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19 Nisan 5769; April 13, 2009
 
 

Shalom to one and all...

Thank you all who have been showing your support for KOSHERTORAH. Please keep your support coming...

I Have managed to complete and post the KAVANOT OF THE OMER CHART FOR 5769. You can access it as a JPEG from our KosherTorah.com front page or as a PDF by clicking here...

Now, here is a nice long D'var Torah for you to print out and read over the last two Yom Tov days of the Pesah holiday...


KosherTorah Omer Sale
Everything* from Now Until June 1, 2009 is 40% Off!
What can I say? The economy has hit me as hard as it has hit you!

As the old saying goes, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going."

So, I am left with no other choice. In order to raise funds for some very serious projects (book publications and a possible move back east, way way east), I am offering you everything that I have at a discount that I do not believe I have ever offered before.

Hey, what can I say? Tough times require tough sacrifices, for all of us. I never ask anything of my students that I do not myself offer first...

I have also activate PAYPAL. Therefore, anyone can now make online purchases and pay for them using this new format. I will also soon have GOOGLE checkout as well.

Everything is discounted, there is no minimum amount to purchase, nor is there a maximum. The only items not covered are donations and class tuitions.

To get the discount, simply type in the word OMER is the DISCOUNT CODE box on the check out... it's that simple...

Thank you all again for your continuing support. I pray that I will have some very good and big announcements soon, but as with all things this is in the Hands of Heaven... Lishuateykha Kiviti HaShem!

* this offer excludes donations and class tuitions.

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Tikunei Zohar Lesson 2 (Tikun 22)
By HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok. Copyright (C) 2009 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
I am writing this commentary in the style of a classical poetically oriented Hebrew Kabbalistic work of the Midrashic school. I have hinted herein to many things in subtle ways. I do not believe in making everything clear for you. You will never learn anything when you have everything provided for you on a silver platter, thus never making the efforts to discover for yourselves. Sometimes, you have to learn to see for yourselves. If you will make the efforts, you will discover that even within very dim light, there is concealed the orb of the sun. Remember, real light (enlightenment) shines from within.

This style may not follow Standard English writing rules for structure or content, but who ever said that such forms were the best anyway? Now, silence your tongue from speech and clear your mind of questions. Open your heart and allow your silent inner voice to rise up and to speak from within you.

LESSON TWO

"Place me as a seal upon your heart." (S.S.8:6).

A seal covers, conceals and concludes. A seal is the outside reflection of that which is inside. A seal is below and serves as the throne for that which is above it. The seal placed on the heart is placed there by the mind. The seal confirms the relationship between the source and its expression elsewhere.

What is the seal placed upon this place? This is the sign of the Shabat and the Yom Tov holidays. These are considered equal to the covenant of circumcision.

The seal upon the heart unites Heaven and Earth, the soul of man with its Divine source above. The human body is energized with creative energy. This energy is meant to both ascend and descend and by doing so unite Heaven and Earth. Creative energy is sexual energy, for sex is the power of union. Yet, sex has its source above the genitals, in the mind itself. This is the secret of true knowledge and true knowing. This is how Adam "knew" his wife Eve.

Creative energy forms new human bodies, and when exercised properly also creates new souls. When creative energy ascends, one comes to know the secret and sacred balance of Heaven and Earth, and of man with nature; the two are one.

Shabat is first a level of consciousness, only then does it materialize as a physical day of the week. This is the secret union of the inner Shabat and its outer form, its seal. Shabat when observed properly aligns the human soul with the proper harmony in nature. Elohim rested on Shabat; Elohim is the L-rd of nature as "HaTeva" reveals. When one aligns with nature one aligns with Elohim. One cannot align with nature without honoring and observing Shabat.

All creative activities called Melakhot (work) are prohibited; for on Shabat, Elohim (HaTeva) rests; therefore we too must allow nature to rest through us. When one acts in violation of Shabat, one is misdirecting the natural energy of Elohim, the energy used for creation. Violation of Shabat and sexual promiscuity therefore both pervert the natural and necessary flow of Elohim, the L-rd of nature. May this never be! Shabat and Yom Tov holidays serve to create a similar state of conscious union between the soul and its supernal source.

