Astrology

We do not study astrology so we can learn how to draw up people’s horoscopes. On the
contrary, the purpose of kabbalistic astrology is to rise above the influences of the cosmos and
take control over our own lives.

The Zodiac sign in which we are born transmits to us all the negative and positive traits that
we will need to effect our own transformation. However, the signs of the Zodiac are not the
cause of our personality traits; they are the effect. Our karma from previous lives determines
which sign we need to be born under in order to acquire the necessary traits and attributes that
will allow us to correct and transform previous negative activity.

The Zodiac is merely the mechanism that the soul uses to ensure that particular qualities are
infused into it at birth.

The patriarch Abraham was the first kabbalistic astrologer, some 3800 years ago. He wrote a
book known as Sefer Yetzira, the Book of Formation. Contained within it are all of the secrets
of the universe, including the knowledge of astrology and cosmology.

As we delve into kabbalistic astrology, right away we find one significant difference between
it and conventional astrology: kabbalistic astrology uses different calendars. While
conventional astrology is based on the solar or Gregorian calendar, kabbalistic astrology uses
the Hebrew calendar, which takes into account the positions of both the sun and the moon.

Each month, we have the ability to take control over the astrological influences of the month.
Kabbalah Centre around the world offer New Moon Connections, featuring mediations and
wisdom that teach you how to take control of the consciousness of that month.

Below is a brief overview of just some of the secrets contained within each month.

For a fuller discourse on the meaning of kabbalistic astrology, and how it can totally
transform every facet of your life, we recommend reading Kabbalistic Astrology & the
Meaning of Our Lives or signing up for Introduction to Kabbalistic Astrology on our online
learning platform, Kabbalah University.

Nissan (Aries)

Aries is the first of the fire signs and the first sign in the both the Lunar and Solar astrological
cycles. Even though the Hebrew calendar recognizes Rosh Hashanah as the new year, Nissan
is actually the first month of the calendar year.

Those born under the sign of Aries are typically powerful, energetic, vigorous, pioneering,
aggressive, progressive, militant and domineering. When it comes to fighting, they will do
anything to be the winner and the first to hit the target and defeat the enemy.

Historically, the month of Nissan marks the Israelite exile from Egypt, the beginning of the
journey from slavery to salvation, from bondage to freedom. According to Kabbalah, this
month provides us with the cosmic strength to break free of all limitations and bondage of any
kind.
Nissan allows us to leave behind the personal blockages that prevent us from achieving true
freedom in all areas of life. The same energy that was revealed when the Israelite nation left
Egypt is revealed every fourteenth day of Nissan, when the moon is in full force. Nissan is
ruled by Mars, the planet of war, which allows us to wage war on the conflicts in our own
lives. It supports us in infusing the year with the right consciousness in any war zone, whether
it is between nations, people, or our in the conflict that rages between us on a daily basis – the
fight between the desire to receive for the self alone and the desire to share.

The opportunity to redesign our entire year, to implement order instead of chaos, freedom
instead of slavery, falls on the fourteenth of Nissan, at the event commonly known as the
“Seder”. Each one of us has been given the power to utilize this cosmic window and reign
victorious in this battle against negativity.

Iyar (Taurus)

Taurus is a fixed sign, ruled by Venus (Noga, in Hebrew), and the Hebrew letters Pei and
Vav. Taurus’ inner energy is fire, as it is the left column of the earth signs. Because Taurus is
an earth sign, Taureans are in a constant search for stability in life and financial security. They
are typically self-employed business owners which places them in “control” of their monies
and property. Taureans have a very strong will to purchase and buy property, houses, land and
real estate – all in order to support their need for security. Taureans are very capitalistic,
jealous and possessive of their property. They will frequently experience loss of money to
learn to let go of the physical world’s domination over their lives.

Taureans have healing powers and deep talents to be doctors, astrologers, artists, chefs,
singers and, of course, businesspeople. The Hebrew name for the month is Iyar, which stands
for “Ani Hashem Rofecha” – “I am God, your Healer”. This offers us all the ability to
instigate healing processes during this month. The signs that best suit Taurus are water signs:
Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio, or the earth signs: Virgo and Capricorn.

Taurus is associated with the Thyroid gland and the neck, best known by their “stiff-necked”
stubbornness.

The entire month of Iyar falls during the period of Sfirat Haomer (the Counting of the Omer).
During this time we count 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, and each day gives us an
opportunity to correct negative things we did in our past. These 49 days are seven times seven
different levels of negativity, all leading up to the revelation on Mount Sinai and Immortality,
accessed on Shavuot. Because the month of Iyar always falls during the Omer, it is time of
low energy. It is a time in which we can earn the Light that we received on Passover and
prepare ourselves for freedom from all forms of death and end – in relationships, business,
health, and all aspects of life.

Sivan (Gemini)

Sivan is the third month of the Hebrew (lunar) year, and is Central Column of the air signs.

The controlling planet is Mercury, in Hebrew – Kochav. Kochav’s numerical value is Caf
Vav = 26 (the Yud Hei Vav Hei the Tetragrammaton) and Caf Bet = 22 letters of the Hebrew
Alphabet, together creating the most powerful and energetic combination.
Mercury is the planet of communication, which means it has the qualifications of an electrical
cable, telephone wire, a teacher, an adviser, a story teller - basically anything that can transfer
any information from point a to point b.

The letter (Zayin) created the sign of Gemini and the letter (Resh) created Mercury. Together
these two letter create the word Raz, whose numerical value is 207 - Light (Or). Raz also
means secret (sod) in Hebrew.

Many secrets were revealed in the cosmos during the month of Sivan. Sivan is known as the
month of “Matan Torah - the giving of the Torah.” The sixth day of the month, the holiday of
Shavuot, is the cosmic day on which we finish the the counting of the Omer and culminates
the 49 days that we began counting on the first day of Passover. When the awesome light of
freedom was revealed on Passover, this light was given to us with no effort from our side.
That is why we “count the Omer”; to build vessels, through correcting our actions that cause
the Light to be concealed. On this fiftieth day after Passover, we reach the level of Binah. An
awesome amount of light is revealed on this day, as it is the anniversary of when people of the
world received the Torah. The energy of Zeir Anpin - the endless Light of “bila hamavet
lanetzach – when death was swallowed up forever, which resulted in immortality. The very
same energy of immortality is revealed each year on Shavuot. The Ari says that whoever
remains awake on Shavuot, engaging in Zohar study, is promised to be total protection and
safety until Rosh Hashanah.

Geminis are intellectuals who have the desire to know everything, and an unlimited curiosity
to collect information of every kind. This is because knowledge is power, and the more
information gathered today will make future choices easier to make. The Gemini’s need to
collect information enables them to choose what is good and what is bad, what is right or
wrong. This explains Gemini’s tendency to jump from one subject to the other, and that is
why, of course, they have many questions, doubts and uncertainties. The end result is their
reluctance to enter any sort of commitment.

The solution for this personal obstacle is to find a teacher, someone that is able to give
satisfactory answers to all questions. This will enable the Gemini to focus on one way, one
God, which gives them a better chance to reach certainty. There is no greater teacher than a
Gemini with a firm sense of certainty. As a communication sign, Gemini can be the perfect
channel, one who can learn, understand and teach. The ideal for a Gemini is to be a channel
for as many people as possible, especially for those who are lost on their path, and help others
to reach their own personal certainty.

The duality of Gemini is expressed in every area of life. They embody the ability to do more
then one task at the same time, as well as the the difficulty to commit in relationships. They
have trouble with loyalty to one political party (as the servant of two masters), and they tend
to change moods, like the wind changes direction and strength. That is why Geminis can be a
different person each day.

Tammuz (Cancer)

Tammuz is one of the three negative months of the year: Tevet, Tammuz and Av. In Tevet,
the siege of Jerusalem began, in Tammuz the walls around Jerusalem were penetrated and in
Av the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem took place. Kabbalah teaches us that
the course of history transpires as a result of the cyclical energy processes of the year rather
than because of physical events. Therefore, by looking at the time at which each moment in
history occurs, we can better understand why it happened.

Tammuz is controlled by the Moon. There are seven plants that the Kabbalistic Astrology is
based upon: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Each planet
controls two signs, except for the Sun, which controls only Leo (Av) and the moon, which
controls only Cancer (Tammuz).

Mars controls Aries (fire) and Scorpio (water) Venus controls Taurus (earth) and Libra (air)
Mercury controls Gemini (air) and Virgo (earth) Jupiter controls Sagittarius (fire) and Pisces
(water) Saturn controls Capricorn (earth) and Aquarius (air) Moon controls Cancer (water)
Sun controls Leo (fire)

Because the sun and the moon control one sign each, an unbalanced situation is created in
each of these months. This imbalance causes the crab, the symbol for the month of Tammuz,
to walk sideways rather than forward and backward. This also gives the month of Tammuz
the opening for Cancer to begin, and it is the only month that is named after a disease.

On the seventeenth day of Tammuz, Moses came down form Mount Sinai with the Tablets,
bringing to the world the power and energy of immortality. However, the Israelites and the
mixed multitude were waited impatiently for Moses to come down from Mount Sinai and
built the Golden Calf, the sight of which caused Moses to shatter the Tablets. This moment
was marked by a clashing of two energies: the power of immortality and chaos with suffering,
depression and death.

The historical fact that the walls were broken on the seventeenth of Tammuz was simply a
manifestation of the incompatibility between the potential of the spiritual vessel and the
reality of desire to receive for oneself alone.

If we do not make an effort to “love our neighbor as ourselves”, we are essentially choosing
the Golden Calf, and similarly, we cause our own walls to break down and begin destruction
in various aspects of our lives.

Sartan (Eng. Cancer), in Aramaic is made up of two parts: Sar - to remove and clean all the
negativity, and Tan - chaos, hatred, animosity and any aspect of negativity. The power of the
month of Cancer is to remove any problems or negative situations in our lives that might
cause this disease to come to our lives.

According to “The Book of Formation” by Avraham Avinu, the month of Cancer was created
by the Hebrew letters Chet (which created Tammuz) and Taf (which created the Moon). The
moon is unlike any other celestial body, as it changes its position each day, but remains
visible nonetheless. It begins each lunar month as a thin scythe and reaches its fullest
brightness on the fifteenth. From the moment that the fifteenth day is over, the light of the
moon begins to wane, and this cycle repeats itself each month.

