Ohr Makif

Baba Sali was known Kabbalist that lived in Israel.

The open miracles that he performed on daily basis can fill many volumes. Finally there is book in English that depicts the life of this great man.

Baba Sali is grand-son of Rabbi Abuchatzera – disciple of ARI. Ever heard of Aladdin when you were a kid? Well the idea of Aladdin wasn’t really an invention.

Once Rabbi Abuchatzea was sent by ARIZAL to collect funds for yeshiva. He came to the Yaffo port to look for a ship that would take him on his trip. There was one problem – the boat that was ready to leave didn’t want to accept him on board.

Seeing that the ship departs, Rabbi Abuchatzera took the small carpet that was with him and laid it on the ground. As the boat left the port, the carpet flew him above the sea  just behind the ship. Thus came his name Abuchatzera – which means the owner of the carpet.

While in our generation these stories are hard to imagine the book documents many miracles that were performed by his grandson – Baba Sali that were witnessed by many non-religious people and acknowledged by doctors and scientists as open miracles that go against laws of nature. The book also gives a glimpse at the daily life of this holy man

http://www.eichlers.com/Product/Books/Biographies/All/Baba-Sali-_JPBABH.html

Weekly Parasha Insights by Rabbi Eli Mansour

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Description: Parashat Vayigash: Vayigash, Goshen, and Mashiah

Parashat Vayigash tells of Yaakob and his family’s move from Eretz Yisrael to Canaan. We read that as Yaakob made his way toward Egypt, he sent his son Yehuda ahead, for the purpose of establishing a place of learning: “He sent Yehuda ahead to teach him the way to Goshen” (46:28).

The Torah in this verse refers to the area of Goshen with the term “Goshna,” which means “to Goshen.” Rav Nissan Alpert (1927-1986) noted that the word “Goshna” has the same numerical value as the word “Mashiah” (358) – indicating some connection between this context and our hopes for the arrival of Mashiah. Rav Alpert explained that the word “Goshen” is closely related to the first word and name of the Parasha – “Vayigash” – which means “approach.” The Parasha begins with Yehuda approaching Yosef (“Vayigash Elav Yehuda”) to plead that he allow Binyamin to return to his father. We find this term again a bit later, after Yosef reveals his identity to his brothers, when he says to them, “Geshu Na Elai” – “draw near, if you will” – and they obliged – “Vayigashyu” (45:4). This Parasha is about “Vayigash” – Yosef and his brothers “approaching” one another, drawing near to each other, after many years of separation. Just before the brothers threw Yosef into the pit, the Torah writes, “they saw him from afar” (“Va’yiru Oto Me’rahok” – 37:18). As long as they saw each other “from afar,” as long as there was a distance between them, there was hatred and animosity. This distance is rectified in Parashat Vayigash, when Yosef and his brothers draw near to each other, and bond together in peace and harmony.

For good reason, Rav Alpert commented, the word “Goshna” – which alludes to the theme of closeness between Jews – is equal to “Mashiah.” The Messianic Era will arrive only at the time of “Vayigash,” when we, like Yosef and his brothers, set aside our petty differences and come together in peace and unity. When we are able to eliminate the distance between neighbors, between family members, between spouses, and between business associates, and work together with goodwill and mutual respect, then Mashiah can come. As long as we “see each other from afar,” if we keep our distance from fellow Jews with whom we have differences, our nation will not experience redemption. The redemption will come once we achieve “Vayigash Elav Yehuda” – closeness between Jews, genuine feelings of camaraderie and goodwill that overshadow the differences and disagreements that unfortunately separate us from one another.

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Audio Length: 48:05
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Torah has many levels – the deepest one is called Kabbalah. The lesson below shows amazing Kabbalistic insights into this week’s parsha. Many secrets of Creation are reveled here based on teachings on ARIZAL, CHIDA and other Kabbalists

LINK

All the elaborate proofs, all the philosophical machinations, none of that will never stand you firmly on your feet. There’s only one thing that can give you that, and that’s your own inherent conviction.

For even as your own mind flounders, you yourself know that this is so, and know that you believe it to be so. It is a conviction all the winds of the earth cannot uproot, that has carried us to this point in time, that has rendered us indestructible and timeless.

For it comes from within and from the heritage of your ancestors who believed as well, back to the invincible conviction of our father, Abraham, a man who took on the entire world.

