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thepomegranatewitch · 1 year

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omer counter 5783

Posting 6 Apr 2023 / 15 Nisan 5783: tonight starts the omer! You can check out HebCal's handy checker for what day of the omer it is at this link.

Image description: a digital collage with full colour botanical illustrations. A flowering branch of pomegranate has a sheaf of wheat in the middle. A spiral of moon phases in black starting from center top and ending with a gibbous moon at the straw for the sheaf of wheat.

For some people, this is something they were never taught about and you'll be surprised to hear about it. For others, it's a quotidian count without much more. For others (like me), it's a chance to do a little study each evening and take stock of your actions between Pesach and Shavuot. (Same goes for Shavuot - maybe it's a day you look forward to for study or for cheesecake, maybe it's something you never heard about. I like it because it brings together multiple of my loves: cream-based desserts, reading, flowers, and staying up all night.)

Image descriptions. Two photographs. Left is a single particularly tall stalk of blooming wild radish in a field of blooming white radish. The horizon shows some trees and the top third of the photo is a clear blue sky. Right is a bee about to collect nectar from a branch of flowering white ornamental pear. Her legs are visibly packed with golden pollen. The background is bokeh branches with few leaves on a sunny day.

The kabbalists introduced the practice of considering seven of the sefirot on the tree of life over the seven week period between Pesach and Shavuot as we metaphorically journey from the Narrow Place to Revelation. Each week has a sefira and each day has a sefira, so you end up considering each of them within each other: what does lovingkindness within discipline look like? What is sovereignty and humility within splendor? What is splendor within sovereignty?

Image description. Two images almost the same. Both depict a white kabbalistic tree of life collaged on a photo of the sea and mountains on the horizon at sunset with a subtle trans pride palette. The left has only Hebrew and the right has English transliteration under the Hebrew.

I have counted for a couple years now in chevruta and learn something new about myself, my friends, and our texts each year. If you've never tried counting before but are game to take a look, if you've tried before but this year you're going to complete it, or you've done this before and are looking to consider your practice from another angle, I have a tool for you!

I wrote an omer counter off my notes. We will never achieve full understanding, and each year will change and our understanding with us.

Image description: the cover of the omer counter with previously described pomegranate spiral moon and wheat image at center. Top reads counting the omer in English and Hebrew with the year 5783. Bottom right has artist signature in Korean and English transliteration of Hebrew.

There's a big at-a-glance spread of the count:

Image description: a double spread, split into two images, in black and white of a calendar with Gregorian and Hebrew dates, day of the count, sefirot, moon phases, and Jewish holidays.

There are quick breakdowns that invite you to consider your own systems and give background for

why and how to count

the tree of life

sefirot etymology and translations

what Shavuot is

Each week has a double spread with plenty of space for your own notes, the sefira of the week, translations of the sefira, the blessing for counting the omer in Hebrew and English, and the day of the count in Hebrew and English. These are my own using my consistent queer and poetic grounding to get the cultural and not just literal meaning across, using multiple names and genders for the Divine.

Image description: a double spread showing the week focusing on the sefira tiferet, in all black and white, as described in the above paragraph.

If this piques your interest, or you'd just like to support a mixed race queer Jew, please consider visiting my ko-fi, where you can get a PDF for as low as $5, or my redbubble, where you can purchase stickers, notebooks, and cards with the images.

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gay-jewish-bucky · 18 days

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image id for this post

CptAllenHistory

No, Jews were not all exiled from Israel for 2,000 years only to return & establish a modern state. Based solely on archeological evidence, it is established fact that Jews have had a continuous presence in the Land for at least 3,200 years. Here is just some of that proof.

Archeological Proof of at Least 3,200+ Years of Continuous Jewish History in Israel

1208 BCE: Merneptah Stele: earliest archeological evidence of Jews in Israel

1050-970 BCE: Khirbet Qeiyafa Ostracon: written in Hebrew and discovered just west of Jerusalem

926 BCE: Karnak Temple: Pharaoh Shoshenq I listed conquests in Israel and Judah

801-900 BCE: Tel Dan Stele: earliest reference to David, King of Israel

733 BCE: Nimrud Tablet K.3751: references the land of Judah

597 BCE: Ostracon #18: earliest reference to the First Temple, found just south of Jerusalem

539-538 BCE: Cyrus Cylinder: marking return of Jews to Land of Israel after less than 50 years in Babylonian exile

350 BCE: Yehud Coins: currency from Persian-era Judah

187-175 BCE: Heliodorus Stele: documents appointment of administrator over the Temple in Jerusalem

4 CE: Trumpeting Place Inscription: discovered at the southern wall of the Temple Mount where "trumpeting" would declare the Sabbath

71: Judea Capta Coin: Roman coin minted to commemorate victory over Judea

81: Arch of Titus: Roman monument to sack of Jerusalem & pillage of the Jewish Temple

132-136: Freedom in Israel Coin: minted during Bar Kokhba Revolt's brief return of Jewish sovereignty in Judea

