Torah

י"ט סיון התשס"ח Alban Heruin 20 The transition metal with which my newest ritual treasure is made is cobalt. With an atomic number of 27, most of the earth's cobalt is in its core. The Hebrew word for cobalt is ערב meaning 'evening'. My Craftwork cobalt 'evening'-related entry follows yesterday's series of 'morning'-related entries which began with Death Of Distortion, The Day The S

ה' סיון התשס"חAlban Heruin 6Last evening's motzi shabbat divination consisted of 3 Hebrew letters and 1 Ogham letter.תיו - Torah from the earth; Her Torah, an earth-based shamanic configuration anchored in Truth through the letter tav (ת), projecting through Her hand (י), Torah (ו)and the letter ailm - the fid of an epiphanyThis divination followed the Tzohar dream vision of the si

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:YOKE OF TORAH REMOVES WORLDLY YOKES   The below is from one our students. She alludes to  this quote for Pirkie Avot in trust and having faith in God to relieve he of fears, resentments, defects of character, and rightfully so. Our finite selves can only go so far and at some point in our lives, we come to the wise conclusion, that we must

The JTA talks about some good news for religious Jews living in central America: MANAGUA, Nicaragua (JTA) – After 28 years without a Torah scroll, Nicaraguan Jews joyously welcomed a new Torah in a ceremony community members say helped rekindle the Jewish spirit in this turbulent Central American country. The morning after Sunday's ceremony, the Torah was used for the first time in a minyan, at

ל' באדר א' תשס"חRaven 1More on my natal birth chart.There are 4 astrological points in the zodiac houses corresponding to the element of Air. They are:Neptune, 17 times the mass of Earth - yesod, tov (טוב), gematria 17Venus - kaf (כ), gematria 20Chiron, meaning "the healing hand" - yad (יד), gematria 14Mars - gimel (ג), gematria 3The total gematria of the one Air element is 54, the gematria of Dan, and the number of parashiyot in the entire Torah. I was born in a city named Danville during the month of Tevet.

כ'ד באדר א' תשס"חKeolwulf 25My Natal Chart[1] (click for larger view)."The ascendant of a given geographic location at a given point in time is the point on the zodiac which coincides with - i.e., is ascending over - the eastern horizon as viewed from that place and time."The ascendant on a natal chart wheel is located where the horizontal line intersects with the left side of the wheel.In my own natal chart, Virgo (Elul, left hand - yad hachazakah, action, pintele yid, days of reclamation) governed by Mercury is on the ascendant. Thus, communication, intellect and awareness exert considerable influence over my chart and throughout this lifetime.From The Chassidic Dimension, Rambam states in Yad HaChazakah:The Torah portion of Chukas begins with the laws of the Parah Adumah, the

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: TORAH COMPENDIUM: TORAH PORTIONS: PARASHA: JEWISH HOLIDAYS A COMPENDIUM TO THE TORAH FROM AN ETHICAL SPRITUAL AND RENEWAL JUDAIC POINT OF VIEW, DRAWING ON TALMUDIC, MIDRASHIC, AND RABBINIC REFERENCES  FROM POST TALMUDIC TO MODERN TIMES. TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE EVERY PARASHA, [TORAH PORTION] FOR THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES [CHUMASH] CLICK ON THE BLUE VERBIAGE FOR THE ONE OF THE FIVE BOOKS YOU WISH,(HINT: THE FIRST LINE OF THE BLUE WORDS ON THE YELLOW BACKGROUND ARE THE LINK, WHILE THE OTHERS WORDS, SEEM TO NOT LINK ONE ANYWHERE), AND A HYPERLINK WILL APPEAR. THEN CLICK ON THAT, AND YOU WILL BE TAKEN TO CHUMASH CANDESCENCE  OF RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL, AND THEN CLICK ON ANY PARASHA YOU WISH TO READ AND STUDY. HINT: CLICK ON THE TOP LINE OF THE BLUE ON

