The Splendor of Tefillin

The Splendor of Tefillin PDF Author: Chanan Morrison
Publisher: Chanan Morrison
ISBN: 1480019976
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description
"Well written and concise. This book makes the mitzvah of Tefillin so much more meaningful. Highly recommended reading." --Robert Weiss What are tefillin? What is their deeper significance? How can we bind our hearts and souls to God, as we bind these these scrolls to our arms and heads?Nine insightful essays on the mitzvah of tefillin, based on the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook.

The Splendor of Tefillin

The Splendor of Tefillin PDF Author: Chanan Morrison
Publisher: Chanan Morrison
ISBN: 1480019976
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description
"Well written and concise. This book makes the mitzvah of Tefillin so much more meaningful. Highly recommended reading." --Robert Weiss What are tefillin? What is their deeper significance? How can we bind our hearts and souls to God, as we bind these these scrolls to our arms and heads?Nine insightful essays on the mitzvah of tefillin, based on the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook.

If All the Seas Were Ink

If All the Seas Were Ink PDF Author: Ilana Kurshan
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1250121264
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
At the age of 27, alone in Jerusalem in the wake of a painful divorce, Ilana Kurshan joined the world's largest book club, learning daf yomi, Hebrew for "daily page" of the Talmud, a book of rabbinic teachings spanning about 600 years and the basis for all codes of Jewish law. A runner, a reader and a romantic, Kurshan adapted to its pace, attuned her ear to its poetry, and discovered her passions in its pages. She brought the Talmud with her wherever she went, studying in airplanes, supermarket lines, and over a plate of pasta at home, careful not to drip tomato sauce upon discussions about the sprinkling of blood on the Temple altar. By the time she completed the Talmud after seven and a half years, Kurshan was remarried with three young children. With each pregnancy, her Talmud sat perched atop her growing belly. This memoir is a tale of heartache and humor, of love and loss, of marriage and motherhood, and of learning to put one foot in front of the other by turning page after page. Kurshan takes us on a deeply accessible and personal guided tour of the Talmud, shedding new light on its stories and offering insights into its arguments--both for those already familiar with the text and for those who have never encountered it. For people of the book--both Jewish and non-Jewish--If All the Seas Were Ink is a celebration of learning--through literature--how to fall in love once again.

Jewish Studies

Jewish Studies PDF Author: Kalman Dubov
Publisher: Kalman Dubov
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Jewish mysticism is quite popular by way of books, lectures, and classes to teach this esoteric subject. The student suddenly confronts a world with a unique language and great masters who use obscure language so that the concepts are confusing amidst the different schools of Kabalistic thought and traditions. Prior to 1700, all such teaching was done from master to student, with intentional obscurities so that the student today faces many challenges in comprehending this discipline. This review, quoting from original sources, is designed to provide a basic and foundational structure from which the student can appreciate both the 'why' of Kabbalism and the 'how' they got there. The premise is that God created our physical universe for a reason, and the revelations on Mount Sinai was deliberate. The Kabbalist understood the hidden from the apparent so that open texts was suddenly imbued with meaning never apparent from the text itself. The book review the major contributors to Kabbalah while reviewing the mystic concepts they contributed. Different schools of thought emerged over time so that different modalities of Kabbalah are present today. These reviews are based on Theoretical Kabbalah, so that intention (Kavanah) during prayer and even during mundane acts throughout the day are imbued with Kabbalistic intention. The book does not review Practical Kabbalah, where incantations, amulets, and similar acts are done to enhance positive energy. I do include the vignette of Rabbi Abraham Abulafia, a major proponent of this form of Kabbalah. In 1760, following the leadership and death of the Baal Shem Tov, the teaching of Kabbalah was opened to the lay public, setting aside the hidden curtain existing previously. Why the sudden change after thousands of years when this discipline was clandestine and not revealed openly? The answer lies with a mystic experience the Baal Shem Tov had with the Messiah who charged him with such open teaching before he would arrive. That charge is the central pivot upon which these teachings turn. The book's sections are divided into separate reviews to enable the student to review them more easily. The first section is on concepts; the second on personalities and the challenges they faced in their lives. It is common for great leaders not to dwell on their challenges in life, so it is especially important for posterity to be aware that their lives were often beset by great difficulties. Two vignettes review persons who were killed because of their beliefs. One was Rabbi Shlomo Molcho, a man who challenged both the reigning pope and secular emperor to accept their proper roles in life. In doing so, he was arrested and burned to death for his beliefs. When offered clemency if he reverted to the Christian faith, he refused, dying a martyr’s death. The other person who died in this horrific manner was a child of twelve years. Ines Esteban, whose family became conversos in Spain’s remote Extremadura. Hailed as a prophetess by the region’s conversos, she was arrested by the Inquisition, tortured and was burned at the stake in August 1500. The story of her leadership in the face of relentless religious persecution and her resolute refusal to become a Christian penitent is remarkable given her youth, her leadership and her individual role – she had no other to support her in this terrible time. She stood alone, without mentor or fellow mystic, though her father and stepmother fully supported her. I find it fitting and proper to dedicate this book to this remarkable young woman. Other Kabbalists through the ages also experienced great personal trials in life. Their collective leadership provides much detail to ponder their roles and teachings. It is hoped the student will have much opportunity to reflect on when studying this subject.

