In this week’s Zohar, there is a very sad commentary from Rav Ashlag. Many of you know that over the past few years we have been able to receive more of the original writings of Rav Ashlag. There is much to be learned, not only from the teachings, but also from the way his life went and the challenges he had.

It’s hard to explain all the details of this, but unfortunately, even when Rav Ashlag’s writings were printed in Hebrew, we are now discovering that much of the meaning behind it has been altered by the change of a word or a phrase. And it is true that when you change a word or phrase, you can gut the meaning of a teaching. We also find that in some of the writings that were published, some of the meanings were taken out. Now, because we have the merit to have the original writings, we have a much fuller, more complete Light.

In the Zohar, in the first few section, Rav Ashlag has a very lengthy explanation in almost every second paragraph. When kabbalists write, it is not just for themselves, but for the world. At the beginning of Parashat Noach, he writes as a footnote: unfortunately, because there are so many expenses, we cannot afford both the paper and ink to write lengthy commentaries. He says that places where the need is not terribly great, to explain: I’ll just translate into Hebrew with a few short words of explanation. These small words, if it’s in the middle, small letters; if it’s afterward, big letters.

The type of Light that was withheld from the world — because Rav Ashlag did not having the money to buy paper and ink to write the commentaries — should awaken within us appreciation, and we would hope that in the generations down from us that nobody has to say there was something not done because of anything physical or even spiritual lack.

It was not a coincidence that in this month, in this Parashah, Rav Ashlag realized that even as he was doing his great work in revealing the Zohar to the world, that the world was still not ready. Therefore, he didn’t have the physical ability to complete this revelation.

This is a link to a preview of my Chanukah video.

click here to get the full video - Getting Chanukah

An important idea for us to remember on Shabbat concerns global warming: they say the only reason why the city of New York is livable, despite the terrible things going into the air, is because the trees of Central Park have the ability to clean the air. I was thinking about this yesterday, certainly for those of us making the connection of Shabbat Noach. Why is it so important for us, a few hundred people, or even just one person? Why is it important to connect to the Light of Shabbat and to grow every week?

Then I understood that every one of us are like the trees in Central Park. When we not only connect, but every week strengthen our connection, we are literally taking the chaos and pain in this world, and through the greater connection we are dampening it or removing it.

When we come to Shabbat, we receive a certain level of the tremendous Light available in this 25 hours. But we are not doing it for ourselves. The gift of Shabbat gives us the ability to take in a little of the pain in this world and transform it. The mercy that comes on this Shabbat is that everyone of us is a channel to act like the trees in Central Park, to take some of that chaos, that darkness, and literally transform it.

It changes our experience of Shabbat from one that is personal to one that is global, one that is more sharing. We know that our connection to the reading is not only to influence ourselves, but also to be the machines that influence the world, taking the chaos and transforming it into Light.

Today we launched tv.kabbalah.com…

The new TV.Kabbalah.com website is up and running.
Let me know what you think.

I first want to share something that I hope everybody has already heard. For those of you who have seen the Cheshvan Rosh Chodesh video, we had a tape of the Rav talking. I hope those of you who did not see it will get a copy. We are working on the process of getting many of the old tapes of the Rav edited so everyone around the world can have access and study from the Rav. This Rosh Chodesh, the Rav said many things about Cheshvan. We know it’s not coincidental that Cheshvan begins with the reading of Noach.

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