 DEAR READER: PLEASE SCROLL THRU THESE GOOGLE HITS TO GET TO THE D'VRAI TORAH ON THE PARASHAT IN CHUMASH CANDESCENCE, AS WELL AS TALMUDIC DISCOURSES, AND OTHER WRITINGS. THIS SEEMED TO NEED TO BE DONE TO ALLOW GOOGLE AND OTHER SEARCH ENGINES TO LET THOSE SEARCHING FOR ESSAYS ON THE TORAH PORTIONS TO COME TO OURS. THANK YOU, SHALOM, RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL.   Web  Results 1 - 100 of about 893 for "RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL". (0.17 seconds)  Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL Posted by Rabbi Arthur Segal at Friday, February 15, 2008 ... Rabbi Arthur Segal: United States: I am available for Shabbatons,and can speak on various ...rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2008/02/rabbi-arthur-segal.html - 60k - 21 hours ago - Cac

I'm sure you all know who the Torah Temimah is, and what other wonderful books R' Baruch HaLevi Epstein wrote. What you may not know is that he wrote a commentary on the 5 Megillas called Gishmei Bracha (or later, Torah Temimah on 5 Megillahs). I am a big fan of the Torah Temimah, and have been trying to translate another of his commentaries on chumash - Tosefet Bracha on my website. You can see a few pieces on most of the parshas there.Anyway, here's the scoop. Torahlab are selling a pocket sized version (with clear print) of the original Hebrew version of his commentary on Megillat Eicha for a silly price. But it is for this week only. Click on the link and get yourself a copy to make your tisha b'av more meaningful.http://torahlab.org/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=484(This is what they write about the book:)Rabbi Boruch HaLevi Epstien (1860-1941) cites Talmudic and Midrashic souces verbatim, merging the Written and Oral Torah. In addition, his unique style of commentary

A group rocks to reggae in front of a large star of David while a Jewish rabbi urges a return to the faith amid a cloud of smoke: welcome to a religious Woodstock on the West Bank.At least 1,000 people, from Orthodox youths wearing kippas to hippies sporting multi-colored ponchos, gathered on a summer night for the 8th edition of the "Festival of the End of Time." The setting is a pine forest in the Gush Etzion bloc of Jewish settlements. "This festival gives me spiritual power," gushes Elisheva, a 16-year-old girl from Jerusalem. "There are sparks of holiness in the air." Close to her, teenagers smoking narghiles sit on carpets, swaying to the music. A curtain is supposed to separate females and males during dancing but in the darkness the religious interdicts are quickly forgotten and everyone mixes freely. More...

Some things to read over Shabbos (my wife is waiting for the computer, so this will have to be quick)We read chapter 3 of Pirkei Avos this week I am working on a translation of Rabbeinu Yona's commentary of Avos which will hopefully be published soon. In the mean time you can look at my first rough draft of it over here:Rabbeinu YonaPlease send me your thoughts and comments. There is still a lot of work to be done on it, but I would very much appreciate your feedback. Also don't forget to check out the latest on the parsha from torahlab.org.I have written a few things on the parsha, Shelach Lecha, which may be of interest (click on the links for each one).A summary of the portionMy thoughts on the parsha (written many years ago while I was in Edinburgh)And my translation of selections from Tosefes Bracha's commentary on the parsha (by R' Baruch Halevi Epstein - the Torah Temima)Shabbat Shalom (I know I can't make up my mind how to pronounce Hebrew words - that's always been one o

כ"ט בניסן תשס"זThis morning's dream is not the only dream I've ever had about dumplings. Consequently, I decided to explore the potential symbolism of "dumplings".Dumpling in Hebrew is נטיפה.Wow. This directly correlates to the vision I had last Tuesday about a drop (taf) and it's relationship to prophecy (hatafah).נטיפה is from the root נטף meaning [1] to "flow from within", "flow", "dripping", prophetic "preaching", "resin flowing from a tree" [2], "hanging pearl or pendant".Clearly then, in my mind, my dream dumplings symbolize pearls of Torah wisdom and prophetic teaching flowing from within (one's inner inmost source, that Source being Divine). Now, I understand why I wanted each person to take a portion directly from the kettle (the Source) and not from the separate platters (disconnected from the Source).Footnotes:[1] Etymological Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark[2] the Tree of Life (Etz Chaim), for exampleTechnorati tags: Torah Talm