200-400: Beit She'arim Necropolis: Jewish burial site in the town of Kiryat Tiv'on

301-500: Huqoq Synagogue: mosaic floor of a Jewish synagogue

401-500: Beit Alfa Synagogue: three-paneled mosaic floor of Jewish synagogue

401-700: Menorah Medallion: golden torah breast plate discovered near the Temple Mount from a brief period of Jewish autonomous rule

401-900: Susiya Synagogue: Mosaic from synagogue in Southern Judean Hills

801-1000: Nuba Mosque: inscription calls Dome of the Rock Bayt al Maqdis - derived from Hebrew Beit Hamikdash meaning "The Holy Temple"

1166: Maimonides' Reflections: writing about praying at the Temple Mount

1267: Ramban Synagogue: oldest intact Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem

1490s: Abuhav Synagogue: built after Jewish expulsion from Spain

1570s: Ashkenazi Ari Aynagoguei: built in Tzfat in honor of Rabbi Isaac Luria

Early 1600s: Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue: Jerusalem synagogue

1764: Istanbuli Synagogue: Jerusalem synagogue

1873: Peki'in Synagogue: synagogue in Northern Israel

1872-1948: Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue: Jerusalem synagogue blown up by the Jordanian Legion during Israel's War of Independence in 1948

#personcole

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magnetothemagnificent · 1 year

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Please share your favourite shmura matzah. 😄

Tiferet HaMatzot matzah. They're thicker than most other Shumurah Matzah and they have such a complex taste. Unfortunately, because of the war in Ukraine, my family hasn't been able to get any this year and we didn't get last year either.

#jumblr #pesach #matzah #jewish food

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artefactvm · 2 years

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〔 hari nef, twenty-nine, trans woman, she/her/hers ) yelena wójcik was seen listening to tammy faye by nicole dollanganger. luna is a musician & pet shelter attendant and known to be compassionate & indecisive. ( eli, twenty-two, mst, he/him/his )

tw: abuse, death

statistics

full name: yelena tiferet wójcik

nickname: luna

age: twenty-nine

zodiac: sagittarius sun, aries moon, scorpio rising

gender: trans woman

pronouns: she/her/hers

orientation: panromantic, ace spectrum (closeted lesbian)

religion: reform jewish

past

came from an abusive household, and eventually only knew her dad. luckily, he was their saving grace, raising her and her younger brother when their mother dipped out alone.

went to college in new york trying to be in the “big city” after growing up in the middle of nowhere in iowa. needless to say she failed that one!

she got into music production & recording fairly early in her time there, ending up with an alias.

and eventually a fiancé! and a kid. but they both have since passed four years ago.

she wanted a brand new start, and drove from louisiana to canada. (idk how her car did it tbh.)

present

she switched from being a farmhand to being a pet shelter attendant. every day, the tasks are different and she’s loving it!

fake dating zehra cavus still. don’t ask. (people think they’re actually dating.)

trying to get her act together to go to canada university bc she’s realizing she might just need an actual degree to do something she loves. it’s taking a lot longer than she wants it to, but oh well. she’s got a lot of time to bide while she waits for test results & paperwork.

and no, she hasn’t released any music yet. maybe hinted it? but she’s very secretive.

#luna: about #sero.intro #abuse tw #death tw #I AM MOBILE AHHHHH

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theestervashti · 21 days

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"The Watermelons." From Esther 8: 1-2.

The King of Persia coronates Marduk, the god of bitterness towards oppression and publicly executes his opponent Haman, a populist who wanted to genocide the Jewish people because they were non- conformist. The King's remarks about his decision follow. These are contained in what is called a Megillah or a charter, an agreement to establish and grant certain rights that did not hold sway in courts of law prior to it. So in the so called Old Testament we see a Charter that protects the Jewish people from harm, one that has been overlooked for thousands of years:

The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews

8 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her.

2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.

So the story has a happy ending. Esther saves the Jewish people, Marduk is made the heir to the Court of Persia, and then came thousands of years of holocaust. If only the world held the Bible as dear to its heart as it claimed, we could all be friends.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 1: They came into the presence of the king. This almost certainly means one must understanding and achieve what is called Hod, "recieved the message."

One half of the Kabbalah balances the other. We know from the passages above one half is dominated by the Crown, the Keter, and its Queen is Tiferet, "beauty" which depends on Marduk, or Gevurah "resistance, strength." These are how the concepts are related and their orientation in the Estate called the Kabbalah.

But try as we might to dissect and then reintegrate the Kabbalah, it is but Hod, "the imprint of the Torah Scroll, whose implementation is Megillah."

The Number is 9946, ט‎טד‎ו, TTDU, "you are His Hand." ‎

v. 2: The King took off his signet ring. Recall this he was supposed to do at the beginning of the story. But the heir was not in the room.

The Number is 5192, בהאט‎ ‎ ‎, bhatt, "confidence and trust in the refuge."

