THE KABBALAH OF TIME: The Jewish Calendar is the master key to unlock the hidden rationale behind the formal structure of ancient sacred texts, as well as to understand and experience the most profound mystical concepts, which reveal the spiritual energy of each week, serving as a practical guide for self-analysis and development.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Week 5 (Book 6): Reviewing the Week of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan - Psalms 13-15; 32:4-6; 89:6
Tehilim
Chapter 13
A prayer for
an end to the long exile. One in distress should offer this prayer for his
troubles and for the length of the exile.
1. For
the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. How long, O Lord, will You forget
me, forever? How long will You hide Your countenance from me? 3. How
long must I seek counsel within my soul, [to escape] the grief in my heart all
day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? 4. Look! Answer me, O
Lord, my G-d; give light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of
death. 5. Lest my enemy say, "I have overcome him," [and]
my oppressors rejoice when I falter.6. I have placed my trust in Your
kindness, my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord,
for He has dealt kindly with me.
Chapter 14
This psalm
speaks of the destruction of the two Holy Temples-the first by Nebuchadnezzar,
and the second by Titus.
1. For
the Conductor, by David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no
G-d!" [Man's] deeds have become corrupt and abominable, no one does
good. 2. The Lord looked down from heaven upon mankind, to see if
there was any wise man who searches for G-d. 3. They have all gone
astray together, they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not
even one. 4. Indeed, all the evildoers, who devour My people as they
devour bread, who do not call upon the Lord, will [ultimately] come to know
[the consequences of their actions]. 5. There they will be seized
with fright, for G-d is with the righteous generation. 6. You scorn
the counsel of the lowly, that he puts his trust in the Lord. 7. O
that out of Zion would come Israel's deliverance! When the Lord returns the
captivity of His people, Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.
Chapter 15
This psalm
speaks of several virtues and attributes with which one should conduct oneself.
He is then assured that his soul will rest in Gan Eden.
1. A
psalm by David. Who may abide in Your tent, O Lord? Who may dwell on Your holy
Mountain? 2. He who walks blamelessly, acts justly, and speaks truth
in his heart; 3. who has no slander on his tongue, who has done his
fellowman no evil, and who has brought no disgrace upon his relative; 4. in
whose eyes a despicable person is abhorrent, but who honors those who are
G-d-fearing; who does not change his oath even if it is to his own
detriment; 5. who does not lend his money at interest, nor accept a
bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never falter.
Tikun HaKlali
Chapter 32
4. For day
and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my marrow became [dry] as the droughts
of summer, Selah.
5. My sin I made known to You, my iniquity I did not cover. I said, "I
will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You have forgiven the
iniquity of my transgression forever.
6. For this let every pious man pray to You, at a time when You may be found;
indeed, the flood of many waters will not reach him.
Chapter 89
6. Then the
heavens will extol Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness, too, in the
congregation of the holy ones.
5. My sin I made known to You, my iniquity I did not cover. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You have forgiven the iniquity of my transgression forever.
6. For this let every pious man pray to You, at a time when You may be found; indeed, the flood of many waters will not reach him.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Week 6 (Book 6): Reviewing the Second Week of Cheshvan - Psalms 16-18; 32:7-9; 89:7
PSALMS
Chapter 16
1. A
michtam,1
by David. Watch over me, O G-d, for I have put my trust in You. 2. You, [my
soul,] have said to G-d, "You are my Master; You are not obligated to
benefit me.” 3. For the sake of the holy ones who lie in the earth, and for the
mighty-all my desires are fulfilled in their merit. 4. Those who hasten after
other [G-ds], their sorrows shall increase; I will not offer their libations of
blood, nor take their names upon my lips. 5. The Lord is my allotted portion
and my share; You guide my destiny. 6. Portions have fallen to me in pleasant
places; indeed, a beautiful inheritance is mine. 7. I bless the Lord Who has
advised me; even in the nights my intellect admonishes me.2
8. I have set the Lord before me at all times; because He is at my right hand,
I shall not falter. 9. Therefore my heart rejoices and my soul exults; my
flesh, too, rests secure. 10. For You will not abandon my soul to the grave,
You will not allow Your pious one to see purgatory.11. Make known to me the
path of life, that I may be satiated with the joy of Your presence, with the
bliss of Your right hand forever.
Chapter 17
1. A prayer
by David. Hear my sincere [plea], O Lord; listen to my cry; give ear to my
prayer, expressed by guileless lips. 2. Let my verdict come forth from before
You; let Your eyes behold uprightness. 3. You have probed my heart, examined it
in the night, tested me and found nothing; no evil thought crossed my mind; as
are my words so are my thoughts. 4. So that [my] human deeds conform with the
words of Your lips, I guard myself from the paths of the lawbreakers. 5.