Prayers for the Awakening Self

Prayers for the Awakening Self PDF Author: Mark Allan Kaplan
Publisher: Original Gravity
ISBN: 0979798027
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description


Aspects of Jewish Metarational Thought

Aspects of Jewish Metarational Thought PDF Author: Martin Sicker
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595350348
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Judaism has always had adherents that, driven by both awe and love of God, strove to penetrate the mystery of divine wisdom and grasp what the philosopher deemed to be beyond the reach of man's rational faculty, as well as to explore other mysteries that seem to leap out from the pages of Scripture. These metarational leaps of intellect and imagination generally fit into the categories of the exoteric and the esoteric, referring to teachings traditionally considered suitable for public instruction and those deemed inappropriate for such purpose. The exoteric includes those attempts at intellectually and spiritually bridging the gap between God and man, that one finds strewn throughout the pages of the classical literature of Judaism. The esoteric includes those speculations and practices that have been more or less systematized and formulated and presented as mystical doctrines, that have been characterized since the Middle Ages as Kabbalah. The opening chapters of Aspects of Jewish Metarational Thought consider the question of the relationship between finite man and the unknowable God, and how the divine-human communication essential to that relationship takes place. Other chapters consider the purpose behind human existence and the critical aspects of the biblical account of the creation, issues relating to the idea of a visionary ascent to the celestial realm, the influence of metarational considerations on normative Jewish religious practice, and the special attributes believed to inhere in the Hebrew language and the role that these have played in metarational biblical interpretation from antiquity to the present.

The Bahir

The Bahir PDF Author: Aryeh Kaplan
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1609254937
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
The Bahir is one of the oldest and most influential of all classical Kabbalah texts. Until the publication of the Zohar, the Bahir was the most widely quoted primary source of Kabbalistic teachings. The Bahir is quoted in every major book on Kabbalah, the earliest being the Raavad's commentary on Sefer Yetzirah, and it is cited numerous times by Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban) in his commentary on the Torah. It is also quoted many times in the Zohar. It was first published around 1176 by the Provence school of Kabbalists; the first printed edition appeared in Amsterdam in 1651. The name Bahir is derived from the first verse quoted in the text (Job 37:21), "And now they do not see light, it is brilliant (Bahir) in the skies." It is also called the "Midrash of Rabbi Nehuniah ben HaKana," particularly by the Ramban. The reason might be that Rabbi Nehuniah's name is at the very beginning of the book, but most Kabbalists actually attribute the Bahir to him and his school. Some consider it the oldest kabbalistic text ever written. Although the Bahir is a fairly small book, some 12,000 words in all, it was very highly esteemed among those who probed its mysteries. Rabbi Judah Chayit, a prominent fifteenth-century Kabbalist, writes, "Make this book a crown for your head." Much of the text is very difficult to understand, and Rabbi Moshe Cordevero (1522-1570), head of the Safed school of Kabbalah, says, "The words of this text are bright (Bahir) and sparkling, but their brilliance can blind the eye." One of the most important concepts revealed in the Bahir is that of the Ten Sefirot, and careful analysis of these discussions yields much of what will be found in later kabbalistic works, as well as their relation to anthropomorphism and the reason for the commandments. Also included is a discussion of reincarnation, or Gilgul, an interpretation of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom, and the concept of Tzimtzum.

Jewish Values in Our Open Society

Jewish Values in Our Open Society PDF Author: Meir Tamari
Publisher: Jason Aronson, Incorporated
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Jewish Values in Our Open Society: A Weekly Torah Commentary takes a look at each of the Torah portions using traditional sources and classical commentaries, as well as the author's own involvement in our ever-changing world. In this way, the author provides new perspectives on spiritual, religious, and moral issues. In Jewish Values in Our Open Society, each of the first five books of the Torah is introduced by a traditional source that outlines the primary concepts of that particular book. Author Meir Tamari then explores the relevance of these verses to a modern, open society by examining the events and ideas contained in them.

מחזור זכרון יוסף ליום כפור

מחזור זכרון יוסף ליום כפור PDF Author: Meir Zlotowitz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Judaism
Languages : en
Pages : 904

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Book Description


Agnon’s Story

Agnon’s Story PDF Author: Avner Falk
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004367780
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 773

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Book Description
The Hebrew writer S. Y. Agnon won the Nobel prize in literature in 1966. Hundreds of literary studies and one Hebrew-language biography have been published about him. This is the first complete psychoanalytic biography in any language.

Kabbalah

Kabbalah PDF Author: David M. Wexelman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
Kabbalah: The Splendor of Judaism applies Kabbalah to everyday life activities such as business, pleasure, and politics. David M. Wexelman shows readers that the meaning of success in life and the way to world peace are made possible by the wisdom in the Kabbalah.