Also...

Watermelons.

The reason the signet could not be given to the adorable lovelies from the provinces of Persia was because they were cute and they were incompetent. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted and when the time came to challenge the influences of a populist, a foreign god saved the day. The princes were full of fruitwater and seeds, but they had no substance. Watermelons need not apply for the Royal Line of Succession of the Kingdom of Israel.

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theblogofruth · 2 months

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"The Fib." From the Book of Ruth 1: 11-18.

A dead husband, #360, "dead calm" in Judaism is verily, a thing of the past. All one has to do is pack up and move home to momma and things will be all right soon enough. The characters in our story, Ruth and Naomi disagree. Naomi "delightfulness" says she is too old and bitter for a new man, but Ruth "friendliness" says God's helping hand will provide her with a new life if she has faith.

Parsha Tazria "the bitter whores" is dedicated to this very topic. Recall bitterness which refers to the scent of myrrh is not a bad thing. It is a sign experience has made one more masculine, scented not with body odor or nasty smell, but the ardor of achievement. Age is also not discouraged in the Torah. Every last one of the sages and prophets aged out around one hundred, meaning they achieved Shabbat at the proper age.

Observe: Shmot says Moses stood before Pharaoh at the age of 80 and died at the age of 120:

Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh, Exodus 7:7.

The Value in Gematria is 5418, הדאח‎, the dah, "the age of reason" which scholars say can begin as early as age 7.

and

Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone, Deut 34:7.

The Value in Gematria is 8843, חחדג, "he was picky, he used a spade."

= He was capable of discernment, managing complex thoughts and their interactions.

Everything in Tazria takes place as a consequence of inexperience between age 80 and 120. They are essentially the opposite reactions to life as in the Sefirot.

A brash young man or woman emotes in response to life with bitterness of the wrong kind, causes by defiling diseases, but a confident one that is silent until his Jewish background is thoroughly researched and sanctioned by his master is bittersweet in ways that are positive:

The names of the ten Sefirot are:

Chochmah - wisdom,

Binah - understanding,

Daat - knowledge,

Chessed - kindness,

Gevurah - strength,

Tiferet - beauty,

Netzach - victory,

Hod - splendor,

Yesod - foundation,

and Malchut - kingship.

The next few passages in Ruth deal with the transition between the two kinds of bitternesses. The structure consists of eight stanzas, considered by the Gematria "an Endearment":

11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?

12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons—

13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”

14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 11: Return home. The Number is 10719, יזא‎‎ט‎, yazat, "do this now."

v. 12: I am too old. The Number is 9276, טב‎ז‎ו‎‎, "tableau" = figures in history. We grow old but not irrelevant. The opposite is true especially if we always follow the Torah which explains aging to us.

v. 13: Even still, why wait till you grow up? The Number is 12002, יפפספסב, ipfsfb, "equate a fib to zero."

"The famous tale of Archimedes in the tub commemorates how difficult it is to discern between true gold and false gold, which in turn discusses how difficult it is to discern between true knowledge and a slick fib. A gold crown may conveniently be submerged in water, but a substance to test a "crown of knowledge" is hard to come by.

The rightful veneration of knowledge necessitated tools to mine it, to purify it, to store it and to retrieve it. It was the birth of information technology. The invention of script allowed the perpetual storage of knowledge in a medium other than a perishable human brain, which made David triumphantly cry out that the "Holy One" [i.e. the Word] would not "see decay" (Psalm 16:10, ACTS 2:7).

But even prior to this amazing invention of data retention, a convention had to be wrought that governed the way observations were harvested for data, and data was transformed into knowledge."

v. 14: At this they wept aloud. This is because Orpah "the hinterland, submission due to fear or stubborness" and Ruth "the vision" are at odds with each other:

"The verb ערף ('arap) means to drip or drop. Noun עריף ('arip) means cloud and ערפל ('arapel) describes a heavy cloud mass.

The noun ערף ('orep) means neck. It possibly derives from a whole other, unrelated verb of unknown meaning, but it may also be that underneath all these words hides a core meaning of to droop. This latter noun is used nearly solely in expressions that are based on the hanging of one's head (in submission, fear or stubbornness). The denominative verb ערף ('arap) literally means to neck but in practice it describes the breaking of one's neck."

vs.

"Most broadly, the root רעע (ra'a') describes compartmentalization: to break some continuum apart into separated elements. Human minds are designed to be nodes of a much greater network of exchange, and must continuously interact to maintain a liquidity of wisdom — hence the noun רע (rea'), meaning friend or companion (and hence too the story of the Tower of Babel).

All wealth requires liquidity and that requires units of economy to go around. This explains why "evil" — רע, ra', evil — is not the opposite of "good" but instrumental to it: hence the perfect Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the heart of perfect Paradise. Despite popular misconceptions, in the Bible, all רע (rea') comes from God (Isaiah 45:7) and has a specific and wonderful function in any naturally evolving system.

