Kabbalah

We learn in the Torah that after Adam was created in the Garden of Eden “God looked to see how Adam would name all the creatures”

Our sages tell us that Adam could see both

the essential nature of the creature and

express it in words or letters.

In our classes and e-mails we have already looked at the meaning of Adam, Neshama - repeated below, Abracadabra and Neila of Yom Kippur

Because the sound of a name is connected with its essential nature, observant Jews who are very ill, sometimes ask their Rabbi to change their name, in the hope that they may thereby change their essential nature and fortune.

NESHAMA
“And then God blew into Adam’s nostrils and Adam became alive.”
The word Neshama means both ‘breath’ and ‘soul’ and gives meaning to the English words ‘inspire’ and ‘expire’. From Genesis we learn that God fashioned ADAM from the earth ADAMA and then blew breath, Neshima, into Adam’s nostrils. But, Neshama also means soul so God also blew a soul into Adam. Thus many systems of meditation use breathing techniques to touch the soul.

INFANT’S FIRST WORDS
Almost universally the infant’s first words are Mama .
Surprisingly the only sound which can be made in the larynx is AAAAAH. We make this sound with an open throat and an open mouth. Sepher Yetsira, written by Abraham, explains that all the other five groups of sounds are the result of the shape of the mouth and tongue, a system in use to the present day.
The infant sounds AAAAh and then closes his lips sounding MMMMM. If you try this yourself you will see you make the sound aMaMaMaMaMa. Or due to various reasons you may close your lips more explosively saying aBaBaBa.
OMAYN
if you listen carefully to yourself, saying amamama you may notice that before your lips close with the MMMM sound it is preceded by an ‘O’ sound giving the famous Hindu ‘Om’ sound, but we quickly transfer it to the OMAYN sound.

The more common Meditation methods
include either breathing, Neshima, as above, or repeating a mantra, so come and join us for Meditation this TUESDAY 27th Oct at 7.30pm

20 October 09
Abera Kedabera
Abera kedabera and it is the New Year again, and we start reading the Torah from the beginning again. The yearly cycle repeats yet again.

But what does Abera Kedabera mean?

The second word of the opening passage of the Torah is the word Bera which means ‘to create’. The future tense of the word Bera is Abera.
Kedabera means “as he speaks” from the word Daber.

Abera Kedabera, thus means that ‘he will create as he speaks’.

It is surprising to note that many religions seem to say that God created the world by speaking. You may recognise, “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God”

Begin the New year as you wish to continue

SUCCOTH

Succoth is a festival of happiness and celebration, ‘Zman Simchosaynu’, which is generated in the heart, the place of true happiness, and associated with the shaking of the lulav in a succah.

We shake the Lulav pointing to the six different directions of space beyond the Succah, EIN SOF, whilst the movements of the lulav in present time, represent AYIN.

Each movement of the lulav begins at the heart and then returns to the heart

The Torah is considered as the heart of the universe. The heart is called LEV and it is intriguing that the first and last letters of the Torah spell LEV, heart. Lamed Beis (Bereishit and Yisrael).

The Gematria of heart, Lamed Beis, is 32. The Sepher Yetsira tells us, in its opening line, that God creates the universe with 32 paths of wisdom. The embryonic human being is also created from 32 segments, which later become the 32 vertebrae, out of which the embryo develops.

Examining the diagram of the Sephirot shows that the heart is represented by Tiferet which has connections with all the other Sephirot, suggesting that the heart is the centre

Why are we joyous? Because we are alive, because we have had a good judgement on Yom Kippur and because we have had a good harvest. So we strut around like a King with orb and sceptre. The round Esrog or orb resembling the heart and the straight Lulav resembling the sceptre and spinal cord

For your amusement - the central words HEART AND TORAH shows us another aspect of the month of Sukkot. Take away the first and last symmetrical letters of these words, the ‘H’ and ‘T’ and ‘T’ and ‘H’ and you are left with EAR and ORA. Ear refers to the zodiac sign of this month, which is Libra, representing the Scales of Justice. How is that, you may ask? The Hebrew word for ear is ‘oznaim’ which also means scales - Libra. ‘Ora’ is like the Aura which surrounds you, just like a Succah …Like Ein Sof

In other festivals only parts of our bodies are involved e.g. on Rosh Hashanah we hear the Shofar, on Pesach we eat matzo, at Chanukah, we look at the lights etc. On Succoth our whole being is enclosed in the succah, but, not limited by the Succah as the shaking of the lulav points the way beyond the succah to the infinite space of the creator.

Enjoy the festivities and share a little of your joy with others to multiply it.