Breisheet (ספר הישר "Genesis"): The Book
Parshat Breisheet (Genesis) <--- Pls click the link to see all the below discussions
A) The secret to greatest spirituality and divine revelation
B) Kings & Trees: Ego, limits and balance, for harmony at various levels
C) A Deep Essence of Monotheism, understood by Abraham (Why Jews - though an ancient people - remain few: the Problem of Evil).
D) Did the snake have a godly message? (and what is 'holiness'?)
E) Is Life Fair? God & "The Problem of Evil"
D
Advanced:
F) The 'inuyim' of Yom Kippur as mirroring the transition to post-Edenic existence.
G) Hints to the four Kabbalistic levels of reality ('worlds') in the words of the creation account
H.) Science & the creation/Eden accounts
Planet Ark: Feed the world to save it (and yourself): The Torah's secret to survival in time of divinely-ordained catastrophe.
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The transition of the Torah's focus from individuals to nations:
2. Avraham (Abraham): Continuing in his father's footsteps, completing his father's mission, but nevertheless as a completely separate mission and journey of his own, to build a nation in its homeland, with him - not his father - as Patriarch.
Lech lecha: How our ancestors affected the future, for our benefit:(And perhaps the effect of our actions, their future descendants, as a back-ripple in time helping them!)
Two (long) posts (A & B) on this topic for Parshat "Lech Lecha":
A: The deeper-level purpose of:
i. a specific divine prophecy to Avram about the future;
ii. various 'tests' of Avram & Sara;
in this week's Torah portion (re parshat 'Lech lecha');
B: The hidden depths of meaning and interlocking strands underlying various fateful events involving Avram, as revealed via a kabbalistic interpretation.
Vayera: Avraham's vision resulted from his selfless actions, teaching the cosmic message that lowering 'ego' results in divine manifestation.
Chayei Sarah A) The cosmic root of laughter ('TSCHOK') according to Kabbalah.
B) The deep & portentious meaning of the name 'YITSCHAK' (Isaac)
Toldos: A True Hero: Rebecca/Rivka - teaching us proactive mission-acceptance.
1. The karmic effect of Yakov’s words (due to their seeming implication of lack of perfect faith)
2. The Mystical Power of Intentions:
A: HOW LAVAN'S ACTIONS ALMOST DESTROYED THE NEWLY-EMERGING JEWISH NATION:
B: YAKOV’S MAGIC GENE-ALTERING STICKS: YES, INTENTIONS HAVE EFFECT
C: Yosef fulfils his potential:
1.What's the correct Jewish Way to rescue kidnapped Jews?: Attempting a justification for the method used by Dinah's Brothers
2.The Yaakov-Yisrael helix:
i. The Deep meaning of these names;
ii. the intergenerational links of events in the lives of Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov.
How the positivity/negativity of our intentions can shape history:
Joseph's Dreams: the true interpretation vs the MIS-interpretation of the brothers
See (my) accompanying Youtube video: Kabbalistic Astrology: Divine guidance over Fate.
Joseph’s Bizarre Behavior: Why did he persecute his brothers in this strange way? Was he a megalomaniac? A sadist?
1. The cosmic path of the oil-flask: A speculative midrashic-kabbalistic-based thread ;
2. Stones, Oil & and Yaakov's Ladder-dream
The Amazing way that Joseph accomplished true teshuva by enabling it for his brothers!
Joseph's secret message to his father
The hidden inner dynamics of the positive conclusion of Genesis' theme of 'sibling rivalry as a cosmic undercurrent'
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Fire & Blood, Snakes & Leprosy: the deeper meaning of the three 'signs';
God's revelation of a secret: the algorithm of Divinely-orchestrated karma = 'Mida kneged Midah', and how it sheds light on the events in our parsha, and the next few;
Moses' Humble Helix of Self-development;
Ancient Origin of the Blood libel?!lood Libel?
Va'era with some of Bo & b'Shalach
4. Why would God send a stuttering 80 year old man as spokesman on a delicate diplomatic mission, and not just to a leader but to a vicious tyrant murdering babies and anslaving an entire people?
And why did God relent, giving in to the tyrant's lying promises over and over? [ALSO FOR Parshat 'b'Shalach': ] SEE my videos in Hebrew/Russian, editing notes for these videos:
"THE PLAGUES AS 'MIDAH KNEGED MIDAH' "
Pharaoh's self-deception path to self-destruction
Orthodox Jewish Humanism = all people are created in the image of God, with their essence being God's breath/spirit, and God expects you to treat people accordingly.
To some extent the ten commandments are an expression of this, but to see that one needs to 'read between the columns'....
