Have an amazing Purim everyone! And let us all connect to H’Mashiach and Hashem through the concealed. It is up to us the reveal them in our lives and world, the world of Malchut. This is what the Megillah Ester and the so-called traditions (actually the technology)of Purim allows us to do. There was a wonderful extended comment at the DailyZohar.com by Chaim that I would like to shared with everyone.

One of the many things Chaim shows us is how all the sefirot (dimensions) are included in the text of the Book of Ester except the sefira of Netzach and he deftly explains why. The only thing I would add to Chaim’s article is that the word Netzach, representing the 4^th sefira, that of victory associated with Moshe Rabbeinu, is found once in the amazingly encoded Book of Ester. At Ester 6:4 it is found backwards and combined every other letter with the Name of G-d (YHVH):  HChYZVNH.  This, like all the technology built into the Megillah Ester, is no coincidence and strengthens Chaim’s learned hypothesis as G-d chose to conceal himself within Netzach. There are numerous other times throughout the reading that the names of G-d are similarly encoded within words or phrases, and it is through their ultimate revelation that the Light shines into our lives.

Chag Sameach,

Purim Sameach,

Ezra

Please read Chaim’s article in its entirety

Chaim says:

February 26, 2010 at 5:01 am

The Megilah and Kabbalistic Terminology

It is not surprising that hidden within the text of the book of Esther, one may find numerous allusions to concepts and terms which in subsequent generations were to become mainstays of Kabbalistic discourse. Aside from the importance accorded the Hebrew root of the word Kabbalah (k-b-l) itself (Esther 4:4: “And [Esther] sent garments with which to clothe Mordechai…but he did not accept (kibel) [them]“; Esther 9:23: “And the Jews accepted (kiblu) that which they had begun to do…”; Esther 9:27: “The Jews established and accepted upon themselves, and upon their seed”), we find many other significant word-roots appearing there as well.

Of the eleven names for the sefirot–the basic Divine forces of Creation–all but one explicitly appear in the book of Esther.

Keter appears in 1:11, 2:17, and 6:1;

Chochmah in 1:13 and 6:13;

Binah in 3:8; da’at in 1:13;

Chesed in 2:17;

Gevurah in 10:2;

Tiferet in 1:4;

Hod in 2:5, 3:4, et al;

Yesod in 1:8,

And malchut in 1:7,11,19 et al.

The only sefirotic term missing in the book is netzach, as we will explain further on.

No other Biblical text exhibits such a density of Kabbalistic idiom. The fact that this abundance of mystical expression coexists alongside a total absence of reference to G-d Himself can perhaps be understood by way of analogy to a panorama of stars that only becomes visible when the radiance of the sun has receded from view.

The term sefirah itself, perhaps the most basic within the lexicon of Kabbalah, finds repeated expression in this book through the related term sefer , “book” (Esther 2:23, 6:1, 10:2, 9:25, 32, et al), constructed from the same Hebrew root, s-f-r.

This root bears three distinct connotations, all of which are reflected in the meaning of the word sefirah. As an “emanation” of Divine light, the term sefirah is derived from the Biblical sapir, “sapphire,” whose brilliant radiance is associated with the heavenly throne and footstool envisioned by the prophets.

The term sefirah also alludes to a specific attribute or trait by which G-d expresses Himself in the world. As such, it reflects an additional connotation of the root s-f-r, that of “articulation,” as in the words sippur (“story”) and sefer (“book”). Unlike the transcendent association with Divine light, this aspect of the root s-f-r implies a more immediate and relatable context through which to identify with G-d.

Finally, the term sefirah often alludes to the abstract mathematical structure of Creation–as evoked by the word mispar (“number”). In this sense, the concept of sefirah is only obliquely connected to Divinity–reflecting a dimension which, albeit exquisitely abstract, attaches to the created realm itself.

The association between the term sefirah and the word sefer, which as we just saw is based upon the idea of articulation or expressiveness, is underscored by the fact that the book of Esther itself is called a megilah (“scroll”), based upon the root gilah, “to reveal.”

The physical form of the scroll itself reinforces this sense of revelation by contributing to the reader’s experience of the text as a gradually unfolding message or insight. This effect is heightened even further by the use of the sippur (“narrative medium”) as the literary format for communicating the message of the scroll. In the sippur there is a constant tension deriving from the selective revelation of certain plot-elements and not others. The gradual clarification of all the hidden aspects within a story brings with it a cathartic resolution of that tension and a much deeper connection to the literary themes evoked in the process. No other account in all of Scripture takes such full advantage of the narrative medium as the story of Esther.

The Kabbalistic tradition also resorts to allegorical narrative when attempting to communicate its profound truths–as such form of exposition often proves more illuminating than abstract theosophical discourse. The story of Creation and of man’s first hours in Eden provides Kabbalah with a key narrative structure for presenting the cosmic background to man’s existence. Given the connection that we have seen between the book of Esther and Kabbalistic tradition, it should not surprise us, then, that the story of Esther is in fact interpreted in Kabbalah as symbolic of the initial drama that transpired in Eden at the dawn of Creation, when the first man and woman were tempted into eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The key figures in the book of Esther are seen as representing the regenerated souls (gilgulim) of the players in that great drama, come to rectify their prior “fall.” Esther, by vanquishing the serpent Haman, provides necessary restitution for the tragic flaw in Creation engendered by her primordial ancestor, Eve.