Verb רעה (ra'a I) means to pasture or feed and the participle רעה (ra'a) means shepherd. Nouns רעי (re'i) and מרעה (mir'eh) mean pasture. Noun מרעית (mar'it) means pasturage.'

A dead husband while "hinterland" is as we said a moment when life, while appearing to strand us has actually liberated us.

The Number is 5836, ה‎חגו‎‎‎, "cry, then celebrate."

To cry, according to the Rab is to know all of life. Once one knows all of life, one knows how to do it right, which is why being separated or single again can be part of God's plan and should be viewed with optimism.

"From earliest infancy, we cry and smile as a form of communication. But with whom are we communicating when we weep solitary tears? With whom are we sharing our joy when we smile to ourselves, alone and unseen? The Arizal writes that the numerical value of 'Dimah–Tears' is 120, which in Torah signifies full life."

v. 15: Look! Go back to your gods!

The Number is 4581, דהחא‎, doha, "repulsive, repellant, objectionable, unsavoury". Deities and demigods are boys with penises. Not to be confused with the gods of Israel who are angels who have been charged with Sumer, "guarding Israel."

While the Torah is obnoxious about the worship of gods, it does allow a men and women, boys and girls to idolize each other and to become infatuated. If he's not a god why would you want to be with him? God wants us to fall in love with gods provided the admiration is justified. They key is to know the difference between gods that are protective, called a Sumerian, and which are destructive. The type of god depends on the level of reality, either the sacred or the profane with which one is contending.

Asher is not Ashur, for instance.

vs.

= The Torah states unless the "object" is consecrated, it is off limits. No good will come of it. Consecration is defined in Naso, which explains all the ways a boy god called a Nazir by the Torah becomes a man. It is not that complicated:

"...they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean... because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord."

v. 16: Where you go, I will go. One must not try to relate to God on one's own. Without a shared romantic reality, one lives within an isolated delusion. So as the Torah and Ruth both state, the God one finds through compatible companionship with one's honey squeeze is the right one:

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

The Number is 14853, ידחג‎ ‎ "will postpone." We know we are with the right person when we want to postpone the rest of life to spend time in their presence. To find and abide in life with such a person is the goal of all Jewish lifetimes. It is essential not to misunderstand this. To live otherwise is heresy and evil in the eye of the Lord.

v. 17: Where you die, I will die. The Number is 10326, יג‎‎בו‎, "will collect all the backup."

When Jewish people die and undergo salvation, they undergo a process called Emulation, "to surpass by following the rest."

The process involves fading, also called manasseh, the evaporation of all that does not resonate with the Shoftim, the Jewish Self. Ruth is a bridge bewteen understanding this process and actual activation of it. This does not mean we "give it all to God" that makes no sense. The Torah says God will take it all away from us once we reach a level of the fullest involvement with the Torah and Tanakh.

As stated above this cannot be done outside of happy matrimony.

v. 18: Ruth stopped urging. Urges are latent self-expressions. Some society will agree with, some it will punish. Those which are good but possibly punishable are the ones we want to show on the surface of the Self. A good friend with benefits 😒 will seem determined to contribute to their success.

The Number is 5802, החאֶפֶסב, "the prisoner hafesb." "Keep this person prisoner in your house, in your life."

The friendly entity known as Ruth called the "assistant vision" is not God or the Torah or the religion, he or she must be a real person and not too much of a god. Religion can be confusing in this regard, but thankfully that is now cleared up.

The New Jewish Romance Channel will continue....

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thegenealogy · 1 year

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The Kabbalah of Spices.

The Kabbalah explains the meaning behind the measuring of the Temple spices.

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria; translated and edited by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky

Among the topics discussed in this week's Torah portion is the preparation of the special oil used in the Tabernacle and Temple for anointing the Temple vessels and the priests. The ingredients of this compound were "choice spices: 500 weights of pure myrrh, fragrant cinnamon - half of which is 250 weights, 250 parts of aromatic cane, 250 weights...of cassia and a hin of olive oil". (Ex. 30:23,24) The amounts of myrrh and cinnamon used in the compound were the same, 500 weights, but the cinnamon had to be measured out a half at a time.

The mystical significance of the anointing oil is as follows: As you know, 500 weights of pure myrrh were used, and it was measured out all at once. Five hundred weights of fragrant cinnamon were also used, but it was weighed out a half at a time, as it says: "fragrant cinnamon - half of which is 250 weights". Only 250 weights of cassia were used, however.

The reason for this is that all these spices are manifestations of the divine name Elokim , and as you know, there are three [usages of] Elokim: sometimes it signifies the sefira of bina , other times the sefira of gevura , and other times the sefira of malchut.

There are many names used for G‑d throughout the Bible. This is because each name refers to G‑d as He manifests Himself through a specific attribute. These attributes are called sefirot in Kabbala; every sefira is associated with a specific name of G‑d. That said, we see from this passage that there is some fluidity in this, and in different circumstances the same name can refer to different attributes or sefirot.

