Katnut d'Katnut

I have over the last few weeks been studying with our Rabbi a course called "Meditations from Sinai" and in last week's class the text spoke about Kabbalah, Chasidus, Mussar and Litvak study of Talmud Torah which brought to mind the essay I wrote on this entitled Jewish Thought: Talmud Torah, Musar, Kabbalah and Hasidut.

This explanation comes from the Chabad perspective in which they use a passage in the Midrash Talpiyot by Rabbi Eliyahu Cohen. This passage is about the antediluvian Patriarch who is described as a shoemaker. 

Enoch (Chanoch) would sew shoes to bind together the worlds. For every knot he would tie, he would say, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity!" for these words contain the unification and connection of all the upper chambers.

Among philosophers many see ontology or the study of being as the first philosophy. Others such as Levinas question ontology as first philosophy as it is a too self focused approach and they thus posit ethics (goodness) and a focus on the other as first philosophy. The first is rooted in the intellect and the second in the heart or memory. However, I would see that first philosophy or Wisdom is that of the Will (ratzon) as it is Will that moves the intellect and leads the heart to action.

The Chronicle or Book of  Gad the Seer is mentioned in the Bible. Gad was a prophet connected to King David. In the 18th century a book claiming this title was discovered in India among the Cochin Jews. This was a 18th century copy of an older manuscript. This made its way to England and was bought eventually by Cambridge University.Some scholars such as Schechter and Abrahams decided that due to some terminology it was probably written in the Middle Ages.

It is possible that Germany is Zebulon and Holland and the Low Lands is Issachar. The arrangement above is based on the division of the two Kingdoms and the prophetic order of Genesis 49. The R1b L21 y-dna British and the Irish belong to the Tribe of Judah from the Davidic House of Nathan. The peoples of Germany, the Netherlands and the Low Countries belong mainly to the Tribes of Zebulon and Issachar. The Slavs are the Birthright Nations (Ephraim of R1a).

Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Shochet writes:

"...That is why keter is sometimes excluded from the scheme of the sefirot. It is too sublime to be included. It is a category and class all in itself. In fact it is called the "intermediary" between the Ein Sof and the sefirot, bridging the gap, as it were: it is the "lowest level" of the Light of the Ein Sof and from it, and through it, issue forth the successive divine emanations (thus being the very root or soul of the sefirot).

Shaar haGilgulim by the Arizal (Section 1:1-2)

ונתחיל מ"ש חז"ל כי חמשה שמות יש לנפש, וזה סדרם ממטה למעלה, נפ"ש, רו"ח, נשמ"ה, חי"ה, יחיד"ה. ואין ספק כי לא נפל קריאת השמות הנזכרות, במקרה ובהזדמן. אמנם דע, כי האדם עצמו, הוא הרוחניות אשר בתוך גוף, והגוף הוא לבוש האדם, ואיננו האדם עצמו. וכמש"ה על בשר אדם לא ייסך, וכנזכר בזוהר פרשת בראשית דף כ' ע"ב.

Kavod leElohim (Gloria)

Kavod le-Elohim bam-romim, (Glory to God in the Highest)

v'Shalom alay adamot livne adam shebahem ratzah, (and peace on earth (the lands) to all men (sons of Adam) in which their is goodwill)

Otcha n'shabach, otcha n'barech, (we praise thee, we bless thee)

l'fanecha nisgod ulcha niten y'kar, (we adore thee {literally: to thy face we will worship} and we glorify thee {literally: and we give thee precious})

nodeh l'cha al tiferetcha ki rabah, (we give thee thanks for t

Knowledge of God’s creative design is important for comprehending the development of cancer and other diseases at the level of kinds and species as well as at the level of  tissues and cells, and for creating effective therapies to manage or cure such ailments. Animals seem to have been created or formed with powerful tumor suppressive mechanisms that help prevent the growth of cancer.

It is interesting that the Catholic visionary Marie-Julie Jahenny in 1874 spoke about a future storm in the Church.

In Rome the tempest will be the darkest. The storm of Rome is even worse than the storm of France. All the wrath of the impious is in Rome. This wrath of the impious is directed on the Holy See. However, the chastisements will commence in Paris.

Twenty four hours before this dark storm, Our Lord will give signs in the firmament. Ah! Without the Sacred Heart we would all perish.