Like this is Shabat, the Shin thereof corresponds to the Shin of Shadai. This includes within it the three supernal Hayot and the three Fathers.

Not for naught is the word Shabat spelled with three letters each of which reveals secrets of Shabat's true nature. Shin is the first letter in the seal Shadai. Shadai is to YKVK as body is to soul. One reveals the Divine above, One reveals the Divine below. One is called G-d and one is called the "angel of G-d." One is the source; one is the branch.

The three above are Yod Hey Vav and they are Abba, Imma and ZA and they are the unconscious mind, the conscious mind and the place between that unites them. The three materialize in the world immediately above ours as Mikhael, Gavriel and Uriel. Here on Earth, they were revealed in Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov.

Bet is four, the fourth of the Fathers and fourth to the three Hayot. This is the Image of Man, but not [the] Man [himself]. This is what is written, "and the image of their faces ... the face of man" (Ez. 1:10). Rather what Man? Yod Vav Dalet - Hey Alef - Vav Alef Vav - Hey Alef.

Bet, the second letter, corresponds to the fourth leg of the throne; the Hey below, King David, the Shekhina and Malkhut, the Kingdom. This reflects the Image of Man above, but it itself is not the Man. The Man above is ZA, the Image of the Man is not ZA, but rather it is NOK and she is feminine. Contemplate with wisdom this profound secret and you will gain insight into the secret of unity between male and female that only together make up ADAM.

Adam, alef, dalet, mem equals 45; so too does the Name of ZA spelled Yod Vav Dalet - Hey Alef - Vav Alef Vav - Hey Alef. Thus Man above is YKVK, "He" is ZA. The "Image of Man" below is NOK, and she is Adam, male and female.

Shabat is Shadai. YKVK is the private domain; it is 4 wide by 10 high. Yod Vav Dalet - Hey Alef - Vav Alef Vav - Hey Alef.

Shabat is the union of YKVK and Elohim; it is the union of Malkhut with the six sefirot of ZA also known as the "days of the supernal week." As the place of union between YKVK and Elohim, Shabat is called the "One who said enough." For once enough was enough then there was rest, then nature was balanced and then there came forth freedom for the human soul, in remembrance of creation and in remembrance of the going forth of Egypt.

There is never freedom for the body unless there is first freedom of the mind. Freedom of the mind comes about only when the mind frees itself from "work." Thus "work" is forbidden on Shabat. This frees the mind, then the body follows suit. Soon, redemption comes to the whole world, if only we all observed the Shabat properly just twice.

YKVK is Tiferet, the heart, ZA, the Holy One, blessed be He, the G-d of Israel, who brought forth His people from bondage in Egypt. YKVK is sublime and mysterious. YKVK is above the natural order and yet the natural order is contained within it. YKVK is the source of man, and the source of Torah, for ultimately the three are one. YKVK is spelled with four letters, which are expanded to ten, thus the "private domain" accessed by the heart is said to be 4 wide by 10 high. Metaphors are metaphors; without understanding their symbolic meaning so much is misunderstood and even so much more is left in the dark with no understanding at all.

Yod of Shadai corresponds to the sign of Shabat and the Yom Tov holidays. Yod hints to the ten sefirot.

The final letter of Shadai, the Yod is the seal, the Shabat and Yom Tov. For Yod is the first letter of YKVK and the last of Shadai; thus it is both the first and the last, thus completing the great cosmic circle. The ten sefirot are from above to below and from below to above; yet they are not straight lines like we might think. Rather the sefirot themselves are spheres and spheres are cyclical, so too the Tree of the Sefirot have their beginning in their end and their end in their beginning. They form the great circle from which comes forth all things and to which all things will return.

This seal is for the son of the King. However, for the servant of the King his seal is Shadai, from the side of that which is said, "all who are called by My Name, for my Glory I created them, I formed them, I even made them" (Is. 32:7).