The doubts, the hesitations, the vacillations, all these come to you from the outside. Your challenge is but to allow your inner knowledge to shine through and be your guide.

Inside is boundless power.

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman.

Now days with modern science it seems that anyone who has belief in demons is considered a fool; yet it’s not that simple…

Many Kabbalistic texts, Torah, Mishna, Talmud are full of description around demons and their powers, yet we don’t see any proof to their existence. How come?

Kabbalists teach us that Creator in His infinite wisdom created two systems – System of Kedusha (holiness/desire to bestow) and System of Tumah (impurities, desire to receive for the sake of receiving) as it’s explained in depth by Baal HaSulam. These two systems were created to give us – the creation – freedom of choice. A lot is already written on this topic, so I won’t go further into this.

For these two systems to co-exist in harmony and provide us with true freedom of choice there must be balance – i.e. the forces must be equal in power. Therefore when Sanhedrin requested from the Creator to take away from us the nisanyon (test) of idolatry we immediately lost the ability to prophesy in the same moment as idolatry was taken away from us.

Thus in our time we can’t even comprehend how one would be servering a stone – yet our ancestors were far from fools – they had tangible benefits from serving idols and the closet desire that we could somehow compare their hunger to work the idols can be only compared to our nowadays sexual desires for intimacy (but even that is far from what they felt).

Thus, just as prophesy was taken away from us once we asked to be absolved from idolatry so the power of demons diminished once our level of Kedusha started to decline. Ben Ish Chai – widely accepted Kabbalist – wrote about this in several of his commentaries. I also would like to share a link that can give an insight to how our ancestors were able to interact with demons when their level allowed it

http://www.communitym.com/article.asp?article_id=101388

Another link that I recommend: http://www.koshertorah.com/kabbalah.html

Many people mistakenly assume that RAMBAM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maimonides) did not posses the wisdom of Kabbalah.

This belief can be understood as all the works of this great sage seem to be based on rational thinking. But this is only a veil that conceals one of the greatest Kabbalists the world ever known.

As one of the greatest masters of Kabbalah Abu Lafia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Abulafia) pointed out – Kabbalah is based on two key books – Sefer HaYetzira that is attributed to Avraham and RAMBAM’s Guide.

I was troubled myself by the fact that ARIZAL implied in Shaar HaGilgulim that RAMBAM’s soul was derived from the left side of side-locks and therefore he didn’t merit to learn the Wisdom of Kabbalah, but the author of this article resolves this difficulty.

http://www.koshertorah.com/PDF/rambam.pdf

On Sukkot we sit in tents (Sukkah) to commemorate the clouds of glory that surrounded Israel when they went in the desert. Now let’s play with the numbers

Gematria of word Suka (Samech Vav Kaf Heh) = 91

Gematria of word Angel (M A La Ch) = 91

Gematria of word AMEN (A M N) = 91

Gematria of ADNI + YHVH = 65 + 26 = 91

Thus one who sits in Sukka is literally surrounded by the Glory of Creator - Gvurah (65) & Chasadim (26)

This Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos.

There is very interesting explanation that I heard from Rabbi Mansour.

Yom Kippur is considered by our sages as Double Shabbos, thus when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos we actually have triple sanctity on this day (as we know during Shabbos there is “aliyat olamot” – ascent of spiritual worlds and thus all worlds unite in one sephira – ARIAL alludes to this with his statement of “field of sacred apples”).

Numerical value of Shabat = 702

If we look at how many times HAVAYA is included in Shabbat we get to: 702/26 = 27. Thus we have 27 times the power of HAVAYA in one Shabbat.

What happens if we have the triple power of Shabbat as we will have on this Yom Kippur? Then it’s 27 * 3 = 81!

During weekday of Maariv before the prayer we say “Ve-Hu Rachum Yichper Avon ve-lo yashchit ve-hirba lehasiv APo…” And the Merciful One will not destroy and will constrain his anger – in Hebrew Af.

Numerical value of Af is 81. Thus in this Yom Kippur we have the opportunity to erase the power of judgment against us.

May we all be able to achieve this!

