Class One. The world was created on the 25th of Elul which is special in so many ways, but we celebrate Rosh Hashana on 1 Tishrei, because of the revealing of G-dliness in the lower worlds. This is connected primarily to the נשמה, but the נשמה needs the body to bring it to this world….

Class One. Korbanos and Ketores both involve fire (light) and shade (darkness that is above light). But in Korbanos it is about the fire and the (visible heat and) light; and in Ketores it is about the shade and darkness. Korbanos: 1) bring close, 2) are a service of the mind, 3) reach -only- the…

Class One. This class explains two ideas in Teshuva (that are to a great extent opposites): 1) Actualizing the nature of the נשמה. This itself has two aspects: A. Its nature to reunite with its Source (Hashem) after being separated and placed in a physical body. B. Its desire to do what her Maker (Hashem)…

Class One. Simcha is explored in this class: Joy allows for complete Avodas Hashem; It involves great humility. It needs to be constrained so that it not result in something unholy. Class Two. The issue of Murgash (external and demonstrative passion) that was described as undesirable in the last class, is the Avoda of: Chava,…

Class One. This (first of two) class on this Ma’amar explores the idea of Shalom. To have peace from war has two aspects: A. The evil is נתבטל בעצם מהותו altogether nullified. B. The weapon used to defeat the enemy has to be transcendent- above the struggle altogether. He explains three levels in this: A….

Class One. Two levels are extracted from this Possuk. The first is the Possuk by itself, that says that people who learn Torah are Hashem’s children and they have peace. The second is how this Possuk is understood by the חז”ל אל תקרי בניך אלא בוניך that their Torah is מברר the world. The peace…

Class One. This מאמר is מוגה. This מאמר begins typically enough but then turns on its head. (in this class we learned the beginning and the end of the מאמר the middle we’ll do next time). The first explanation is: ציון are Yidden who stand out in Galus and deserve “משפט” redemption; while שבי’ה are…

Two levels of wholeness and perfection and the difference between them: 1) אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם- עולם על מילואו נברא. 2) אלה תודות פרץ- לעתיד לבא יעלה הפורץ לפניהם. These are two levels of perfection, one at the beginning of time where everything is A. potential and not yet actual, B. limited and in…

Class One. Heaven and earth are beyond any form: they refer to Torah and Mitzvos. In the beginning, the heaven and the earth are: 1) potential and not actual, 2) finite and not infinite. Class Two. In the end heaven and earth are 1) actual, 2) infinite. This is the פסוק: כי כאשר השמים החדשים…

The Zohar compares אברהם to the first of the עשרת הדברות which corresponds to all רמ”ח מצות עשה. This theme is consistent with the idea of לאתקנא רזא דשמי’ה to bring more light into the vessels of אצילות and to expand the vessels. This is the meaning of ואגדלה שמיך- of Hashem! It is achieved…