The most frequently mentioned sefirotic term in the book of Esther is malchut. No other Biblical text contains such a concentration of references to the term malchut. Out of a total of 167 verses in the book, there are over 240 appearances of the root melech. In one verse (Esther 4:11), the word hamelech actually appears five times. In another verse (Esther 5:1), the root melech appears in variant forms a full six times! This itself is a major indication of the Book of Esther’s strong Kabbalistic character, as malchut is the key to understanding the entire drama of Creation according to the Kabbalah.

The root melech appears most often in context of the word hamelech (“the king”), referring to the Persian King Achashverosh. It is commonly explained that the various references in the book of Esther to King Achashverosh can otherwise be interpreted as veiled allusions to the King of Kings, Master of the universe. The fact that he is always referred to as hamelech (the king) would seems to corroborate this tradition. The letter hei, serving as definite article in the word hamelech, is the letter associated in Kabbalah with the sefirah of malchut–corresponding to the final hei in G-d’s essential four-letter Name.

Another indication of the Kabbalistic spirit infusing the text is the fact that the word keter (alluding to the first Divine emanation) always appears in conjunction with the word malchut (alluding to the last). The expression keter malchut (“the royal crown”) hints at a basic Kabbalistic phenomenon, described by Sefer Yetzirah in the following language: “its end (the sefirah of malchut) is enwedged in its beginning (that of keter) as its beginning is enwedged in its end.” (The introduction of the Tikunei Zohar [s.v. Patach Eliahu] also states: “the supernal keter is the keter of malchut.”)

Interestingly enough, the second most frequently mentioned sefirah in the book of Esther is hod. The relationship between hod and malchut is a very significant one, insofar as we are told in Kabbalah that ihi b’hod–”she (the sefirah of malchut) is in hod.” In the very first verse of the book, we already find an allusion to the strong association between these two terms–as it states there hu Achashverosh hamolech mehodu v’ad kush. Elsewhere (in Daniel 11:21 and I Chronicles 29:25), the two terms combine into the idiom hod malchut (“the aura of majesty”), an expression used often in addressing royalty.

The only sefirotic term missing in the book is netzach, the seventh sefirah and one which has unique relevance to the holiday of Purim at which time the events of the book of Esther are commemorated. (The Arizal states that it is on Purim that the sefirah of netzach achieves its tikkun, i.e. rectified expression.) It would thus appear that the absence of the term netzach from the text, like the absence of G-d’s Name, actually points in a paradoxical way to the term’s pervasive, and thus unrecognizable, presence throughout the book as a whole. A further indication of there being an equivalence between the term netzach and G-d’s Name is the fact that of all the names identified with the sefirot, netzach is the only one which appears in Scripture (I Samuel 15:29) as poetically descriptive of G-d Himself: Netzach Yisrael (“the Eternity of Israel”).

The essential relevance of netzach to the book of Esther derives from its dual connotation of both “victory” and “eternity.” As “victory,” netzach represents the capacity to overcome adversity. As “eternity,” it implies the capacity to even overcome the adversity of death itself. The “eternity of Israel,” and of its struggle against the nation of Amalek (their Biblical arch-enemy, representing the forces of doubt and indifference, especially with regard to faith in Divine providence), are the central themes of the book of Esther and of the Purim holiday associated with it. Our sages teach us that in Messianic times all the holidays we presently observe will be annulled except for Purim–meaning that the intensity of Divine revelation at that time will virtually blind out the significance of the other holidays, but not that of Purim. The same is said with regard to the status of the book of Esther vis-a-vis the other books of the Prophets and Ketuvim. This is actually alluded to in the book of Esther itself (9:28): “And these days of Purim shall never pass from among the Jews nor shall their commemoration ever cease from among their seed.”

The Hebrew expression lo yasuf (“shall never cease”) in the above verse recalls the term ein sof (“endlessness,” or “the Infinite One”), the idiom in Kabbalah expressing G-d’s essential existence beyond time and space. (The initial letters of ein sof, the alef and samech,are also the first two letters in Esther’s name.) It is interesting to note that we find an idiomatic expression of eternity in each of the three places where the Bible explicitly recounts the campaign against Amalek: In the Pentateuch itself, where Moses and Joshua lead the battle, we are told of “G-d’s war against Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16); in the Prophets, where Samuel contends with the Amalekite King, Agag, we encounter the Divine appelation referred to above–Netzach Yisrael, the Eternity of Israel; and in the Ketuvim, where Mordechai and Esther vanquish the Amalekite Haman, we have the expression just mentioned, lo yasuf.

Hence we see that the concept of netzach is implicit throughout the book of Esther. It can be said that it “surrounds” the book as well–for we find explicit reference to the term both before and after the book is formally read on the holiday of Purim. The prior reference appears in context of the haftarah (“appended Scriptural portion”) read on the Sabbath before the Purim holiday, in which the central verse (Samuel 15:29) reads: “Netzach Yisrael lo yeshaker”–”the Eternity of Israel does not prevaricate.” The subsequent reference appears in the short elegy, “Shoshanat Yaakov,” which is recited after the book of Esther has been read in public. The word netzach appears there twice, in the sentence that reads teshuatam hayita lanetzach (“you were their eternal salvation”) and in that which reads lo yekalmu lanetzach kol hachosim bach (“those who find refuge in You shall for all of eternity never be humiliated”).

