Friday, March 30, 2012

Biblical Sacrifices



Almost every post on this blog is my own literary output. This post is a notable exception. It is not my own writing. Rather, it is letter is precious to me for personal reasons. The letter was written last week by the Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Shalom Kranz, who is known in the Brooklyn Kabbalah circles as a teacher of Rashash & Sha'ar HaKavanot. He wrote this letter on the Leshem's (Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv's) annual memorial date - which is the 27th of the Hebrew Month of Adar


I posted it because it summarizes the Leshem's explanation of the Temple sacrifices - a topic which is poorly understood in our times. The parentheses translating the Hebrew and Yiddish or smoothing the flow are my own. They are designed to aid the reader's understanding. 



Dear Everyone,

From the ספר שערי לשם שבו ואחלמה (the book "Gates to the Leshem Sh'vo V'Achalama") who's יארצייט (annual memorial date) happens to be tonight, he passed away in 1926:

He explains here very eloquently how קרבנות (sacrifices) work. He bases it on a number of places from the זהר (the mystical book called, "Zohar"). I'll try to explain it in short what he says. They break off the hold that the other side has. They tie all the worlds together so that they are מעלה מ"ן ("elevating feminine waters") in other words, they cause an אתרותא דלתתא ("An arousal from below") , an arousing from down here, which causes an outpour of שפע (abundant blessings) from above.


He also explains that there is parts of the קרבן (sacrifices) that go to the give sustenance to the other worlds that are below the world of אצילות (emanations), and even to the "other side". He goes at length to explain why the שעיר חטאת של ראש חודש (the sacrificial goat offered during Temple rituals celebrating the new moon) is there to fix up for the fact that when הקב"ה (The Holy One) made the moon He reduce its size and that's were we get the capability to sin, that's were it comes from.


But he (the Leshem) does stress that when we bring a קרבן (sacrifice) we only have in mind to bring it up for Hashem (i.e. the Creator), He and only He does the doling out for all that gets sustained from it. The only part that really goes to Hashem (the Creator) Himself is the persons desires to bring the קרבן (sacrifice) .


There's a lot more in here.

May his זכות (merit) stand by us, and also may Hashem grant a רפואה שלימה (complete healing) to his grandson יוסף שלום בן חיה מושא (Yosef Shalom son of Chaya Musha) !

Menachem Sholom Kranz




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