Tomer Devorah- The 13 Gates Of Compassion (+Live Kabbalah Video)
By: Rabbi Amichai Cohen B"H
Tomer Devorah- Resembling The Divine
The Ramak tells us that we are made in the image of the divine which is called Keter or crown.
Man or Adam comes from the word earth and to resemble. It is not enough to merely resemble the divine in form we also must resemble the divine most importantly in deed and action.
But what are G-dly, or divine deeds and action you may ask?
Here we are told that the 13 attributes of mercy are divine paths of just action.
What are the 13 principals?. It should be noted that there are 2- 13 principals found in the Tanach, bible. The first is Moses 13 attributes which he beckons for the Jewish people not to be obliterated by the harsh decrease exacted upon them do to the sin of the golden calf. The 2nd 13 attributes is found in the...
The Kabbalah Of Shofar- The Alter Rebbe On The Secrets Of Shofar
Rabbi Amichai Cohen B"H
The Kabbalah of Shofar
In this discourse the Alter Rebbe discusses the mystical secrets of the blowing of the Shofar according to the Ba’al Shem Tov. Incredibly deep and enlightening.
As a prelude to understanding the blast of the Shofar, the Alter Rebbe gives 3 parables.
1.Sound and speech/thinking and pre-thinking
The Zohar says the sound is the general over encompassing potential, while speech is the specific intonations of sound. For sound to connect with speech it will always bypass the letter .אלף Aleph
All sounds of speech have the the Aleph (א-Ah,Eh etc) in them. Sound is then divided into their specific (5 forms of ) enunciations.
The Alter Rebbe explains that for every giver (mashpia) to give to a receiver (mekabel) it...
Becoming A Lamplighter- The Goal Of The Yeshivah Institution
B"H
By: Moshe Reuven Sheradsky
Today and the next several days forward onto Tuesday, the 18th day of the Month of Elul, are very special days. Particularly so, as the 15th of Elul is the day The Rebbe Rashab (the 5th Rebbe of the Chabad Chassidic Dynasty) established a learning institution (otherwise known as a “Yeshivah”) that has been the bedrock of spiritual growth and development amongst the Jewish community and the world at large until this very day. This was not just a learning institution like any other. This Yeshivah, would include the learning of the hidden aspects of the Torah, namely Kabbalah and Chassidus, along with the revealed aspects of Torah, which was the only study taking place in yeshivahs until this took place.
The reason for this creation of a new yeshivah which would take hold for the future was like so. The Jewish community was becoming more and more dispersed throughout the world. Leaving tiny shtetle, insulated communities with no...
Zusha- Chassidic Rockstars: Live Kabbalah Interview
B"H
By Moshe Reuven Sherdasky
"We started jamming out with friends. One of our friends decided we should meet each other and through that present audience of just friends it grew. The more we related to that experience, the more people wanted to be a part of it. One person felt good about what were doing, so he told someone, and the word spread that three guys are playing together and that you should listen to them. It started as group of small shows, first it was a birthday, to a gig in the village then all over the world. People feel close to us as we feel close to them even if they live hundreds of miles away".
Sitting down a few weeks ago with friends, Shlomo (lead singer), Zachariah (guitarist), and Paltiel (manager), of the star band, Zusha, was something special. I had met the band 6 years ago when aimlessly wandering into Chabad of NYU. On my way to Israel, I had stopped over in New York for a few days to spend some time with my cousin. I needed a place to go to for Shabbat...
The One Thing I Seek- What Are Your Big Whys?
B”H
By; Rabbi Amichai Cohen
Elul has the acronym of the verse (in Song Of Songs 6,3) “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me”. What does this month have to do with love? What does it mean to be for a beloved and the beloved for me?
Elul is the last month of the year where we on the one hand take accounting for our spiritual and practice inventory of the previous year, and also prepare ourselves for the upcoming year.
It’s all in the prep
...
The Month Of Elul- The King Is In The Field (+Live Kabbalah Video)
B"H
By: Rabbi Amichai Cohen
The King Is In The Field- Get out of the desert!
In his Song of Songs, King Solomon writes a most eloquent and deep passage representing a multitude of relationships. The verse “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3) is an immediate allusion to the month of Elul, for in its original Hebrew, “Ani ledodi v’dodi li,” the letters beginning each word serve as an acronym for this month.
Elul is the month preceding Tishrei, the beginning of the Jewish year, starting with the holiday of Rosh Hashanah and culminating with the festival of Hoshana Rabbah. It is during the month of Elul that we try and focus on our past year, reflecting on our deeds, atoning for our mistakes and contemplating our actions and changes for the new year to come. Therefore, as we will see, this statement of King Solomon’s is not only a statement between two...
The Power Of Music- A Kabbalistic Look
B”H
By Rabbi Amichai Cohen
Would you say you listen to music “rarely, often or very often”?
Regardless of the answer you offered, music is powerful. Music can shift cultural trends and society to change by relinquishing the old and embracing the new.
Next question: Do you believe that music is spiritual?
If you answered yes, then you are right. How can they not be connected?
The 10 Songs
Kabbalah explains that the world was created via 10 utterance, these 10 utterances are the totality of the natural world. Next comes the 10 commandments, which communicated G-d’s deeper connection with his creation. The Midrash says that there are 10 songs of creation. We are awaiting the 10th and final song of creation called “Shir Chadash”- A New Song.
In English the word song connotes all forms of musical renditions. However in Hebrew the word Shir connotes vocals, while Zimrah connotes instrumental renditions.
In the Temple service, the Levites...
Competition vs Purpose - Discovering Your Life's Purpose
By Moshe Reuven Sheradsky
As a branch from my last article on activating your talents and gifts. I’d like to elaborate on one point in a way I didn’t then.
The concept that each person has their very own specific mission in life can save from more than just a bad self esteem. It can save from chasing other people’s priorities, goals, likes, interests, and so on.
Here’s how…
Why do we keep up with the Jones’s? Or at least try to? Or at least want to? Or at least are suggested by our social circles to?
There’s a famous business book called Blue Ocean Strategy. It’s unbelievably helpful in business as in life, and it can be used to help explain how knowing you have a mission will save you a lot of time, energy, indecision, regret, sadness and more..
The red ocean strategy is a strategy completely run by competition. It’s this is what everyone want and is focused on doing, and...
A Tour Of The Third Temple // The Messianic Temple (Live Kabbalah Video)
Live Kabbalah Interview with scholar and author of the "Messianic Temple" Rabbi Chaim Clorfene about the Third Temple which was prophesied by Ezekiel.
Live Kabbalah: Latent with Gifts// Thriveglobal.com
By: Moshe Reuven Sheradsky
Published on Huffington Post's- Thriveglobal July 13th 2018
The Baal Shem Tov, the Founder of the Chassidic Movement, taught that every divine soul is latent with gifts to an extent that we will never discover the limits of, just as the land of Israel is latent with natural resources we will never know the limits of. Within the soul, is a “land of desire”, to which the Baal Shem Tov related, he wants to make the soul yield the kind of produce it’s capable of. (Hayom yom, 17th Iyar)
As stated above, you, as a divine soul, deep deep down are latent with endless gifts and talents. Some you know of, many of which you more than likely aren’t aware of.
If so, why are they only existent deep deep down? Why are they not at the forefront with every single individual we meet? Why do we have our struggles in certain areas or at times feel like what we are good at is still unknown and we are waiting for someone to come along and bestow it upon...