Last Friday, the fifth of Av, was the yahrzeit of the great Ari HaKadosh or Arizal, “The Holy Lion of Blessed Memory”, Rabbi Itzchak Luria (1534-1572). Few have had as monumental an impact on Judaism as the Arizal. Despite being an educator for only a couple of years, and passing away at the young age of 37 or 38, his teachings shaped the course of Jewish history for the next five centuries, until the present. Who was the Arizal, what did he reveal, and why was he so influential? Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ramchal
Understanding Mashiach ben Yosef
Who is Mashiach ben Yosef? What is the true origin of the Mashiach ben Yosef idea, and where can it be found in the Torah? What are the four prophesied stages in the era of Mashiach ben Yosef at the End of Days? And what does it have to do with recent events in the Holy Land? Find out in this class where we embark on an in-depth exploration of Mashiach ben Yosef from Tanakh through the Talmud, Midrash, Zohar, Arizal, and the mysterious Kol haTor.
This class is based on a set of essays in the recently-published third volume of ‘Garments of Light’, available on Amazon and here.
Things You Didn’t Know About King Solomon
A Modern Replica of the Mishkan in Timna, Israel
This week’s parasha, Terumah, begins the Torah’s lengthy descriptions of the Mishkan, the “mobile sanctuary” or “tabernacle”. Fittingly, the Haftarah is a passage from I Kings describing King Solomon’s construction of the Jerusalem Temple, the permanent version of the Mishkan. Once the Temple was completed, it seems that Solomon actually brought the original Mishkan into the Temple and “parked” it there (I Kings 8:4-6). As per tradition, Solomon foresaw the future destruction of his own Temple, and made sure to build a secret chamber within the Temple Mount to hide the Ark of the Covenant and the original Mishkan vessels there, for safekeeping until the Final Redemption and the Third Temple.
The basic details of his biography are well-known: he reigned as king of a unified Israel for 40 years in a peaceful era (alluded to by his name, Shlomo, meaning “peace”); he had many wives and concubines; and he wrote three books of Tanakh: Mishlei (“Proverbs”), Kohelet (“Ecclesiastes”), and Shir haShirim (“Song of Songs”). What else do we know about this enigmatic king? Some of the lesser-known details will surely surprise you! Continue reading