By Ari Goldwag
Insights from the Kabbalah
We discuss the difference between human beings, who have free will, as opposed to angels, who are drawn after and affected by the free will of man, with none of their own.
When the lowest aspect makes itself ready to receive, all of the sefiros connect to each other, up to their transcendent root. This is accomplished through the mitzvos.
Performing the mitzvos - commandments - complete the human being in such a way that one can connect to one's spiritual root.
Understanding the secret of God's Name is the key that unlocks the secrets of Creation.
God ordered the world such that He only gives when His creations ask for their needs. This is the foundation of the concept of Free Will, which works on the basis of measure for measure.
We see things on the surface - we see the 'Eyes of God.' We can not see the 'Heart of God,' which is the underlying thought of Hashem, without that which He has revealed in His Torah.
In order to ask the right questions, we need to have the Truth of the Torah to guide us, as well.
We explore how Hashem created the world ex nihilo - something from 'nothing.'
The visions can sometimes take on a paradoxical form, analogous to the type of experience one has in a dream.
The prophet experiences a vision in which he sees something from our world. Each of the things in our world represent a spiritual concept in the upper worlds, and thus his vision tells him in an analogous way about the...
We continue to discuss the concept of the 'picture' of God that Moshe and the prophets were able to envision.
We discuss the concept of the 'picture' of God that Moshe and the prophets were able to envision.
We discuss the seeming contradiction between seeing a vision of God and how He has no form, explaining that there is a simultaneous understanding that the vision is only a representation, and the prophet is not seeing the essence of...
The vision the prophet receives is a picture which contains an analogy either to one of Hashem's attributes, or one of His deeds.
The prophet receives his vision and is absolutely aware that it comes for God.
We discuss how there are certain aspects of reality that are directly affected by a higher influx, and how those same influxes have a time where they come into play in a more general way, as well.
The judgment of Hashem is precise and takes all factors into account, assuring the fairest result - the ultimate reward of the person for all their deeds.
Even as Hashem uses yichud, which involves interactions which are 'undeserved,' it can be initiated through mishpat, which is according to one's actions.
Hashem engages both types of interaction - mishpat, which is reward and punishment, as well as yichud, which can also be called mazel.
This is an important message for anyone who listens to the podcast.
The world, and specifically the people of Israel, goes through cyclic diminishment and strengthening, leading to its ultimate rectification. This is represented by the cycling of the Moon.
The righteous suffer as Hashem allows the evil to be ascendent. This ultimately serves to allow for the complete transformation of evil into good.
We begin to discuss the second type of interaction Hashem has with His creation, which is called Hanhagas Hayichud, the interactions of Unity. In this type of interaction we begin to get the groundwork for faith in understanding how Hashem...
The Jewish people are referred to as Knesses Yisroel, which is the gathering of the souls of the Jewish people at their root. The main job of free will is dependent on their actions.
When the righteous fulfill their job and act as a vehicle for Hashem's honor, His influx comes down and their is an interaction of love with His creations.
All of reality, including the physical and spiritual, serve as a vehicle to reveal His honor.
The sins of a person serve to disconnect him from Hashem, cutting off his life source. When a person finds merits, he becomes a vehicle for Hashem's manifestation in the world.
The righteous individual, and the Jewish people collectively, are partners with Hashem, as they create the vessels for the light, and Hashem brings it down to perfect His world.
By commanding the Jewish people to keep His commandments, Hashem gave the potential for each Israelite to choose to become a partner with Him in the rectification of reality.
Just as in a human relationship, there are times when Hashem faces us with love, and times where He seems to turn His back.
We explore the unique relationship of the Jewish people with God.
We continue with the previous idea, and also look at man as the one creation who has the greatest potential for evil and good, depending on his choice.
There are two levels of influx, one of which gives reality to the creations, and one of which interacts and creates the circumstances surrounding those creations.
We speak of Hashem's attributes, but they in no way describe His essence. They are built to serve as a conduit of interaction between the Infinite and the finite in ascending levels.
Justice has a broad root which plays out in a separate way in its details.
Love is the root of all Hashem's interactions, even those that seem like punishment, much as a caring and loving parent punishes his child out of love.
There are three types of influx, one completely spiritual, one completely physical, and one which is a combination of the two.
The mode of Justice is used in the time when Hashem wants there to be a concept of reward and punishment, which is connected to free will. Hashem also uses His mode of Love, which is transcendent, and is not...
The mode of Justice has three different sub-types, which are used by Hashem in different amounts at different times.
Corresponding to the five stages of Hashem's revelation are five stages of human growth and maturity.
The five time periods within reality, as we go from lesser to greater levels of revelation of the reality of God.
As long as we exist in the time of judgment, it is necessary for evil to exist, in order to maintain the possibility of free will.