A Jewish Blog is back. I think that taking a week off blogging really cleared my mind. I’ve decided to blog once again, except I will focus on Torah and Chasidus and will discuss Jewish news only if it affects some aspect of the Jewish way of life. Amongst other reasons for returning with... [ visit A Jewish Blog to continue reading ]

A Jewish Blog is back. I think that taking a week off blogging really cleared my mind. I’ve decided to blog once again, except I will focus on Torah and Chasidus and will discuss Jewish news only if it affects some aspect of the Jewish way of life. Amongst other reasons for returning with... [ visit A Jewish Blog to continue reading ]

2000 Years Before Creation Thrown of Glory - In a scene reminiscent of an episode of Sesame Street all the letters appeared before the Holy One to state their case why they should be the first letter in the Torah. Many had merit, but all were rejected except for Bet. The first letter of Blessed. Aleph did not appear. When asked to explain she replied, “Master of the world because I saw all the letters leaving your presence fruitlessly. What could I do there? Furthermore, look You have given this enormous gift to the letter Bet, and it is not fitting for the exalted King to take back a gift He has given to his servant and give it to another.”[1] The Holy One then said, “Aleph, Aleph, although I will create the world with Bet, you will be first of all the letters. Only thought you will I become one. With you all counting begins and every deed in the world. No union is actualized except by Aleph.”[1] “The Aleph looks like the brain”.[2] “Where is the Holy Palace? We woul

This is a much needed-and well written-article about the Torah obligation of Jewish men to work and support the family. Here’s the intro…read the whole article. We live in a world where no truth can be taken for granted. It is difficult for me to imagine that the premise of this article... [ visit A Jewish Blog to continue reading ]

ג' באדר תשס"זלה Five sacred times fall out this year for this Jewitch on Saturday, 3 March. Each time is represented by one of five Welsh goddesses of Avalon (Isle of the blessed). (Goddess information from Avalon Traditions)Shabbat - Blodeuwedd is the Lady of Initiation.She calls us to cast off the garments of expectation and to peer into the darkness of the self to find, and ultimately live, our inner truth. She teaches us to fly where others would see us grounded. Mythological Sources for Blodeuwedd – The Mabinogion - "Math, Son of Mathonwy"; Hanes Blodeuwedd.חזק חזק ונתחזקLunar Eclipse in Virgo - Ceridwen is the Lady of Transformation.She calls us to enter into our darkness to seek out the seeds of our wholeness. She teaches us that the only path to wisdom is through trial and experience [1]. In Her Cauldron, the mysteries of death and rebirth are revealed, and we emerge to initiate the process once more. We ride the Wheel with our newfound insight and und

In follow-up to my posts on the (eleven) "signs" (of Etz Chai) which mark my Hall Of Records, The Adversaries, the unexpected murder of Jewish actress/director/screenwriter Adrienne Shelly, and Yirat Hashem (the baker and the butler) - some important notes with respect to the "prophetic" connection threading through all of them:Dave at Balashon writes regarding nes-nisayon:The connection to flag is clear. And I think we can see the development of nes from flag to miracle via an understanding of the word as "sign". These aren't just miracles for their own sake - they are trying to show something, to act as a sign. David Guttmann writes at Believing Is Knowing regarding nes-nisayon as pertaining to the idea of "demonstration" within the context of distinguishing nevuah (prophecy):The word Nissah or its derivatives in the context of demonstration appears six times in the Torah and Rambam addresses those specifically. It appears three times in the context of the Mann, once by Avraham and