Hence, in one form or another, all of the sefirot are hinted at in the Megillah, establishing a unique connection between this most esoteric of Scriptural texts and the Kabbalistic tradition as a whole.

Tags: Ester, megillah ester, Netzach, Purim, sefira, sefirot, teragramamton, YHVH

The Hebrew word for swine, as in swine flu, is chazir, which can also mean “it will return,” and if we permute the letters we get Raz Chai or the “secret lives.”

A little while back, we were pointing out that many of the depressing milestones of Dow Jones in the latest crises fell on or the day after major Jewish holidays, and even advised to watch out for what would happen on Purim and Pesach (Passover). Well nothing remarkable happened concerning the markets on those dates, but Purim fell in 3/09/09,or as written in Mexico and the rest of the world, 9/03/09, the day little 5 year old Edgar became the first actual case of the Mexican (swine) flu.

903, as most of you know, is the small gematria value of the 42-Letter Name of G-d, where the antidote is hidden in plain sight.

On this past Pesach, we recounted the 10 plagues and we told to remember the entire story of the exodus after the 210 years in exile in Egypt. We also know from the tzaddikim that the 10 plagues are destined to repeat in the end of days before Moshiach (the Messiah) in order to wake us up as they did our forefathers 66.6 jubilee years ago.

Genesis 2:10 “And a river came forth from Eden to water the garden…”

This is he river that sustains life spiritually and physically. This is from where our blessings flow, and as you can imagine a lot of secrets are hidden here. As the Arizal explains, nearly verbatim, the same letters that spell both ‘delight’ (oneg, ANG) also spell ‘plague’ (nega, NGA) are the initials of the 3 words for’ Eden (ADN)‘, ‘river (Nahar, NHR),’ and ‘garden (Gan, GN).’

He further explains that when delight (oneg, ANG) is of the selfish variety it gets spiritually converted to plagues (nega, NGA). What we need to do is reverse the process. This extends to all areas, but he was specifically talking about cleanliness (physical, mental, and spiritual ) in the course of sexual relations, and because of this, and because the source was water, a mikve of sorts must thus be engaged in the reversal process.

And if you recall from The Genesis Prayer, and also from some of our articles, just such a spiritual mikve (ritual cleansing bath) is found in the very center of the 42-Letter Name (Ana B’koach), at the Resh-Zadi (רצ) combination, where the supernal waters of the Well of Miriam flow. We know of many couples who have used this spiritual (virtual) mikve to conceive righteous children, and others who have used it for ruach hachodesh (divine inspiration), but today we’re concerned with protecting ourselves from the enveloping pandemic that’s quickly blanketing the world, and this Resh-Zadi (רצ) gateway/mikve is only the preparation for the actual tool.

אבגיתץ

קרעשטן

נגדיכש

בטרצתג

חקבטנע

יגלפזק

שקוצית

To the true kabbalists the letters are tools to be permuted in the right combinations to unlock myriad gates of wonder. This one found in the heart of the 42-Letter Name is to help us convert plagues into delight by neutralizing them on a spiritual level. And at the heart of the matter, and the source of plagues is zarat Ayin,צרת עינ , jealous eye, also know as evil eye since our jealousy for one another causes evil to befall us and them, and prevents us from loving our neighbor as ourselves which is the key to reaching the tree-of-life reality, the reality beyond limitations that exists once we can perceive the 10 sefirot (dimensions).

And we find just this combination of letters sequentially beginning with the Resh-Zadi (רצ) mikve combination.

And oddly enough, the Name of G-d even provides us with clues so we don’t miss it. The word Bat (בט) is concealed twice within the middle of the 42-Letter Name and the word Bat (בט) in Hebrew means to look, see, regard, or to consider.

And when we “look” what we see immediately following them the letters in zarat בטרצתג, and then right beneath them we have חקבטנע with the subsequent letter yud (י) on the next line giving us all three letters in ayin, thus giving us zarat ayin, “jealousy” delineated by the two bats (בט).

בטרצתג

חקבטנע

יגלפזק

Thus we have רצתגעני , which very simply permutes into zarat Ayin צרת עינwith the Gimmel (ג) of Gan (garden, גנ) and of Nega (גנע) and Oneg (ענג) right in the middle: .רצתגעני

Therefore, the antidote to help us fight the plague and convert it to delight is to remove jealousy from our hearts, and the tool to help us with that is

אבגיתץ

קרעשטן

נגדיכש

בטרצתג

חקבטנע

יגלפזק

שקוצית

And as in the first of the modern plagues, where compassion would have been the antidote to the housing and thus financial crisis, love is the answer here to, as the final letters in the sequence are gimmel-yud (יג), whose numerical value is 13 as in the Hebrew word for Love (ahava), which is also found in the middle of the 1st line of the 42-Letter Name, the line whose full value is 506, that of “unconditional love,” the real answer.

יגלפזק

אבגיתץ

And not coincidentally both those bats (בט) convert to gimmel-yud (יג) when one is added to the cipher.  So let’s wake up, use the tools and find it in our hearts to actually love one another and begin to live the tree-of-life reality before it’s too late.

Tags: 13. unconditional love, 210, 42-letter name, 506, 666, 903, Add new tag, Jewish holiday, jubilee years, Judaism, Mexico, mikve, miriam, Moshiach, passover, pesach, Purim, Religion and Spirituality, ruach hachodesh, Swine influenza, well of Miriam

In the Midrash Mishlei 9:2 it is said that in the future time [of Moshiach] all the festivals will be annulled except Purim.

