An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

“Millionaires don't use Astrology, billionaires do.”
― J.P. Morgan
Post Reply
User avatar
Spiritwind
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:24 pm
Location: Inland NW, U.S.
Has thanked: 2478 times
Been thanked: 2935 times

An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Spiritwind »

I will be posting some of my findings as I continue to research, with my intuition leading the way, my connection to our collective past, with specific attention to my Jewish heritage. I realize that you are not considered Jewish unless your mother is Jewish. But this is driven more out a curiosity to understand my subconscious pull in this direction. I say this because I have had an interest in certain symbols since childhood, before I even knew anything about my background, and I don't think it's just a quirk of fate that I have long been interested in several interrelated systems that are part of any serious study of the Kabbalah. (Includes Hebrew alphabet, tarot, numerology, astrology, symbology, and even shamanistic concepts.)

Not only is there a story, that I didn't hear until in my 20's, about my father being a older married Jewish attorney, but I found out much more recently that my great-grandfather on my mother's side had left his Jewish heritage behind, and it was actually a sort of well known family secret. There is evidence to suggest that our ancestral memories are accessible through our bloodlines. This could account for my strong attraction to subjects the rest of my family has absolutely no interest in.

Also, I must state, that I am interested in truth, regardless of whether that causes me to upset the apple cart of other's belief systems. At this time, my general consensus is that all religions have been tainted and removed from their origins, to become systems that program our minds, and for social control. It's also a great tool to pit people against one another. But I also strongly feel, on an intuitive level, that there are underlying truths that point to a different type of spirituality and world view, that are very balanced and holistic. These truths can be intuited under the overlay, which means to me that these energetic truths predates our current system.

I know there is no going back to exactly the way things were, in possibly some distant point in time. But, I do strongly feel that where we are collectively located in this particular cycle affords us an opportunity to once again move into the creative process, as it unfolds, in an even more complex, yet integrated way, to manifest something totally new, and beautiful beyond compare. But to do this we must be able to quickly throw off our mind shackles that keep us tethered to this strange bardo in-between state, where it feels akin to a waking nightmare. It's like we're in a void of course moon phase, where all our worst fears are more and more quickly manifesting. The only way out is to let go of all False Evidence Appearing Real! And pay constant attention to how we really feel in our bodies, and what we allow our minds to dwell on and keep the inner projector from reflecting the images of fear being beamed at us in the outer world in all kinds of strange ways. To be honest, we let it happen. We need to change the damn script!

http://www.spiritualtravel.org/OBE/afterdeath.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
What the soul in the second bardo needs to do is "wake up", as in a lucid dream, and begin a meditation or mental exercise that draws it towards a desired stable and more conscious state of awareness where it can have some control and continue to evolve spiritually. The opposite of conscious control is a dream-like state where the individual experiences only the results of his or her previous actions, and mechanically moves from thought to thought based on thinking patterns developed during life.
I see your love shining out from my furry friends faces, when I look into their eyes. I see you in the flower’s smile, the rainbow, and the wind in the trees....
User avatar
Spiritwind
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:24 pm
Location: Inland NW, U.S.
Has thanked: 2478 times
Been thanked: 2935 times

Re: An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Spiritwind »

Feminine Presence of God
By Theresa Ibis, Ph.D.
Originally Published in the Alchemy Journal volume on the "Feminine Face of Alchemy"

Image

http://www.universalkabbalah.net/Shekinah" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What is the role of the Feminine in the works of Alchemy and Kabbalah?
How do we recognize the Feminine powers at work within us?
And how can we nurture this relationship in our lives to manifest its full potency?

So often it is easy to overlook the role and presence of the Feminine in our work and our lives. Yet, Her role is so essential that nothing could come into being without the Feminine. This is true of the Masculine as well, but all too often our focus is skewed towards the Masculine at the expense of the Feminine. For those who have studied the path of Alchemy, however, an important role is ascribed to the Feminine. Two of the primary archetypes of alchemical symbolism, Sol and Luna, make this clear...Luna, the Feminine, is at least half of the equation. Luna represents the anima or inner feminine of the Alchemist. This Feminine archetype is linked to the elusive workings of our sub-conscious mind, our emotional impulses, our intuitive nature, and our ability to give birth to things in the world. But, is there a deeper, more occult role that the Feminine plays in the alchemical process? To answer this question, we can, as many Alchemists of the western path have done before us, look to the ancient teachings of Kabbalah for insights.

The interlinking between Kabbalah and Alchemy is so prominent that it is nearly impossible to decipher many of the older western alchemical writings without an intimate knowledge of Kabbalah. So, what role does Kabbalah ascribe to the Feminine? According to Kabbalistic philosophy, the role that the Feminine plays in the process of creation and transformation is venerated to such a pristine place that many Kabbalistic customs are derived from these teachings. To the Kabbalist, honoring the Feminine is of the utmost importance. To the Kabbalist, the role of the Feminine is clearly distinguished. In the Kabbalah, the name of this Divine Feminine is the Shekinah, which means ‘indwelling' and refers to the Presence or Soul of God that is with us in the world. In fact, whenever someone feels as though God is present, Kabbalists would say it is actually the Shekinah. This Shekinah, though, is not merely just an aspect of God, She is a Divine Being of Her own right.