In general, the name Elokim is juxtaposed with the name Havayah and is considered a sheath or vessel through which Havayah is expressed. Thus it is written: "For as the sun and its shield are Havayah [and] Elokim". (Psalms 84:12) In each of the three cases listed here, the sefira with which the name Elokim is identified acts as a secondary, receiving complement to another sefira. Bina is the second sefira of the intellect, which develops and focuses the intense but ephemeral flash of insight which is chochma , the first sefira of the intellect. Although it is an independent faculty of the soul, it acts upon the material provided to it by chochma.

Similarly, gevura is the second sefira of the emotions, which limits the intensity of the first sefira of the emotions, chesed. Here again, gevura is an independent faculty, but its function is to react to the actions of chesed. Finally, malchut is the vehicle through which the emotions together express themselves. Thus, though it, too, is an independent faculty of the soul, it serves to express the content it is provided with from the emotions. We see, then, that in each case, these sefirot act as vessels or filters for other, more "active" sefirot, and this commonality is the basis for their all being associated with the name Elokim.

The term used in Scripture for "pure myrrh" is "mor deror", which literally means "free myrrh." This spice is associated with the name Elokim of bina and is therefore called "free" myrrh. This is the mystical meaning of the verse, "and you shall proclaim freedom [throughout the land and to all its inhabitants]", which refers to bina.The number 50 is associated with the concept of freedom..."

One of the Torah's commandments is that the high court (the Sanhedrin) proclaim every fiftieth year a "jubilee" year. This year had several legal significances, one of which was that in it all Jews who had become indentured servants were to be set free. Thus, the number 50 is associated with the concept of freedom.

Kabbala identifies in the soul six principle emotions: chesed ("loving-kindness"), gevura ("strength"), tiferet ("beauty"), netzach ("victory"), hod ("glory"), and yesod ("foundation" or "connection"). All the other emotions we are familiar with are derivatives, combinations, or inner dimensions of these. These six sefirot together with malchut, the means of their expression, form a unit of seven. As we have explained previously, every sefira subdivides into sub-sefirot, so the full experience of the emotions together with their expression is 7 x 7, or 49. This number thus represents the consummate consciousness of emotion, a state of awareness in which one interprets everything and reacts to everything base on his emotional makeup.In order for a person to rise above...the confines of his own subjectivity, he must use his intellect...

Now, important as the emotions are in the full psychological functioning man, they cannot be relied upon themselves to provide him with the proper consciousness he needs to interpret and respond properly to the world. This is because the emotions are entirely subjective. In order for a person to rise above - be free of - the confines of his own subjectivity, he must use his intellect.

Thus, we are taught in the Talmud that there are fifty "gates" of bina, i.e., fifty levels of understanding divinity. Bina is the principle sefira of the intellect, in which the insight of chochma is developed into a full mental construction and world-view.

When the mature understanding of bina permeates all ten sefirot, we have 50 x 10 = 500; this is why there are five hundred weights of myrrh in the anointing oil.

Fragrant cinnamon is weighed out a half at a time because even though it is associated with [only one sefira], gevura, there is also an aspect of the name Elokim associated with the sefira of hod. [This name Elokim], however, [is not counted] because it is considered part of Zeir Anpin.

Thus, we count only 3 names Elokim: that of bina, that of gevura, and that of malchut. It is true that there are two names Elokim in Zeir Anpin itself, but they are both together considered one.

The fact that the cinnamon is measured out in two parts indicates that the name Elokim which it represents has two aspects. The interrelations between the sefirot are usually graphically represented by arranging them along three axes. This depiction of the sefirot is known as the "tree" of the sefirot.

Here we see clearly the relationships between the three sefirot identified with the name Elokim mentioned above and their "partners": bina is opposite chochma, gevura is opposite chesed, and malchut is directly below yesod, the sum of all the emotions. However, there is one pair that we would expect to have a similar relationship but that was left out: netzach and hod. The reason for this is that as we explained previously, the emotions act as an aggregate, forming the partzuf known as Zeir Anpin ("the smaller face"). Thus, once we have considered the pair of chesed and gevura, we have already reckoned with the emotions. We are in fact taught that the second triad of emotions (netzach, hod, and yesod) derive directly from the first, principle triad (chesed, gevura, and tiferet).

Still, in order to allude to the fact that there is another sefira - hod - that exhibits an Elokim-type relationship with its pair, the cinnamon is measured out on half at a time, as if to say that the name Elokim that is associated with gevura is only half the picture, and together with it there is the secondary name Elokim associated with the sefira of hod.

The third name Elokim, which is manifest [in the anointing oil] as cassia, is identified with the sefira of malchut.

The number 500 is arrived at by considering the following two aspects of the name Elokim: When this name is spelled out in full its value is 300. When it is spelled out in increasing value, its value is 200. Together we have 500.

