kabbalah
Why We Dip the Bread in Salt During the HaMotzi Ritual
This responsum from Chabad.org discusses the origins of dipping bread into salt before eating it as part of the HaMotzi ritual. Rabbi Yehuda Shurpin, a writer for the websites ‘Ask the Rabbi’ column,
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan: The Connection Between the Exodus and Challah
This excerpt from “Sabbath: Day of Eternity” by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan describes the deep spiritual connection between the Exodus from Egypt and the two loaves of bread eaten during Shabbat meals.
How to Light Shabbat Candles: Kabbalistic Wisdom
This video describes how to light the Friday evening Shabbat candles according to the Orthodox Ashkenazi tradition. In addition to the recitation of the blessing, this video provides explanations of the meaning
Shabbat Candle Lighting: Empowering or Restricting to Women?
The following article addresses whether the tradition of women lighting Shabbat candles is empowering or restricting. The anonymous author explores the role of women in Orthodox Judaism, drawing on both Jewish
Waving the Hands Before Candle Lighting: A Kabbalistic Understanding
This short post explores the Halachic (Jewish law) and Kabbalistic (Jewish mysticism) explanations as to why those lighting the Shabbat evening candles wave their hands three times over the lit candles
Art in Motion: The Ana B’Koach Prayer Video
This 3:39 minute long video presents David Asher Brook’s award winning artistic representation of the mystical Ana B’Koach prayer. The artist paints each of the 42 Hebrew letters hidden within the