Image

Shekinah and Creation
To conceptualize the Shekinah and her role it is necessary to look to the stories of creation. This is because the very first act of creation is where the Shekinah emerges. Kabbalah teaches that before the beginning was the En Sof, the Source of all things. En Sof is everything and nothing...It is all potential yet nothing manifested...It has no beginning and no end...It is neither masculine nor feminine, and yet both at the same time. Alchemically speaking, one might see the En Sof as the One Mind, the One Thing, the Prima Materia, etc all rolled into One. Everything that you might say about the En Sof you can also say the exact opposite about it, so it is often difficult to talk about. In other traditions the En Sof is called the Tao, the Void, the Zero Point Field, God the Source. There is no place that the En Sof is not found, for it is infinite. Thus, in order to begin the process of creation, for the potential to become actual, the En Sof had to first withdraw from Itself to create a tiny vacuum. This withdrawal or contraction is called Tsimtsum in Kabbalah. Through this, a singular point, a primordial vessel was created, and into this vessel the essence of En Sof could flow and be concentrated to such a degree that creation burst forth in a Big Bang. It is this vessel, into which the concentration of the God essence flows, that is the Shekinah, the Feminine Womb or Birth Canal of Creation. Now, it is not accurate to say that the Shekinah was created, for she already existed within En Sof. Rather, as the En Sof withdrew, the Shekinah remained; She was the vessel. It is through Her that Light and Energy came into being, for before Her, there was only the potential of existence. Thus, the Shekinah represents the self-restraint that God/En Sof had to impose upon Itself in order to create the Universe, and She embodies the eternal quintessence that results from the flow of Source energy into Her. Thus, here we can see that the Shekinah is more all encompassing than the Luna archetype of Alchemy. She is more like the Mother of both Luna and Sol. But she is also more than an archetypal mother. In a sense, we might say that the Shekinah is the Quintessence itself.

The Shekinah plays another very important role in the story of creation, and in particular in the Great Plan of humankind. It is believed that in man's fall to a denser, less perfect state of being in the physical, the Shekinah stayed with us as we separated from God or were exiled from the ‘Garden'. Thus, the Shekinah, once again, was voluntarily removed from God/En Sof in order for us to have our experience. She has always stayed with us, wherever we were exiled or isolated or shut out, the Shekinah was always there in exile and isolation with us. Thus, the Shekinah is also in Malkuth, the Kingdom, the Salt of the Earth, the final step of creation where the energies funnel into the physical world that is our home. It is for this reason that Kabbalists often refer to Malkuth as the Bride. For the ultimate Plan and driving desire of the Universe is for the Bride, the Shekinah, to reunite with her Bridegroom, the Creator. So, the Shekinah, in addition to being the Soul of God is also the Soul of the World.

There is another aspect to the Feminine that is central to Kabbalistic teachings, and is best described through the pattern of the Tree of Life. On this Tree of Life there are three pillars, the Pillar of Force (usually depicted on the Right), the Pillar of Form (usually depicted on the Left), and the Pillar of Balance (the middle pillar). The Pillar of Force is traditionally seen as the Masculine energy, with Chokmah, the Divine Father, Sol, at its top. This pillar deals with expansion, limitless flow of energy, generosity, force, initiative, potency, and movement. The Pillar of Form, on the other hand, is usually ascribed to the Feminine energy, with Binah, the Divine Mother, Luna, at its top. This pillar deals with contraction, limitation, containment, form, crystallization, receptivity, stillness, patience, and discipline, all of which reflects the functions of the Shekinah in the first act of creation. The Pillar of Balance mediates between the two polar energies and is ultimately what is needed to bring about the Union of Masculine and Feminine, Sol and Luna. These three pillars of the Tree of Life can also be likened to the Three Essentials of Alchemy.

Here again, the Shekinah plays a very special and multi-faceted role in the Kabbalistic teachings. For, it is the Shekinah that is ascribed by Kabbalists to be the Middle Pillar of Balance that unites the opposites, just as the soul allows for the opposites of body and spirit to unite, so too does the Shekinah play this role for us. Indeed, the Shekinah isthe Soul of Man, what Kabbalists call the Neshamah, for She has given a portion of Herself in order for each human to come into being in this world. In giving of Herself to humans, in this state of physical density and isolation, the World Soul becomes shattered. This shattering can be metaphorically grasped in considering what might happen to a glass alembic or flask when too much pressure is put upon in the alchemical works. Thus, the Shekinah represents the ultimate archetype of selfless sacrifice. All Her sacrifices have been for the benefit of creation so that humankind may experience this life in order to fulfill its destiny and purpose. Kabbalists, therefore, pay great respect and gratitude to the Shekinah for Her sacrifice and service by taking up the mantle or the quest to reunite the Shekinah with the Creator.