"Spelling out in full" refers to the process called milui, in which each letter is treated as a word in itself, and the numerical values of these words are then added to together. Thus, the name Elokim (alef-lamed- hei - yud -mem) becomes alef-lamed-mem lamed-mem-dalet hei-yud yud- vav -dalet mem-mem and adds up to 300. The "increasing value" of a word refers to the sum of the first letter of the word plus the first two letters plus the first three letters, and so on. Thus, the "increasing value" of the name Elokim is alef plus alef-lamed plus alef-lamed-hei plus alef-lamed-hei-yud plus alef-lamed-hei-yud-mem, which sums to 200.

Since the name Elokim in general signifies bina, the myrrh [which represents bina] is taken in a quantity of 500, and weighed out all at once. Since cinnamon represents Zeir Anpin, it is weighed out in two parts [for there are two names Elokim in Zeir Anpin] even though we count them as only one: 250 corresponding to gevura and 250 corresponding to hod. Malchut, which embodies only one name Havayah, is only weighed out once, and in a quantity of 250.

This is why all these spices are called in Scripture "choice" spices. The word for "choice" [in Hebrew, "rosh"] is composed of three letters: reish, alef, shin. The numerical value of reish is 200, representing the increasing value of Elokim, as we said. The numerical value of the shin is 300, representing the full value (milui) of Elokim. The alef refers to the name Elokim itself.One must see himself as a mere receptacle or channel for the divine blessing...

We see from the above discussion that all the spices that compose the anointing oil are in some way a manifestation of the name Elokim. As we said, the basic characteristic of this name is that it serves as a receptacle, or "filter", for other divine forces. Since the purpose of the anointing oil is to render a physical object or person fit for service in the holy Temple, we may surmise that the point here is that it should be clear to everyone that in order to serve in such a capacity, one must see himself as a mere receptacle or channel for the divine blessing elicited by the Temple service. We are taught that the Temple and the service that was (and will be) performed in it embody the mechanism whereby every individual Jew makes himself and his life into a miniature Temple, or dwelling place for G‑d. Thus, we see here in order for this to work, one must maintain consciousness of himself and all the accoutrements of his life as being simple vessels to elicit and contain the divine blessing.

As even a cursory perusal of this part of the Bible will show, constructing the Temple (or its portable version, the Tabernacle) and its vessels took considerable expense and effort. Nonetheless, the simple existence of the Temple, its vessels, and its work force (the priests) was not enough; these all had to be anointed. Similarly, when a person is properly inspired to serve G‑d in his life, he will take great pains to try to arrange things such that everything is in place for this purpose. He will stock the shelves of his kitchen with kosher food and those of his living room with Torah books; he will make sure he has a job that enables him to keep the Shabbat and holidays while still providing all the needs for his family, and so on, and so forth. Yet if he forgets to "anoint" it all, an essential element will be lacking. By taking pains to demonstrate that each ingredient of the anointing oil is a manifestation of the name Elokim, the Arizal is showing us that this essential element is the awareness that all our efforts are at best and at most in order to make ourselves and our lives receptacles and channels for G‑d's blessing.

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ancestorsalive · 2 years

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My DNA results came in.

Just as I suspected, my great great grandfather

was a monarch butterfly.

Much of who I am is still wriggling under a stone.

I am part larva, but part hummingbird too.

There is dinosaur tar in my bone marrow.

My golden hair sprang out of a meadow in Palestine.

Genghis Khan is my fourth cousin,

but I didn't get his dimples.

My loins are loaded with banyan seeds from Sri Lanka,

but I descended from Ravanna, not Ram.

My uncle is a mastodon.

There are traces of white people in my saliva.

3.7 billion years ago I swirled in hydrogen dust,

dreaming of a planet overgrown with lingams and yonis.

More recently, say 60,000 B.C.

I walked on hairy paws across a land bridge

joining Sweden to Botswana.

I am the bastard of the sun and moon.

I can no longer hide my heritage of

raindrops and cougar scat.

My mud was molded with your grandmother's tears.

I was the brother

who marched you to the sea and sold you.

I was the merchant from Savannah

and the cargo of blackness.

I was the chain.

Admit it, you have wings, vast and crystal,

like mine, like mine.

You have sweat, dark and salty,

like mine, like mine.

You have secrets silently singing in your blood,

like mine, like mine.

Don't pretend that earth is not one family.

Don't pretend we never hung from the same branch.

Don't pretend we do not ripen on each other's breath.

Don't pretend we didn't come here to forgive.

~ Ancestry by Fred LaMotte for Earth Day

___________

This poem has been published in The Tiferet Journal, the anthology "Inspiring Forgiveness," and Fred’s own book "Fire of Darkness."