Yeshiva of the Inner Light
Kabbalah Institute of America

Message for Rosh Hashanah 5771 ( 2011)
Based on the teachings of the Baal HaSulam
and his son Harav Ashlag

Tomorrow night begins the two days of Rosh Hashanah. One of the focal
points of Rosh Hashanah is hearing the blowing of the shofar.There are many
reasons for this. Most have to do with the sounding of the shofar having the power
to weaken the “satan” (who is always looking to “prosecute” against us) and thus
help enable us to merit to be written for a good year.

Following the teachings of the Baal HaSulam the hearing of the shofar on
Rosh Hashanah could perhaps be understood as follows;

In the Pesichah LeChachmas HaKabbalah the Baal Hasulam explains how as
when the four spiritual worlds evolved from Atzilus to Briah to Yetzirah and
finally down to Yetzirah of which “Olam Hazeh” “ this world” is at the bottom of,
that with each successive world, as the overpowerment of the “Ratzon Lekabel”
“will to receive” decreases (thus allowing the “Ratzon Lekabel” to be increasingly
stronger), so too the “orh” “Light” which is received in that world decreases. The
“Orhoes” “Lights” diminish from Chayah to Neshamah to Ruach and finally down
to Nefesh in Asiyah of which “Olam Hazeh” is the bottom part of.

When describing this final stage of the “orh” of “Nefesh” coming to the
wold of “Asiyah” the Baal HaSulam writes as follows: “ And in the world of
“Asiyah”……The “ohr” that is in it is called “Nefesh”, which implies “ohr” lacking
motion from itself.” (the word “Nefesh” literally is translated to “rest”, [lack of
motion])

I never understood what the Baal HaSulam meant here when he says that the
“ohr” of ‘Nefesh” does not have motion on its own. What does that mean?!
B”H when the Pesichah was reprinted with the additional “perush” “commentary”
taken from the lessons of HaRav Ashalg this idea is explained. The Rebbe explains
it as follows:

In the physical world we see that even a stone has motion! How is this? If
someone comes along and gives it a kick! But on its own, it has no motion.
So too is true of man. On his own he has no “spiritual motion”! Meaning
that even just the idea alone of doing things “Al manas lehashpiah” “ for the sake
of (PURE) bestowal [doing things for the sake of bestowal = “spiritual motion”]”
is totally foreign to us! How then can even a man in “olam hazeh” have “spiritual
motion”? If someone comes along wakes him up. In other words, so to speak
“gives him a kick”! Meaning that he on his own is indeed unable to make a move
spiritually. But he needs to merit to be influenced from someone else. This is why
we put so much effort to find proper teachers and diligently learn Torah from
them! We hope to develop with our Torah study and observance the ability to
develop “spiritual motion” of our own and come to “Deveykus BaHashem”
This is the goal of the sound of the shofar. To wake us up! To give us a
“kick” to begin going in the correct direction of “al menas lehashpiah”. So why
specifically the sound of the shofer!

Two of the various things the Shofar reminds us of is 1) the “Iyal” “ram” by
“Akeydas Yitzchak” “ the binding [for the sacrifice] of Isaac” 2) the sound of the
shofar that was heard at “har Seeniey” “Mt Sinai” by the giving of the Torah
The “iyal” represents “Avraham avenuh” “our Forefather Abraham” selfless
“almenas lehashpia” act of being willing to offer up his dear son Yitzchock who he
waited so many years for, to HaShem without any question. So to the sound of the
Shofar has the ability to wake up this spirit of selflessness for their sake of Hashem
which is inherent in every Jew!

The sound of the shofar by “har Seeniey”‘ represents the climatic level of
“KEISH ECHAD BELEV ECHAD” “ Like one man with one heart” that the Nation
of Israel had obtained as a unified body the concept of ‘Veahavtah lereacha
kamoch” “to love your neighbor as yourself”, accepting upon themselves to
interact with each other “al menas Lehashpia”. So too the sound of the shofar has
the ability to wake up the spirit of acting together as a unified selfless group, the
Holy Nation of Klal Yisrael!

Let us all be zocheh this year as we hear the sound of the shofar on Rosh
HaShanah to let it enter our “sleeping” Nefesh, and allow it to wake it up! Let us
increase our commitment to True Torah study, and Mitzvah Observance, thereby
waking up our ability to change ourselves in order to serve HaShem “almenas
lehashpia”, to come to “devakus with HaShem.

May HaShem write and seal you in, for a good and peaceful life!
Fievel Okowita