Tag Archives: Gilgul

Heroes of Issachar & Zevulun

Who were some of the greatest leaders and figures from the ancient Israelite tribes of Issachar and Zevulun? What were the ten special things created by God on the eve of the first Sabbath? And what is the mysterious shamir “worm” that was used to cut stones for Jerusalem’s Temple? Plus, who did Issachar reincarnate in? Where did Jonah come from? And who exactly are the Druze?

For Part 1 of this class, see here.
For Rabbi Akiva’s last five teachings to Rashbi, see here.
For more on the origins of Kaddish, see here.

Reincarnation in Judaism, Part 3

In this concluding installment of the series, we explore the intriguing mechanisms of reincarnation and look at specific examples from Cain and Abel, Moses and Jethro, Balaam, Terach, Job, Deborah, Tamar, and others. Also, can a male soul reincarnate in a female body, or vice versa? And how many total souls are meant to exist across all time? Plus: What is a dybbuk and does Judaism have a notion of “exorcism”? Who did Cain and Abel marry? And did God make other humans besides Adam and Eve?

For Part 1 of this series, see here.
For Part 2, see here.

Two Reincarnations You Need to Know About

This week’s parasha, Yitro, begins: “So Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, took Tzipporah, Moses’ wife, after she had been sent away, and her two sons… to the desert where [Moses] was encamped, to the mountain of God.” (Exodus 18:2-5) After the Israelites safely made it to Mt. Sinai following the Exodus, Moses’ family returned to join him. However, we had previously read that when Moses first left Midian for Egypt before the Exodus, he had taken his family with him! (Exodus 4:20) Where did they go? Continue reading →