Levi Ben-Shmuel http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress Writings, Teachings, Music, & More! Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:14:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 2006-2007 levi@nomad4all.com (Levi Ben-Shmuel) levi@nomad4all.com (Levi Ben-Shmuel) http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg Levi Ben-Shmuel http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress 144 144 Levi Ben-Shmuel Levi Ben-Shmuel Levi Ben-Shmuel levi@nomad4all.com no no Kabbalah Class December 6, 2011 – Wrestling with God http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/12/kabbalah-class-december-6-2011-wrestling-with-god/ http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/12/kabbalah-class-december-6-2011-wrestling-with-god/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:14:25 +0000 admin http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/?p=270 This class was inspired by the Torah portions Vayeitzei  and Vayishlach. Vayeitzei starts out with Jacob beginning a personal exile away from his parents and his home. Soon after departing, he experiences the dream known as Jacob’s ladder, where Jacob sees angels of God going up and down a ladder, a symbol of uniting Heaven and Earth. Tiferet is the sefirah associated with Jacob on the Tree of Life. It is the sefirah are harmony and healing. The stage is set in Vayeitzei for Jacob to go through life experiences that will lead him to integrate different aspects of himself. We will see that his exile can be linked to running away from dark aspects of himself, perhaps aspects he would not have been able to deal with while at home. We can learn from Jacob’s story of dealing with the darkness how to integrate the dark and light within us in a way that promotes growth and harmony.

]]> http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/12/kabbalah-class-december-6-2011-wrestling-with-god/feed/ 0 0:30:41 This class was inspired by the Torah portions Vayeitzei  and Vayishlach. Vayeitzei starts out with Jacob beginning a personal exile away from his parents and his home. Soon after departing, he experiences the dream known as Jacob’s ladder, where Jac[...] This class was inspired by the Torah portions Vayeitzei  and Vayishlach. Vayeitzei starts out with Jacob beginning a personal exile away from his parents and his home. Soon after departing, he experiences the dream known as Jacob’s ladder, where Jacob sees angels of God going up and down a ladder, a symbol of uniting Heaven and Earth. Tiferet is the sefirah associated with Jacob on the Tree of Life. It is the sefirah are harmony and healing. The stage is set in Vayeitzei for Jacob to go through life experiences that will lead him to integrate different aspects of himself. We will see that his exile can be linked to running away from dark aspects of himself, perhaps aspects he would not have been able to deal with while at home. We can learn from Jacob’s story of dealing with the darkness how to integrate the dark and light within us in a way that promotes growth and harmony. Kabbalah levi@nomad4all.com no no Kabbalah Class November 15, 2011 – Thanksgiving and The Book of Job http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/11/kabbalah-class-november-15-2011-%e2%80%93-thanksgiving-and-the-book-of-job/ http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/11/kabbalah-class-november-15-2011-%e2%80%93-thanksgiving-and-the-book-of-job/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:48:26 +0000 admin http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/?p=266 This class looks at giving thanks from a Jewish/Kabbalistic perspective. One of the classic statements of giving thanks in the Jewish tradition is from Psalm 118:1, “Thank God for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” The implications of this verse are clear. No matter what happens, God is always good and everything the Creator does is for the best.

In a world of duality, this is not an easy verse to wrap our heads around, especially when we are suffering personally or are connected to the suffering around us. Even if we know intellectually that God is good, how can we deeply acknowledge His goodness when we are suffering or have suffered tremendous loss? We will look at the Book of Job, a book that deals with suffering, for insights.

