Author: Eliyahu Shear

Teachings of the Arizal – The Importance of Praying Quietly

Silence

Rabbi Chaim Vital in the introduction to Shaar HaKavanot speaks about the issue of the manner of prayer. Here, Rabbi Chaim Vital introduces us to a vital area of our lives – the world of prayer. Those who daven with a Minyan regularly know well the challenges encountered. One most usually finds that everyone has something to say – and that doesn’t mean their prayer to God – it often means their approach to prayer which takes on outward signs of righteousness as opposed to inner calm and connection with the Divine. This – let alone the often unpleasant unnecessary noise of needless conversation, but that is for another time…

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Teachings of the Arizal – Love Your Fellow as Yourself Everyday

Friends

In the beginning of Shaar Hakavanot – the teachings of the Arizal regarding the intentions of should have during prayer, as codified by his main disciple Rabbi Chaim Vital, the Arizal teaches us a golden rule about prayer. While many enter a shul (or stay in their private room for prayer) and begin praying for their own selves, the Arizal teaches us a lesson which we must implement in our every day lives. Even if we aren’t striving to become the next outstanding Mekubal (kabbalist) of the generation, it is something which applies to each of us.

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Sefaria.org Adds Two Amazing Dictionaries to Their Library

Marcus Jastrow

Do you know who the rabbi in the picture is? Many won’t recognise him by face! He lived from 1829-1903 and was a progressive and reform rabbi in America. With all this, most would be surprised to find out just how many outstanding Talmudic scholars of today have gained something from this man…

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Siyum Yeshivas Iyun Halachah – and a Great Lesson in Humilty

Books

Those who know me know how much I love books. There’s something soul-like in every book one reads. Of course, reading a book is also getting a glimpse into the soul of the author. One has the opportunity to gain in just one book – what might have taken the author tens of years to acquire. It is an incredible experience to consider that someone else has put years into achieving a goal which can now be gained by someone else in a few hours.

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Kabbalah and Consciousness – Allen Afterman – Book Review

Kabbalah and Consciousness Allen Afterman

Kabbalah and Consciousness is a wonderful book sharing the beauty of Kabbalah in poetic form. That doesn’t mean it is a book of poems – though the author’s poem “Desire for White” is published in it. Rather, the way in which the author shares with us the mysticism behind Kabbalah is done through a poetic approach.

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Jewish Meditation – A Practical Guide – Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan – Book Review

Jewish Meditation Aryeh Kaplan

Jewish Meditation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan must be one of my favourite books. Though published posthumously, the book was Rabbi Kaplan’s last work to be written, having written his introduction to it just over a month before he left this world.

I still remember reading this book so many years back and then being told that here was another of Rabbi Kaplan’s books being published after he had died. I remember certain people I had been in touch with discussing the issue of whether he had written the book after all – or if perhaps someone else had written it and ascribed his name to it. I asked a well-trusted rabbi of mine about the book and remember his answer well, “I don’t believe anyone else could have written it except for Rabbi Kaplan” he said. Indeed, that is the truth. It would be hard to find someone else with such sensitivity and knowledge to be able to describe the things he does in this wonderful work.

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Hinduism’s Message to the Jewish People – Rabbi Gutman Locks

Candle

In this week’s Parshah – Parshat Chayei Sarah – we learn about the children born to Avraham through his wife Keturah. There is something interesting regarding the names of the children and grandchildren and how if one pays attention, one can see a connection between those names and Hinduism today. There is much to learn, and Reb Gutman Locks teaches us some valuable messages of Hinduism to the Jewish people. See video below.

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