The seal of the son of the King is YKVK for this Name embraces its essence. Yet for those who have not yet achieved the consciousness of the essence, they in turn embrace Shadai, the lower forms and as such are called servants, instead of sons. One must first serve before one can ascend and become a child of the upper realm. One must first embrace the consciousness of the body before one can embrace the consciousness of the soul. One must first embrace Shabat, Yom Tov and sexual discipline in all their Halakhic ritual forms (Shadai) before one can discover their true Kabbalistic power (YKVK) that can only be unleashed from within. The two are one and the one is two. This is the secret union of Tiferet and Malkhut, YKVK and Shadai, male and female, Adam and Eve. This is also the union of the Glory (Atzilut) and the lower worlds of Be'Ya'A (those that were created, formed and made).

And what is this? This is Metatron whose numerical value equals that of Shadai. He is the Small Man, in the Image of Above. This is [the meaning] of "if like sons, or if like servants."

When one begins, one embraces the trunk of the Tree. This is the natural way, the Halakha. Only with this firmly in one's grasp can one ascend and climb the Tree to reach its higher branches. Before one can reach the top one must start at the bottom and work oneself up. Thus we begin with Shadai, the "One who said enough." This defines for us the parameters and boundaries of space and time.

These dimensions were placed under the control of the Gatekeeper whose job it is to watch over those who climb the Tree, to assist them in their ascent and to protect them if they fall. He is the defender and the protector. He is not the Man above, but rather he serves as His agent here in these worlds below. He is created and formed in the Image of the Man above and serves as His conduit and vehicle of movement (Merkava).

He is called the Protector, also known as Metatron. This name is not holy nor should it be considered such. In reality, it is not a name at all, rather it is a title. For this one goes by seventy names, and is known throughout humanity by a different name for each time and place he is revealed.

Metatron reflects to us the Image above, and in his role as Angel of the Covenant and Angel of HaShem, instructs us how to follow Torah Law meticulously and correctly. Only when one grasps firm the trunk of the Tree will one be able to climb to its branches. Only when one is firmly observant of the mitzvot of the Torah will one penetrate their outer forms to discover their inner realities. Metatron guides the way, but only for those who have gazed upon the "One who said enough" for 314 equals 314. Not for naught are the two one, Metatron and Shadai, the seal and outer forms of the great YKVK.

One must first serve before one can ascend and become a child of the upper realm. One must first embrace the consciousness of the body before one can embrace the consciousness of the soul.

One who is of the image of the Lion, his seal will be the white face. One whose seal is the Bull will be the red face. One whose seal is the Eagle he will be green of face. One whose seal is the Image of Man, he will be the black face, like the Torah says, "I am black and pleasant" (S.S.1:5)."

Now is revealed the great secrets of human personality, each a reflection of the realities of the Merkava above. Each is different and unique. Each is valid and vital. Four make up the one, and establish balance. Four make up the one and thus here below there is wholeness. This is the secret of the quaternity and YKVK. One four all and one four all... this is no mistake, just a pun on words.

White and black, red and green are the colors of the Merkava. These are not colors of this world, nor do they correspond to anything that we would call physical. Rather, these colors speak of the supernal attributes and the secrets of their nature. These then materialize in this world as the psychological traits and attributes of the four basic variant personality types. To explain them in depth would lock us into a pattern and prison which would be hard to escape from. Therefore, rather than write a thousand words, let us suffice with a simple picture.

Merciful man, strict man, passionate man and rigid; water, fire, air and earth; these are the natures that underlie us all. We each have a part of each within us and the individual composite parts, each in their unique ratios, make up for us our personalities. This is the Image of the Man above that we each uniquely and individually reflect. Only together do we form the complete Image. Therefore, it is written, "in the multitude of the peoples is the glory of the King." The king rules over servants, the subjects of Metatron-Shadai. Only together then can the nation ascend as one and be called "the son."

Body is black; red is the left hand, green is the right hand and white is the heart. All are needed together; all are needed to be one. For without any one there can be no others. The Table stands on four legs, the Merkava travels on four wheels. All are to be found within each individual. Thus the individual becomes the Image of the Whole.

Silence your tongue from speech; clear your mind of questions. Open your heart and allow your silent inner voice to rise up and to speak from within you.

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Shalom, HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok

phone: 818-345-0888

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