Tag Archives: Tanakh

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’. 

The Coming Solar Eclipse

What might the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 mean for the world? What is the spiritual significance of solar and lunar eclipses? And how do we reconcile the notion that eclipses are signs from Heaven with the scientific understanding that eclipses are natural and easily predictable long in advance?

Find out in this class, where we also explore the symbolism of sun and moon in Judaism, the mysterious Antikythera Mechanism, the numerological meaning of the number 30, and conclude with the little-known prophecies of Yoel – and what they might have to do with what’s going in in Israel and the world today.

For more on ‘The Kabbalah of Solar’, see here.
For more on reciting blessings on natural phenomena, see here.
And download a free handy PDF ‘blessings companion’ here.

Things You Didn’t Know About Samaritans

In this week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, we read how God commanded that when the Israelites cross into the Holy Land, they should first make a stop upon two special mountains: Mount Gerizim and Mount Eval (Deuteronomy 27:12-13). The Tribes of Israel should split between the two mountains; six of them would set up on Mount Gerizim and six on Mount Eval. Then, a series of blessings would be proclaimed from atop Mount Gerizim, and a series of curses from atop Mount Eval. The people would answer “amen!” to signify their agreement. This would serve as one final reminder of their covenant with God before they settle down in their apportioned lands and get on with their new lives.

Har Gerizim in 1912

Today, that mountain of blessing, Mount Gerizim, is still venerated by the world’s last community of Samaritans, numbering less than 1000 people. About half of them live in the Israeli city of Holon, and the other half live around Mount Gerizim itself, in the village of Kiryat Luza, once part of the Biblical site of Shechem and currently the Palestinian town of Nablus (an Arabic corruption of the Roman title Neapolis). For the Samaritans, Mount Gerizim is the holiest place on Earth. They believe this is supposed to be the true location of the Holy Temple. They believe this is where Abraham bound Isaac during the Akedah. They believe this is the mountain upon which the Mishkan first rested, and where sacrifices to Hashem were originally brought. In other words, Gerizim is the Samaritan “Jerusalem”. Who, exactly, are the Samaritans? Continue reading →