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Hakitzu VeRanenu #16: Two Stages of Geulah – “Pekidah” and “Zechirah” (Part Two)
The foundation of the distinction between Pekidah and Zechirah and their natures is explained by the Ramchal (ibid): And you must know the Pekidah takes place through Yesod, while the revelation of Zechirah occurs through Tiferes. Therefore, these two movements provide strength to Moshiach Ben Yosef and Moshiach Ben David to bring about the final…
Read MoreIt Took Me Back
Much to my surprise, some friends and I spent most of the morning and afternoon in Shaarei Tzeddek Medical Center in Jerusalem a few days ago. To make a long story short, we went olive picking and I took a fall. Chasdei HaShem a trillion times over, I am fine! Over the course of my…
Read MoreI Am Hopeful
We live in a complex world, a world with many issues that manifest across the experiential spectrum of the human condition. Things seem to be getting worse, devolving into a downward spiral of bad to worse, of crisis to more urgent crisis. But I am hopeful. More than hopeful – I am radically optimistic. The…
Read MoreHakitzu VeRanenu #16: Two Stages of Geulah – “Pekidah” and “Zechirah” (Part One)
The two stages of redemption and the distinction between them are explicated clearly in the seforim hakedoshim, and our teacher, the Ramchal, explains them at length. He teaches that the final redemption is a compound of two fundamental stages, called “Pekidah”, and “Zechirah”. He writes (Maamar HaGeulah): Know, that redemption encompasses two distinct times. We…
Read MoreHakitzu VeRanenu #15: Humanity’s Interpretation of Our Return to the Land
Focus well on the mystery expressed in the verse, “The heart of a king is in Hashem’s Hand, He turns it whatever which way He desires.” (Mishlei 21:1) Hashem’s Governance clothes itself within the hearts of human beings, awakening desires and mighty movements – for example, the desire to seek a land and establish a…
Read MoreHakitzu VeRanenu #14 – The Necessity to Return to Eretz Yisrael before Attaining the Consciousness of Redemption
In truth, although our exile began with the loss of consciousness which then caused our banishment from the land, the redemption must come about in the opposite order as alluded to in the words of Yechezkel brought above – first the return to the Land, and then the appearance of consciousness.[1] It is obvious and…
Read MoreHakitzu VeRanenu 13: The Primary Distinction between Exile and Redemption is Rooted in Consciousness
The main essence of the difference between exile and redemption exists in the mystery of consciousness (“Da’as”) – the mentality of redemption in contrast to the mentality of exile, the secret of “Constricted Consciousness” and “Expanded Consciousness.” This means that while the distinction between the two is certainly externally recognizable, for example exile as the…
Read MoreA New Heart, A New Spirit
We must achieve the realization that Hashem is currently fulfilling a prophecy for us – “And I will grant you a new heart and implant a new spirit within you.” A person who peers into the depths of Jewish hearts, instead of merely looking at the external appearance, will be able to see our great…
Read MoreThe Arrival of Consciousness and the Primary Redemption
We have discussed the two stages of redemption. Practically speaking, the primary awakening from exile does not take place during the first stage, the ingathering of the exiles – the externality of the redemption, for that stage relates to the growth of the ‘body’, not of consciousness and its expansion. In this stage, we are…
Read More“Do I Know You?”
B’siyata D’Shmaya Today, the 19th of Av, is the yartzheit of one of Hashem’s gentle yet mighty warriors, a woman lived before the Holocaust, lived through the Holocaust, and was here after the Holocaust. The way Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a”h gave blessings to people was a magical scene. She held their head in her hands…
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