peace between all of the nations. 

The entire world is connected and that is manifested by the Temple.

This is seen on a daily in the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where thousands of people come from all over the world to connect to this transcended peaceful reality.

The Name YKVK is the name which is the most associated with the infinite nature of G-d called Ain Sof (limitless).

Kabbalah explains that while the Divine names are modalities of which G-d allows himself to be constricted (and thereby known) within a finite dimension. Nevertheless, the name YKVK is connected with the light more the vessel.

In our previous class on the Divine names, we spoke about the contradiction of names in general. On the one hand a name captures the person, place or thing. Yet on the other hand, the name captures merely the externality of the thing it it describing. The intrinsically deep nature is of the essence of the matter can not be captures and contained within a finite description.

This is the novelty of the the name YKVK. It is a name which relates to the infinite nature of G-d. The other Divine names are more external descriptions, while the YKVK describes the infinite as much as possible.

It is for this reason that Kabbalists spent time meditating...