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Improving society via the creation of legal frameworks is not a 'secular' activity, it is a very spiritual goal in Judaism (as per this week's Torah portion.)
Why 2 kruvim not one?
"Keep shabbat by refraining from mlachot haMishkan" is a blatant non-sequitar
Did God command the same mlachot for making the mishkan as were used for creating the world?
"Asher boro elokim la’asos": what is "la’asos"?
God's reason for taking us out of mitzrayim is "leshochni besocham".
Three "kelim" for Hashem's spiritual interaction with the physical
Also: https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/yosefpurimmegillah/home
Sketchy notes re a video of R Shlomo Carlebach re Purim
Ki Tisa The "spiritual self-development helix" in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and Moses (in this week's portion):
Vayakhel Pekudei The cohen gadol ("high priest") - astronaut of inner-space
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Vayikra-Leviticus: (Toras Cohanim)
Parshat Vayikra
T'tzav
Shmini Did the snake have a godly message? The answer is in the last passages of Shmini
TazriaMetzorah Having the inner strength to bite back harmful words, and to transform them to healing ones - with tremendous cosmic healing effect
AchareiMot Kedoshim a) "You shall be holy, for I am Holy":This statement, mentioned several times, seems like a very counter-intuitive non-sequitar: if God is Holy, why does that mean WE should be holy? And how can we possibly be holy given our so-human state?
b) What's the connection between treating others appropriately and holiness? The answer is in this parsha also, via the teaching: Ve'ahavta lereacha kamocha "love your fellow as yourself".
c) Contrasting the three paths: 'strange fire' path, the path of pure-living in the Land, and of loving the other
Emor "zichron teruah"" Can we remember an event we did NOT attend? Can we SEE the sounds of an instrument, that no-one is playing?
Love, awe or fear?
In this week's portion (in Israel; elsewhere, next week) are 3 separate passages telling us we should FEAR God - and two more such passages in the portions we read recently. But the context is instructive - it is part of a warning not to take advantage of the helpless!
Discussions based on this week's Torah and Haftoroh (prophets) readings
Can music be impure?
How can we become imbued with the Divine presence?
DId anything exist before the creation-time mentioned in Genesis?
How can water ('mikve'/ritual bath) purify? If one dips an impure item in a mikveh, why doesn't the mikveh become impure?!
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Bamidbar-Numbers (חומש הפקודים)
Parshas Bamidbar The holiness of overcoming the ego-desire to be holy:
NOT YET EXPLORED TOPICS:
Birchas Cohanim
MR re mishkan he annointed and blessed it. 7:1 "vayimshach oso, vayekadesh oso""
Ends with "zos Chanukas hamizbeach"
God reveals lots of secrets this week (in Israel, parshat Behaalotcha; elsewhere we read the previous parsha, Naso): including the answers to these quesiotns:
A) What is the secret of Moses' high level of nevuah? (usually translated as 'prophecy', but in the Biblical context it means "communication with God", not 'prediction of the future').
B) And: Why is "Toras Moshe" - the teachings of Moses - forever valid, and so authoritative that one can deduce halacha based on the specific choices of wording in the Torah's five books of Moses (as opposed to from the later books)?
C) What is the significance of this for all human beings?
C:. The Biblical Holiday associated with the end-result of the 40 years of medicine. (An Appendix to topic A)
B) A small defense of Korach and his followers, or at least a plea for not being quick to make negative judgements:
C) Swallowing: Why did Korach and his followers die in this odd manner, and why was a special creaition needed?
Connecting:
i) the cows of Pharaoh's dream swallowing the other cows;
ii) the staff of Moses swallowing the rods of the magicians;
iii) the waters of the Sea swallowing the Egyptians;
iV) the Earth swallowing Korach.
Chukat : Claim: When Moses hit the rock he didn't sin, and wasn't punished.
Topics:
1) Events at the earthly level vs higher level
2) Bil'am & Yonah: parallels
3) what should Bil'am have understood in his exchange with the donkey
4) response of navi to God's words or to events, shapes the next step
Matot Mas'ei
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Dvorim-Deuteronomy (MishnehTorah)
Ha'azinu
VeZos Habrocho
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Traditional names for the five books: https://forum.otzar.org/viewtopic.php?t=40448
The 4 Kabbalistic levels of reality/existence (or in that terminology, "4 worlds") and the terms used in the creation account
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Summary:
1) three of the 4 (though some teach of a fifth) are mentioned directly in Breishis, and humanity is mentioned directly with those; the 4th one is hinted at, closely connected to humanity.
2) There's a correlation between the words for the worlds and the name of God used.
Introduction:
Starting from the highest they are: atzilut, bri'a, yetzirah, asiyah.
