What does the prayer “Write me in the book of life” really mean for me?

by Yedidah September 24, 2019
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Can we say the prayer “ write us in the book of life” wholeheartedly? Most of us would simply say yes. But Rabbi Ashlag finds that this is not such a simple prayer as it seems on the surface. Life, does not refer to just physical life but actually means loving unconditionally and wishing to do good unconditionally. Which part of ourselves can sign up to that wholeheartedly, and what holds us back? The work of Elul for the High Holidays.

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Redemption: the Essence of Shavuot

by Yedidah June 7, 2019
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Shavuot, the festival of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, shares the same essence as that of the day of the final redemption, when all the tikkun of Creation will be complete, and the “Earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as the water covers the sea.” What are the elements that demonstrate this, and what is our role in bringing this great day nearer? A talk from the Zohar and the commentary of Rabbi Ashlag.

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The Name of God on Seder Night

by Yedidah April 15, 2019
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Just as we were exiled in the historical Egypt, we all suffer different aspects of exile wherein we are in exile from our inner selves. Connecting with the name of God, HaShem helps us put our trust in God, helps us forgive ourselves and others and helps trust that HaShem will release us from the bondage of our inner Pharaoh, as indeed He does.

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All the People Saw the Voices

by Yedidah January 30, 2019
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In these weeks we read the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai in the weekly parasha. All the root souls of the children of Israel were there. This moment of being in God’s presence, of hearing his voice indelibly changed us, both as individuals and as a people, and through us the world.
What was this experience like? What did we, who were there, feel? How did we experience God’s voice? The Torah tells us the facts: and indeed they are dramatic, but to get inside the experience we need to go to the Zohar the central text of the Kabbalah. This podcast opens up that inner experience that still resonates on.

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The Fruit of Holiness

by Yedidah January 21, 2019
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Why is Tu B’shvat the New Year for trees? What does this mean for us as human beings? In which ways are the human and the tree similar? What are our fruits of holiness that are equivalent to the fruit given to us by the tree? These and other questions are addressed by Rabbi Baruch Shalom Ashlag in a remarkable letter he wrote to his students on Tu B’shvat 1957.

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Give us the Truth of Ya’acov: True Intentions Disguised by Actions

by Yedidah November 9, 2018
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The Zohar on the story of Jacob and Esau opens us to the real intentions of our forefather Jacob. We discover that his only desire was to bring righteousness about and to help Esau despite himself.

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