They say the Name of G-d (YHVH) has been omitted from the Megilat Esther, but like the Torah whose sum of Yud’s (Y), Vavs(V), and Heys(H) total 90,100, as in the sum of all the positive integers from 1 to 424, the numerical value of Mashiach Ben David, so too do the letter in the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) unite within the Book of Ester.

We know all about the connections of the Torah, the Names of G-d, and the prophecies of the tzaddikim to year 5778 and the coming of Moshiach and the geula (final redemption) and we know all about the connection of the primordial mathematical constant that control spiraling growth in the universe, Phi (1.61803399) to 5778, and that the sum of the letters, verses and words in the Torah is exactly 5⁸ so how astonishing is it the Megilat Ester (The Book of Ester) has the same connecitons.

The sum of the Yud’s (Y), Vavs(V), and Heys(H) in the Megilat Esther is = (1178 + 1277 + 1116) = 3571 = exactly 5778/Phi (1.61803399…). So I guess there really was a reason for concealing the Name of G-d (YHVH) from the corruption of negative influences. Uncorrupted, the Megilat Esther, like the Torah, is imbibed with the technology to bring us together at the right time to bring about Moshiach.

And while the sum of the letters, verses and words in the Torah is exactly 5⁸, the sum of the letters, verses and words in the Megilat Esther is 3.33558⁸, with the numerical value of Mashiach being 358. And this is only the beginning…

That 3571 = exactly 5778/Phi is good because that means that all the YHV’s in the scroll of Esther = Phi¹⁷ and 17 is the value of Tov, good, the last word  in the scroll “Charvonah Tzacur L’tov.”

And there is a special place in the 10 chapters of the scroll where the 10 sons of Haman are listed and they are separated by 10 “V’Et’s” (VET) each of value 407, whose square root is 20.17424, the year 2017 CE, coupled with , the numerical value of Mashiach Ben David (424).

Tags: 3571, 358, 5778, Esther, final redemption, gematria, geula, Holidays and Observances, Judaism, Mashiach, Mashiach Ben david, mathematical constant, megilat esther, Moshiach, Phi, prophecies, Purim, Religion and Spirituality, Tetragrammaton, Torah, YHVH

The Name of G-d doesn’t blatantly appear within the Book of Ester we read each Purim. It’s encoded hundreds of times, but it doesn’t directly appear; in other words, it’s concealed. As explained by chazal, even the name Ester connotes G-d’s concealment from us as illustrated in the verse Devarim 31:18, “Anochi hastir astir panai” – “I shall surely hide My face.” In fact, the story starts off with the drunken King Ahasuerus trying to expose her beauty. And that’s the way G-d is with us. We know He’s there, his name and being interwoven in our lives and history, but his Name is always concealed. Unless we look at the spiritual and mathematical codes for his signature, He is invisible.

(Esther 1:10-12) “On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded . . . to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal . . . But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by the chamberlains.”

The Baal Shem Tov explains that Queen Ester was referred to here as Vashti because this verse refers to klippot (the evil inclination) and that spiritually she couldn’t appear naked because the klippot would have nothing to attach itself, seeing as they attach themselves to our cloths (our personal veils and agendas). As the Ball Shem Tov, of blessed memory, himself points out this is a deep secret or deep understanding.

Our essence is pure, but this is not what we put out into the world. Even our intentions many times are pure, but become polluted even before the thoughts leave our mouths. The Megilat Ester doesn’t have any revealed Names of G-d to remind us of the purity that we have within and that the real miracles come that from the blatant use of G-d’s Name, but from G-d himself. We are reminded to look at the effect, to see G-d in the miracle itself, not in the billboard proclaiming it. Once we can do that, we can then see G-d in each other, and only then see Him in ourselves.

This is also why we give the gifts of food to other Jews through a messenger on Purim: to remove our agendas from the process. And why we give charity to 2 people in need: to spread our inner light.

The whole concept as explained by the Arizal of the Book of Esther is the spiritual coupling of Zeir Anpin (the King) with the Nukva (Malchut, represented by Ester), but this cold not have been accomplished without the work of Mordechai, an incarnation of Jacob, the quintessential central column. As the saying goes, “things need to be concealed to be revealed.” Raw passion and desire is not enough; it must be channeled so that our agendas are filtered out and the spiritual light may shine through.

We dress in costumes so that we can learn to look behind the facade, behind the “mask” and “costume” others are wearing, and get drunk that night so that we forget our agendas, lose our conscious ability to see the illusions of the world. It’s at that point that we can see G-d within everyone and everything. G-d created the world for the purpose of ultimately revealing Himself in it, which is why he first be concealed; on Purim we can touch that revelation.

A Story of Revelation

The year was 1953, five years after Israel had received statehood. Joseph Stalin was planning to wipe out all of the Soviet Jewry. Also ready known for his mass genocide, he had threatened the Jewish leadership with annihilation and they begged him to send them all to Siberia instead, which would have been just a slower form of death. But on March 2nd, days away from signing the decree Stalin mysteriously took ill and died. He was most probably poisoned by his rival Beria, nevertheless, the Jews were spared. That day was Purim, 2308 years after the Jews were saved from Haman and King Ahasuerus’ decree in 355 BCE.