Note: I understand very little about this, you can know more than I do about it if you read this - I didn't read it: https://www.chabad.org/.../361902/jewish/The-Four-Worlds.htm)
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It is interesting that three of these terms are found directly in the creation account: the description of the 6 days of creation uses three action-terms (as anyone can easily see in a Hebrew-English version of Genesis, or even a transliteration, or even just looking for these combinations of shapes, בָּרָא ,עַשׂ ,יצֶר in the Hebrew version https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm):
God:
creates = 'bara' Gen בָּרָא, 1.1,21,27 ,
'makes' = 'asah' , vaya'as, na'aseh:Gen וַיַּעַשׂ. נַעֲשֶׂה 25, 26 ,16 1.7
forms = va'yitzer, וַיִּיצֶר; in ch2, the Garden of Eden account (2:19)
One can perhaps see a hint to the 4th term, relating to the highest level. Various of the creations and actions are described using one or more of the above three, but all three terms are used in connection with the creation of humanity, and so it makes sense perhaps that the fourth would be there as well: if so then indeed there is a hint in the root 'atzal', in the word for "God created humanity in the divine image ("tzelem")", where the key syllable combination tz-l is in common; the meaning of the words image and leha'atzil (atzilut) is also similar [see Numbers 11:25], and this physical world is an 'image' tzel of the highest realm. (also in ch 2, re fashioning Eve: the rib = side = tzela)
[Vaye'etzal ruach: tzelem elokim: H breathes in "ruach", and ruach elokim merachefes" which is mystical, spirit and matter connection non-conneciton a la Descartes].
Using the above possible insight, we can interpret God's creating humans "betzalmo" (in the divine image) as meaning"via the divine attribute related to the level of the highest realm 'atzilut' ". And this would then explain the passage "And God said let us make humans betzalmenu" ie we would read it as "with the level/aspect of tzelem".
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There are also various words used in conjunction with life: nefesh, ruach, neshama, and chayah. And in connection to humanity tzelem, and dmus.
וְרוּחַ אֱ', מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם.
וַיִּבְרָא אֱ', אֶת-הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים;
וְאֵת כָּל-נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱ' תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ, לְמִינָהּ; וַיְהִי-כֵן.
וַיַּעַשׂ אֱ' אֶת-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱ', נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ;
וַיִּבְרָא אֱ' אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ
וַיִּיצֶר ה' אֱ' אֶת-הָאָדָם, עָפָר מִן-הָאֲדָמָה, וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו, נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים; וַיְהִי הָאָדָם, לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה.
וְעֵץ הַחַיִּים,
And then the similar words in the rest of the Eden account.
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Also, after the creation of light etc note the use of the term ‘one day’ rather than ‘day one’ or ‘first day’.
And in the context of the 5th or 0’th world of “yechidah”: “Yom echad”, וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם אֶחָד.
הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ, לָדַעַת, טוֹב וָרָע
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Those who are Traditionally-knowledgable and mystically-trained can 'unpack' all this, I am not qualified (I'm a very modest person, but I say this in order to be forthright, not just out of my profound modesty ).
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As is well-known, there are sections of the extended creation story where God is referred to as Elokim, and others where God is referred to as H(ashem) Elokim.
It is interesting that "making" appears in both, but "creating' is only in the section with "Elokim", and 'forming' is only in the section with "H Elokim".
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From the wording of the text we can also see a relation between the characteristics of humanity and the type of action by God to produce it:
i. Humanity's 'tzelem' is connected in the creation account to "creating" = bri'ah.
ii. Humanity's aspect of emerging from the 'dirt' or 'earth' = "afar" is connected to "yetzira" "forming".
iii. Humanity's aspect of 'dmus' = 'likeness' is connected to "asi'ah" "making".
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There is a lot of hidden wisdom encoded in all this - one of the reasons I offer the above without being able to give any interpretation (I can of course make things up, but I prefer to hear what real Traditional experts would say) is simply to alert people to how much there potentially is in the actual Hebrew text that cannot be directly or easily gleaned from the translations, and thus to encourage people who are interested in these matters to learn to recognize the letters and then use that knowledge to spot these types of hints to significant insights ready to be mined.
MECHON-MAMRE.ORG
Genesis 1 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre
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Insightful.
I, too, noticed these terms used very specifically.
The first man was ‘created;’ but, the first woman was ‘made.’
With a few other comparative uses of these words, it would seem that bara/create refers to living things: breathable air, plants, people, animals, etc.
The first woman, in that sense, already existed in the first man and was merely relocated into a separate body- in this way we can see that she wasn’t “created,” she was merely formed from already-existing, living material… nothing new to create.