I
place HaShem
before me, always.
(Psalm 16:8)
This is a
great rule
of the Torah!
(Shulkhan Arukh)
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The
Written Works of
Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Copyright © 1997 - 2004
by Ariel Bar Tzadok.
All rights
reserved.
Five Essays
About the Mysteries /
Kabbalah of
Pesah (Passover)
Each of these essays
contains a tremendous wealth of information
about Pesah, the Mitzvot of the Seder, Kabbalistic Meditations,
and how all of this is relevant, vital, and essential for each of us
to integrate within ourselves for the sake of personal perfection.
Take the time to contemplate these matters slowly, learn them well.
Hag Kasher v'Sameah!
Also: Listen to our special tape series:
Nisan & Pesah in
Kabbalah
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All four of these essays are formatted in PDF file form. You need the Adobe Reader in order to be able to access them. If you do not already have this program, it can be downloaded for free at www.adobe.com.
To Ignite the Fire, To Remember
Freedom
Derush for Shabat HaGadol
READ THE ENTIRE ESSAY - CLICK HERE
“A continuous fire shall burn upon the
altar, do not extinguish it.” (Lev. 6:6). Regarding this verse,
Rabbeynu Yosef Haim writes in his Ben Ish Hai, Drashot: “It appears to
me, with the help of heaven, that the [human] heart is called [an]
altar. Therefore, the altar was the heart of the people. In addition,
the treasury of Torah lies within the heart. Therefore, the [middle
letters of the] written out form of [the word] Lev (heart), Lamed, Bet,
like this: (Lamed spelled: Lamed, Mem, Dalet), Bet
spelled: Bet, Yod, Tav) spell out [the word] Tamid
(continuous), spelled Tav, Mem, Yod, Dalet. This is a hint that the
Torah should be placed within the heart continuously. It should never
disappear from there. Even at times when one is asleep and is dreaming,
one should speak word of Torah [within one’s dreams]. This is the
meaning of the verse, “I am asleep, but my heart is awake” (SS 5:2).
The Torah is called Fire (Ta’anit 7a), as it is written, “Behold, all my
words are fire, says HaShem” (Jer.23:29). This is why it says, “a
continuous fire shall burn upon the altar” [upon the altar] of the
heart. It should never be extinguished. Of this the verse says, “she
reasons that her merchandise is good, her light is not extinguished by
night” (Pr.31:9).”
READ THE ENTIRE ESSAY - CLICK HERE
The
Archetypal Psychology
of
Pesah & Mitzvot
READ THE
ENTIRE ESSAY - CLICK HERE.
Every year, at Pesah
time, a unique vortex is opened in the time-space continuum, which
enables a special type of Divine radiance to enter onto the Earth. This
cosmic doorway is only open for a very short time, only for a few hours
on the night of Pesah. The Hagadah points out that "one who does
not see himself as if he is leaving Egypt has not fulfilled his
obligation in the telling of the story." The Exodus is not only an event
in our ancient history. It is a continually occurring event, one that
receives a dramatic boost every year on Seder eve. The ancient
Sefer Yetzirah, the master guide to understanding the structure of the
universe states that there are three general realms referred to as Olam,
Shana and Nefesh. Olam (world) refers to the dimension of space. Shana
(year) refers to the dimension of time. These two form the presently
known space-time continuum in which we live. Yet, there is the third
element, the one most people have no idea as to how it connects with the
other two. The third element, nefesh (soul) is the realm of the mind,
i.e., thought. Thought, i.e., mind power is the one dimension,
which rules over the space-time continuum of Olam – Shana. Thus, it is
through Nefesh, i.e., the power of the human mind that we are able to
elevate and liberate ourselves from the constricting prison of our
material forms. Through the power of TRUE mind, we can again experience
what it means to be free souls; souls not in bondage to the limitations
of a mind imprisoned by the sensorial senses.
READ THE
ENTIRE ESSAY - CLICK HERE.
The
Value of Gerim (Converts)
from the Pesah Hagadah
READ THE ENTIRE
ESSAY - CLICK HERE.
“It once happened that R. Eliezer, R.
Yehoshua, R. Elazar Ben Azariah, R. Akiva and R. Tarfon were celebrating
the Seder in Benei Brak. They discussed the Exodus that entire
night, until their students came and said to them, our teachers, it is
time to read the morning Shema.” We must understand why the text
here says, “the Seder [was in] Benei Brak. This phrase seems
superfluous. Why should it matter if they were celebrating in Benei
Brak or in another place? The reason why we are informed of this
has to do with the fact that they (the Sages) were discussing the Exodus
the entire night long, until their students came. With the help of G-d,
I will attempt to explain. It is known that Pharaoh was guilty in that
he enslaved Israel not in accordance to the edict from blessed HaShem.
HaShem only decreed exile [for Israel]. Pharaoh took it upon himself to
enslave them. Regarding what the Merciful One said to Abraham, “they
shall serve them and be humbled for 400 years,” this in itself is not a
part of the [official] edict. Rather HaShem was informing and revealing
to Abraham what the future will hold regarding his children through the
choice of Pharaoh and Egypt. Therefore, were they subject to judgment,
and [Israel] went forth prior to their time.
READ THE ENTIRE
ESSAY - CLICK HERE.
The
Kavanot of the Pesah Seder
from Siddur HaRashash
READ THE
ENTIRE ESSAY - CLICK HERE.
In order for
one to properly understand the mystical significance and the latent
spiritual power of the Pesah holiday, I must disclose a tremendous
amount of information about the order of sefirotic movements and their
relationship to us. Mystical meditations (kavanot) cannot be understood
or performed correctly unless one knows not only what he is doing, but
also why this is being done. The revelation of G-d’s light on Pesah
night is unique. It is a seed and a taste of the coming redemption to
be brought to us by the Mashiah. In order to assist our participation
in the mystical side of the Pesah Seder, I must begin with an
explanation of the elements involved. Once these are understood, I can
proceed to explain how they are to be used. I have endeavored to make
things are easy to understand as possible. In doing so, I admit that I
have had to leave out many details that the Ari’zal and the Rashash
outline in such depth. I pray to HaShem that my endeavors will assist
many in using this material for the sake of the unity of the Holy One,
blessed be He and His Shekhina.
READ THE
ENTIRE ESSAY - CLICK HERE.
The
Parting of the Sea
The Secret of Faith And Redemption
READ THE ENTIRE
ESSAY - CLICK HERE.
“And HaShem said to Moshe,
why do you yell at Me, speak to Benei Yisrael and they shall move
forward.” (Ex. 14:15). “Now the first letters of the words Mah
(why) Titz’ak (do you yell) Ali (at Me) (Mem, Tav, Alef),
[spell the word] Emet (truth). This is what is referred to in the Zohar
and in the Sifra D’Tzniyuta, that this is dependent upon “Atika” (the
Ancient One) Also, the word Ali (to Me, Alef, Lamed, Yod) is numerically
equal to 41, which is the number of the 41 letters in the simple Name
Ehyeh (EHYH), and its single and double expanded forms.” Sha’ar
HaPesukim, although not from Rabbi Haim (m’zulato).
This curious little teaching reveals to us a lesson about one of the
greatest of Kabbalistic principles – the secret of Emunah (faith).
READ THE ENTIRE
ESSAY - CLICK HERE.