The Mikvah of the Arizal - Rabbi Yitzchak Luria - Mystic: Why I Took This Photo

The picture may look a little dreary for some, but that's only because many are not aware of what they are looking at. I guess that's a little like someone involved in mining who seems to only see dirt - and then all of a sudden realises that while it may look like a lot of dirt - when one looks and searches, one finds gold and diamonds all around one! It's about putting aside the outward appearance and instead, focusing on what the treasure in front of us actually is!

Here I was in the holy city of Safed in Israel. Nobody who values this pool of water can be in Safed and not immerse in it... 

Here lies the Mikvah of the Arizal - Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-1572). This is the very place that he would immerse in to purify his body every day. Rabbi Yitzchak Luria was one of the key rabbis involved in transmitting the authentic teachings of kabbalah to us - until today. His teacher was no less than Elijah the Prophet himself. While there will always be pessimists who consider that ridiculous, a sampling of his work is enough for anyone to realise that it is simply not possible for a person of flesh and blood to express himself in such a way - and in so doing, teach the most hidden secrets of Creation and life, unless of course there was someone from a far superior realm guiding him. Indeed - this was Eliyahu (Elijah) the Prophet! We may as well mention that when it came to teaching the Baal Shem Tov - Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem (1698-1760) - the secrets of Torah, it was Achiya HaShiloni - the teacher of Elijah the Prophet - who taught him! 

In the world of Torah, there is nothing strange about what lies hidden from the human eye. Just because a blind man cannot see, does not mean that physical human beings do not exist. There are certainly others who do see them. For those who purify themselves sufficiently, they too may be privy to the experiences of visions in seeing and learning from the Maggidim - the Angels from on High, from the souls of those who have already left this world, as well as from the great Prophets themselves...

The Mikvah is one the most mysterious of creations that God has blessed us with. Herein lies parts of the mysteries of birth. Just as the baby will find itself immersed in the womb, surrounded by water, so too is the Mikvah a womb for the "bigger" body to immerse itself in - in order to return to that womb, and to start life again, so to speak. Water has always carried with it that description, that property of purity. In fact the body itself is composed of some 73% water! Water is life! When feeling exhausted, it is to water that we will turn to refresh ourselves again! It is the most keen component in a healthy lifestyle. Drink water - and lots of it - every day! 8 glasses? Go for 12 - every single day! Our bodies love water, and it is the most basic of all healthy diets in order to keep the body working at its very very best! Without it, dehydration occurs, loss of energy, and simply an inability to do anything. One cannot survive in this physical for too long without re-hydrating ourselves!

Just as water absorbed into the internal part of the body has the effect of purifying one - so too does water when it is applied to the outside of the body. Yet again, after a hard day of work, after a workout, after just about any physical activity - a well earned shower and bath is taken by us all. The warm (or cool) water refreshes us yet again making us feel ready to start life again, or to just relax, feeling just wonderful!

The most mysterious of water is that that is completely natural - untouched by human hands! This is the water from the clouds - rain! It is God's own direct source of purity which He sends to us regularly - without which we would die! Once that water is handled by man, however, it does indeed lose something of its purity. So the Torah instructs us, that in the making of a system of water that will bring the highest levels of purity to us, we must make a Mikvah!

The Mikvah is a completely natural body of water made according to the strict laws as set down in the Shulchan Aruch - the Jewish work of law par excellence. After preparing a hole in the ground, one waits for the rain to fill it up. It is this water that will bring purity in the spiritual sense of the word - to the person who immerses inside it! Modern Mikvaot do not work in this exact way - but rather, they have a pool specially attached to the natural body of water, with an opening that connects the two. As long as the opening is open, then even the man-made pool connects to the holiness from the original water. If it is closed however, it is simply a man-made pool! That water is cleaned out regularly to keep the Mikvah clean and hygienic. The original rain-water however remains in the hole originally prepared.

Another type of Mikvah is a natural spring. After all, what can be more natural in terms of water than water which flows from a natural spring - with no human intervention at all?! While it is not always easy to get to a natural spring, there are indeed some around, and then there are those who use them! The Mikvah pictured in the image above is indeed from a natural spring. The water has flowed from the snow coming from the mountains - already for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Due to this, the water is absolutely freezing and immersing for even the most minimum of time is an experience one will never forget! Not all Mikvaot are like this however. Modern Mikvaot are warmed up through permissible means. Tradition has it that one who immerses in the Mikvah of the Ari will certainly do Teshuvah (he will repent from all his sins) before he dies - a very meritorious thing to do!