Support my steps in Your paths, so that my feet shall not falter. 6. I have called
upon You, for You, O Lord, will answer me; incline Your ear to me, hear what I
say. 7.Withhold Your kindness-O You who delivers with Your right hand those who
put their trust in You-from those who rise up against [You]. 8. Guard me like
the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings 9. from the wicked
who despoil me, [from] my mortal enemies who surround me. 10. Their fat has
closed [their hearts]; their mouths speak arrogantly. 11. They encircle our
footsteps; they set their eyes to make us stray from the earth. 12.His
appearance is like a lion longing to devour, like a young lion lurking in
hiding. 13. Arise, O Lord! Confront him, bring him to his knees; rescue my soul
from the wicked [who serves as] Your sword. 14. Let me be among those whose
death is by Your hand, O Lord, among those who die of old age, whose portion is
eternal life and whose innards are filled with Your concealed goodness; who are
sated with sons and leave their abundance to their offspring. 15. Because of my
righteousness, I shall behold Your countenance; in the time of resurrection, I
will be sated by Your image.
Chapter 18
1. For the
Conductor. By the servant of the Lord, by David, who chanted the words of this
song to the Lord on the day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his
enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2. He said, "I love You, Lord, my
strength. 3. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my rescuer. My G-d is my
strength in Whom I take shelter, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my
stronghold. 4. With praises I call upon the Lord, and I am saved from my
enemies. 5. For the pangs of death surrounded me, and torrents of evil people
terrified me. 6. Pangs of the grave encompassed me; snares of death confronted
me. 7. In my distress I called upon the Lord, I cried out to my G-d; and from
His Sanctuary He heard my voice, and my supplication before Him reached His
ears. 8. The earth trembled and quaked; the foundations of the mountains
shook-they trembled when His wrath flared. 9. Smoke rose in His nostrils,
devouring fire blazed from His mouth, and burning coals flamed forth from Him.
10. He inclined the heavens and descended, a thick cloud was beneath His feet.
11. He rode on a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind. 12. He
made darkness His concealment, His surroundings His shelter-of the dense clouds
with their dark waters. 13. Out of the brightness before Him, His clouds passed
over, with hailstones and fiery coals. 14. The Lord thundered in heaven, the
Most High gave forth His voice-hailstones and fiery coals. 15. He sent forth
His arrows and scattered them; many lightnings, and confounded them. 16. The
channels of water became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed-at Your
rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. 17.He sent from
heaven and took me; He brought me out of surging waters. 18. He rescued me from
my fierce enemy, and from my foes when they had become too strong for me. 19.
They confronted me on the day of my misfortune, but the Lord was my support.
20. He brought me into spaciousness; He delivered me because He desires me. 21.
The Lord rewar-ded me in accordance with my righteousness; He repaid me
according to the cleanliness of my hands. 22. For I have kept the ways of the
Lord, and have not transgressed against my G-d; 23. for all His laws are before
me, I have not removed His statutes from me. 24.I was perfect with Him, and
have guarded myself from sin. 25. The Lord repaid me in accordance with my
righteousness, according to the cleanliness of my hands before His eyes. 26.
With the kindhearted You act kindly, with the upright man You act uprightly.27.
With the pure You act purely, but with the crooked You act cun- ningly. 28. For
the destitute nation You save, but haughty eyes You humble. 29. Indeed, You
light my lamp; the Lord, my G-d, illuminates my darkness. 30. For with You I
run against a troop; with my G-d I scale a wall. 31. The way of G-d is perfect;
the word of the Lord is pure; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 32.
For who is G-d except the Lord, and who is a rock except our G-d! 33. The G-d
Who girds me with strength, and makes my path perfect. 34. He makes my feet
like deers', and stands me firmly on my high places. 35. He trains my hands for
battle, my arms to bend a bow of bronze. 36. You have given me the shield of
Your deliverance, Your right hand upheld me; Your humility made me great. 37.
You have widened my steps beneath me, and my knees have not faltered. 38. I
pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until I destroyed
them. 39. I crushed them so that they were unable to rise; they are fallen
beneath my feet. 40. You have girded me with strength for battle; You have
subdued my adversaries beneath me. 41. You have made my enemies turn their
backs to me, and my foes I cut down.42. They cried out, but there was none to
deliver them; to the Lord, but He did not answer them. 43. I ground them as the
dust before the wind, I poured them out like the mud in the streets. 44.You
have rescued me from the quarrelsome ones of the people, You have made me the
head of nations; a nation I did not know became subservient to me. 45. As soon
as they hear of me they obey me; strangers deny to me [their disloyalty]. 46.
