The Sages of the Zohar asked Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai , Why did Jacob withhold giving Esau some lentil stew until he had sold him the birthright? The unspoken question is "Is that the way a righteous man behaves?!" Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai 's answer, was decisive. Jacob was a righteous man of truth who is incapable of deceiving anyone. What was this truth of Yaakov and how does it affect us till this day?

The Binding of Isaac, the Akedah, is not understandable in normal human terms. By studying the teachings of the Zohar on this event, we are led to see how it was an act of great love and fulfillment equivalent in its essence to that of the creation of the first day in which both Abraham and Isaac took part fully.

The Binding of Isaac, the Akedah, is not understandable in normal human terms. By studying the teachings of the Zohar on this event, we are led to see how it was an act of great love and fulfillment equivalent in its essence to that of the creation of the first day in which both Abraham and Isaac took part fully.

"And God spoke to Avraham". These three words open a new birth for humanity; they herald a new consciousness in the world— on a deeper level they are the words, which both God and Man have been waiting for, the advent of Avraham, the embodiment of loving-kindness.

"And God spoke to Avraham". These three words open a new birth for humanity; they herald a new consciousness in the world— on a deeper level they are the words, which both God and Man have been waiting for, the advent of Avraham, the embodiment of loving-kindness.

The stories of the Torah are actually elements represented within ourselves. By identifying our inner Cain and our inner Abel we can find alternative means of behavior that prevent our inner Cain from "murdering" our inner Abel.

The stories of the Torah are actually elements represented within ourselves. By identifying our inner Cain and our inner Abel we can find alternative means of behavior that prevent our inner Cain from "murdering" our inner Abel.

What does the Torah refer to when it says that God made the Children of Israel dwell in Succot when they came out of Egypt? Going beyond any historical fact the succah has an inner significance of the entire coming year helping us build a vessel for the light of faith.From the teaching of Rabbi Ashlag

What does the Torah refer to when it says that God made the Children of Israel dwell in Succot when they came out of Egypt? Going beyond any historical fact the succah has an inner significance of the entire coming year helping us build a vessel for the light of faith.From the teaching of Rabbi Ashlag

Yom Kippur is a day of prayer and supplication. But do I know what I really want to pray for? How do I know what my deepest needs really are? If I express them with the sorrow and pain I feel, will they be answered? From an essay by Rabbi Baruch Shalom Halevi Ashlag