A mysterious letter "aleph" reveals the secret for closeness with G-d. Based on the verse (Psalms 100:3) "Know the Lord is G-d. It is He who made us, and we are his..."
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Latest Comments:
Thank you for this talk, especially regarding Hassidic.(spelling?) Of course G-d exists. Do we exist? It seems to me that our existence is conditional. For example, if we are allowed to come into a physical body and hang around on earth, G-d permitting, long enough to figure out that His people are real and His Torah is alive is very exiting indeed. This is all I need to know that I exist and that He exists. Now, comes the scary part : since I exist and He exists( or visa versa) then, it seems quite possible that, if my understanding is correct, I now, choose to follow Him and serve Him, as is the purpose of my creation or , heaven forbid, any other course is a literal choosing of life or death. A literal gathering of His people. Thank you for this stimulating topic.
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I love the interpretation that the rabbi provides. However, I think that both points are important: yes, we are His. However, I strongly believe that, in this era of "self made people", we need to REMEMBER that we did not make ourselves. G-d MADE us and NOT we ourselves. That it is so critical, given the human tendency to pride in "self-actualization", that we remember that we are the results of G-d's creation, not of our own. Only then can we keep our pride in place and let G-d be G-d and we remain his servants - His people and the sheep of His pasture!!
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Rabbi Gurkov in his comment says that we came into existence when G-d created us. The question is when He created us? Was we were born into this world, or much earlier as we can see from a passage of
Jeremiah 1:4-5
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.
Interestingly Jeremiah is the only prophet with a call unto the nations and not just for the Jewish people.
True, the Psalms of King David are like an iceberg. Most of its beauty is hidden under the water surface.
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As to the minutiae of life, the joys we get, in the little things, well, God created it ALL, meaning business, spending, creativity, what we are all doing here, and sure, many do "avoid" the void, and rabbis spend a lot of time analyzing text. But they are not alone.
God even created Taxes. And often God is laughing.
God is an equal opportunity employer. PARDES, or the deep layers of analysis of text, is possible for all writing, and all that we do: the contextual content of life.
As to the animals, it's wrong to say, they are "lower" because they cling to the ground. Maybe it's about humility. After all, there is anima in the word animal itself and this means soul in Latin.
I am so distressed by this part of the podcast. Why? Because they are sacred and anyone who spends time with an animal knows this.
As to Sinai and what is visual and what is heard, there are many ways to interpret this and I also have my own answers and they are, profound.
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Amazing - I have read all of the Psalms thinking only of the beauty and meaning of the literal words.
Now to know such depth exists is stunning. Thanks to Jewish TV's lectures I am learning slowly, like the cat.
Thank you so much.
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Wonderful. Thank you so much - my soul feels nourished - and I have been so hungry all week!
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I loved this lecture. Thank you!
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Jewish.TV is amazing. Love it.
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What were the Maconoth and where were they kept in the Beit HaMikdash?
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