A story is told that when the Arizal died, as is the custom that a Jewish body be immersed in a Mikvah before burial - they took his body for immersion right here... When they placed the body inside, the body began to move on its own, and the Arizal immersed himself, by himself...

The Arizal would immerse in this Mikvah daily - even when he was very sick, suffering from a stomach problem, though his mother had constantly warned him not to immerse due to his bad health. He died at the young age of just 38! This is the very same Mikvah one can immerse in today! Not only the Arizal, but hundreds of thousands of people - some of them the greatest giants of the Torah world in every aspect of Torah - have immersed in that very pool! It is an awesome experience to immerse there - as one contemplates just how many people have stood in that exact spot - the greatest of giants of every generation! It must surely add to the holiness!

It is a Mitzvah for a woman to immerse in a Mikvah once a month i.e. when she has her menstrual cycle. This is the only time she needs to immerse. Men have the custom to immerse in a Mikvah before Rosh HaShanah - the New Year - and the day before Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. Yet others are careful to immerse once a week on the eve of the Sabbath day. Yet others - especially Chassidim and those who immerse themselves for their studies of kabbalah - will immerse themselves every single day, every morning before the morning prayers (Shacharit). 

There are other important times that a man should immerse as well (contact me for more details.)

In summary: The Mikvah is a pool of natural water. The water purifies a person spiritually from any type of spiritual impurity he may have - as he immerses himself, his entire body without any intervening substance whatsoever (including watches, jewlry or even dirty nails etc.) completely naked in one-go into the "womb" of life, emerging completely purified, to begin his service of serving God again, as if he were a new-born baby. When immersing, his body should be relaxed with his fingers opened slightly so that the water will reach every place of the body. His eyes may be closed gently and he should not hold on to anything inside the pool while immersing.

This picture is the Mikvah that was used by the Arizal himself, and it stands out as a reminder of how important it is for a man to immerse regularly. Those who wish to study the secrets of Torah (Kabbalah) should not do so under any circumstances if they do not immerse in a Mikvah regularly (every single day.) The experience is refreshing, rejuvenating, cleansing and purifying. Anyone doing so regularly will begin to feel like there is a whole different way of life, a newness to everything, and a clarity in one's way of thinking (even!)

Immersing in a Mikvah is for me - one of the most important parts of the day. It somehow gives a charged-start to all of my activities!

You can purchase this picture here, print it out and contemplate some of these thoughts whenever you look at it - or meditate on your own thoughts. If you have never been to a Mikvah before, do it today! If you have, but don't do so regularly - make a new start! And if you do go regularly - you are truly blessed!

By purchasing one of my pictures, or booking a time to learn with me online, or making a donation, you are not just taking a part in supporting a Torah scholar, but you are assisting a Jew to be able to live while giving him the opportunity to continue his own learning in Torah. Be a part of it - today!

The Man in Purple - Praying at the Kotel - Why I Took This Photo

I'm constantly fascinated by the different types of people who come to pray at the Kotel - the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Here was someone who surely stood out from the crowd. It seems like most of us might think the "royal purple" garments worn by this man would not be the norm for the type of garments we would wear on a daily basis. However, here he is - standing at the holiest site in the world pouring his heart out to his Creator. It makes no difference if he is Jewish or not - here is a man in need of having his prayers answered. He too contains within himself a spark of Godliness in need of redemption.

You may have seen my previous post about a man who had come to pray at the Kotel, and wondered why I would post another such similar image. In truth, however, the images are completely different. The garments worn by the two men are certainly different - but more importantly, their prayers are different. Most of us would not consider this. We are too distracted by the physical... We would see two people standing at the same place and assume things to be the same. We would make judgments about their garments... but this is not what prayer is all about, this is not what a soul is all about. In fact, this is not what life is all about.

When God created His world, He filled it with an infinite array of creatures - many of which we have never seen in our lives before, and many which we never will. To the scuba-diver who finds himself deep below in the hidden waters concealed from the average person, life is quite different. There, he/she finds himself/herself amongst creatures which most will never come to see. With modern technology, the average person has been privy to worlds unseen... To the astronaut thousands of kilometres above the Earth's surface - he too sees worlds that most will never see. With modern technology, the average person has again been privy to seeing sights he would never see in his ordinary life.

Just as these people are privy to worlds unseen by the average person - so too are there other worlds which none of us might even be aware... but they are there.

Hidden, in the deepest resources of these worlds, is what goes on in the mind of a person. Here, one will find the deepest of thoughts that each of us has - which others will never see. Here, one will see the fear and the love one has for God too. While on the outside, we may all look the same - save for perhaps the different external garments we wear, on the inside, our worlds differ from each other as do the colours black and white. 

