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and the hauntingly beautiful Kabbalistic poem “Yedid Nefesh.” another, and five curtains attached to one another. You
The Kabbalat Shabbat service reaches its climax with the singing shall make loops of turquoise wool at the edge of the
of “Lechah Dodi,” whose words express the great love of the people single curtain at the end of one set, and you shall make
of Israel, the groom, for the Shabbat bride. All these expressions of the same on the edge of the outermost curtain on the
devotion convey the intense love between God and Israel and it is second set. Fifty loops shall you make on the first curtain
from the love between God and Israel that He communicates with and fifty loops shall you make on the end of the curtain
us. that is on the second set; the loops shall correspond to one
another. You shall make fifty hooks of gold, and you shall
attach the curtains to one another with the hooks, so that
the Tabernacle shall become one. (Exodus 26:1-6)

£Inherent UnityInherent UnityInherent Unity As the text clearly states, the purpose of the corresponding fifty
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loops on the two sets of curtains, which were to be connected by fifty
gold hooks, was “so that the Tabernacle shall become one.” Rabbi
The Hebrew root for the word “Kabbalah” means receive, connoting Ginsburgh teaches that this is in essence the purpose of Kabbalah –
the received body of Jewish mystical tradition, the sod, handed to reveal the correspondences between objects, entities, and events
down from generation to generation. Since this body of wisdom was on manifold levels until the essential unity underlying all reality can
transmitted from teacher to student orally, and for much of history be perceived. The study of Kabbalah makes us sensitive and aware of
secretly and to the chosen few, this name is very appropriate. Yet, the connection and ultimate harmony between physical and spiritual,
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh teaches that this same root also means form and substance, cause and effect, plurality and singularity.
“to parallel” or “to create [or recognize] correspondences.” This Learning to see the connections, associations, and the manifold levels
meaning of the word, he teaches, sheds light on the very essence of of symbolism in the Torah text, the essence of the PaRDeS model of
what Kabbalah attempts to reveal and achieve The Hebrew root word study, allows us to then apply that way of thinking to the way we see
for “Kabbalah,” in fact, appears in the Torah only in the context of the world and how we make sense of our own lives.
making correspondences and not in its other meaning of receiving. The Tabernacle had to be connected in such a way so that it
We are taught that the context in which a word or root word first became one because God’s description of the Tabernacle makes this 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 9 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Magenta #24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 9 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 9 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Black 24107-EYAL - 24107
appears in the Tanach defines its very nature and meaning. The a prerequisite for it to fulfill its function: “They will make for Me
Hebrew root for Kabbalah appears for the first time in the portion a Sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8). God’s
of Terumah and by examining this context, we can reveal the root oneness is only truly revealed in a place of oneness and unity.
word’s deeper nature: Similarly, the awesome revelation of God at Mount Sinai could only
occur because the people arrived at Mount Sinai “like one person
You shall make the Tabernacle of ten curtains – twisted with one heart”.
linen with turquoise, purple and scarlet wool – with a The study of Kabbalah reveals the inherent unity between all
woven design of cherubim shall you make them. The things and, especially, to use the Zohar’s terminology, the connection
length of a single curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and between God, the Torah, and Israel. Where there is unity there is love
the width for each curtain four cubits, the same measure and Kabbalah promotes a deep love of God and of all His creation.
for all the curtains. Five curtains shall be attached to one
Significantly, according to Rashi, the Tabernacle was made out of

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