And interestingly enough, 355 is the gematria of Pharaoh. Everything is concealed until it is revealed. It was immediately after leaving Pharaoh and Egypt behind that Amelak arrived, link a virus that had hitched a ride. And it was from Amelak that Haman descended. We know from chazal that Amelak of gematria 240 is spiritually representative of “doubt” of the same numerical value. This is universally understood.

We are told through various prophecies that our scourge Amalek/doubt will plague us to the end of days. Through Haman, Amalek had to be defeated in order to save the Jews and bring about the exile of 70 years of the Babylonian exile. The final 70 years, the numerical value of “G0g v’ Magog” (the Armageddon War) are up in 5778 as we covered over and over again in The Divine Calendar and our articles, 9 years from now. And Amelak once again sits beside our King (the physical one), concealed only by the gematria of his name; this is for those that understand.

We have our work cut out for us. We’ll have to look beyond our personal agendas that separate us from one another to navigate the coming days.

In order to prevent Haman from succeeding, Esther and Mordechai inspired the Jewish people to do teshuva and to fast for 72 hours (an allusion to the 72 Names, repeated constantly throughout the Megilat Ester); The Jews had to delve inward to find themselves, to find G-d. Only then, could they unite to defeat Amalek/Haman as they had at the Red Sea.

We too will have to look inside if we want to see the miracles, see where they come from, defeat Amalek, and see the tree-of-life reality we all have inside ourselves.  The proper celebration of Purim will help tremendously for us to connect, especially through the reading of the Megilat Ester (MGYLT ESTR), whose first and last letters (MR) have the numerical value of 240, that of Amalek, which is what the Book is designed to help us defeat.

Tags: 72 Names, amalek, armageddon, book of ester, Book of Esther, Esther, gog and magod, gog v'magog, Haman, Jacob, Jew, Joseph Stalin, megilat esther, morchechai, Mordecai, Purim, Red Sea, Religion and Spirituality, Russia, Soviet Union, tree-of-life

It’s as innocent as the child’s dreidel, or the chocolate gelt. Four sides corresponding to the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), but 4 sides engraved with the Hebrew Letters G, H, N, and Sh. Four letters whose numerical value add to to 358, that of Mashiach, the Messiah.

From the games we play to candles we light, the entire Chanukah event is designed to help us bring Mashiach. And that where our consciousness should be. The eight days are a cosmic event not a celebration of a miracle that happened because it occurred during this cosmic event. The light we light each night are to connect us to the special light of miracles available to us once a year for 8 days staring every 25th of Kislev (Sagittarius). It’s different light/energy than what’s available to us in the 8 days of Sukkot-Shemini Atzeret; and it’s different from the light available to us during the 8 days of Pesach (Passover); and it’s different from the energy available to us on the 8 other holidays throughout the year. In total there are 32 days of varying special Light/energy (besides the special light of Shabbat). This connects to the 32 Paths of Wisdom of the Tree-of-Life through which these various light shine unto us.

The oil lasted 8 days because the Light of Chanukah, Mashiach Light lasted 8 days, not the other way around. As soon as the special Light of Mashiach (Or Ganuz) was revealed into our existence, it was hidden. I learned from my teacher that on the first Shabbat of Creation, it was brought out for 32 hours then hidden away for the time of the Messiah. But for 8 days every year we can taste of the Light.

Chanukah meditations

It appears the purpose of Chanukah is to bring Mashiach.

Let’s start with the books of Maccabees dating (for right or wrong) the first war in 3585 HC with the numerical value of Mashiach being 358.

One of the key elements of Chanukah is based on the spiritual tenet that nothing can ever be lost, once it goes from latent(potential) state to physical one it’s ever present in the universe whether we can physically see it or not. So the light of the first night, is added to the second and so forth until the 8th day when we have the light of 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8 = 36 days.

That explained, we can note that the sum of all the Torah occurrences of the words “first” through “eighth”—echad, sheni, shlishi, reve’i, chamishi, shishi, sheve’I, and shemeni—is (189+125+2+2+2+2+0+0) = 322 and since the sum of days (numbers) 1-8 representing all the summary Chanukah lights for the 8 days is 36, and (322 + 36) = 358. And while 36 is just the result of rounding off the numerical term 35.8, the number 36 to the kabbalists represents the lamed-vav tzaddikim, or 36 righteous souls necessary at all times to maintain our existence in the universe.

Blessings:

The start of all blessings:

When start the blessing with the word Baruch, we need to keep in mind that it has the value (when using the caf sofit) of 708, the same as that of the 42 letters of the upper Mem-Bet, the Name YHVH through 3 iterations. It is from this Name that the blessings flow through the 6 levels (dimensions) of zeir anpin and into our world:

YHVH

YVD HY VYV HY

YVD VYV DLT HY YVD VYV YVD VYV HY YVD

L’hadleek Ner Chanukah:

Now regarding the Chanukah blessings on the words L’hadleek Ner Chanukah and the kavanot that we’ve learned from the Arizal, the 3 first letters Lamed, Nun and Chet, spell out in small gematria, 3,5,8 or 358, Mashiach.

The initials in L’hadleek Ner Chanukah (to light the Chanukah candle) spell the word Nachal (a holy Name that means stream or river, and also inheritance) and it has a numerical value of 88, which when aided by a kolel of 1 = 89, that of Chanukah itself. Nevertheless, the concept of a stream is very important because by lighting the candles with the right consciousness we’re opening a stream of light (the energy of sustenance) from above into our lives and world. And the inheritance is the Messiah (the Moshiach).