Indeed the Baal Shem Tov asks - Why is Kabbalah called the hidden wisdom? Those who wish to learn the mystical aspects of Torah are welcome to go into any well-shelved Jewish book store and purchase books on every subject of mysticism from the theory to the practical... Anyone with a good knowledge of Hebrew can read these books in the original and learn the apparent "hidden wisdom". The Baal Shem Tov answers that Kabbalah is based on two foundations which are hidden - the love of God and the fear of God. These emotions are hidden within every person and differ from one to the next. Whereas everyone may observe the Shabbat day, eat Kosher, wear Tefillin (for men) etc. everyone will do so with their own feelings... and it is this that is hidden. The mystic will achieve his closeness to the Creator not because of the books he reads, but because of his emotions as he cleaves to his Creator in ecstasy and trembling. To the outside observer however, none will know... because in Kabbalah, everything is hidden... The reader (only) of such books will never grasp the essence of the study, because without the "hidden," it really is all hidden. Much like the fool who picks a beautiful flower from the garden thinking that he does so because of how much love he has towards it - yet immediately brings it to a state of death(!) - so too the student of kabbalah and the "practitioner" who attempts to study it after having uprooted it from its Source, and his lacking all fear and love of the entire Torah.

Here - a man stands praying. He wears particular - unique external garments, and those watching may well make their own judgments. However, when it comes to God, it is not the outside which attracts His attention, it is the inner world of each of us. He has created it, but it is we who bring it out from potential into reality. 

Our obligation is to look beyond the facade - beyond the veneer of the other (and even of ourselves!) Our obligation is to see the beauty of the external - even if it appears so different to our own, and thereafter to penetrate to the inner and to realise just how different it is from the other.

Our two men praying may look similar - as far as ordinary appearances may go. After all, they both stand at the same place. They may seem to be praying and talking to their Creator. Inside, however, they are completely different. They are celebrating being themselves in their very own way. Their external garments are merely a sign of something they feel close to in terms of physical garments. They have chosen those garments because it makes them feel the way they'd like to - physically. The garments express something about their inner selves, much like a doctor wears particular garments, a soldier wears others and a policeman wears yet another type of uniform - each expressing who they are at that point in time. Their inner garments - of thought, speech and action - are however most different.

When we stand watching over others, no matter how different they may seem, we must be aware that there is something they all share. They all come from the Highest of Roots of Creation, their souls having traveled into their bodies to express themselves differently, to offer something unique to the world. They may show their uniqueness through their external garments, but for us, we must look deeper than the external. We must realise that they too have their own desires, wishes and mostly needs in life. We must value them for that. We must realise, they too pray for the things they need. 

We respect them for who they are, because no matter how different the external seems from what we might be used to, hidden inside all of that, rests a soul with its own struggles, its own pain and its own connection with its Creator. Its own love and its own fear.

Purple? Even Mordechai the Jew wore purple (Esther 8:15) at the end of the story of Purim. The Wall is the same for everyone. The Creator is the same Creator for all. Now, it is up to realise, that no matter how much the scene may look the same - everything is different. Everything is unique.

You can purchase this picture here, print it and consider the thoughts included here - or add your own - as you consider the beauty of life.

The Cave of Machpelah - Hebron - Why I Took This Photo

The Cave of Machpelah... One of the most mysterious places in the world. The very architecture of the building that rests upon the Cave (under the ground) gives the picture a completely esoteric - perhaps magical - majestic look. Built by King Herod some 2000 years ago, the building adds to the awe of what really lies beneath it...

This is the place that Abraham purchased as a burial ground for his wife Sarah over 3500 years ago... and it would be the same place he would be buried. Isaac was buried there too - with his wife Rebecca. Here, Jacob is buried too with his wife Leah... but his other wife Rachel is buried on the way to Beit Lechem. The head of Esau can be found in this cave as well... Most mysteriously of all, it is here that the very first two people of Creation are buried - Adam and Chava (Eve). It is a place filled with holiness and the deepest of mysteries. It is said that it is the entrance to the Garden of Eden...

When one enters the Ulam Yitzchak (the Hall of Isaac), a section open only at certain times to the Jewish world - one will also see a structure built over a small sealed hole. Here is the entrance to the caves themselves... They say that the winds of the Garden of Eden can be felt here - and it is especially auspicious to recite one's petitions by whispering them at the entrance of the hole...

