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Orchard of Delights
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh – one of the greatest living teachers of
Kabbalah and Chassidut, he has authored over ninety books on
a wide range of subjects. Many of his books synthesize Torah
and Kabbalah wisdom with the secular sciences and arts.
Rambam – see Maimonides.
Ramban – see Nachmanides.
Rashi – Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known by the acronym Rashi. He
lived (1040-1105) in France and was one of the most important
and prolific commentators in the last thousand years. His
commentaries on the Bible and Talmud are still studied and
universally admired.
Rebbe Nachman (1772-1811) – the great-grandson of the Ba’al Shem
Tov; the author of the Chassidic classic Likutei Moharan and
teller of many of the most famous Chassidic allegorical stories
for which the movement is known. He is buried in Uman,
Ukraine; every year on Rosh Hashanah tens of thousands of
his followers gather to be near his grave.
Remez - the deeper meaning, alluded to or hinted at by the text.
Rosh Chodesh – “the new moon”; the first day of the month,
celebrated as the Festival of the New Moon.
Ruach – “spirit”; the second ascending level of soul, associated with
the emotions; also means wind, and is the root of the Hebrew
word for spirituality (ruchniyut).
Ruach hakodesh – Divine inspiration (literally “holy spirit”); an
inspired state of consciousness.
Safed – (Hebrew: Tzfat); one of Israel’s four “holy cities,” along
with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias. Situated in the high
mountains of the Galilee, Safed has a special mystical ambience
that has drawn scholars and mystics throughout the ages. In
the 1500s it became an especially strong magnet for Jewish
mystics, and it is best known for the great Kabbalists who lived
and taught there during this period, including the Arizal.
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Sages – the collective term for the Rabbis who taught, organized,
and eventually wrote down the oral tradition in the form of the
Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash.
Sanhedrin – the Jewish High Court of seventy-one ordained scholars
played a very important role in the life of ancient Israel. The
court convened in one of the Temple’s chambers in Jerusalem.
After the Temple’s destruction, it moved from place to place till
its disbandment in the 4 century CE.
th
Sefer Yetzirah – The Book of Formation; one of the most ancient and
influential of Kabbalistic texts, containing teachings that date
back to Abraham. According to many, it was redacted by Rabbi
Akiba in the 2 century.
nd
Sefirot – pl. of sefirah; a conduit of Divine energy or life force. The
model of the ten sefirot is one of the primary paradigms used
in Kabbalah to describe the interface between God and the
spiritual and physical worlds, as well as the construct of the
human soul.
Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah – the Noachide
laws – according to the Torah there are seven universal laws
incumbent on all humanity beginning with the time of Noah
and lasting for eternity. These include the general prohibitions
of worshiping any entity other than the One God, blasphemy,
murder, theft, adultery, and eating the flesh of a live animal.
In addition, there is the positive commandment to establish 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 21 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Magenta
courts of law to ensure the creation of a just society. #24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 21 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 21 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Black 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 21 - A
Shalem Vachetzi – “a whole and a half”; a concept developed by
Rabbi Abraham Abulafia, a twelfth century Kabbalist, pays
note to the numerical ratio of a whole number and its half,
when applied to the numerical equivalent of words and their
associated concepts.
Shechinah – “indwelling” or “Divine Presence”; this term is associated
with the “feminine” aspect of Divinity and the immanent
presence of God in the world.
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