This section opens
with the verse, "And the Creator spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak
to the children of Yisrael that they bring Me an offering, of every
man whose heart prompts him..." Rabbi Chiya points out that The
Creator put all other nations under His ministers but...
Rabbi Shimon says that when the
Holy One created the world He engraved on the upper and the lower
worlds the letters of His Holy Name, which hold the secret of the
supernal lights. The upper world is concealed in one of these
letters; it ascends by means of the secret...
Rabbi Yehuda opens the
discussion by reciting this verse, "How great is your goodness,
which You have laid up for those who fear You; which You have
performed for those who trust in You in the sight of the sons of
men!" He goes on to discuss the various levels and...
Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Elazar,
Rabbi Aba and Rabbi Yosi are sitting one day under the pleasant shade
of some trees. Rabbi Shimon opens the discussion by saying, "King
Solomon made himself a palanquin from the woods of Levanon." He
goes on to speak of the palanquin as 'the...
Here we read an alternative
explanation of "the woods of Lebanon" that they
are the six days of creation. The six attributes of Chesed, Gvurah,
Tiferet, Netzach, Hod and Yesod all in their turn entered and mated
with the palanquin, producing in this fashion the...
The section title passage
summarizes one single great truth, which Rabbi Shimon explains to us,
that for one to aspire toward divine union, he must strive with all
his heart and soul and with self-purification, and pay the necessary
price. We also hear that he is...
This section deals with the
three colors that can be distinguished inside a flame. One rises up,
while another seems to dip down. The other one is usually visible,
but appears to be concealed when the sun shines. There is one color
that ascends above and emerges, and...
Rabbi Shimon opens the
discussion with the verse, "And this is the offering which you
shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass." This passage
is both toward the upper side, which is the side of holiness or the
right side, and the lower side, which is the 'other...
This section tells us of the
spirits of the night and why they are much to be feared. They are
nourished, we learn, in the darkness, when the leftovers of the
sacrifice are burned and the smoke rises up, twisting toward a hole
in the north from which they emerge. The...
This extremely long section is
hardly capable of being summarized, so dense is it with details and
instructions for the time and order of prayers. It begins charmingly
with a bird, which opens the discussion by giving praise for the
morning. Then we hear of the phrase...