Let us always remember - we are not praying to the Garden of Eden. We are not praying to the stones in the building. We are certainly not praying to Adam or Eve - or any of the Forefathers. We are praying in a place of holiness - because the souls of the people buried in this place lived especially holy lives - their lives being dedicated to God. The place in physical terms has a spiritual counterpart. We are a part of this physical/spiritual holiness that exists in this place - and we direct our prayers from this point - much like an arrow shot directly through a perfectly straight tube would more likely hit the target to which the tube was actually touching - more so than an arrow shot without being directed through the tube - and at a great distance away from the target.

Here in Hebron - a place of holiness, we pray. Here, in the location closest to these souls - we pray. Our prayers directed to God - the Creator - who can supply all our needs. We are joined - much like the arrow shot through a narrow tube with its very end touching the target point!

A famous story speaks about Rabbi Avraham Azulai retrieving the sword of the Sultan which had fallen into this hole - lying closest to the actual graves of the holy souls (or bodies at least!) buried there.. More of the story can be found at The Fallen Sword of the Sultan. The Sultan's soldiers who had been sent down to retrieve the sword had died on their attempts to obtain it... When Hebron was liberated (see previous post - Hebron Day - 50th Anniversary of Liberation) 50 years ago, Moshe Dayan - Minister of Defense, sent a young girl named Michal down the hole to find out what lay beneath it - inside the actual caves. More of this story can be found out here.

Hebron is one of the 4 holy cities of the Land of Israel, the other three being Jerusalem, Tiberies and Safed.

I have personally been to Hebron (the Cave of Machpelah) numerous times. It is most special to be able to stand in such proximity to these holy souls who had once walked in the very places I have stood. Here, one's prayers are especially powerful being so close to the gates of the spiritual worlds open to the words being spoken.

You can find out more about this holy place by seeing Cave of Machpelah on the Wikipedia.

I keep this very picture on my fridge in the form of a fridge magnet - so that whenever I need something to eat - I always remind myself of this beautiful and special place! These magnets are available from us directly for those interested, and for those wishing to purchase this picture, or see some of my others, you can do so right here. Please support me in the work I do. Thanks!

A Man Prays at the Kotel - Why I Took This Photo

The Kotel (the Western Wall in Jerusalem - also known as the Wailing Wall) is that one special place in the world that it seems the entire world cannot run away from. They are forever streaming towards its holiness - from everywhere!

Here is the place where there had once stood the two holy Temples - the first built by King Solomon himself! It was the place in which the Divine Presence would manifest Itself. Of course, the Divine Presence is everywhere - but were It to expose Itself to everyone at every one period of time - we would all expire into ecstatic union with It. Much like a person cannot look into the sun directly without turning blind - unless he would wear strong sunglasses, so too would it be impossible for the soul in a body to perceive the light of Divinity without some sort of protection. Therefore God created a world where His Presence would be hidden from everyone - with just enough light allowed so as to allow for existence to feel itself as having its own nature - as if it is itself only - detracting from the point, that everything is included in the One. When the moment comes however - this will change, and all of creation will perceive the Light - with souls included in their bodies... 

Nevertheless it was still His will to allow His existence to be perceived in at least one location in a world made of time-space. This place would be built physically by Man (though it is certain that miracles must surely have occurred to allow for the building of this splendid Palace.) No metal instruments were used in its building - because how can one allow that which is used to destroy (to kill) in building something made to build, to create and to bless - something that is for life? For this purpose, the Creator had made a creature in the world known as the Shamir. It was a very small worm, but it had a miraculous ability to cut through the hardest of stone without barely even touching the stone. It was an amazing creature - created for just this purpose. Its whereabouts today are either not known - or perhaps it has disappeared from all existence... 

Here, in this Palace that He allowed us to build - He would allow his Presence to be perceived. Depending on the location within it, His Presence would be perceived even more... until ultimately culminating in the Holy of Holies - a place where only the High Priest would be permitted to enter - just once a year - in the utmost of purity - in every respect. This would be on the holiest day of the year - Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. Here, the High Priest would perceive the highest levels of Divinity. Perhaps we can safely say that only the Kohein Gadol (the High Priest) could actually ever know what that experience must have been like - since after all - nobody else would enter... 

The Babylonians destroyed the First Temple made by King Solomon. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70CE. One wall - however - remained. It is this wall that people from all over the world come to pray - because they know that it is here that the Divine Presence rests. It has never really left this place. It is a place of prayer - it always will be. Everyone comes to pray... men, women, children. Those who are Jewish - and those who are not. In fact, one should not be surprised to find out that many non-believers have stood at this very "Wall" lacking any belief in a soul of any kind - only to walk away feeling rejuvenated, believing in a Creator and having a desire to come closer to understanding more about themselves, their souls, and the meaning of life... 