This explains the Cancerian’s high sensitivity. They seem to need more love than other sign.
The moon’s waning causes them to feel that there is always something missing, and this leads
to depression. The cure for these low moments is caring, sharing, loving, and giving to others.
In addition, Cancerians must do their best to let go of the past and see beyond ill feelings and
wounds. This is the only way for them to find truly happiness and love.

Cancerians are very domestic people. Their motto is “my house is my fortress,” and they are
strongly connecting to family and home. They love history and archaeology - anything that
reminds them of the past. They have a sensitive stomach, as this is the body part they hold in
the tension and unsolved emotional difficulties.

Av (Leo)

Av is one of the three most negative months of the year. The other two are Tevet (Capricorn),
because it is ruled by Saturn, which a planet of harsh judgments,. and Tammuz (Cancer)
because it is ruled by the moon.

Av - sign of Leo – is ruled by the sun, and is the Left Column of the fire signs. This indicates
an added influence of fire which is expressed as judgments, burning and consuming fire with
no balance. This is the reason we experience a polarity of events, some negative and some
positive. The Book of Formation says the letter Tet created Leo and the letter Caf created the
sun. Together we get the energetic combination of that controls the month of Av and Leo.

At the center of our solar system, the sun brings each of the planets light, heat and life,
without which organic life could not exist.

People born in this month are famous (or infamous) for behaving like the sun. Their
trademarks are leadership, determination, domination and power, and in full force, this
combination can lead to the pitfalls of ego and pride. Leos easily fall into perceiving that they
are king. The only control we have is self-control. Any feelings of ego, pride and superiority
can only prevent us from helping others, and that can never be good.

The month of Av is known for the massive occurrences of negativity that have transpired
throughout history during this time: The Spanish Inquisition, the signing of Hitler’s Final
Solution, and the Destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem, which all took place on the
ninth of Av.

The number nine, represented by the Hebrew letter Tet, connects us to Sfirat Yesod, which
manifests all of the energy that is gathered from all the upper luminous emanations. Jerusalem
was and remains the energy center of the world. When the people of Israel, and the residents
of Jerusalem specifically, chose not behave with human dignity toward one another, and this
energy was created and accumulated in Yesod, it had to manifest itself, and did so in an
explosion of negativity on the ninth day of Av, in a deadly short circuit.

The ninth day of Av is a fasting day, not because the two Temples were destroyed, but it is a
day that lends itself to calamity. When there is no unity, no minimum of human dignity
between people - this negative energy is accumulated and culminates on the ninth of Av.
What is the solution? A change of consciousness and behavior. It is very easy to point fingers
and blame others, but it is harder to transform oneself and change one’s attitude, be patient,
forgiving, and loving. If each of us could perceive ourselves as though we are ticking time
bombs, and any self-serving action would trigger the fuse, we would be much more careful
with our actions and words. The ninth day of Av is a day of destruction, but at the same time
it is the birth of Messiah. Where there is the greatest darkness, therein also lies the biggest
potential to reveal tremendous light, but it all depends on our actions.

To lessen the judgment of this month we also have two very positive events: THE FIFTH
DAY OF AV - the death anniversary of Rav Isaac Luria (the Ari). He chose to leave the world
on the fifth day - which represents the luminous emanation of Hod, in order to transform
daveh (poor and weak) to Hod. The death of the Ari, which does not represent an actual
physical death, provides us with an opening for awesome light we can connect to by studying
his writings on that night. FIFTEENTH DAY OF AV - the happiest day of the year. On this
day, both the sun and the moon are full. The sun - Zeir Anpin, the positive pole – represents
the male aspect of our universe. The moon - Malchut, the negative pole – represents the
female aspect of the universe. When the moon reflects the light of the sun, we receive this
power to “return light” – the strength to give, to care, and to love unconditionally. This is why
our sages stated that there is no happier day in the year, and this rare cosmic opportunity
allows us to find our soulmate. The same way the sun and the moon are in harmony on this
day, so too can we draw this partnership to our lives.

Elul (Virgo)

The month of Elul is the completion of the lunar year. This month corresponds to the sign of
Virgo, which is an earth sign and is ruled by Mercury. The sign of Virgo is connected to the
practicality, working and serving others. People born in this month feel the need to achieve
financial security through working, and also have a great need to serve society.

People under the sign of Virgo find success in community careers: as doctors, nurses, or any
profession healing the body and the soul; as social workers, service technicians, bankers,
accountants, and in professions of beauty and fashion.

The end of the lunar year expresses the Virgo's need to check and criticize their actions, like a
business man that reviews the year-end balance, profit and loss. That is how Virgos acquire
their attribute of criticism.

It easier to criticize and see what is wrong with others, but much harder to do criticize oneself,
and this is the real lesson Virgos should learn.

When is the correction of the Virgo complete? When they learn to love, honor and accept the
other person as they are without criticism, judgment or trying to change them to their own
criteria.

Once the Virgo achieves completely unconditional love, they have finished their correction.

Mercury in Hebrew is Kochav. Numerology value is Caf and Vav = 26 = Yud Hei Vav Hei
and Caf Vet = 22 = the 22 letters of the Hebrew Aleph Bet, which indicates that Mercury is a
planet of communication.

Financially it is not an easy month. Many important change might happen, the need for new
business ventures, different ones with new consciousness. International business connections
can take place.
There is also a large incident of immigration in this month, where more people find the need
to leave their homelands in order to go to new places, looking for their luck and to change
their lives.

In personal relationships there are more international connections and meetings, which means
there is more openness to go out of the family circle/tribe tradition to meet new and different
people and nations.

There is a greater inclination to widen and enlarge the metaphysical vessel in order to better
understand - through the kabbalistic understanding - the meaning of life, both in the personal
and global realms.

Tishrei (Libra)

Tishrei is the sign of Libra - the seventh month of the astrological wheel that begins in Nissan
- sign of Aries. Libra is Mozna’aim in Hebrew meaning scale, the scale on which we weigh
fruits, vegetables or any other things. In ancient times, the scale was used by putting on the
objects to be weighed on one side and stones in units of measurement on the other. In our
modern times we use digital scales, and the effect of the scales has been lost.

In any case, the idea of the scale it to take two opposite and different things and check the
difference between them. On Rosh Hashanah this metaphysical action is takes place when all
of our actions are being weighed, the good deeds and the bad deeds. The scales are being
examined, actually, and the decision is made as to who will live who will die, who will be rich
who will be poor according to how the scale tips.

The month of Tishrei was created by the letter Lamed . This letter is very special as it is the
only letter in the Hebrew Aleph Bet which goes above the line. Lamed is built from two
triangles - upper and lower - to show us that we can build the balance between the parallel
universe, as Rav Berg explains. We live in a physical world, but the true world is the
metaphysical one. The scales can help us to connect and fuse the two worlds.

Lamed is the letter of learning, and that is why people born under the sign of Libra are
generally very intellectual people, with big desires to study, learn, know and understand.

The planet Venus is rules the sign of Libra. This is the planet which rules love, couples,
money and art. Liras are romantic people, sensitive, loving and also make good business
people. They love esthetics, music and visual arts.

Noga (Venus) was created by the Hebrew letter Pei . Together the two letters Pei and Lamed
are the letter of the sign of Libra.

Libras have the tendency to please the whole world, and some time they lose the Libran
balance because they give too much. They must make a point of saying no from time to time.
Libras are good business people. Venus controls money, which is why Librans need to learn
to give charity, donations and tithing, in order to infuse the money with positivity and give the
money the right balance.
The first ten days of Libra are called “The Ten Days of Repentance”, the peak of which is
Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement - the day on which the verdict is given. Repentance, Prayer
and Charity can nullify any negativity headed our way.

What is happening in this month astrologically?

The Sun and the Moon are together in Virgo, the seventh house - the house of Libra. There is
no doubt that there is a very serious closure of a chapter. A change is on its way. The
astrological chart emphasizes the need for change, which means heading towards a new
beginning.

Criticism is in the air, and there is a heightened ability to see what is wrong, what is not
working in professional fields, as well as in the personal and marital life - there is a need for a
thorough housecleaning - to look inside and see what needs to be changed.

Due to the cosmic pressure, there is an unusual need to take on new responsibilities that will
result in year-long commitments in multiple fields Be open to new ideas and stay flexible.
You will notice power plays and control issues at work and on personal fronts. Don’t feel
threatened.

Mercury not only influences this month, but maintains influence throughout the coming year.
Mercury in Libra puts us at a very positive angle, enabling us to experience beautiful
relationships where the key words are love and understanding. Listen and accept others with
an open mind and a welcoming heart. Through this openness we build a positive and
intellectual energy that will influence the course of this month in the social-human domain. It
will also bear influence in the world of technology. An increase in knowledge and a
fortification in romantic and familial partnerships create a strong vessel for personal and
global livelihood. Each one of us has the personal responsibility to understand (the word
understand, that each and every one of us is )‫ בינה‬in Hebrew, has the same root as Binah ‫להבין‬
like a grain of wheat When put on the cosmic scale, each grain can change the way the scales
.tip, right or left, to life or, God forbid, to death

Mar Chesvan (Scorpio)

The astrological month of Scorpio, or as it is called in Hebrew Mar-Cheshvan (Bitter

Cheshvan), is the Left column water sign, and is ruled by the plant Mars (Ma’adim) and Pluto.

The Book of Formation speaks of seven planets in the solar system. In the last century, three
more planets were revealed and as a result, Pluto has been found to bear influence on the sign
of Scorpio.

All water signs are emotional, but Scorpions are particularly irrational when it comes to their
emotions. They go to extremes, in both positive and negative respects. There is only black and
white in the world of the Scorpion; no gray areas. If you are not their friend, then you are by
default their enemy, and you will most definitely be treated that way.

As the Left Column of the water signs, Scorpios have a tremendous desire for power and
control, and seek these measures at any cost. They do not waver, they do not falter, and they
stay their course with total determination and strength, which can sometimes result in
unnecessary force and violence. Mars, which rules the month of Scorpio, is the planet and
Greek god of war, which makes all Scorpios warriors who have the drive to eliminate their
enemy no matter what toll it takes on anyone else.