As explained by the Arizal,the secret of 3 letters N, CH. L and Nachal comes very fittingly considering that the gematria of Chanukah is 89, from the 3 words of the 8th and 9th of the 13 attributes of G-d : “Notzer chesed l’alefim.” He further explains that the 8th sefira (level), which is Binah (Imma/Understanding) is where we are drawing this upper light from and that a secret here is that once the 8th level is tapped into, all 3 upper levels (Binah, Chochma and Keter) are at once available to us.

So the first mediation is on opening up the flowing river (Nachal) from Binah, Chochma and Keter though Binah into Zeir Anpin ( the heavenly ladder that connects our world to Binah (the upper world). Zeir Anpin is represented by aspect of the Tetragramamton (YVD HE VEV HE) called (Mah) of numerical value 45 and we are told that it combines to Binah through the alef(E) in the letter vav (VEV) to the regressively spelled Name Ehyeh (E, EH EHY EHYH) which is associated with Binah and has a numerical value of 44, together they are 45 + 44 = 89, once again the value of Chanukah,

Next:

The value of the word L’hadleek plus the kolel (1) = (179 +1) = 180 and partially because of this the Arizal tells us to meditation on Av, Sag, Mah aspects of the Tetragrammaton which total (72+63+45) = 180, at this point in the blessing.

And as Rabbi Chaim Vittal of blessed memory explains “All Torah Light is spread by squaring,” so we look to the the square root of 180/10, or 18, and find that it is 4.2426, which is significant because 424 is the value for “Mashiach Ben David” and 26 is the value of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH).

Moreover, Abraham in the Sefer Yetzirah tells us that the Mashiach will come from the letter combination Dalet-Nun (DN) whose ordinal value is 18, even more significant for us is that the spelled-out (gematria milui) value of the letters nun (NVN)and the lamed (LMD)of L’hadleek Ner is also 180, thus giving us yet another connection to “Mashiach Ben David.”

“Notzer chesed l’alefim” means “He preserves kindness for 2000 years” which is a hint that our time of exile for the past 2000 years is coming to a close, and if we add the 18 to it, we get 2018 CE, the year chazal has prophesied for the coming of the messiah and the final redemption and also the year 2018 HC the year G-d made his covenant with Abraham, our inheritance (Nachal). Indeed, the word candle, Ner, has a numerical value of 250 and so the 8 candles have a collective value of 250 x 8 = 2000.

Av (YVD HY VYV HY)

Sag (YVD HY VEV HY)

Mah (YVD HE VEV HE)

And when we add the 180 of Av, Sag. Mah to the 180 of L’hadleek Ner plus the kolel of 3 for the 3 aspects of the YHVH, we get 180 + 180 + 3 = 363, the numerical value of H’Mashiach, which is what we should be mediating on when we recite L’hadleek Ner:

(YVD HY VYV HY), (YVD HY VEV HY), (YVD HE VEV HE) and H’Mashiach.

Regarding Ner, the Arizal tells us to combine the Names Ehyeh, Elohim and Adonai with YHVH on 3 different levels to draw down the light: (EHYH, ELHYM, EDNY) If we take the first two letters of each Name (EH, EL, ED), they add up to 6 + 31+ 5 = 42, as in the 42-Letter Name of G-d, (the Shem Mem-Bet, known as the Ana B’koach).

Then if we take the third letter ((EHYH, ELHYM, EDNY) in each (YHN) they add up to 10 + 5 + 50 = 65 the numerical value of Adonai, which leaves (H,YM, Y) which sum to 5 + 50 + 10 = 65 again. Another way of looking at the 3 Names is that they represent the 42-letter name and 130 which is the numerical value of the two synonyms, Sinai and Sulam (ladder). Noe the total numerical value of the 3 Names is 172, and when we add 1 for the kolel, it’s 173, as in the small gematria numerical value for the 42-letter Name.

The 3 simple YHVH’s add to 26 + 26 + 26 = 78, Mazla, aramaic for mazal, fortune

Now the main point of the Arizal was that the 6 Names (YHVH-EHYH, YHVH-ELHYM, YHVH-EDNY)-add to 250, the value of Ner, candle, but if we add 6 as the kolel, we get 256, which is the value for both H’Aron (Ark of the Covenant) and for Aaron who lit the Menorah.

So when we recite Ner, we want to meditate on the 42 Letter name (the Ana B’koach), mazal, and Aaron, the only person in the Torah assigned the title Mashiach, lighting the Menorah

EBG YTZ

KRA ShTtN

NGD YCSh

BttR ZTG

ChKB TtNA

YGL PTzK

ShKV ZYT

together with the 6 Names merging together as follows.

YHVH – EHYH (Chochma – Ehyeh)

YHVH _ ELHYM (BInah _ Elohim)

YHVH – EDNY (Malchut – Adonai)

We draw the light of blessing down from Chochma to Binah to our world, Malchut.

Now the 3 Names Ehyeh, Elohim and Adonai plus the 3 Names Av, Sag, Mah from the L’hadleek kavanot numerically add to (172 + 180) + 6 (kolel) = 358, Mashiach, so completing the recitation of Ner, we ant to have in mind drawing down the light from the upper 42-letter name to the lower 42-letter name and igniting the Mashiach consciousness in all of us.

And the candle we’re lighting is the Torah’ light as (nun-resh) of Ner spelled out, gematria milui as (NVN RShY) is (106 + 510) = 616, the numerical value of H’Torah, which helps explain Proverb 6:23. “A mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah is light.”