Strangers wither away, they are terrified in their strongholds. 47. The Lord
lives; blessed is my Rock; exalted is the G-d of my deliverance.48. You are the
G-d Who executes retribution for me, and subjugates nations under me. 49. Who
rescues me from my enemies, Who exalts me above my adversaries, Who delivers me
from the man of violence. 50. Therefore I will laud You, Lord, among the
nations, and sing to Your Name. 51. He grants His king great salvations, and
bestows kindness upon His anointed, to David and his descendants forever."
TIKKUN HAKLALI
Chapter 32
7. You are a
refuge to me; protect me from distress; surround me with songs of deliverance
forever. 8. I will enlighten you and educate you in the path you should go; I
will advise you with what I have seen. 9. Be not like a horse, like a mule,
senseless, that must be muzzled with bit and bridle when being adorned, so that
it not come near you.
PSALM 89
7. Indeed,
who in heaven can be compared to the Lord, who among the supernal beings can be
likened to the Lord!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Week 7 (Book 6): Reviewing the Third Week of Cheshvan - Psalms 19-21; 32:10-11 & 41:1-2; 89:8
PSALMS
Chapter
19
1. For
the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. The heavens recount the glory of
the Almighty; the sky proclaims His handiwork. 3. Day to day speech
streams forth; night to night expresses knowledge.4. There is no
utterance, there are no words; their voice is inaudible. 5. Their arc
extends throughout the world; their message to the end of the earth. He set in
them [the heavens] a tent for the sun, 6. which is like a groom
coming forth from his bridal canopy, like a strong man rejoicing to run the
course. 7. Its rising is at one end of the heavens, and its orbit
encompasses the other ends; nothing is hidden from its heat. 8. The
Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is
trustworthy, making wise the simpleton. 9. The precepts of the Lord
are just, rejoicing the heart; the command of the Lord is clear, enlightening
the eyes. 10. The fear of the Lord is pure, abiding forever; the
judgments of the Lord are true, they are all righteous together. 11. They
are more desirable than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter than honey or the
drippings of honeycomb. 12. Indeed, Your servant is scrupulous with
them; in observing them there is abundant reward. 13. Yet who can
discern inadvertent wrongs? Purge me of hidden sins. 14. Also hold
back Your servant from willful sins; let them not prevail over me; then I will
be unblemished and keep myself clean of gross transgression. 15. May
the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You,
Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.
Chapter
20
1. For
the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. May the Lord answer you on the
day of distress; may the Name of the G-d of Jacob fortify you. 3. May
He send your help from the Sanctuary, and support you from
Zion. 4. May He remember all your offerings, and always accept
favorably your sacrifices. 5. May He grant you your heart's desire,
and fulfill your every counsel. 6. We will rejoice in your
deliverance, and raise our banners in the name of our G-d; may the Lord fulfill
all your wishes. 7. Now I know that the Lord has delivered His
anointed one, answering him from His holy heavens with the mighty saving power
of His right hand. 8.Some [rely] upon chariots and some upon horses, but
we [rely upon and] invoke the Name of the Lord our G-d. 9. They bend
and fall, but we rise and stand firm. 10. Lord, deliver us; may the
King answer us on the day we call.
Chapter
21
1. For
the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. The king rejoices in Your
strength, Lord; how greatly he exults in Your deliverance! 3.You have
given him his heart's desire, and You have never withheld the utterance of his
lips. 4. You preceded him with blessings of good; You placed a crown
of pure gold on his head.5. He asked of You life, You gave it to him-long
life, forever and ever. 6. His glory is great in Your deliverance;
You have placed majesty and splendor upon him. 7. For You make him a
blessing forever; You gladden him with the joy of Your
countenance. 8. For the king trusts in the Lord, and in the kindness
of the Most High-that he will not falter. 9. Your hand will suffice
for all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate
You. 10. You will make them as a fiery furnace at the time of Your
anger. May the Lord consume them in His wrath; let a fire devour
them. 11. Destroy their offspring from the earth, their descendants
from mankind.12. For they intended evil against You, they devised evil plans
which they cannot execute. 13. For You will set them as a portion
apart; with Your bowstring You will aim at their faces. 14. Be
exalted, O Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and chant the praise of Your
might.
TIKKUN HAKLALI
Chapter
32
10.
Many are the agonies of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord is surrounded
by kindness. 11. Rejoice in the Lord and exult, you righteous ones! Sing
joyously, all you upright of heart!
Chapter
41
1. For
the Conductor, a psalm by David. 2. Fortunate is he who is thoughtful
of the poor, [for] the Lord will save him on the day of evil.
PSALM 89
8.
