Tag Archives: Shevirat HaKelim

Origins & Secrets of Birkat Levanah

This weekend we welcome the month of Cheshvan and celebrate the first Rosh Chodesh of the new year 5785. In ancient times, the Sanhedrin would officially announce the start of a new month upon sighting of the new moon. Once the Sanhedrin was disbanded, the Sages fixed a set calendar for the millennia ahead. And since then, instead of a formal announcement of a new month upon new moon sighting, we recite a birkat levanah, a “blessing on the moon”. Where exactly did this blessing and practice originate? And what is the meaning behind its enigmatic text?

The earliest source for birkat levanah is thought to be a passage in the tractate Sanhedrin. Amidst a discussion of examining witnesses in a Jewish court, the Talmud asks a side-question: “Until when may one recite the blessing on the new month?” (41b) Two answers are given, one that it should be recited within the first week of the month (seven days) and another that it can be recited until just after the full moon, ie. the sixteenth day of the month, since at that point the moon begins to wane. Continue reading →

Things You Didn’t Know About the Arizal

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 →

King Solomon’s Kabbalah

In this class, we explore the esoteric knowledge of King Solomon encoded in his three books: Kohelet, Mishlei, and Shir haShirim. Along the way, we answer big questions like: What is the Seal of Solomon? Why did King Solomon take on hundreds of wives and what did he conclude about marriage? What scientific knowledge did Solomon uncover? What are the 50 Gates of Understanding? Plus: the great secret behind El Shaddai, the mystical reason for the exile of the Jewish people, and incredible revelations from the ancient mystical text Sefer haTemunah.

For more on the Seal of Solomon and the Star of David, see here.
See also ‘Things You Didn’t Know About King Solomon’.
For more on Sheddu and Cherubs, see ‘The Guardian Angels and Hybrid Beasts Known as Cherubs’ in the second volume of ‘Garments of Light’.