Extra Light:

According to the Arizal, the YHVH can be also be a kolel, and if we add 3 of them, as in (3 x 26) = 78 to a 3-part meditation we’re adding extra mazal to these types of mediations, and we’re also addressing the right, left and central columns of the tree-of-life. Moreover, as the YHVH is the kolel, the value of the 3 meditations for Ner, which as we’ve said above is 250, plus the kolel (3 x 26) = (250 + 78) = 328.

What this connects to are the 328 phrases in the Torah that have a value of 1729, which itself is the number of words of value 26 (YHVH) in the Torah, beginning with the phrase “Let there be Light in Bereshit 1:3

The Shamesh:

The Shamesh, or 9th candle is much more than a simple helper candle. In completing the unifications of the Names above, we note that the first unification of the YHVH x Ehyeh = 26 x 21 = 546, which is the sum of the 1st letters of all 10 sefirot, draws the energy down through all 10 sefirot.  The value 546 is also the total value of the Names of the 3 Patriarchs whose names began with the letter Yud, which connects them to Chochma (wisdom), the 9th sefira: Isaac (208), Jacob(182), and Jospeh(156).  It;s likewise a connection to Israel, which has a value of 546 when the kolel for the 5 letters is included,

This is an important unification because 546 is the numerical value of koteret, (the incense lit at the inner alter of the Holy Temple) as it says in Proverbs 27:9 “Oil and incense rejoice the heart,” and as the Ari explains, “And the inner altar and the Menorah stood together to give joy to all, as is written.”

So as we light the Shamesh we should meditate to draw down the light through the 10 sefirot and to put joy in our hearts.

And the sum of all 3 unifications is YHVH x Ehyeh + YHVH x Elohim + YHVH x Adonai + 1 (kolel) = 546 + 2236 + 1690 + 1 (kolel) = 2952. And according to one of the most concealed forms of gematria, we get 2952/328, or Product/Sum = exactly 9, as in the 9th candle, the Shamesh.

And not only does the number 9 divided by the small gematria of the 1st line of 42-letter Name (EBGYTZ) = 73.14159, or extremely precisely 70 + Pi (3.14159..), but 9 divided by the small gematria of the 2nd line (KRYShTtN)of 42-letter Name, the line associated with the Shofar blowings of 9 beats each, the line whose numerical value is 729 or (9 x9 x 9), is 9/.027395 = 328.52..

So while lighting the Shamesh if you can connect to the first two lines of the 42-letter name and the 3 unifications, and to the Torah, keeping in mind to lift the world of illusion from the 70 nations, elevating spirituality out of the physicality to bring about Moshiach you will be bringing Mashiach consciousness to the world.

EBGYTZ

KRAShTtN

YEHHVHH (Chochma)

YEHLVHHYM (Binah)

YEHDVNHY (malchut)

The 25th of Kislev:

Yet another connection between the kavanot and the words of the blessing is found between the 25 letters of the union of the 6 Names and the value of Ner, 250, since 250/10 = 25, but most important these would be the 25 letters that the Zohar says is missing for the completion of the Mishkan and 25 words that we know are missing from the completion of the Torah (80,000 – 25) and the 25 letters of the Shma Israel phrase, and the 25^th of Kislev, as explained by the Zohar. The obvious further connection is between the 80,000 words and the 8 lights and nights of Chanukah, since the 4^th root of the sum of all the words, letters, and verses of the Torah = 25 exactly. There are also 25 letters in lamed-vav milui.

So note that the 25 letters in the verse “Shma Israel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad” (Hear O Israel, G-d our Lord is One) is found at Devarim 6:4 and the word Chanukah (ChNV-CH) can be broken down to the two numerical value 64 (ChNV) and 25 (CH), and moreover that the numerical value of the first and last words in that verse, Shma (ShMY) and Echad (EChD) plus the kolel (1) = 410 + 13 + 1 = 424, the numerical value of Mashiach Ben David.

Further to this line of reasoning, and as all connected by the Zohar, are the 24 days of Kislev, that proceed, the 24 letters in the Baruch Shem phrase that follows the Shma Israel phrase.

So on the first night before lighting you should should connect to the Shma israel and mediate that you are completing the Torah as in the days of Mashiach.

The OiI

The word for eight (8) in Hebrew is shemonah, and a simple permutation of the letters in shemonah (ShMNH) gives us hashemen. “the oil” (HShMN), and also neshama (soul, NShMH), all of which have the numerical value of 395, that of the 5th word in the Torah, H’ShMa’im (the Heavens).

And when we spell out the Shin-Mem-nun root letters of the Oil they add up to 546 that of koteret, the incense again, so once again we must keep in mind (Proverbs 27:9): “Oil and incense rejoice the heart,” and be joyful as we light the oil for that joy will spread through the 10 sefirot and be contagious throughout the world.

Proverbs 27:9 “Oil and incense rejoice the heart,”

The Arizal further explains that the oil in teh Menorah and by transference our chanukiyas represents the consciousness of chochma and the incense represents Binah, thus together they are the partzufs of Abba and Imma.

The 8 Nights of Lights:

The 44 Candles Sweeten the Judgment

On a simple level, over the 8 nights, we’re lighting 44 candles in total including the shamesh every night, these corresponding to the ordinal value of the letter in Chanukah (ChNVCH), which is 44. It also corresponds to first letters of all 10 plagues, which also add up to 44. So you can see the power to create miracles is built into every aspect of these 8 days.