Pluto rules life and death, as well as the power and energy of the seed, which at best manifests
itself as new life. It also gives Scorpios deep sexual desires that are rooted in the compulsion
to propagate the human race. In their efforts to “be fruitful and multiply,” Scorpios can go so
far as to damage their reproductive and sexual organs, leading to impotency, infertility, and
cancer.

Scorpio is a fixed sign, which means that they do not like change and want to harness total
control over their lives and the lives of those around them. Their greatest fear is to lose
control.

In the Scorpio world of extremes, love is everything. If they feel their love is not reciprocated,
this love can turn into hate. It is very difficult for Scorpios to forgive and forget. The typical
Scorpio will not rest until he has his revenge on the friend that betrayed him and let him
down. This is the hardest Tikun (correction) of Scorpions - to find the Central Column,
control the urge to avenge, and to live, love and let go.

Mar-Cheshvan, as the month is formally known, in Hebrew means bitter Cheshvan. However,
it can be transformed into Ram Cheshvan (elevated Cheshvan). Our job throughout the month
is to transform that which is bitter into sweet, that which is lowly to lofty. It takes a strong
consciousness and self-control to achieve this transformation. It is not easy to make the dark
forces completely white.

Scorpions are very good businesspeople. They like money because it gives them control and
power. They are very good politicians, doctors, physiologists, astrologers, and financiers.
They have a very powerful metaphysical ability and intuition, very strong mystical and
spiritual powers. If a Scorpio chooses the “wrong path”, they can be the most lethal and
ruthless members of the Mafia.

The Great Deluge took place in the month of Cheshvan. Noah’s generation was very corrupt
and God saw no other way but to destroy it completely with the flood. Only Noah, his family,
and a pair of all of Earth’s creatures remained alive because of the protection provided by the
Ark.

Cheshvan tends to be a cumbersome month of negative energy. It is one of the only months
lacking in holidays, which makes it a good time to focus on the patterns in which we have
fallen, the ill feelings we harbor, and the grudges that we still bear.

If we overcome the natural tendency toward revenge, toward taking the law in our hands,
toward giving people what they “deserve”, and stick to revealing more Light in the world, we
can hope to survive this tenuous month. As Rav Berg says, the war against the darkness is not
fought with guns and artillery but by lighting as many candles as possible. The more Light we
bring to the world, the more darkness we eradicate, for darkness cannot exist where there is
Light.

Kislev (Sagittarius)
Kislev is the sign of Sagittarius. It is central column of the fire signs, ruled by Jupiter, in
Hebrew “Tzedek”, and the Hebrew letters Samech and Gimel . The letter Samech created the
sign of Sagittarius. Samech comes from the phrase Somech noflim (supporting the fallen). In
the Zohar, the article called “the letter of Rav Hamnuna Saba (the Elder)”, it says that the
Hebrew letters came before the Creator to ask that the world be created beginning with each
one. When the letter Samech came before the Creator, the Creator told it to go back to its
place, which is after the letter Nun, and to support the Nun from falling. That is how we get
the word nes (Eng. miracle). The letter Nun created the sign of Scorpio in which the Flood
happened, and after the Flood God put the rainbow in the sky as an omen that there never be a
flood again.

Sagittarius in Hebrew is called Keshet, or rainbow. This is the rainbow in the sky, an omen
between God and Noach a flood would never destroy the land. Keshet is represented by the
centaur, the mythological half-man, half-horse figure who hunts with a bow and arrow.

The letter Gimel created Jupiter, which controls expansion and the ability to expand
metaphysical vessels. Jupiter represents the desire to learn, to know, and the fields of science,
biology, education, art and music. Sagittarius is a born optimist; for him everything is always
okay and always arranged in the best way possible. Sagittarians feel they can solve all
problems and will do all things required of them.

Sagittarians are prone to over-optimism, exaggeration, mockery, gambling and light-

headedness. They are natural philosophers, teachers, educators, lovers, communicators, and
friends. They like to travel, they love their freedom and space, and they are interested in world
exploration as well as the study of human behavior, culture and religion. They share their
knowledge with whoever seeks it. They love life and can be quite mischievous children.

Because Sagittarius is the central column (air element) of the fire signs, it has the additional
influence of air. Air fuels the fire and enable it grow and expend, this is why the Sagittarius
can be a channel - instructor - teacher - salesman or any job in communication that combine
the knowledge with humanity.

Sagittarians are adventurous people who make excellent drivers, race drivers, and pilots. They
love sports and challenge their destiny by taking unnecessary risks. Everything they do is on a
large scale, with the help of Jupiter, which expands the Sagittarian’s mind in business, social
and romantic endeavors!

The most important days in Kislev are the days of Chanukah, which begins on the 24th of
Kislev and ends on the 2nd of Tevet. We light Chanukah candles to connect to the miracle
that happened in the time of the Hasmoneans, when a one day’s worth of oil burned for eight
days in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This amazing example of “mind over matter” took
place because of the two letters that control this month; Gimel whose essence is Gomel
Dalim (rewarding the poor), and the letter Samech, which created the month of Kislev. These
conditions, together with the metaphysical actions that the Hasmoneans did, brought about
this miracle that happened 2000 years ago. We are subject to the very same conditions every
year on 24th day of the month of Kislev. This energy is revealed again for eight days as long
as we connect to it through the Chanukah candles, and allows us to create tremendous
miracles in our lives. The power of miracles exists and is available for us to access every day
of the year. We must simply light the candles with the right and proper meditations and by
that we activate this metaphysical system of miracles in our lives.

Tevet : (Capricorn)

The month of Tevet and the sign of Capricorn are both ruled by Saturn. Saturn provide the
law enforcement in the cosmos, giving us each exactly what we deserve. This is the reason
that Saturn has gotten such a bad rap amongst astrologers. The Book of Formation, written by
Abraham the Patriarch more than 4,000 years ago, reveals that Saturn is responsible for the
distractions, diseases, death, jails, poverty, disgrace, shame and the many other obstacles that
plague our lives.

Capricorn is an earth sign, with a strong connection to the material world. People born in this
month have a strong need for financial security. They believe only in what their five senses
convey and have trouble seeing beyond the apparent. Capricorn represents the Right Column
of the earth signs, which signifies that its internal energy is water. This translates into the
Capricorn’s helpful and caring character.

Capricorns are family-oriented and have strong ties to the home. They are great caretakers
who can often lack faith in the Light-force because they are easily controlled by physical
forces. They fear what tomorrow might bring and a potential lack of funds for survival. These
fears keep many Capricorns from becoming more spiritual.

Those born in Tevet are traditionally reliable, responsible, caring, thrifty, and punctual. After
all, time is money! They make excellent business people, accountants, engineers, attorneys,
and in any disciplinary position, from crossing guard to drill sergeant.

According to Book of Formation, the Ayin and Bet are the Hebrew letters controlling this
month. The letter Ayin created Capricorn and the letter Bet created Saturn. The combination
of Ayin and Bet is the level of Chochmah when the Yud Hei Vav Hei is spelled out, and
Capricorns do have this wisdom, because the original desire of Saturn is to reach the Light.

Capricorn is one of the three hardest months of the year, but thanks to the holiday of
Chanukah, which extends itself to the first two days of Tevet, we do receive an injection of
Light-force that can sustain us through the month.

Shevat (Aquarius)

The month of Shevat correlates with the astrological sign of Aquarius, which is an air sign. It
is the third of the air signs: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. Aquarius represents the Left Column
of the three. Aquarius is ruled by two planets. Traditional astrology attributes control of this
month to Saturn, and modern astrology has given credit to Uranus, discovered by the
astronomer William Hershel on March 13, 1781.

Saturn, the seventh planet in the solar system, is the planet of judgment, order, responsibility,
discipline and laws. Uranus is the eighth planet in the solar system, the one that breaks the
proximity and limitations of seven - seven days, the seventh day, seven colors, seven notes
etc.
Uranus elevates us to new consciousness and new concepts beyond limitation. This is why the
Age of Aquarius and the month of Aquarius are considered times of change. Both are times of
new knowledge, inventions, humanity, the need to help, to understand and to support the
needy.

The energy of Uranus also connects to the air element - intellectualism, innovations, and new
concepts that will bring the world to a higher level of consciousness.

Aquarians are rebellious by nature because they are constantly faced with penetrating
questions concerning their individuality, their uniqueness and their identity. This is the reason
that they strive to break old boundaries. To Aquarians, the past is but a fleeting moment, and
they disconnect from the past in order to find a fresh and unfamiliar reality, a new truth to fit
the new times. Uranus orbits the sun every 84 years, which explains the common
phenomenon of the “midlife crisis” that plagues 40-42 year olds. It is actually a case of
Aquarius-it is, when we begin to question our life’s purpose and make plans for the next 40 or
so years.

Aquarians make excellent computer technicians, scientists, and social workers. They thrive
doing anything revolutionary, especially in tasks that carry the flag of social-political
revolution.

Age of Aquarius

The Kabbalists explain that the Age of Aquarius began approximately 400 years ago and is
considered the Age of Revelation, or the Age of Redemption. Why does Aquarius, or "Shvat"
according the Hebrew calendar, symbolize redemption? Because Aquarians perceive the
world as unified, and Kabbalists consider this to be the basis of true redemption. Redemption
is when all negativity is cleansed, when humanity is free of evil and fragmentation. Because
of their higher level of consciousness, Aquarians are directly linked to this redemptive
moment.

Aquarians are unique… they stand out in a crowd and cannot be ignored. They show great
promise as children and as adults they are idealists who strive to change the universe with
original ideas. They are rebels, and their concern is the well being of humanity as a whole.
They rebel against established ways of doing things, always looking to find new, better ways
to solve world problems.

Though Aquarians seek justice for all, this is a global quest, not a personal one. They support
things that are grand and noble, while they fail to be sensitive to those around them who are
suffering. Aquarians often lack a sense of the practical, and they are passionately independent
and private. Their desire for originality causes them to set themselves apart from the crowd.
Despite their friendliness and open-mindedness, they are also the most stubborn of all signs.
They reject all established structures, and fight to maintain their individuality and freedom in
order to exercise their innovative ideas. They detest confinement of any sort.