The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, awe-inspiring
to all who surround Him.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Week 8 (Book 6): Reviewing the Fourth Week of Cheshvan - Psalms 22-24; 41:3-5; 89:9
PSALMS
Chapter 22
Every person should pray in agony over the length of the
exile, and our fall from prestige to lowliness. One should also take vows (for
self-improvement) in his distress.
1. For the Conductor, on the ayelet hashachar, a psalm by
David. 2. My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken me! So far from saving me, from
the words of my outcry? 3. My G-d, I call out by day, and You do not answer; at
night-but there is no respite for me. 4. Yet You, Holy One, are enthroned upon
the praises of Israel. 5. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You
saved them. 6. They cried to You and were rescued; they trusted in You and were
not shamed. 7. And I am a worm and not a man; scorn of men, contempt of
nations. 8. All who see me mock me; they open their lips, they shake their
heads. 9. But one that casts [his burden] upon the Lord-He will save him; He
will rescue him, for He desires him. 10. For You took me out of the womb, and
made me secure on my mother's breasts. 11. I have been thrown upon You from
birth; from my mother's womb You have been my G-d. 12. Be not distant from me,
for trouble is near, for there is none to help. 13. Many bulls surround me, the
mighty bulls of Bashan encircle me. 14. They open their mouths against me, like
a lion that ravages and roars. 15. I am poured out like water, all my bones are
disjointed; my heart has become like wax, melted within my innards. 16. My
strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my palate; You
set me in the dust of death. 17. For dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers
enclose me; my hands and feet are like a lion's prey. 18. I count all my limbs,
while they watch and gloat over me. 19. They divide my garments amongst them;
they cast lots upon my clothing. 20. But You, Lord, do not be distant; my
Strength, hurry to my aid! 21. Save my life from the sword, my soul from the
grip of dogs. 22. Save me from the lion's mouth, as You have answered me from
the horns of wild beasts. 23. I will recount [the praises of] Your Name to my
brothers; I will extol You amidst the congregation. 24. You that fear the Lord,
praise Him! Glorify Him, all you progeny of Jacob! Stand in awe of Him, all you
progeny of Israel! 25. For He has not despised nor abhorred the entreaty of the
poor, nor has He concealed His face from him; rather He heard when he cried to
Him. 26. My praise comes from You, in the great congregation; I will pay my
vows before those that fear Him. 27. Let the humble eat and be satisfied; let
those who seek the Lord praise Him-may your hearts live forever! 28. All the
ends of the earth will remember and return to the Lord; all families of nations
will bow down before You. 29. For sovereignty is the Lord's, and He rules over
the nations. 30. All the fat ones of the earth will eat and bow down, all who
descend to the dust shall kneel before Him, but He will not revive their soul.
31. The progeny of those who serve Him will tell of the Lord to the latter
generations. 32. They will come and relate His righteousness-all that He has
done-to a newborn nation.
Chapter 23
When King David was in the forest of Cheret and nearly died
of starvation, G-d provided nourishment for him with a taste of the World to
Come. David then composed this psalm, describing the magnitude of his trust in
G-d.
1. A psalm by David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack
nothing. 2. He lays me down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.
3. He revives my soul; He directs me in paths of righteousness for the sake of
His Name. 4. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they will comfort me. 5. You
will prepare a table for me before my enemies; You have anointed my head with
oil; my cup is full. 6. Only goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days
of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for many long years.
Chapter 24
If the fulfillment of one's prayer would result in the
sanctification of G-d's Name, he should pray that G-d act for the sake of the
holiness of His Name. One should also invoke the merit of his ancestors, for we
know that "the righteous are greater in death than in life"
1. By David, a psalm. The earth and all therein is the
Lord's; the world and its inhabitants. 2. For He has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the rivers. 3. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord,
and who may stand in His holy place? 4. He who has clean hands and a pure
heart, who has not used My Name in vain or sworn falsely. 5. He shall receive a
blessing from the Lord, and kindness from G-d, his deliverer. 6. Such is the
generation of those who search for Him, [the children of] Jacob who seek Your
countenance forever. 7. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, eternal
doors, so the glorious King may enter. 8. Who is the glorious King? The Lord,
strong and mighty; the Lord, mighty in battle. 9. Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter. 10. Who is the
glorious King? The Lord of Hosts, He is the glorious King for all
eternity.
TIKKUN HAKLALI
Chapter 41
3. The Lord will guard him and keep him alive; he will
be praised throughout the land; You will not deliver him to the desires of his
enemies. 4. The Lord will support him on the bed of illness; You will
turn him over in his bed all throughout his sickness. 5. I said,
"Lord, be gracious to me! Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You!”
PSALM
89
9. O
Lord, G-d of Hosts, who is mighty like You, O G-d! Your faithfulness surrounds
You.
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