Moreover, the first plague was blood, dam, also of numerical value 44, and as the Arizal explains “the word “m’damei“, whose numerical value (89) equals that of the word “Chanukah“, is rooted in the letters dalet and mem, which spell the Hebrew word for “blood”. Blood represents the negative powers of judgment, our mission it is to sweeten. Via the 44 (the numerical value of dalet, 4, and mem, 40) lights we kindle throughout Chanukah (including the shammas) and the awakening of consciousness they embody, the kelipot become nullified before us.” Thus with every candle we light, we can sweeten the judgment in out lives and in the world.

And note also that 44 is numerical value of the regressive spelling of the higher name of G-d, Ehyeh, connecting us to Chochma and Binah;

(E – EH – EHY – EHYH)

But that’s only the beginning of everything we set in motion

If our actions of lighting the chanukiya each night rekindle the energy from the night before and culminate in completeness on Zot Chanukah then: On the 1st night we light 1 candle and it stays lit metaphysically for (at least) 8 days; and on the second night we light 2 candles that stay lit, we have a total of 3 lit (rekindled) that second night. On the 3rd night we are lighting (rekindling) 1 + 2 + 3 or a total of six; and so on, until we have 1 + 3 + 6 + 10 + 15 + 21 + 28 + 36 = 120, a familiar mathematical progression that seems to be oft used in the deeper meditations and that we first learned from Abraham in the Sefer Yetzirah, The Book of Formation. And the Shamesh would be 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 = 36. Thus 120 + 36 = 156 or 6 X 26 representing the YHVH, and thus 2 X 78 for mazal.

The Arizal explains that the eight days of Chanukah are, or end up, at the level of hod, the same as a brit whose 8 days expire at hod before the brit can be performed at the level of yesod. Well, considering this, it’s noteworthy that if we assume that all our candles/oil last for 8 days, then in total, we are lighting 120 lights (which would correspond to the 120 permutations of Elohim) plus the 36 lights for the 8 Shamesh that we light, totaling 156, the numerical value for Yosef, who represents the level of Yesod. It’s also the value of Zion. Moreover, the word brit, corresponding to the brit of Mashiach is concealed within the middle of the 4th line of the 42-letter name (BTtRYNTG) and the word Zion (the upper Jerusalem to be revealed in the time of Mashiach) is concealed with the the 7th line (ShCNVZYT).

Now, what give this combination of the 4th and 7th lines of the Ana B’koach (42-Letter Name), whose letters connect directly with the first 42 letter of the Torah, more significance for us is that the sum of the differentials between them and their corresponding word of the Torah’s first verse is 303 + 610 = 913 and 913 is the value of the Torah’s first word, Bereshit (Genesis) “In the Beginning.” And not only do both the 42-Letter name and the lighting of the Chanukah candles create new beginnings, but they are both integral parts of the technology to bring a new beginning with the arrival of Moshiach.

The 8 Nights of Lights and the Torah

The numerical value of mazal is 77 and their are 77 consecutive duplicate words in the Torah, the midpoint of which is at Darosh, Darash, whose numerical value is 504 + 504 = 1008 = (28 x 36). Now the beauty of this is that the 1st 8 words of the Torah have a total numerical value of 3003, which is the sum of all the positive integers through 77, and that if we consider all the cumulative lit Chanukah lights as a multiple of 8 days: 1 x 3 x 6 x 10 x 15 x 21 x 28 x 36 = 1008 = 504 + 504, the values of Darosh, Darash, the midpoint of the 77 double words in the Torah. Interestingly enough, there are 25 words with the value 504 before and 25 after that midpoint, once again referring back to the 25th of Kislev, when we connect to the 8th of the 13 attributes and open the stream of mazal into our lives and the world.

Now know this for every candle we light below, one is lit above. So for the 156 plus 1 collective one we light each Hanukkah, another 157 are lit above, making 314 in total, with 314 being the numerical value of Shadai (ShDY) and of Mettatron. And of the 1008 plus1 we light in a multiple effect, a total of 2018 candles are lit above and below (1008+1+1008+1) each Chanukah in each of our homes in preparation for the Messiah in the year 2018 CE (5778 HC), our inheritance.

And Zion, of numerical value 156, is the same as Yosef, who represents Yesod of Malchut, where the light of Binah ends up on the 8th day and the point where all the divine sustenance funnels into out lives and world. Moreover, Zion, of numerical value 156, is found 107 times in Tanakh and the sum of all the positive integers to 107 is 5778.

Chanukah, a Special Light

Tags: 107, 157, 2000, 2018, 2018 ce, 25th of kislev, 314, 32 paths of wisdom, 42, 42-letter name, 424, 505, 5778, 661, 666, 913, abraham, Ana B'Koach, Ari, Bereshit, Book of Formation, brit, chanukah, covenant with Abraham, gematria, Genesis, hanukkah, In the beginning, Isaac, Jacob, Jerusalem, Joseph, jubilee years, kislev, mashaich ben david, Mashiach, matriarch, mazal, Mem-bet, Mettatron, Moshiach, Patriarcha, Purim, queen ester, Sarah, Sefer Yetzirah, Shadai, shem mem-bet, Shma Israel, Tanakh, Tetragrammaton, Torah, tree-of-life, yosef, Yoseph, Zion