Yet the most challenging barrier they face is most often their own egos. Even as they begin to
make changes in their lives, their focus tends to be external, and they have trouble really
changing from deep within.
Aquarians have the power to break free of the limitations of the physical world. But to
manifest this power, they must control the aspects of their nature that interfere with its
accomplishment. Aquarians are capable of helping humanity, as long as their own ideas do
not become more important than the cause itself. True spirituality means being part of
humanity, not above it. Unfortunately, Aquarians usually have such high opinions of
themselves that imposing their own views can become their sole objective. Aquarians must
conquer their pride, and realize that they have been entrusted with their attributes in order to
manifest a certain force in this world. They are merely channels for this energy, and so are not
entitled to personal glory.

For those born under the sign of Aquarius and for those now about to become influenced by
the cosmic energy of Aquarius, you can attain the consciousness of a cosmic reality and feel
responsible for humanity as a whole. You can know true friendship and perhaps even
universal fraternity. And Aquarians have the strength for this task, from past lives. You can
experience an exceptional and unique adventure in the history of humanity if you manage the
most difficult restriction – silencing your ego and practicing humility and modesty while
living in simplicity.

Adar (Pisces)

Pisces completes the astrological cycle that begins with Aries. It is Central Column of the
water signs, and is controlled by two planets, Jupiter and Neptune.

Jupiter controls two signs: Pisces and Sagittarius. These two months, Adar and Kislev, are
characterized by the tremendous miracles that took place because of the energy of Jupiter.
Sagittarius marks the miracles of Chanukah. Adar coined the miracle of Purim, created by
Esther, Mordechai, and the unity between the Jews in Shushan, Persia. This “togetherness”
and mass effort of unconditional sharing caused the miracle that prevented the total
extermination of the Israelites in Persia, under Achashverosh’s rule.

Jupiter is the planet of success, miracles, expansion of the metaphysical vessel and our
extension of our spiritual ability.

The second planet that rules Pisces, Neptune, was discovered only in the 19th century as the
planet to rule the abstract; the planet itself has no boundaries or limitations, as it is surrounded
by gas. It controls intuition, imagination, creativity and art. It provides us with the ability to
see and understand beyond our five senses.

The combination of these two planets gives Pisces a very powerful emotional ability. They are
remarkably sensitive and vulnerable with the strongest intuition of any sign. They are very
deep people, whether it comes to opinion, thought, or inspiration. Pisceans have an uncanny
talent for sensitivity toward others, for they can truly enter a person’s heart and mind and
experience the pain and suffering of others.

They have the metaphysical ability predict the future, and they can often be psychic and
clairvoyant. Many Pisceans have a gift for mathematics, science, and metaphysics (Albert
Einstein was a Pisces). The symbol for Pisces is two fish swimming in opposite directions.
The fish swimming against the stream represents the powerful “Pisces” potential. They can be
“sharks” – as charismatic and strong leaders with vision and clarity about leadership that can
guide an entire nation, like Moses, who was also a Pisces. But those Pisces who prefer to go
with the flow can be weak people who get carried away easily and are prone to addictive
patterns of behavior.

Adar is known for the holiday of Purim. According to the sages, it will be the only holiday
that will continue to be celebrated throughout the world after the Messiah comes. “When Adar
begins, joy enters,” as the famous Hebraic phrase goes. It is a month of happiness, miracles
and wonders. It affords us the ability to achieve mind over matter, to overcome our doubts
and connect to the Light.

Adar is the only month that repeats itself in a single calendar year. Because of the difference
between the lunar and the solar year, the sages add an extra Hebrew month to the lunar year in
order to balance the two. This instance occurs randomly 7 times every 19 years. When we
experience two months of Adar, we are given an extra dose of that powerful energy. Adar is
the last of the feminine months and is the sixth month since Libra and the Kabbalistic New
Year. Six represents Yesod, the luminous emanation that transfers energy to Malchut (our
realm), so Adar gives us even more potential to become channels for others.
Angel's Song

The obstacles and challenges that appear in our lives are not really our “enemies.”
In fact, the difficulties we face were created to help us gain strength for the
spiritual growth that is the true purpose of our lives.

This is a very basic kabbalistic principle: we receive Light depending on the

difficulty of the actions we undertake. By meditating on this precept over the
course of the coming week, we do more than gain deeper understanding of its
truth. We can also connect with the supernal energy that will allow us to
overcome obstacles and thereby acquire the strength that they are intended to
bring us.

There is a famous biblical episode of Jacob’s wrestling with an angel throughout

the night. If we think of this angel as a personification of our evil inclinations, we
may assume that the angel wants very badly to defeat us. After all, since evil is
evil, it makes sense to believe that the evil angel wants us to choose darkness over
Light.

Our sages tell us, however, that this is not the case. Rather, our evil inclinations
simply have a job to do. They exist as opportunities for us to exercise our free will
and, hopefully, to choose good. When we make that choice, there is joy even on
the part of the angel of darkness! His purpose is only to make our spiritual growth
more difficult, thereby allowing us to receive more Light.

The Evil Inclination does not want us to listen to him, for he knows that this would
go against the Creator's desire. Evil wants us to disregard evil, so that we can
reveal more of the Creator's Light. This is a beautiful paradox, and a great
teaching.

In the kabbalistic commentaries it is written that the evil angel whom Jacob
overcame was overjoyed at this result. For the first time since the beginning of the
world, he was able to sing before the Creator -- for no one had ever defeated him,
as did Jacob. Now the evil angel had finally accomplished his purpose: to be
defeated by a human soul, and thereby to reveal great Light.

What a beautiful insight into the workings of the supernal worlds! We can all connect with
this truth and draw strength and commitment to our own spiritual work. By doing so, we will
hasten the day when we also sing before the Creator.Continued Reading on Overcoming
Challenges & Obstacles: What God Meant
Relationships are a topic I thoroughly enjoy researching and discussing, specifically one
between a husband and wife. It is, in fact, one of the most significant connections we will ever
have, one that can impact our lives for better or worse.

What helps sustain a relationship is continuing to put as much effort into nourishing it as we
did finding it. Blind dating, online dating, double dating – we put ourselves through every
imaginable uncomfortable situation, and once we get married, it is almost as if it’s another
item crossed off our checklist. Married, check. Children, check. Career, check. Very often we
have a romanticized idea in mind as to what our lives will be like after we get married, one
that’s often not based in reality. Inevitably, the honeymoon ends and life goes on. We get
busy at work, spending time with coworkers, becoming close with our girlfriends discussing
our relationship woes, and taking the kids out together. We end up spending more time apart
and confiding in those people with whom we share our day.

We need to create time where we can come back together with our significant other to
reconnect and share. This is a fundamental aspect of any relationship. We must put the time
in. This connection has the potential to be totally satisfying and complete, helping us grow to
levels of emotional intimacy that we are not yet aware exist.

Unfortunately, too often couples do not consistently invest in nurturing their love and when
challenges arise, there isn’t a strong base from which to work. That is why I think this idea of
nurturing a relationship is probably one of the most important keys. It is the very foundation
on which the outcome of future experiences and conflicts depend.

Therefore, I would like to share with you four keys that are important for nurturing
relationships.

1. Consciously focus on the good in one another. We need to make a conscious effort to
focus on the good because this is what allows us to appreciate our partner. This is something
we do when we first start dating. We de-emphasize the negative and overemphasize the
positive. Unfortunately, the scales shift to the opposite after we’re married. Only through a
conscious effort can we create a consistent kindness, fondness and appreciation towards one
another, where we actually want to honor “until death do us part.”

2. Cherish small moments of intimacy and laughter. Finding the opportunities in day-to-
day experiences to engage and create beautiful moments and memories together is what it’s
all about. Making a commitment to each other that no problem or obstacle will be bigger than
your commitment to each other is so important.

3. Be vulnerable with one another. I know the word itself doesn’t sound appealing, but
giving your heart to somebody you trust and love is a beautiful and necessary thing. Even if it
is hard to do. We may be too proud or untrusting to become vulnerable, but so much love and
connection can come from this type of openness.
4. Repair. This is so necessary because after two people argue, usually one leaves the room
and doesn’t come back to say, “I regret what I said.” It gets buried. And then comes the next
day with another fight, usually about something insignificant like the remote control or who is
going to walk the dog. This cycle becomes the norm and soon it becomes the primary part of
the marriage. Coming back together for repair is crucial and discussing what happened and
how to grow from it.

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss
the future.” – John F. Kennedy

There are no stable marriages. There may be happy ones, but not stable ones. Either we are
growing forward or falling backwards. This is true in all areas of our life. There is no
constant; there is only change and movement. This is “the law of life,” which is why I believe
nurturing relationships is so important. We owe it to ourselves and those we love not to settle
for mediocrity in any way, and instead to nurture and allow our relationships to become the
source of joy, support and love that they were intended to be.

Monica Berg

Continued reading on Relationships: Spiritual Rules of Engagement

Dreams: Life is But a Dream

Kabbalah considers our physical world an illusion, a temporary residence, and not true
reality. Yes, life is but a dream.

Our world of morning mochaccinos and evening rush hour traffic jams is just one of many
dream worlds and dimensions that separate us from the ultimate reality. These other
dimensions are accessible in a variety of ways, one of which is through the dream state.

THE PURPOSE OF SLEEP

When the sun is set and the stars spatter the heavens, part of our soul leaves our body. Even if
we remain awake, part of the soul still departs, which is one reason why we begin to feel more
tired and drained as night unfolds.

During actual sleep, the Zohar explains that 59 of 60 parts of our soul have now left the body,
leaving only 1/60 to sustain us physically.
When the body is in slumber, the chains of physical existence are suddenly broken. The soul
is now free to ascend to a high place in the spiritual atmosphere where it receives
nourishment, power, and the occasional oil change. Why the need for a recharge?

In the course of a typical, chaotic day, the limitations of time, space, and motion extract their
toll on the body and soul. Take the concept of time, for example: Time constantly keeps us
under extreme pressure. Either we're playing catch-up, madly trying to meet deadlines as the
clock races by, or we grow wildly impatient as time slows down to a crawl.

WHY THE DREAM STATE?

During our "metaphysical tune-up", the soul is in a realm beyond time and space. Past,
present, and future are unified into one. The panorama of a human life span is fully displayed
from birth to death.

Thus, in addition to getting a recharge, the soul oftentimes catches sight of events that are
coming our way, both positive and negative.
These glimpses are then filtered down to the body, where they take the form of dreams.

