names of God
Masters of Names
Before Yisroel Ba'al Shem Tov there were three Ba'alei Shem: Eliahu Ba'al Shem, Yoel Ba'al Shem, and Adam Ba'al Shem. "Ba'al Shem" means "master of
Out There
"Egypt" (מצרים) means "straits," alluding to psychological blocks and states of confinement. Chametz (leavened bread) symbolizes egocentricity. Egocentricity (chametz) is the source of all psychological confinement
The Last Exile
The four questions that we ask at the Seder table begin: "What is the difference between this night (of Pesach) and all (other) nights?" The children at
Not a Body
One of our basic tenets of faith in God, in the words of Maimonides: "He is not a body and not a power in a
Lights of Chaos in Vessels of Order
The messianic formula: Lights of Chaos in Vessels of Order. Lights of Chaos are great, unbounded lights. They give full, outspoken expression to what one
From Afar God Appears to Me
In one verse King David says: "I place God before me always" ("שויתי הוי' לנגדי תמיד"). But in another he says: "My sin is before
Bittersweet is the Sweetest
The Ba'al Shem Tov taught that Amalek (עמלק, 240), Israel's archenemy, is equal to "doubt" (ספק). No doubt that he is the original skeptic. Amalek
Miscellaneous Tweets, Part 1
There are many worlds. In the highest spiritual World of Emanation there is no consciousness other than that of God. * The Bible speaks of
Of Adam and Eve
Woman was created from the "side" (often translated as "rib") of man. "Side" = 190 = 10 times Eve. Woman, 306, side, 190 = 496,
Moses, Shimon, Isaac, Israel
The Oral Torah is a living, growing organism. From generation to generation its submission and separation dimensions are ever reinterpreted. But with regard to the