It’s true that when the month of Menachem Av arrives we lessen our joyous activities and emotions due to the mourning period of the Nine Days leading up to the fast of the 9th of Av.
Right in the middle of the Nine Days is a ray of shining light – the hilulah/yahrzeit of the holy Arizal.
I am sharing with you something that was sent to me anonymously on the yahrzeit {5 Av). [See below].
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Tsfat, taught in the Ari Sefardi synagogue on the yahrzeit, that the main power of the Ari was his ability to see past the facade and see the essence of every single thing. The ideas below are a way to abstract from the Kabbalistic teachings and turn them into real-life lessons.
Even though you are receiving this after the date, these are lessons that we can take with us for the entire year.
I spent half the day of the yahrzeit at the Ari’s gravesite and brought the prayers from hundreds of people from around the world. I prayed for all the Ascent family, including our teachers, staff, our faithful donors, and all who are connected to Ascent.
May the merit of the Ari help us to advance in our lives and our mission.
Eighteen inspirational ideas from the teachings of the Ari.
- Concealment is for the sake of disclosure.
- Shattering is for the sake of rectification.
- Things are meant to be broken.
- Intention of the heart is essential.
- Darkness reveals more light.
- Everything is elevating.
- Doubt is loftier than certainly.
- Severity reveals more than simplicity.
- Broken things themselves become the fixed lights that stand to be revealed.
- Secrecy is essential and not incidental
- The part contains the whole.
- Unconditional joy is the key.
- Each moment is a new reality.
- The vessels themselves are light.
- The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Things are always already split.
- Part of us will always be unknown.
- Fullness and lack are relative.