Most of our dreams are a combo-plate special. In other words, one aspect of a dream consists
of the events, experiences, and thoughts currently occupying our conscious minds.
Interspersed into this mixture are visions of the soul that dwell in the subconscious.

According to Kabbalah, dreams offer us the opportunity to understand our negative character
traits. They can help us learn what it is we need to change in order to grow spiritually. Of
course, we must know how to read and intepret the dream in order to discern this wisdom.

Moreover, if a person has no intent or desire to change or experience spiritual growth and
transformation (probably 95% of the world remains stuck in this category), then the messages
of the soul are that much harder to detect. In fact, we probably won't even remember the
majority our dreams.

TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES

All of our negative actions towards other people carry repercussions, as dictated by the
universal law of cause and effect.

We can deny this spiritual truth.

Ignore it.

Doubt it.

Or not even realize it.

Nonetheless, for every envious glance, unkind word, and short-tempered response that we put
"out there," there is an equal negative consequence coming our way. Consider it the ultimate
boomerang effect.

All the repercussions looming over the horizon are what our soul perceives during sleep.
Really serious consequences foreseen by the soul usually produce nightmares.

If we are open-minded, we can extrapolate the messages from our nightmares and begin to
understand what we have to change about ourselves. Spiritual change is the proactive way to
deflect negative effects.
It is said that King David was a man of extraordinary spiritual character. Whenever he
experienced a terrifying nightmare, he was able to glean the message from it and make the
necessary spiritual corrections in his life.

On the other hand, the Zohar tells us that an unjust man will often be shown a happy dream
(an untruthful one) so as to lead him further astray from the path of the truth. This spiritual
principle is explained in the following Zohar text:

Whoever sets out to purify himself is purified from above, and whoever sets out to defile
himself is similarly defiled from above.
Zohar II, 200a

The more spiritual an individual is, the more truthful the dream he experiences.

When a person is bent on self-centered behavior, if they are enslaved to their own ego, this
will tilt the scales of power from the soul to the body. Thus, it makes it far more difficult for
the soul to elevate during sleep.

DAILY INVENTORY

The Kabbalists teach us that each night our soul ascends, it is asked whether we've
accomplished anything of spiritual substance during the previous day. If the answer is
negative, the soul cannot receive its full charging. We wake up feeling tired and lethargic,
regardless of how many hours we've slept. We feel run-down, even though we're popping
vitamins and exercising.

(The reason we don't experience constant fulfillment and energy in our lives is that we don't
know and therefore don't live by these rules of the spiritual world.)
According to the Zohar, if a person fails to have a dream for seven days or more, it is because
he is consumed by selfish desires, and tremendous negative forces are now controlling him.
His negative deeds far outweigh his positive deeds each day.

Don't panic just yet. Many of us can have a dream but we might not remember it. The
problem in this scenario is that there is a lack of communication between the person and his
soul. If there is a lack of learning and spiritual growth in one's life, he will not merit access to
the information in his dreams.

TRUTH & LIES

All dreams contain both truths and lies, according to the Zohar. Dreams that occur between
the hours of 12 midnight and 5:00 a.m. usually contain a larger proportion of truth.

LEVELS OF DREAMS

Natural Dreams

This is the lowest level of the dream state. People who are predominantly materialistic and
self-seeking experience this level of dream. Their dreams are usually about their material
pursuits, the chaos of their life, and the anxieties that assault their waking mind during the
day.
Nightmares

Bad dreams are usually aroused by our own negative behavior. Negative forces oftentimes
"whisper" in our ears all the things that will frighten and torment us.

Providence Dreams

This level represents messages, warnings, and lessons for life. We should make every attempt
to remember these dreams and absorb the message being conveyed. It is not uncommon to be
woken up in the middle of the night after having experienced this level of dream. If possible,
one should write it down in detail, for it is in the details where the most important messages
are often found.

Prophetic Dreams

This level of dream is hardly ever forgotten. It is crystal clear and is commonly received by
those who have dedicated their lives to spiritual transformation.

I. Dream Interpretation

Interpreting dreams is a delicate matter, and only the very knowledgeable will be able to
understand the true messages that are concealed inside a dream.

A dream that is not interpreted can be likened to a person receiving an important confidential
package overnight, via FedEx, and the person never bothers to open it up.

If we have a good dream, and we do not tell it to an interpreter, the dream remains in a state of
potential. It becomes much harder for the positive elements of the dream to manifest in our
life.

Moreover, if we do not understand the messages being conveyed through our dreams, we miss
out on the path and the specific point of correction that we came to this world to achieve. In
other words, there is an aspect of our internal character that is in need of correction and
change. The path to effect this change is made evident in our dreams. It could be a conflict
that needs to be resolved between ourselves and a friend. The cause of the conflict could be
our own stubbornness, and we don't even realize it. Or there may be a lack of care and
attention on our part towards a loved one.

If situations like these remain unresolved, and if our character remains unchanged, the door is
left wide open for chaos and negativity to manifest in our lives. These unconcluded
circumstances are often the cause behind those all-too-common "sudden appearances" of
turmoil that always catch us off guard.

As an old adage states quite emphatically: Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Caution on Interpretation

It is written that there were 24 interpreters of dreams in Jerusalem during the time of the
Second Temple (approximately 2000 years ago). If a person told his dream to all 24
interpreters, the dreamer might very well receive 24 different interpretations.
Remarkably, the sages teach us, all 24 interpretations could actually play themselves out in
the physical world. Namely, the act of interpreting dramatically impacts and influences the
dream's expression in the physical world.

On that account, the Zohar says that the interpretation of a dream is actually more important
than the dream itself. Hence, it behooves you to make every effort to find the right person to
interpret your dream. It should be someone who truly loves and cares for you, or it should be
a spiritual person who possesses a love for all mankind, because the interpretation will color
the dream's influence in your life.

The Glass is Half Full

According to Kabbalah, we should not tell more than one person our negative dreams, to
prevent any openings for its physical expression.

A person who loves you will always interpret a negative dream in a more positive light, which
is extremely important. For example, if there was an accident, it could be interpreted not as a
physical accident but something spiritual that you need to work on and fix in your life.

The Zohar states:

We have learned that when a man has had a dream, he should unburden himself of it before
men who are his friends so that they should express to him their good wishes and give
utterances to words of good omen.
Thus, a man's friends should affirm the good interpretation, and so all will be well.
Zohar II, 200a

If a person has an extremely bad dream, he should not speak about it directly, for it can be
spiritually dangerous, according to Kabbalah.

One must also never speak of the future, so as not to place limits on the individual. Instead,
the interpreter should recommend in a positive way what the dreamer needs to do in the
present.

Continued Reading on Dreams: The Dreams Book

Fear: Appreciating Our Greatness

Fear can have both positive and negative effects on our spiritual growth. Suppose, for
example, that you were called upon right now to justify your life before the Creator. How
would you feel? Most people, quite understandably, would feel some degree of fear. But as
we’ll see, this is by no means a bad thing as long as we understand our fear correctly.

What does your fear tell you? What is the real meaning of your fear? Perhaps it reminds you
of things you should have done but didn’t do. It might call to mind the times when you acted
out of a narrowly defined self-interest rather than as a truly sharing human being. If you really
had to explain your behavior to God, how important do you think desires for yourself alone
would suddenly seem? We can use this week’s portion as a tool for getting in touch with the
fear we might feel in honestly reviewing our lives. Even more importantly, by connecting
with the energy of the portion, we can turn our fear into a motivating force for positive
changes in how we live, starting right now.

Kabbalah teaches that each of us will, in fact, appear before a heavenly court when we leave
this world. But the court will not be anything like a criminal or civil trial in the physical
world. There will be no prosecuting angels reading off a list of our transgressions, nor will
there be defense attorneys pleading for mercy on our behalf. The truth is much simpler: when
we arrive in the upper world, we will simply be shown the real greatness of our souls.

True, for some people, and perhaps for many people, this will be a painful experience. They
will see the great spiritual potential that had been theirs, and they will realize how they wasted
this wonderful gift. They will look back and think “I had this great treasure and I did not use it
the fullest!” This is a somewhat frightening lesson, but also a truly important one. If only we
would know and appreciate our greatness -- if only we would see that we are not simply flesh
and blood, but that we have a great soul, which is part of the Creator -- we would constantly
push ourselves to make the most of that gift

If thinking along these lines arouses a certain fear in you, that fear can be a blessing. Use it as
fuel for acts of sharing in the everyday world, and to become a true being of sharing in your
heart and your soul. This week’s portion can help us focus clearly on the twin objectives of
external action and inner growth. And by meditating on these teachings, we can connect with
the spiritual energy that will turn those goals into reality.

Continued Reading on Appreciating Our Greatness: Secrets of the Zohar

Love: Opening the Channel

We all want to love and be loved. There is an important spiritual law that when understood
and lived can transform the Love in our life. First we need to know that the capacity to love
and the quality of our love is a gift from the Creator.

Secondly, the more a person uses the love that is given to him in a sharing and positive way
the more love he is given to share. Alternately if we use the love given to us in a selfish way
and in a negative way, then our capacity to love will diminish.

This is a powerful lesson that we need to truly internalize. We should clearly envision the
supernal channels of love and our ability to open them or close them.

Before we are about to use our capacity to love in a selfish or negative way we should realize
that we are in effect influencing the supernal channel of love, causing it to diminish its flow to
us. Conversely, we should find every opportunity to share our love as much as possible.
Understanding, that the more love we share, the more we cause the supernal channel of love
to open and flow to us, more and more. Thereby increasing the capacity and quality of our
love.

It is important to realize that we not only effect our own capacity to love, but we also
influence the amount to which the channels of love open and close for the world. Every time
we use our capacity to love in a sharing way we also open up the channel of love wider for the
entire world. And, every time we use our love in a selfish and negative way we constrict the
flow of love into the world, thereby making it more difficult for others to love. One thing is
certain about the world today: there is not enough love being shared by enough people, and
we need to understand that we are all responsible for this.

This is truly an amazing and beautiful lesson. We should be careful not to allow its seeming
simplicity to blind us to its importance. If we understand and practice this lesson we will not
only increase the amount and quality of love that we have in our lives, but also the amount of
love that is revealed in the world.

Continued reading on Love: The Way

No Rest

The Kabbalists call our physical world the World of Action. This name holds within
it a very important and powerful lesson.

