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Foregiveness: A Yom Kippur Thought

September 21, 2015 By punktorah

In the midst of a deep spiritual crises, the “golden calf” episode, the Creator revealed to Moses the “Thirteen Attributes of Compassion” (Exodus 34:6,7). Since then, invoking these “Thirteen Attributes” at opportune times have brought about the Creator’s unconditional forgiveness.

The “Date Palm of Deborah” is short book written by the renown Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Cordovaro (1522 -1570). The main body of this work is a description of how each of the Creator’s “Thirteen Attributes of Compassion” has a human counterpart which can actually be practiced by people to forgive those who have hurt them. All human acts of forgiveness express one or more of these attributes.

For example, it’s commonplace for people who have been hurt by others to feel insulted. The concept underlying the first attribute of compassion addresses the insult cast at the Creator when people knowingly misuse His resources He kindly created to benefit humanity. These people abuse… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Judaism & Belief, Random (Feelin' Lucky?), Shabbat & Holidays, Yom Kippur Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, Date Palm of Deborah, forgiveness, good deeds, kabbalah, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, Rabbi Moshe Cordovaro, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, symbolism, Thirteen Attributes of Compassion, Torah, torah scholar, yom kippur

The Humble Willow

October 7, 2012 By punktorah

Today is the Jewish Holiday of Hoshana Rabba. Customarily, we beat five willow branches on the ground. Afterwards, we recite a prayer beseeching the Creator to sweeten all harsh judgements. This seems like a bizzare mystical ritual that begs for deeper explanation.

During the past seven days, we took a date palm frond, a citron, three myrtle branches and two willow branches and united them together. Then we waved them in all six primary spatial directions. Each of these four kinds of plant growth represent a different kind of Jew: The Torah scholar, the one who thrives on doing good deeds, those who are a balanced combination of both Torah and good deeds, and those whose deeds and learning are poor.

The Torah scholar is represented by the date palm frond because dates taste yummy like Torah knowledge. The one who thrives on good deeds is represented by the myrtle because it’s leave [Read more…]

Filed Under: Jewish Media Reviews, Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud), Judaism & Belief, Shabbat & Holidays Tagged With: chesed, citron, date palm frond, etrog, four species, good deeds, Hoshana Rabba, kabbalah, lulav, myrtle branches, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, sefirah, sukkot, symbolism, Torah, torah scholar, willow branches

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