Here, a man has come to pray. I don't know if he is Jewish or not but his stance tells me he is need of answers. His body language is enough to tell me he feels frustrated. He is need of salvation! He has realised that some places are holier than others - and if he is to pray in the strongest way possible - then he has come to the right place! He may well pray in his own bedroom at any time he wants - or his own private temple - wherever that might be... but he has chosen to pray in a place which maintains its holiness always. He knows that here - he may pour out his heart. Here - his prayers will be heard. The answer may not always be yes - but his prayers will be heard. He knows the value of this place. Surely so - or else, he would not be here. 

It is not the stones to which he prays. In fact, it is not even to the outside section of this wall that he prays. Rather, his mind cleaves to the Presence of Divinity that rests here. The holy section really rests on the other side of this wall - but it has been destroyed! Perhaps - he may even be considering how he too would like to see the building built up again as it was once before in all its glory - where all prayer was answered in the best possible way - in ways of revelation, visibility and manifestation... 

This is the Kotel - the Western Wall - located in the holy city of Jerusalem in the Land of Israel. It is a place for everyone to come to and to pour their hearts out in prayer. There is no discrimination against anyone - for every soul needs its needs taken care of. Every soul wishes to cleave to Divinity. Every soul desires Life - Ecstasy - Expiration! Here at the Kotel - one can feel it! One must be sensitive to it, prepared for it, and willing to give in, to nullify oneself. 

This man has done so. He is willing to acknowledge his need in a Higher Being than himself. 

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A Torah Scroll - Why I Took This Photograph

This picture was taken by me years ago at a Barmitzvah (when a Jewish boy turns 13) at the Kotel (the Western Wall in Jerusalem.)

To me, the Torah represents the ultimate guide-book for a Jew. But more than that - it represents the guide-book for all humanity, because inside it one will find not just the history of the world - starting from what some would call the Big-Bang (managed and orchestrated by the Creator of all existence and which might otherwise be called the "Tzimtzum"), but also the most moral of values for all humanity to follow. The Jewish people have been given 613 main commandments to follow. When the Torah was given to the Jewish people - publicly with some 3 million people present - in addition to these commandments, 7 commandments were given to all of mankind. In fact, hidden inside those "small" 7 commandments - one will find the essence of all moral values in life. If the world would follow just these 7 commandments, all of society would be become moral in the widest sense of the word.

So here we are - the Barmitzvah boy is standing in front of that Torah scroll - written in Hebrew - the letters used in the creation of the world. The image is taken sideways with the boy - not in the picture - on the left side of the image.

He is about to make a blessing expressing his thanks at being able to read from this scroll - over 3300 years old (and counting). It is hand-written, and the scribe must know thousands of laws in order to write it just perfectly - because if one letter is written incorrectly, or there is one letter too much - or one that is missing - the entire Torah is flawed and may not be used!

The Barmitzvah boy stands ready to embark on his beginnings into "manhood" when he will now be obligated to fulfill all the commandments of the Torah - because this is his purpose in life. His essential purpose - combined with everything he will go through and everything he will become throughout his life...

Here, in front of him - just a small area of the Torah is open. The rest of it placed on the two scrolls on either side. He will need to learn it all throughout his life - but for today - he will read just a snippet of it - something which pertains to the current period of time that he is currently in - and that is read that week.

Hidden between those two "Atzei Chaim" - "Trees of Life" (the name given to the two rods and handles which hold the scroll and allow it to move from one side to the other) one will find every single secret of creation. Of Creation (sic.)

To the one who does not read Hebrew - it looks like blotches of pictures. To the one who can read, but does not understand - it just a collection of garbled sounds. To the one who understands the words - it is a story of sorts...

But to the one who looks deeper, he/she will see that herein lies the secrets of Creation - the secrets of the Soul. The revealed world and the hidden worlds. Herein lies our connection with all of Creation and the Creator Himself... Everyone of us...

This is the Torah. This is what I see in this photo.

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G-d's Amazing World... in Pictures

One can find the most beautiful words in the Torah that describe the beauty of G-d's world. That does not detract from our obligation each day to look around us - at the beauty of the sky, the grass, the sea and everything of nature. Could anything other than G-d have created this? G-d invests Himself... clothes himself in it all. He is there too. Open your eyes and appreciate the beauty of what G-d has given us. Be filled with awe. Be filled with love. Let it inspire you to want to do another Mitzvah, another act of goodness and kindness. And know... that through this small movement of bringing additional light into the world, you literally add to another beautiful piece of G-d's Art.

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