Image by Karla Refoxo, from the Ancestral Medicine Oracle deck--a work in progress

#ancestors alive!#what is remembered lives #memory & spirit of place #ancient ways #sacred ways #love #life #live #ancestral medicine #Ancestry #Fred LaMitte #Earth Day #forgive #forgiveness #Karla Refoxo #art and soul #heart and soul #poem #Ancestral Medicine Oracle Deck

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asscrasher · 3 years

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More pathworking lol. Path 24 (death) is the point in the game where you pull the master sword and are sent 7 years into the future to become an adult. The world falls apart without its hero, but then he returns fully matured (tiferet, sphere 6 aka the forest temple)

#the legend of zelda #Nintendo #Kabbalah #witchblr #Babylon

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eretzyisrael · 1 year

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Good News From Israel

In the 20th Sep 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

Israeli AI system identifies thousands of new effective combination cancer therapies.

Two examples of Israel’s inclusive army.

Israelis are helping survivors of the earthquake in Morocco.

More Israeli breakthroughs to prevent global hunger.

Israel is “on the global map” for trade links, electricity, and (we hope) peace.

Israeli innovations will protect the vulnerable in Oklahoma and Japan.

The “People of the Book” has a new National library.

Muslims and Jews pray together at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Read More: Good News From Israel

The Jewish New Year is a very appropriate time to celebrate more new exciting Israeli life-changing innovations and activities. These include new ways to combine cancer treatments to increase effectiveness with less side-effects. And a new Israeli treatment for MS is now available on-line. The US FDA have approved new Israeli software to guide cancer surgery and a new Israeli ultrasound-guided device to take biopsies. Meanwhile, Europe is funding trials of a new Israeli formula for feeding premature newborns. There's a new sign-language tour of Jerusalem's Tower of David; a new home for lone soldiers; the first visit to Israel by the UK's latest Foreign Minister; and the first official Israeli delegation to a conference in Saudi Arabia. Israelis have found new ways to communicate with plants; new ways to extract milk proteins from mushrooms and to generate new proteins using biotechnology; new ways to motivate children at school; and new protective fireproof uniforms. Recent diplomatic announcements opens up the prospect of a new age where Israel provides natural gas and electricity to Europe and becomes the center of a new trade route linking Europe, the Middle East and India. Meanwhile, numerous new business ventures have just been launched by Israeli startups. Jerusalem, the eternal city, continues to be renewed as the rebuilt Tiferet synagogue nears completion. Finally, visitors to the Kotel (Western Wall) had a new experience - the sight of Jews and Muslims praying together. It brings new hope for the New Year. The photo (TY Sharon) is of the inside of Jerusalem's new National Library of Israel, which will be opening in October. Wishing those that celebrate it a peaceful and meaningful Yom Kippur and a very happy Sukkot / Tabernacles

#cancer #Chabad #climate #Cyprus #drones #earthquake #Fauda #food #good news #IDF #Israel #Jerusalem #Jewish #Kazakhstan #library #Morocco #Multiple Sclerosis #Saudi Arabia #solar #vegan

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fortunateones · 3 years

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heard [ yelena “luna” tiferet czerniawskia ] was in town, and she looks awfully like [ hari nef ]. word is that the [ twenty-eight ] year old [ trans woman & werewolf ] works as a [ waitress at the barnyard & is an indie singer-songwriter ]. have you heard she can be [ indecisive ] and [ complacent ]? though, depending on your sources, maybe she can be [ empathetic ] and [ cheerful ]. when you look at her, your mind gets flooded with [ the same three chords being strummed, the worn jacket you’ve kept since middle school wrapped tightly around your frame, chipped colorful nails that you keep chewing on, being the last person in the diner minutes before it closes, and the feeling of the wind in your hair while on a bike - feeling like you’re finally alive ]. we’ll keep an eye on her, don’t worry.

ABOUT || SPOTIFY || PINTEREST

tw: injury, illness, teenage pregnancy

basic stats

full name: yelena tiferet czerniawskia

nicknames: lena, luna

age: twenty-eight

gender: trans woman

pronouns: she/her/hers

orientation: panromantic & ace spectrum - is actually a closeted sapphic

religion: reform judaism

place of birth: decorah, iowa

past

Her family was born farmers, and she reckons that they’ll die farmers. When she was young, she loved it - working on the farm that one side of her family held while keeping an eye on the cattle that the other side of her family kept.

She was born to two teenagers who barely knew what they were doing, let alone with a child. Her father was in the military in an attempt to provide for their growing family, but she was never quite sure what her mother did. She has a feeling she knew exactly what she did, deep down.

Her mother ran away with her when she was very young. She didn’t get very far - she got to the other side of the county but it was enough. She was still able to see her family, but they didn’t live in the same house anymore. It just wasn’t the same.

Eventually, her mother let their father back into their lives, but their lives were anything but picture perfect. While her sibling was the ideal child in school, Luna excelled in far different areas - ones that her mother feared wouldn’t get her far in life.

Even after graduating with a degree in music composition and participating in many performances in college as well as being a part of a small label under an alias, is it enough? Did she really manifest her mother’s fears?