ומנלן דהתורה נקראת ברכהSefer HaBahir, verse 3 excerptTraditional interpretation: "How do we know that Torah is called a blessing?"תטהרודהתורה has a gematria of 620, the same gematria as the word keter (the level of Torah revealed at Sinai), the number of letters in the Torah text of the ten commandments, the full number of the mitzvot, the number of pillars of light which "connect the ceiling of keter to the floor of malchut" [1], and the gematria of the word "titharu" which alludes to the revelation of keter in imma ila'ah.טהרותIt's all here, in the word דהתורה.Footnote:[1] R' Yitzchak Ginsburgh, The Inner DimensionTechnorati tags: Torah Talmud Torah Judaism Kabbalah jewish mysticism mysticism jewish meditation meditation kabbalah iyunit jewitchery jewitch jewish woman sacred feminine divine feminine shechinah lilith spiritual development spirituality kosher spirituality sefer habahir bahir daat torah keter torah 620 mitzvot woman of valor

ומאי בהו אלא תהו היתה וחזרהSefer HaBahir, verse 2 excerptTraditional interpretation: "What is bohu (desolation)? It is something that has substance."Liorah's interpretation: "And what is bohu, but tohu sent out and returning?"ומאי and what isבהו bohuאלא butתהו tohuהיתה sent out (projected out)וחזרה and returningIn other words, tohu and bohu, whatever they are discovered to actually be in terms of substance, are MADE OF THE SAME ESSENCE, for bohu is nothing more than tohu which has been "projected out" and is now "returning to its source". In other words, tohu is like aur yashar, while bohu is like aur chozer.Interestingly, tohu is usually considered feminine, and aur yashar masculine. Similarly, bohu is usually considered masculine and aur chozer feminine. There is an interesting gender mix here.As with tohu and bohu, another interesting "same essence" connection flowing through my translation is with Purim, where we are commanded to drink w

More on daat Torah and making the Torah personal for parashat Re'eh:Analyzing with reverse vision, my anglicized english 4-letter [1] name Lori transliterated into hebrew letters לורילורי using atbach substitution (the reflective - aur chozer - transformation) is:ל -> עו -> דר -> שי -> צIn other words, Lori can be transformed via two permutations [2] (transliteration and atbach transformation) into עד ש"ץ, where עד means witness and embodies the complete shema, and where ש"ץ refers to שליחה ציבורה, a shliachah tziburah (emissary of the congregation, mystical cantor).From wiki, on chazzanah, a shliachah tziburah:In the Talmud the term is used to denote the "overseer": (1) of a city; (2) of a court of justice; (3) of the Temple; (4) of the synagogue. It also comes from the word Hazzon, denoting a "visionary." The early hazzanim (the plural of hazzan) were most likely prophets. In summary, for parashat Re'eh, using reverse vision, I see that "prophetic

In my mind, Daas Torah and free-thinking are not mutually exclusive. Moreover, they are complimentary and each necessary in the fruitful search for truth. Of course, I don't define Daas Torah as asking a Rabbi to make all one's decisions either. There is a time to ask and a time not to ask. May we all be blessed to be able to distinguish the times.I personally don't have a problem with the ideal of Daas Torah in terms of recognizing that there are people who understand more than I do. On the other hand, I don't believe that someone else's Daas Torah negates the validity of my own Daas Torah (even in a relatively underdeveloped state). If another person's "Daas Torah" becomes an obstacle to the development of my unique "Daas Torah", then I would question the advisor's motive and surely doubt that the advisor was answering from a position of "Daas Torah". Additionally, when someone suggests I abdicate my mind to an advisor's will - this is a clear red flag that Daas Torah is not

:: WE ARE EXPECTING tens of thousands of Jews to arrive here in Hevron this Shabbat, just several weeks after the conclusion of Sukkot, in which over 100,000 Jews came to the city, according to Jewish community spokesman David Wilder - Arutz7. THE YEARLY reading of the life of Sarah - Chayei Sarah. - Berel Wein, the renowned Jewish historian and columnist, offers his unique blend of topical issues with the weekly Torah portion. Listen to the AUDIO REFLECTION The reading of Chayei Sarah is about the Story of mother Sarah and a story of what Life & Death is. The citizens of Israel know a lot of what life and death is - in their daily-life mixed by the hatred of the world’s politics. Wherever we are in the world we need the Torah word of Sarah and Messiah. ::