The purpose of our lives in this World of Action is simply action. We need to
constantly push ourselves to more and more actions of spiritual transformation.
This is a relatively clear lesson, but there is another side to this lesson, which is
frightening, and important.

The lesson from the term World of Action is not simply an exhortation asking us to
continue our spiritual actions and growth, but a statement of fact. This is a world
where action will be present in one way or another in our lives here. Our choice is
whether this “action” will be positive and proactive or not as positive and reactive.

This is not reward or punishment per se but rather the nature of this World of
Action. We can chose to spend our time of “action” in proactive action of sharing
and spiritual growth or the “actions” can be forced upon us with situations,
problems and stress that we would rather avoid. This needs to be a very serious
understanding. We cannot change the need for action, it is the nature of this
world, but we certainly can control the nature of the “action”.

Understanding this we gain more impetus for our spiritual work, for not only does
our spiritual work and actions bring fulfillment to our lives but it also prevents any
other not so positive actions from coming into our lives.

We should remind ourselves that this is a World of Action, not of rest; our power
is in determining what kind of action our lives will be filled with. Keeping this
lesson in mind always we can ensure that our lives our filled with nothing but
positive, proactive, fulfilling actions.

Continued Reading on the World of Action: Taming Chaos

Mental Health: The Paradox of Anxiety

Is it friend or foe? In an age where time seems to be traveling faster and choices are vaster --
living on the verge of an anxiety attack is becoming commonplace. Learn what triggers this
strange emotion and how to use its force in your favor.

One word is all it takes and suddenly your thoughts are going so fast that they create a vortex
in your throat making breathing impossible. Confusion is the name of the game and you
cannot imagine where to go from here.

These are some of the symptoms of anxiety. There is little comfort in knowing that we've all
experienced anxiety on some level at some point in our lives. Anxiety comes when we are
faced with a defining, life-changing moment or, perhaps, when we are required to make an
important decision. We feel our worst imagined fears creep into our self-conscious where they
multiply, inciting uncertainty and worry over something that might -- or might not -- ever
happen.

The great French philosopher Montaigne once wrote, "My life has been full of terrible
misfortunes, most of which never happened." Anxiety distorts normal worries and magnifies
them. We become trapped like flies in webs of our own making, struggling helplessly,
paralyzed from taking the necessary action to free ourselves.
Fear is based on known danger, something tangible: a lump discovered during a routine breast
self-examination, an impending bankruptcy. These are problems we know are real: we can
touch the lump, we can see the debt. And although the problems are overwhelming, there are
things that can be done: removing the lump, special diets, treatments; restructuring the
business, finding investors. With anxiety, however, we feel haunted, out of control. Yet when
pressed, we can rarely pinpoint the exact cause. Because anxiety has no physical origin, it is a
disorder that baffles doctors and resists medicine. Sufferers who look to pills, tonics and drug
regimens for relief rarely find it.

Yet, despite the negative connotations attached to the word anxiety, the sensation itself can
create within us a truly positive effect. And though it is something we desire never to
experience, we are usually better for having done so. Anxiety is both a terrible curse and an
enormous blessing.

It all depends on how you look at it.

Kabbalists suggest that we should view anxiety in a positive light. They believe that it
manifests itself to remind us that we are not realizing our full potential in this world, that we
are not fulfilling our purpose. Only with the spur of constant self-evaluation, which often
begins with anxiety, will we strive to do better and succeed in our efforts. In fact, medical
science supports this perspective. Many doctors contend that some anxiety is a good thing. In
his full-length treatise on the subject, Anxiety (Oxford, 1986), Donald W. Goodwin, M.D.
suggests that stress is a useful tool that can "build character, enhance creativity and encourage
us to do better." With anxiety, we experience a heightened awareness of ourselves. According
to the American Medical Association, anxiety also helps us respond to emergencies.
Thus the paradoxical nature of anxiety -- is it good or bad for us? How can we diminish the
negative effects of anxiety and use its positive effects to prod ourselves to do better? How can
we best use our anxious thoughts to help us achieve our goals?

There is an old saying: "Fear knocked. Faith answered. No one was there." Those who study
the Kabbalah believe that anxiety occurs when we don't have certainty. By refusing to trust in
God, or in the perfection of the ultimate plan, we accept burdens we were never meant to bear
and, therefore, feel uneasy, depressed and afraid. Our bodies respond physically to this
spiritual imbalance, which is why anxiety sufferers often experience headaches, dizziness,
heart palpitations, incredible fatigue and respiratory problems.

According to the Kabbalah, however, our awareness of anxiety is the Creator's way of
offering us a chance to reconnect with Him, a wake-up call to the spirit. Kabbalists believe
that through anxiety we are alerted to a wrong turn we have taken, thereby giving us the
capacity to re-orient ourselves on the path to our true destiny. Perhaps we were too focused on
personal desires or in attaining fame or fortune and neglected our spiritual needs and the
needs of others. Anxiety offers us the chance to step back and look objectively at our lives.
"Review it and it will uplift you" (Mishlei 4:8). We need to examine our emotional and
spiritual priorities and actively work to achieve them. Only then can we experience true peace
of mind.

Tips For Dealing With Anxiety When It Strikes

• Keep a diary: each day write down five things for which you are grateful.
• Practice random acts of kindness.
• Recognize your incredible potential and strive to maximize it every day.
• Take your mind off your worries by helping others.
• Face your fears -- they are not as terrible as you imagine.
• Embrace the positive aspects of anxiety and use them to improve your life.

Continued reading on Anxiety and Fear: The Monster is Real

The Meaning of Life

The Kabbalah teaches the cause effect connection of our spiritual sources. These
sources connect according to the constant and absolute rules aiming for a higher
goal - the comprehension of the Creator by all of his creations that exist in this
world.

According to the Kabbalah, both mankind as a whole and each and every
individual has to attain his highest point of understanding the goal and the
program of the creation in all of its fullness. In each generation there were people
who by constant self work reached a certain spiritual level. In other words, while
walking up the ladder, they managed to reach the top.

Any material object - from the micro to the macro world and its actions are
controlled by the spiritual forces that permeate our whole universe. It might be
pictured as if this universe lies upon a net, weaved from these forces.

As an example, let's take the smallest living organism whose sole aim is to support
its existence for a time long enough to procreate the next generation. How many
forces and complex systems function in that organism! And how many of those
systems has man's eye and limited experience failed to notice Multiplying those
forces by the vast number of living creatures that have ever existed in our world -
meaning the Universe and the spiritual worlds - we will only have a vague and
remote idea about the number of spiritual ties and forces that control us.

The great variety of the spiritual forces can be imagined as two equal and
interconnected systems. The only difference between them is that the first system
comes out from the Creator and goes down through all of the worlds until it
reaches ours. The second one comes out of our world and goes all the way up
according to the rules already developed and acted upon in the first system.

The first system in the Kabbalah is called "The Order of the Creation of the Worlds
and Spirit". The second one is called "Comprehension or the Steps of Prophecy
and Spirit". The second system supposes that those who wish to reach the peak
will have to act according to the laws of the first system, and this is exactly what is
studied in the Kabbalah. However, in the spiritual world the main factor of
discovery and comprehension is not time but rather the purity of spirit, thought,
and desire.

In the material world there are many forces and phenomena which we do not
directly feel. For example, electricity, magnetic waves, etc. The effect of their
actions, their names, are familiar even to children. Even though our knowledge
about electricity is limited, we have learned to use this phenomenon for our
certain needs. We call it by name just as naturally as we call bread - bread and
sugar - sugar.

Accordingly, all of the names in the Kabbalah seem to give a real (material) notion
of a spiritual object. But if we think about it, it is not only spiritual objects that we
don't have an idea about. We don't have an idea about the Creator Himself, just as
we don't have a real idea of any object, even one that is felt by our own hands.

The thing is that we don't feel the object itself but rather our reaction to its
actions and influence. These reactions give us what seems to be knowledge,
although the object itself, its essence remains hidden. More than that, we cannot
even comprehend ourselves! Only actions and reactions is all that we know about
ourselves.

Science, as an instrument of researching the world is divided into two parts; the
study of the properties of matter and the study of its form. In other words, there is
nothing in the universe that doesn't consist of matter and form. For example, if we
take a table as a combination of matter and form, then the matter is the wood,
and the carrier of the form is the shape of the table. Another example; the word
liar, where the matter is the body of the man that carries the form, the lie.

The part of science that deals with the study of matter is based on experiments.
On the basis of those scientific experiments, conclusions are drawn. However, the
part of science that studies form, without any connection to matter, especially
those forms that have never been tied to matter (for example, communism as an
ideal!) cannot be based on experiment. That is because there is no such thing as
form without matter in our world.

The separation of form from matter is possible only in our imagination. Therefore,
all of our conclusions in this case are based only on theoretical premises. The
whole field of higher philosophy belongs to this category of science and mankind
has often suffered because of its groundless conclusions. The majority of
contemporary scientists turned their back on this method of study, since there is
absolutely no certainty in the validity of the conclusions.
By exploring the spiritual world, man himself actually discovers that his very
feelings are only wishes from above for him to feel that way. He feels it as a
separate existing object and not as a part of the Creator while all of the
surrounding world is only an illusion of the action of spiritual forces on us.

I will clarify this thought with an example:

"Once upon a time a poor man lived in a small village. He drove a wagon, had a
couple of horses, a house and a family. Suddenly a wave of misfortune came upon
him. The horses fell, his wife and children died, the house fell apart and because
of his grief, he died soon after. And then the decision is being taken in the highest
court, just what to give to such a long suffering and tormented soul to assure its
happiness. They decide to give him the feeling that he is alive, that he has his
family with him, his house, and his good horses. They make him feel content with
his work and with his life."

These feelings are interpreted just as we feel in a dream, that what is happening
to us in a dream is very real. It is only our feelings that create the picture of our
surroundings. So then, how can we distinguish an illusion for reality ...

Kabbalah as a science of the world is also divided into the study of matter and
form. However, it has a remarkable quality that shows its superiority over other
methods of science. The part of it that deals with the study of form without
matter is totally based on experimental control and therefore can be verified and
tested!

The Kabbalist, having risen to the spiritual level of the studied object, receives all
of its qualities himself. Thus, inside himself he feels a complete understanding and
can deal practically with different kinds of forms before their material
embodiment. It is as if he is watching all of our illusions as an observer from the
outside!

