Members only Mysticism and Spirituality The Ruach - Soul Series pt. 2 Ruach can become misaligned when we get overly fixated on beauty. Rather than praising and opening ourselves to the Author of beauty, we make beauty itself an idolatrous object of admiration and devotion. Beauty then becomes an end in itself instead of a medium to connect to the Source of beauty.
Mysticism and Spirituality Bitachon: The Cornerstone of Inner Peace and Resilience Cultivating Bitachon (Trust) and embedding it more deeply into our psyche is a lot easier said than done. Often progress comes through hard times and significant life trials, similar to those we see in Abrahram's life.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality The Preexistence of the Soul When we meet someone who does not seem to fit into the normative behavior of their generation, we might call them an "old soul." But, can the soul be older than the body?
New Testament Insights The Parable of the Lost Sheep This parable exemplifies how Jesus often co-opts Rabbinic Midrash to illustrate a point. In this, he uses many metaphoric elements of the Jewish oral tradition, teaching the surprising spiritual dynamics of repentance.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Babel and the Ethics of Technology At first glance, the Biblical account of the Tower of Babel might appear to be closer to a children's story with its deceivingly simple moral, warning of the dangers of misapplied human ingenuity. However, the Rabbinic tradition whispers a much deeper story - one that is still relevant in our time.
Paid-members only Mysticism and Spirituality TzimTzum - Creating Space, Creating Potential Though a foreign concept, "tzimtzum" offers a unique perspective that helps to understand a myriad of topics, such as; the creation of the world, the existence of time within eternity, good versus evil, and how the Divine interacts with the mundane.
Mysticism and Spirituality What Does It Mean to be Made in the Image and Likeness of the Creator? Rendered commonly as "image", Tzelem can also mean "form", or "shadow". Often, Tzelem represents the spiritual components of humankind, representing the fact that humans are composed of "soil" (adamah), "blood" (dom), and supernal qualities.
Mysticism and Spirituality Israel Under Attack - Here is What You Can Do With the war in Israel beginning, there are things you can do to help.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Messiah: Part 2, The New Normal In Part 2, we look at the key dynamics humanity now faces after Adam's sin, the role of the Messiah to repair these, and how we have a shared responsibility to participate.
Online Study Opportunity - Register Here Hey! We're looking at hosting a 4-6 week online study opportunity with The Hidden Orchard subscribers. We'll spend some time discussing the topic we choose while learning and getting to know others in the community.
Mysticism and Spirituality The Nefesh - Soul Series pt. 1 “Some people are inclined to contemplate the essence of their souls. Others can live their entire lives - even lives of intellectual activity - without taking an interest in their souls at all.
Torah A Sukkah of Peace After having conducted a 40-day retrospective of our year, ultimately repenting for our mistakes on Yom Kippur - we are provided a moment to look forward to the year ahead. This is why Sukkot represents a kind of fresh start, the beginning of a new paradigm in our spiritual growth.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality The Divine Council Does G_D rule the world through a Divine Council of supernal angels? For many, this may be a new idea, however, deep within the Rabbinic tradition, this is quite ancient.
Mussar Soul Refinement - Guarding Our Speech To the best of my knowledge, no legal system on earth holds verbal insults and thought crimes in the same category as more egregious and obvious crimes like murder and adultery. However, in the spiritual economy of the Bible, these are very much connected.
Thoughts Soul Refinement - Do Not Destroy A little-known prohibition in the Torah remains a timeless and valuable ethic for developing our spiritual awareness. This is known as Bal Tashchit, the prohibition against destroying things that serve a purpose.
Members only New Testament Insights Was Paul the First Christian Convert? Of course, Paul converted, right? The chapter heading says so, and his name was changed to Saul, wasn't it?
Paid-members only Mysticism and Spirituality 3 Stages of Change According to Kabbalah These stages can transform us into stronger, more resilient individuals when embraced and understood. Surprisingly, this idea is hinted at in the Biblical story of Jacob with the three types of sheep.
Mysticism and Spirituality 40 Days of Spiritual Metamorphosis As summer fades into autumn, a sacred period arrives in the Jewish calendar that carries profound spiritual significance. We're all invited to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, repentance, and reconnection with the Divine during this time.
New Testament Insights The Divorce of Israel Did G_D divorce the Jewish people? Has He abandoned any covenantal ties with the people of the promise, or has a misunderstanding occurred?
Members only New Testament Insights The Healing of the Blind Man What is the lesson of the healing of the blind man? Is it simply a recorded event, or is there more for readers to take away from this moral?
Mysticism and Spirituality New Book - Exploration of the Soul Though concealed from many, the Bible's inner wisdom and soul, particularly its exploration through the Jewish tradition, remain some of humankind's most practical, timeless, and profound writings.
Videos Developing the Soul - Mussar Series. Part 4 ▶ In this final session, we recap some of the concepts of this study, focusing on some common areas of imbalance many of us will want to be aware of.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Our Test: The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil The Sages described these times we live in as 'great and terrible' - also remarking that they themselves would not want to be alive for the tests we face, implying that these tests provide a great opportunity for us.
Paid-members only Mysticism and Spirituality What Does the Bible Say About the Afterlife? The concept of the afterlife, particularly heaven, and hell, has been the subject of fascination and contemplation across various religious and cultural traditions. But, what does the Bible say about these topics?
Paid-members only Mysticism and Spirituality Understanding the Klippah One useful but complex topic is known as the "klippah", which means "husk", or "shell" in Hebrew. Though esoteric, this work will make this complex idea simple enough to begin applying today.