Eventually, she found herself in Starkville as a way to gain inspiration. She’s been here for too long to call it that.

present

She has been creating and scrapping a lot of her works. She’s been focusing on more collab pieces where she focuses on the music. At the moment, she prefers not to be the vocals. She hasn’t released music under her own name in three years.

She’s a very recently turned werewolf. A few months ago, she was attacked while on her way home from a late night shift. She has no idea what happened, and she has no idea that she turns during the full moon. She still thinks she had a really bad flu (and still might be suffering from it). She has no idea the supernatural exist in this way! She’s superstitious, but not in this way.

future

Will she join a pack? Will she create a pack? Will she remain vulnerable and not understand anything?

Eventually, she will release her own music again, but she needs a push.

(Tip for anyone out there: she is a hopeless romantic AND she’s a hopeless platonic - she loves anyone and everyone even if she shouldn’t - so have fun!)

gif credit to @folaevanakingbola !

#starksville. intro #luna: about #injury tw #illness tw #pregnancy tw

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mysticmachmir · 4 years

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Archangels in Judaism

Photo Source

Disclaimer: I am working under my personal theology that G!d created angels to act as messengers and ministers in this world - they are devoid of free will unlike humans, they are not gendered, and they are everywhere. There are aggadot that angels beckon grass to grow, or in some modern terms, gravity is an angel - doing G!d's will. Judaism is an over 3,000 years old tradition and there are as many texts to back up my thoughts as there are to refute them. Hence why I am clarifying my perspective.

What are archangels?

The word archangel is Greek, meaning “chief messenger/principal messenger.” Archangels are a class of princely Angels with authority over heavenly realms, earthly nations, or other angels. The term “archangel” does not actually exist in Jewish literature until almost modern times. Instead, it is a default translation for several Hebrew angelic terms such as Irinim (Watcher), Sar (Prince/Archon), or Sharet (Ministering angel). (Dennis 75)

There are many different types of angels, each one tasked with a specific mission and function. Some angels are created for one specific task, and upon completion of the task, they cease to exist. Other angels, after completing their task, may be given another one to do. This is the case with the angels we refer to as ministers or archangels. (Chabad) One key thing to note is their lack of free will - they cannot go against Hashem's will.

Who are the archangels?

Within Jewish literature, there is technically 6 or 7 (or even 10) talked about in total, but the ones that are written the most on are Michael, Rafael, Gavriel, and Uriel. These four are the ones I will be talking about. I will go over correspondences to them (elements, sefirot, domains, etc) for each one, and then I will suggest one traditional way they can be called on for protection.

Michael

Sefirah - Chesed (Lovingkindness/Mercy) Element - Spirit Water Direction - South Wind - Wind of Seeing G!d Throne - Right of G!d Metal - Silver Animal - Human Quality - Cleansing Attribute - Reflection/Compassion Tribe - Reuben Soul Level - Ruach (Emotional Being) Realm - Yetzirah/World of Feeling Biblical Figures - Sarah, Avraham

Gavriel

Sefirah - Gevurah (Boundaries/Severity) Element - Spirit Fire Direction - East Wind - Wind of Balance and Counsel Throne - Left of G!d Metal - Gold Animal - Lion Quality - Shining Attribute - Balance/Strength and Courage Tribe - Judah Soul Level - Chayah (Divine Spark) Realm - Atzilut/World of Transcendence Biblical Figures - Rivkah, Yitzchak

Uriel

Sefirah - Tiferet (Balance/Beauty) Element - Spirit Air Direction - North Wind - Wind of G!d Throne - Front of G!d Metal - Bronze Animal - Eagle Quality - Shining Attribute - Illumination Tribe - Dan Soul Level - Neshama (Mind-Soul) Realm - Briah/World of Thinking Biblical Figures - Leah and Yaakov

Rafael

Sefirah - Yesod (Truth/Foundation) Element - Spirit Earth Metal - Iron Direction - West Wind - Wind of Wisdom and Understanding Throne - Back of G!d Animal - Bull Quality - Merging Attribute - Healing and Tending Tribe - Ephraim Soul Level - Nefesh (Life-Force) Realm - Assiyah/World of Action Biblical Figures - Rakhel and David

Protection from Angels

One of the main ways the angels are invoked is the prayer said in the krias Shema, where we call on the four archangels to protect us within the night.

Photo Source There is also a history in 1st-4th CE that Jews in Rome and Greece would engage in adjuration, calling on angels for selfish means. This is considered to be working against G!d's will, as angels have very specific tasks and they are not supposed to deviate from that plan. Hekhalot literature has a lot of this magic, I personally see this type of magic as against my theology but that's between you and G!d.

If you are enjoying my writing, feel free to donate here: https://ko-fi.com/ezrasaville

Sources: Chabad Jewish Encyclopedia Magic of the Ordinary by R. Gershon Winkler A Gathering of Angels by Morris B. Margolies The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism by Geoffrey W. Dennis JHOM - Angels - Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael Cosmic Reference Library by Kohenet Ketzirah (@devotaj) https://www.telshemesh.org/

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