Pesach,(Passover)

A class on the inner meaning of the seder  according to the work of Rabbi Ashlag (50 minutes)
In this class we look at the reason for the exile in Egypt and its meaning for us today. We learn how bitterness equals compassion. We look at how the various acts and composition of the seder create the appropriate vessels with which to receive the great light of redemption present on this night.
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Who knows One?  From Exile to Redemption
The energy of exile and redemption comes around again as we approach Passover. But are we simply re-enacting an historical event? According to the Kabbalah to the extent we can experience an inner exile we can likewise come to an inner redemption.
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The Four Cups of Wine: Their Inner Meaning
"And we awaken with their joy, and drink four cups of wine for the four aspects that are never separated from each other when this union is found." Zohar Emor 135.
Learn a piece from the holy Zohar together with Yedidah on the inner meaning of the four cups of wine that we drink on Seder night.
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  The Omer

In the external unchanging pattern of counting the days between Pesach and Shavuot there is an extremely rich inner reality. Each day pertains to a different Sephirah, a vessel for the light of God.   How may I experience this richness? Rabbi Ashlag explains the Zohar on the Sephirot, the precise vessels for the light of these days and their meaning.
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 Shavuot, the festival of the giving of the Torah

The Vessel for the receiving of the Torah
Shavuot is the festival  when we celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The same energy of the light of Torah comes around again every year. However, we also need to consider a differrent question: How should we receive the Torah?.
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The night of the Bride
 The souls make up the Sephirah of Malchut, also known as the Shechinah. On the festival of Shavuot the collective souls are termed the Bride and unite with the Holy Blessed One in the imagery of Bride and Bridegroom.  The day the Children of Israel stood at Mount Sinai and received the Torah is of the same essence as that of the redemption. Learn a piece of Zohar with the commentary of Rabbi Ashlag
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The garments of the Torah hide its essence
 The Torah comes in different garbs, taditioanlly known as Pardes These comprise the Bible, the Talmud, the Halachah and also the Kabbalah. But how do i know which  to relate to? What do I do with all the aspects I disagree with? Listen now>>>

The month of Elul

Enjoying the month of Elul
So many people dread the run up to the high holy days. They feel guilty about what they didn’t do all the year or/and anxiety about the year to come. But it needn’t be like that at all. The month of Elul is the opportunity for a good inner spring-clean and there is a real joy in that!
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Rosh HaShanah, The New Year

The language of Rosh hashanah is derived from the Kabbalah
We don't usually appreciate just how deeply the language of the Kabbalah penetrates our prayers and traditional customs. Since the language of the Kabbalah is a type of code taking the terms literally cuases distortions and misunderstanding. In this taldk we are going to examine the true meanings of the terms,"life:" and "judgement" and the role of the Shofar in bringing blessing and compassion to the world.
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Changing our outlook on Rosh HaShanah
Do you feel upset and anxious when it comes around to the High Holy days? So many of us do. Many of the symbols associated with Rosh HaShanah, the Book of Life, the day of Judgement have been distorted over the centuries. Now with our knowledge of Kabbalah we can learn what “life” really is and how the shofar is the instrument of compassion.
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The ten days of Teshuvah

Teshuvah- Coming back to our true selves
We are now in the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when the theme of Teshuvah reaches its height. Teshuvah is a God-given gift to us calling us back, showing us the way home. Often translated as repentance it really means "returning to our inner selves".
By the Sages, the term Teshuvah not only describes a state of mind of regret when we wish make amends, but it is also also used to describe a higher state of spiritual consciousness than we had previously attained. So the question we need to ask is, how is achieving a higher consciousness considered a "return"?
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Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement

The Inner Essence of Yom Kippur
What does atonement really mean? Forgiving the hurts that others have done us somehow contradicts our sense of natural justice. Equally, what do I have to do make amends when I feel guilty and ashamed of mistakes I have made? Learn how the service of Yom Kippur itself give us valuable clues on these important issues and actually cleanses us for the New Year.
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From the depths I call on You
The psalmist calls out to God from the depths of his heart.  We too access those depths on Yom Kippur . The Zohar explores the meaning of depth and teaches how Return and  Forgiveness  were given as a gift by God before even Man was created. 

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Yom Kippur : A chance to reclaim our true identity
Which is the real me? We have a body of skin, bones, muscles, etc., that is given life by the nefesh behami the animal soul. Within this there is the point source of the holy soul, the neshamah which is part of the essence of God. On Yom Kippur we have the opportunity to release this precious part of ourselves from the bondage of the animal soul and its confusing behaviour and rediscover our real selves.
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Succot

Succot and the Clouds of Glory
The children of Israel were given three gifts to protect them through the travails of the wilderness. Manna from heaven, Miriam's well and the clouds of Glory. The clouds of Glory have the same essence of that of Aaron the priest, the sephirah of lovingkindness, and this is the same light we attract to ourselves when we sit in the succah. The shade provided by the succah is that of the shelter of faith and this gives us faith for the new Year now open to us . 
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Chanukah

Chanukah: The triumph of the soul over the ego
Rabbi Ashlag teaches that a human being is a small world, implying  that every event in the outside world may be reflected within us.  Within us we have the elements of the Chanukah story: the Greek and the Jew, the way of  the rational vs. faith.

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Chanukah: The miracle
Rabbi Ashlag asks, "What is a miracle? and in his answer we find that the Chanukah lights don't just spread physical light but they point the way for our own personal miracle too. Spirtual exile and the miracle of spiritual redemption is the message of Chanukah in our own lives 
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Tu B'Shvat: New Year for Trees

"And a Man is as a tree of the field"
One of the foundations of the learning of Rabbi Ashlag's Kabbalah as a system of inner work is that all that is told in the Scripture is applicable within the human being. So " A Man is like a tree of the field." is not just a nicesounding phrase but may be used to llok at our purpose and our path. A letter written by Rabbi Ashlag to his students illustrates just how to do this
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Purim

The joy of expecting Purim
We are now in the beginning of the month of Adar, the month in which Purim takes place. This is the month in which we increase our joy. But people don’t feel happy or feel sad without a reason. Happiness is not a feeling one can fake or force. We tend to feel happy or sad depending on events. We can’t feel feelings just because we are told to! So it’s clear that the Sages of the Talmud intended the increase in our simchah in our joy to relate to an inner joy, something more connected with our inner being. …
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The basis of true joy
The Sages have taught that when the month of Adar comes in we increase our joy. They  are referring to the happiness of being in unity with the Creator.
However to feel the presence of the Creator in our lives we need to first feel how empty our lives are when we don't feel in connection with Him, otherwise we do not appreciate what we are given. Feeling happy and feeling empty are two opposite states of being.

From an article by Rabbi Baruch Shalom Ashlag z''l
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Until we don't know! 
The essence of Purim is its light. What is the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai? Finding the Mordecai (and the Haman) inside oneself and really celebrating the light of Purim!
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