faith

He Keeps His Promise

by Yedidah on April 9, 2015

God showed Abraham Isaac and Jacob the multitudes of the Children of Israel coming out of Egypt

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Blessed be He who keeps His promise to Israel. (Haggadah)

Following the redemption of the children of Israel at the Red Sea when they saw the enemies drowned on the shore the Scripture states,

“And Israel saw the great hand which HaShem had wrought in Egypt. And the people had awe of Hashem and they believed in haShem and in Moses his servant.” Exodus chapter 14.

In a remarkable and wide-ranging discussion, the Zohar makes some observations on this text that are pertinent for us today:

That the power of faith in HaShem can overcome even the mighty power of evil; that the innocent bystander is not in fact considered innocent if he doesn’t speak out in the face of evil, and that ultimately God’s promises to our forefathers are upheld.

In this time when again the words of the Haggadah, ring again with their truth

“And this is true for our forefathers and for us that not one only stood against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise up to annhilate us , but the Holy Blessed One delivers us from their power.”

Our faith which was an essential part of the redemption then, will be an essential part of the complete redemption, may it come soon in our days, Amen.

In this podcast we study the text of the Zohar Beshalach, paragraph 185 in the Perush HaSulam with grateful thanks to my chevrutas Dr Susan Jackson, Dahlia Orlev, Timna Segal, Leah Weinstein, Ofra Perl, Jodie Lebowitz Davis, and Mia Sherwood with whom I had the privilege of learning this article .

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The Succah of Faith

by Yedidah on October 10, 2014

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The Torah states

“In succot (booth)s you shall dwell for seven days all citizens of Israel shall dwell in booths. In order that your generations all know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I took them out of the land of Egypt, I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23, 42-43).

But surely it was only natural that the Children of Israel would construct some type of temporary shelters as they journeyed in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. But history is only part of the story, why does the Torah state that God made the Children of Israel dwell in them?

Indeed the significance of the succah is debated in the Talmud: Rabbi Eliezer stating that the purpose of the succah is to remember the Clouds of Glory that protected the Children of Israel in the wilderness; Rabbi Akiva said it refers to the actual physical structures themselves.

Rabbi Ashlag teaches that both Sages are relating to the attribute of faith, but from different perspectives. The succah is our refuge of faith. We build our succah through our desire for faith in God, both in times when His light is revealed to us as it was in the Exodus from Egypt and at times when His light is hidden from us, in times of trouble.

In this podcast we look at how the construction of the Succah reflects its true, inner meaning, and how it can provide a refuge for us throughout the coming year.

From a letter by Rabbi Baruch Shalom Ashlag written to his students one Succot festival

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Keeping Faith in Good Times and Bad

by Yedidah July 16, 2014

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We all have times when we feel connected, and times when we seem to lose it. How do we stay in contact with our soul, with the Shechinah, through the ups and downs? The Zohar, interpreted by Rabbi Ashlag, gives clear and helpful guidance.

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Prayer: its Ascent and its Effect

by Yedidah June 20, 2014

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All over Israel people are gathering to recite psalms or offer up prayers for the safety of the three kidnapped children. The outpouring of prayers from all sectors of the community, secular as well as religious, is unprecedented. In this podcast we learn why prayer works and offer up our own prayers for the boys’ safety. From the Kabbalah of Rabbi Ashlag.

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Illumined by Faith: Chanukah

by Yedidah December 3, 2013

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When we start on our inner work and we understand that we want to give to our fellow man, and to God, unconditionally, we feel we can just get out there and do it. To our dismay we find, that even with the best of intentions somehow things don’t work out the way we plan. Eventually we realize we can’t do it alone. We need the Creator to help us. We need a miracle, the miracle of Chanukah. From the Kabbalah of Rabbi Baruch Ashlag

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Succot and the clouds of glory (republished)

by Yedidah September 18, 2013

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The shade provided by the Succah is that of the shelter of faith and this gives us faith for the New Year now open to us .This has the same essence as the Clouds of Glory that protected the Children of Israel in the wilderness.

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