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Theme
16 shiurim
51:29The inner life of machshava — how thought works in the soul, its power to shape our inner world, and how to elevate and guard it.
The opening of the maamar Hayosheves Baganim — the soul as the beloved 'who sits in the gardens,' and the yearning between G-d and the Jewish people.
An introduction to the four spiritual worlds — Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah — and how this ladder of creation descends from the infinite light of G-d.
Continuing the maamar — the gardens of Torah and tefillah in which the soul dwells, and how the Divine voice calls to be heard.
Continuing through the four worlds — how each world is a garment and a filter for Divine light, and what that teaches us about our own inner structure.
The longing of the soul in exile and the ways it seeks reunion with its Source.
The world of Beriah and the realm of the intellect and the soul — how thought and comprehension mirror a whole spiritual world.
The world of Yetzirah and the realm of emotion — how the middos of the soul correspond to a world of formation.
How the friends 'listen to your voice' — the interplay of the soul, the angels, and the Divine desire to hear the voice of Israel.
The world of Asiyah — action and the physical world — and how the lowest world becomes the ultimate purpose: a dwelling place for G-d below.
The culmination of the maamar — 'flee, my beloved' — the soul's plea to hasten the redemption and the revelation of the final geulah.
Drawing the four worlds together — how a person ascends and unifies the worlds through Torah, tefillah, and refining the physical world around them.
Elul is the month of Teshuvah, when 'the King is in the field' and closeness is made easy. It is a time of cheshbon hanefesh — taking stock of the soul — in preparation for the Yamim Noraim.
Tishrei, the head of the year, is satiated with holy days — Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkos and Simchas Torah. Its sign is the scale of Divine judgment, and its inner theme is Teshuvah, the soul's return to its Source.
Cheshvan, the only month with no holidays, is the month of bringing Tishrei's light into ordinary life. As the eighth month it is the month of the supernatural — the month of Moshiach and the future third Temple.