Kabbalah, just as any other science, uses certain symbols and terminology to
describe objects and actions. The spiritual force, the world, the sfira are called by
the same name which we use for the same object controlled by this force in our
world. Since every material object or force has a respective spiritual object or
force that controls their actions, there is a completely accurate "fit" between the
name taken from the material world and its spiritual root - the source. Naming a
spiritual object is therefore possible only to a Kabbalist who has himself reached a
very high level of insight.
He has reached that level of the spiritual object itself and he sees the way it
effects and influences our world. The Kabbalists write their books and pass on
their knowledge using this language. This language is extremely precise. It is based
on the spiritual source of the material object and cannot change. The link between
the object and its spiritual source in unchangeable. This is quite different from our
everyday use of the language. Our earthly, everyday language is gradually loosing
its accuracy since it is tied only to the outer form. A simple basic understanding of
the language is not enough. Even if we know the name of a lower material object,
we still cannot understand its higher spiritual form. Only if we know the spiritual
form can we comprehend and see its material implementation, "the branch".

This brings us to the conclusion: First it is essential to understand the spiritual

source of the material object. We have to know its nature and properties. Only
then can we pass to its branch in our world and study their interaction. This is the
only way for the true understanding of the language of the Kabbalah.

A natural question arises however. How can a beginner master this science when
he cannot even properly understand his teacher The answer is very simple. It is
only possible when we spiritually lift ourselves up above this world. This is possible
only if we rid ourselves of all of the traces of material egoism and accept the
spiritual values as the only ones. Only the longing and the passion for the spiritual
in our world, that is the key for the higher world.

Continued Reading on The Meaning of Life: Power of You

The Zohar

The Zohar, or Book of Splendor, is the basic source of Kabbalah and shows us the
sublime wisdom concerning the metaphysical characteristics of all Creation.

The Zohar was written by Rav Shimon bar Yochai while hiding in a cave in the
mountains of the Galilee with his son Elazar for thirteen years, two thousand years
ago. He hid there after being sentenced to death by the Romans. After its
revelation during the generation of Rav Shimon, the Zohar was then concealed for
another twelve hundred years. It was later brought to the public light in Spain by
Rav Moses de Leon over seven hundred years ago, and further revealed through
the Safed kabbalists and the Lurianic system of Kabbalah just over four hundred
years ago.

The authorship of the Zohar is a subject of debate among academics, without ever
attempting to understand the content of the works they analyze. Many of these
scholars maintain that the Zohar was written by the eleventh century Kabbalist
Moses de Leon, or by others among his contemporaries. When the Zohar is better
understood, however, it becomes evident that only someone of the stature and
spirituality of Rav Shimon could have composed the work.

We know that each generation has a lesser understanding of Torah than the
previous one (Talmud Bavli, Tractate Berakhot, 20a). To credit a work such as the
Zohar to any age other than that of the Tannaim -- the compilers of the Mishnah
who lived from the first to the third centuries C.E. is simply not possible. Since this
would imply that the level of spiritual consciousness and understanding of Rav
Moses de Leon was comparable to, if not higher than, that of the saintly Tannaim.
When the historians select Rav Moses de Leon as the author of the Zohar, they
thereby neglect the opinion of such great kabbalists as Moses Cordovero, Shlomo
Alkabetz, Joseph Caro, Isaac Luria, Moses Luzzato, and many others. Men for
whom the Zohar was a way of life rather than a field of study and who were
unanimous in their agreement that Rav Shimon was the author of the Zohar.

The underlying assumptions of these great men were that the one man who wrote
the Zohar must have been on the same level of spirituality as its contents, and
that only Rav Shimon fits that description.

In the seclusion of the cave, Rav Shimon was visited twice a day by the prophet
Elijah, who revealed to him the secrets of the Zohar. The deeper and more
comprehensive sections, known as the Beloved Shepherd, are a record of the
discourses that also took place between Rav Shimon and Moses himself.

One should not take this to mean that the secrets of the Zohar were revealed only
to Rav Shimon. His teacher, Rav Akiva, and several others before him were fully
versed in all the teachings of the Zohar. In fact, the entire understanding of
Kabbalah was presented in its oral form to Israel on Mount Sinai. Many
understood the dazzling truths of Kabbalah, but few could make others see and
understand. For this, the written text of the Zohar, we would have to wait for Rav
Shimon.

Why was Rav Shimon chosen to set down the teachings of the Zohar in preference
to his teacher, Rav Akiva, or indeed any of the other giants of the Kabbalah who
preceded him? This problem has been the source of many commentaries and
parables; it is often stressed, for instance, that through his fugitive and solitary
life, Rav Shimon was able to overcome the physical restraints and limitations that
normally prevent the attainment of higher levels of spiritual consciousness. He
was thus able to transcend the laws governing time and space, thereby acquiring
root knowledge of all existence as we experience it on this earthly plane.

To answer the question and understand why it was Rav Shimon who was chosen
to reveal the Zohar, the Ari explains the spiritual make-up of Moses.

Moses encompassed the Inner and Encircling Lights; the inclusion of the Inner
Light is alluded to by the verse "and she saw he was good" (Exodus 2:2), and the
Encircling Light is denoted by the verse "the skin of his face shone" (Exodus 34:30).
The Ari, Likutai Torah, p. 126, Vol. 12.

Within the human physical body we find two distinct motivating factors called the
Inner Light and the Encircling Light. The Inner Light is the element of Light
contained within human beings upon their descent into this mundane world at
birth, and accompanies the individual as an aid in the pursuit of spiritual ascent.

The Encircling Light is the level of consciousness the individual merits during his or
her lifetime through good deeds and actions; it is acquired gradually and is not
present at birth. The Encircling Light level of consciousness is unlimited,
depending on how well the individual is able to subordinate the physical body to
the Light. The degree to which an individual is limited by the constraints of time,
space, and motion—-the physical laws of the universe—is dependent on the
degree to which he or she manages to control the body’s desire to receive for
itself alone (the evil inclination.)
Gradually, he or she acquires the Encircling Light and ascends the ladder of
spirituality.

Regarding Rav Shimon, the Ari explains:

“One must understand that among the souls of the righteous, there are those who
possess the Encircling Light, and who have the capability of communicating the
esoteric mysteries of the Torah by means of concealment and cryptic references,
so as to prevent those who lack merit from understanding it. Rav Shimon’s soul
incorporated the Encircling Light from birth; he thus had the power to encompass
the esoteric lore and also to discourse on it. Subsequently, permission was
granted to Rav Shimon to write the Book of Splendor. The sanction to write this
book of wisdom was not given to the Sages who preceded Rav Shimon because,
even though they were highly knowledgeable in this wisdom, even to the extent
of exceeding Rav Shimon, they lacked his ability to encompass and to protect the
esoteric lore. This is the meaning of the reference to Rav Shimon made above.”

R. Isaac Luria

Kitvei Ari, Vol. 6, p. 91

Gate of the Parables of Rashi

If the world’s literature holds any volumes that might truly be designated as being
complete, or, in the language of Kabbalah, as being "sealed with ten seals,” that
work is the Zohar. Since its completion some two thousand years ago, few works
have exercised as much influence on humankind.

The Zohar is the fundamental work of the Kabbalah, and thus, the premier
textbook of Kabbalah. However, because of the highly esoteric nature of its
teachings, not to mention the difficulties presented by its original language, which
was partly Aramaic and partly ancient Hebrew, the Zohar remained for centuries
inaccessible to all but a few learned and carefully chosen initiates.

The Zohar is in the form of a commentary on the Bible and contains several
sections. The main section, which bears the general title of Sefer haZohar, is
connected and related to the weekly portion of the Torah. To this are attached

(1) Idra Rabbah (Greater Assembly), which was written when Rav Shimon
and his son Elazar emerged from the cave and selected eight disciples, who,
together with Rav Shimon and his son, formed the "Greater Assembly.” This
is where the esoteric, internal teachings of the Torah were revealed for the
first time.

(2) Sifra diTzenuta (The Book of the Veiled Mystery), inserted before
Parashat Tzaveh, which deals with the structure of the creative process;

(3) Sitrei Torah (Secrets of the Torah) which treats essentially the power of
the Divine Names and how they are used to tap the immense power of the
cosmos;

(4) Idra Zuta (The Lesser Assembly) which describes those teachings of Rav
Shimon bar Yochai that were not revealed during the Greater Assembly but
on the day of Rav Shimon’s death;

(5) Ra’aya Mehemna (Faithful Shepherd, the faithful shepherd being

Moses), which deals with those cosmic precepts and doctrines not covered
in the discourses between Elijah the Prophet and Rav Shimon bar Yochai;

(6) Midrash haNe’elam (Recondite Exposition), which contains a vast

collection of scriptural exposition concerning the method of numerology i.e.
the permutations and combinations of the letters of the Aleph Beth and the
Hebrew numerals;

(7) Zohar Hadash (The New Zohar) an independent commentary along the
same lines as the Zohar, and which embraces, in addition to the Torah, the
Five Megillot (Scrolls): The Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes,
and Esther;
 (8) Tikunei Zohar (Emendations of the Zohar) which addresses the same
general subject matter as the Zohar, but also discourses upon teachings
specifically directed to the Age of Aquarius; and

(9) Tosefta (Additions) which adds some fragmentary supplements to the

Zohar in which references to the Sefirot are made.

The Zohar is more than just a commentary on the Torah. In fact, in the Zohar’s
own words, a literal translation of the Bible is virtually worthless. It is most
interesting to read the Zoharic words on the veracity of biblical explanation, which
stops just short of a complete repudiation of any literal translation or
understanding of the Bible.

The Zohar declares, "Woe unto those who see in the Torah nothing but simple
narratives and ordinary words.” The truth of the matter is that every word of the
Bible contains a sublime coded mystery which, when deciphered, reveals a wealth
of elevated meaning. The narratives of the Torah are but outer garments in which
the real meaning is clothed. And woe unto those who mistake the outer garment
for the Bible itself.

This was precisely the idea to which King David addressed himself when he
declared, "Open my eyes that I might behold wondrous things from your Torah.”

Another passage from the Zohar states this same sentiment when it queries, "If
the Torah merely consisted of ordinary words and narratives like the stories of
Esau, Hagar, and Laban, or like the words spoken by the donkey of Balaam, or
even by Balaam himself, why should the Torah have been referred to as Torah
Emet, the ‘Torah of Truth’?"