]]> http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/11/kabbalah-class-november-15-2011-%e2%80%93-thanksgiving-and-the-book-of-job/feed/ 0 0:36:04 This class looks at giving thanks from a Jewish/Kabbalistic perspective. One of the classic statements of giving thanks in the Jewish tradition is from Psalm 118:1, “Thank God for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” The implic[...] This class looks at giving thanks from a Jewish/Kabbalistic perspective. One of the classic statements of giving thanks in the Jewish tradition is from Psalm 118:1, “Thank God for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” The implications of this verse are clear. No matter what happens, God is always good and everything the Creator does is for the best. In a world of duality, this is not an easy verse to wrap our heads around, especially when we are suffering personally or are connected to the suffering around us. Even if we know intellectually that God is good, how can we deeply acknowledge His goodness when we are suffering or have suffered tremendous loss? We will look at the Book of Job, a book that deals with suffering, for insights. Kabbalah levi@nomad4all.com no no Kabbalah Class October 4, 2011 – Yom Kippur & The Book of Life http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/10/kabbalah-class-october-4-2011-%e2%80%93-yom-kippur-the-book-of-life/ http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/10/kabbalah-class-october-4-2011-%e2%80%93-yom-kippur-the-book-of-life/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:57:03 +0000 admin http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/?p=261 The period between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Yomim Nora’im (The Days of Awe), is the time of the year where we do everything in our power to petition God so we will be inscribed in The Book of Life. Most of us think the goal of being inscribed in The Book of Life is to be graced with life on planet Earth for another year. In Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla’s classic Kabbalistic text, Sha’arei Orah (Gates of Light), he presents a different notion of what this prayer means.

]]> http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/10/kabbalah-class-october-4-2011-%e2%80%93-yom-kippur-the-book-of-life/feed/ 0 0:15:40 The period between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Yomim Nora’im (The Days of Awe), is the time of the year where we do everything in our power to petition God so we will be inscribed in The Book of Life. Most of us think the goal of bein[...] The period between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Yomim Nora’im (The Days of Awe), is the time of the year where we do everything in our power to petition God so we will be inscribed in The Book of Life. Most of us think the goal of being inscribed in The Book of Life is to be graced with life on planet Earth for another year. In Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla’s classic Kabbalistic text, Sha’arei Orah (Gates of Light), he presents a different notion of what this prayer means. Kabbalah levi@nomad4all.com no no Kabbalah Class August 16, 2011 – Tu B’Av: Forgiveness & Love http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/08/kabbalah-class-august-16-2011-%e2%80%93-tu-b%e2%80%99av-forgiveness-love/ http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/08/kabbalah-class-august-16-2011-%e2%80%93-tu-b%e2%80%99av-forgiveness-love/#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:48:14 +0000 admin http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/?p=257 This class used the holiday of Tu B’Av, the 15th day of the month of Av, as a jumping off point to look at forgiveness and love. It is considered a minor holiday. In modern day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love similar to Valentine’s Day. According to the Talmud, Tu B’Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest. Yom Kippur marked the end of the grape harvest. On both dates, the unmarried girls of Jerusalem would dress in white garments and go out to dance in the vineyards. The Talmud states that there were no holy days as happy for the Jews as Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur. How can such a minor festival, one pretty much forgotten, be on the same level of happiness as Yom Kippur?

]]> http://www.nomad4all.com/wordpress/2011/08/kabbalah-class-august-16-2011-%e2%80%93-tu-b%e2%80%99av-forgiveness-love/feed/ 0 0:16:21 This class used the holiday of Tu B’Av, the 15th day of the month of Av, as a jumping off point to look at forgiveness and love. It is considered a minor holiday. In modern day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love similar to Valentine’s Day[...] This class used the holiday of Tu B’Av, the 15th day of the month of Av, as a jumping off point to look at forgiveness and love. It is considered a minor holiday. In modern day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love similar to Valentine’s Day. According to the Talmud, Tu B’Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest. Yom Kippur marked the end of the grape harvest. On both dates, the unmarried girls of Jerusalem would dress in white garments and go out to dance in the vineyards. The Talmud states that there were no holy days as happy for the Jews as Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur. How can such a minor festival, one pretty much forgotten, be on the same level of happiness as Yom Kippur? Uncategorized levi@nomad4all.com no no