The Bible has long been viewed by many as nothing more than a collection of
religious morality tales. Seen from a Zoharic perspective, the Bible is not intended
merely to improve the outward conduct of humankind, but to assist each
individual in creating an intimate personal relationship with the universe. In
ancient times, the most mundane events in everyday life and customs were
associated with the grandeur of the cosmos.

The Zohar is concerned with the relationships between the unseen forces of the
cosmos and their impact on humanity. In essence, the Bible, upon which the Zohar
is based, is a cosmic code that the Zohar deciphers and reveals.
The Zohar promises that with the ushering in of the Age of Aquarius, the cosmos
will become readily accessible to human understanding. Already, for the
perceptive observer, there are signs that this revolution is underway. It is
becoming increasingly apparent that, in a very real and profound sense, humanity
and the cosmos are inseparable.

Through the Zohar, we can raise our consciousness and transcend the crushing
weight of earthly concerns. In the right hands, the Zohar is a tool of immense
power. It can, when correctly perceived, provide answers to our most seemingly
baffling problems.

The Zohar has been published in a set of twenty-four volumes. The placement of
these volumes within the home or office infuses it with the Zohar’s Light,
spreading harmony in the atmosphere and among its inhabitants. The scanning
alone of the Zohar’s letters and words will have the result of comforting the body
and restoring balance even when one cannot pronounce the words or know their
meaning.

Spiritual values have their own system of making impressions.

The daily perusing of the Zohar, without any attempt at translation or

"understanding" will fill our consciousness with the Light, improving our well-
being and influencing all in our environment toward positive attitudes. Even the
scanning of the Zohar by those unfamiliar with The Hebrew Aleph Beth will
accomplish the same result.

The connection that we establish through scanning the Zohar is a connection and
unity with the Light. The letters, even if we do not consciously know Hebrew or
Aramaic, are the channels through which the connection is made and could be
likened to dialing the right telephone number, or typing in the right codes to run a
computer program. The connection is established at the metaphysical level of our
being and radiates into our physical plane of existence, but first there is the
metaphysical "fixing."

We have to permit, consciously, through positive thoughts and actions, the

immense power of the Zohar to radiate love, harmony, and peace into our lives
for us to share with all humanity and the universe.

As we enter the years ahead, the Zohar will continue to be a people’s book,
striking a sympathetic chord in the hearts and minds of those who long for peace,
truth, and relief from suffering. In the face of crises and catastrophe, it has the
ability to resolve agonizing human afflictions by restoring each individual’s
relationship with the Force.
Darkness cannot prevail in the presence of Light. A darkened room must respond
even to the lighting of a candle. As we share this moment together, we are
beginning to witness, and indeed some of us are already participating in, a
people’s revolution of enlightenment. The darkened clouds of strife and conflict
will make their presence felt only as long as the Eternal Light remains concealed.

The Zohar now remains a final, if not the only, solution to infusing the cosmos
with the revealed Light of the Force. For those seeking to improve the quality of
both their mental and physical well being, the Zohar provides us with an
opportunity to become masters of our fate, captains of our destiny.

Continued Reading on The Zohar: The Essential Zohar

Protection from the Zohar: Mini Zohar Pinchas

Own the Entire Set: The Sacred Zohar

What’s so important about a little red string? In a word – Protection.

Have you ever heard of the Evil Eye? In Colonial America it was called the Stink Eye. In
Hebrew it’s called ayin ha’ra. In Italian, mal ochio, in Spanish, mal ojo, in Farsi (Iranian),
bla band. All of these cultures and hundreds of other have an expression for it. But what is it
really?

It’s the power to inflict fatal harm with the look of an eye.

The Red String is used for protection against the Evil Eye. The Evil Eye is a very powerful
negative force. It refers to the unfriendly stares and unkind glances we sometimes get from
people around us. Envious eyes and looks of ill will affect us, stopping us from realizing our
full potential in every area of our life.

To read more in-depth about the Red String, and to purchase some for your family, CLICK
HERE.

According to Kabbalah, the critical need to confront the problem of negative influences
cannot be underestimated. People who fail to understand this and activate a protective shield
through positive and proactive behavior can become victims.

Kabbalah teaches us that we can remove intrusive negative influences and, more importantly,
that we have the potential to eradicate negativity forever. The power of the eye, when
understood from a Kabbalistic perspective, becomes as powerful a healing instrument as it
can be a devastating channel of destruction.

Rachel and The Red String

An ancient tradition is to wind a Red String seven times around the tomb of Rachel, the great
Matriarch. Rachel, wife of Jacob, gave birth after many barren years to two sons, Joseph, and
later Benjamin. During the birth or Benjamin, Rachel passes away, and is buried on the road
between Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the Land of Israel.
After the Red String is wound around the tomb, it is endowed with mystical powers. The Red
String is then cut into pieces and worn on the left hand's wrist. The left hand is considered by
Kabbalah to be the receiving side for the body and soul. By wearing The Red String on our
left wrist, we can receive a vital connection to the protective energies surrounding the tomb of
Rachel.

It also allows us to take Rachel's powerful protective energy with us and draw from it
anytime.

Kabbalists believe that by seeking the Light of holy persons, such as Rachel, we can use their
powerful influence to assist us. According to Kabbalah, Rachel represents the physical world
in which we live. Her greatest desire is to protect and defend all of her children from evil.
When we tie the Red String to our left wrist, while reciting the powerful Ana Be'Koach
prayer, we seal her powerful protective energy within as it intercepts negative influences
intended to cause us harm.

The Evil Eye in the Zohar

“A person possessed of an evil eye carries with him the eye of the destroying negative force;
hence it is called "destroyer of the world," and people should be on their guard against them
and not come near them so that they should not be injured by them!”- Zohar I, p.68b

How to Wear the Red String

Have someone you love to tie the Red String to your left wrist. First, have them tie the string
closely around your wrist with a simple knot. Repeat by knotting the string six more times for
a total of seven knots. Now make a promise to yourself that you will refrain from negative
thoughts or talk about others.

This harmful behavior will interfere with your effort to gain personal fulfillment and
protection. Then have the person finish by saying the Ben Porat Prayer which prevents others
from giving you the evil eye.

(Both prayers are included on the Red String packaging.)

What Makes Kabbalah Centre Red String Unique

Every year students and teachers go to great lengths to power and distribute this tool. Our
efforts include:

▪ Dying white wool to red. Red corresponds to the desire to receive for the self alone, and
this red color we wear serves as an antidote to the selfish desires that seeks their way into our
minds and hearts.
▪ Hiring an armed guard to escort our team to the tomb of Rachel the Matriarch, located in a
dangerous part of Israel.
▪ Wrapping the Red String seven times around the tomb.
▪ Reciting various kabbalistic prayers, most notably the mystical prayer Ana Bekoach.
▪ Cutting the string into bracelet size lengths
When we come into this world, we are given the exact amount of time that is necessary to
complete our spiritual work. Each of us has specific tasks to perform, and our tasks may be
different from other, but Kabbalah tells us that our transformation can be completed in one
lifetime. We have enough time, but we also don’t have any time to waste.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t use our time very well. Everyday life distracts us from our
larger purpose. As they years pass, we may achieve part of our transformation, or perhaps
none at all. But the fact is, most of us depart this life without completing the task we came
here to do. We may even have moved in the opposite direction, away from our purpose.

Kabbalah teaches that we will return to this world in many incarnations until we achieve
complete transformation.

Work left uncompleted in this life is undertaken again in a future life until the task of
transformation is done. Reincarnation is a fundamental tenet of Kabbalah. The world and our
place in it cannot be understood without this key principle.

For a full course on reincarnation, register for Here We Go Again on www.ukabbalah.com

As always, what is true for a single human soul is also true for all humanity. As long as
anyone of us falls short of transformation, we will continue to participate in the cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth –as will humanity as a whole, until the critical mass of truly enlightened
people comes into being to eradicate pain and death forever.

The possibility of reincarnation is not a license to ignore our spiritual responsibilities in this
life. On the contrary, reincarnation should be an incentive to complete our spiritual tasks as
quickly as possible, to attend to the work of transformation, and to live more sharing,
compassionate lives. Only in this way can we get off the wheel of arrival and departure in the
world, and get rid of the pain that inevitably comes with it.

For further reading, we think you may enjoy Rav Berg’s Wheels of a Soul
The ancient Kabbalist Rav Shimon bar Yochai wrote in the Zohar that it was Moses, not God,
who parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to narrowly escape Pharaoh and the Egyptian
army. In order to accomplish this apparent miracle, Moses combined the power of certainty
with a very powerful spiritual technology. He had possession of a formula that literally gave
him access to the subatomic realm of nature.

The formula Moses used to overcome the laws of nature has been hidden in the Zohar for
2000 years.

This formula is called the 72 Names of God. Not names like Betty, Bill and Barbara, but 72
sequences composed of Hebrew letters that have the extraordinary power to overcome the
laws of nature in all forms, including human nature.

Though this formula is encoded in the literal Biblical story of the parting of the Red Sea, no
rabbi, scholar, or priest was aware of the secret. It was known only to a handful of kabbalists
- who also knew that when the time was ripe, the formula would be revealed to the world.

To learn how to wield the power of the 72 Names, together with the purposes of which they
can be used, we recommend reading The 72 Names of God: Technology of the Soul. Even if
you don't speak or read Hebrew, you can still begin and experience incredible miracles.

Now, after some 2,000 years of concealment, contemporary seekers can also tap into this
power and energy by learning about, and calling upon, the 72 Names of God.

The 72 Names are each 3-letter sequences that act like an index to specific, spiritual
frequencies. By simply looking at the letters, as well as closing your eyes and visualizing
them, you can connect with these frequencies.

To use a physical metaphor to describe what takes place when using the 72 Names, think of a
tuning fork, a tool used to establish a precise pitch. When you bring a vibrating tuning fork
close to another tuning fork that is not vibrating, the second fork starts to vibrate by the
phenomena called 'sympathetic transference'.
The 72 Names work as tuning forks to repair you on the soul level. It means, practically
speaking, that you don't have to go through some of the more physically demanding tests in
life, you can tune your body and soul with the spiritual frequencies your eyes do not perceive.