The Celestial Alchemical Wedding
What role can we as Alchemists and Kabbalists play in this effort to reunite the Shekinah with Her Divine Mate? Kabbalistic and Alchemical philosophy say that this union can onlyhappen with our involvement, because She is in us. By purifying, making whole, and mastering our own soul, we help to heal the shattering of the World Soul. Then, we must go beyond the self and reach out in service to others to ultimately help all of humankind heal their souls. Piece-by-piece we bring the World Soul back into a state of wholeness that can then be lifted up to an exalted state for reunion with God. This, in essence, is the Great Work of Alchemy. As we awaken the Fire within us, purify our bodies and souls, raise our vibration, we are in essence awakening the Shekinah within and freeing Her from the bonds of Malkuth (the dense, leaden physical form). Once released, Her burning desire to reunite with the Creator (which at our level of awareness is mirrored by our own desire for union with our own soul) leads to an ascension up the Tree of Life, also experienced as the Kundalini rising. Ultimately, before the union can take place, the Kabbalist/Alchemist must pass through the gates of death in order to come face-to-face with God. In Alchemy this death takes place at the Fermentation stage of the work, in Kabbalah it happens upon ‘Crossing the Abyss'. This is a spiritual death, rather than a literal physical death, though it is certainly no small matter and takes much discipline, courage, faith, and willingness to completely surrender to the Supreme Being.

What are the qualities that we must cultivate within ourselves in order to succeed at this alchemical process? Here again, we can learn from the Shekinah, the Feminine face of Alchemy. For, according to Kabbalah, it is the Shekinah that we need to learn to work with intimately in order to awaken Her within us and rise to unite with the Creator. We cannot succeed at Alchemy without mastery of the Feminine aspects within ourselves and the path. Too often we are so focused on the action or the task at hand that we are not even aware of the subtle yet essential roles the Feminine is playing in the process. For example, in the distillation of a solution, were it not for the vessels that contain the solution and its vapors, it would not even be possible to isolate the three essentials. The distillation apparatus itself, the vessel, is the Feminine. Furthermore, the discipline, patience, and concentration it takes on the Alchemist's part to stay focused during the distillation process, so that the subtle energies can be coherently harnessed, also involve the Feminine qualities.

Perhaps another look at creation stories from both Kabbalah and Alchemy can help to demonstrate the qualities of the Feminine that are needed. Imagine a single spark of light, a seed of creation, an idea ushered forth from the One Mind. This spark comes to hover above the waters of the firmament, the Prima Materia. But this spark, this fire, cannot come into direct contact with the waters or it will be extinguished, for they are opposites. So, it hovers just above the surface of the unformed waters. And as it hovers, its intense heat penetrates into the waters and warms them. As it continues to give off its radiant heat and light, the once cold and dark waters become warm, even hot, and a steam begins to form on the surface. A third thing has been created by the proximity of the two, containing a mixture of both aspects within it. This process continues until a thick blanket of steam forms and begins to surround the fire as well, until finally, this thick blanket of steam created from part water and part fire, that fills the air or the space between, allows for or becomes the medium by which the spark and its energy can be conducted into the waters. The steam or air mediates the transfer of energy and creative power of the fire into the waters. As this conduction happens and the energy enters the waters, it moves through like a flash of lightening, generating light, sounds, vibration, electricity. These expressions of energy form and shape the waters, creating something out of the Prima Materia, out of the One Thing. This mediator, the steam, the air, the spirit (mercury) allows the fire or consciousness (sulfur) of the One Mind to connect with the waters or material (salt) of the One Thing and creation happens.

The important thing to recognize here is what is required in this process - patience, persistence, stillness, and restraint - in order for the steam to develop, for the mediator to be drawn out. If spurious other thoughts from the Mind had interfered it would act like a wind blowing across the surface and clearing the steam away so that it could not become thick enough to mediate the conductive power of the fire. The occult lesson is: one must not pollute this process with thought. Nor can it be rushed. One can only be still and wait patiently and quietly, while focusing on the One Thing (the still waters) and the original spark or idea from the One Mind (the fire).

The qualities involved here are primarily the domain of the Feminine. It is the Feminine that teaches patience rather than seeking immediate gratification. It is the Feminine that requires silence and stillness for the spirit to be drawn out. It is the Feminine that gives self-restraint so that the fire does not try to go directly into the waters and be extinguished. It is the Feminine that is willing to bear the process of waiting for the gestation and pregnancy to take its full course before new life can be born. It is the product of the Feminine, the air or spirit, that mediates this birth like a midwife. It is the Feminine that beckons us inwards and demands discipline to perfect the art and our creations. If we shun the Feminine, we deny ourselves the glory of attaining the Holy Grail. If we indulge in vice and darkness we create shadows within and chase the Shekinah away, or at least block her light from our consciousness. The grace of the Feminine's gifts must be earned and are often hard fought. Yet her rewards are sweet and well worth the effort. When we pay homage to the Shekinah by purifying our soul and cleansing ourselves from the dross or ‘sin' of our being, then She will show us Her face. Therefore, it is crucial that we each honor the Sacred Alchemical Feminine so that she will be with us to mediate our transformations and creations. Without the Feminine there can be no Alchemy.
I see your love shining out from my furry friends faces, when I look into their eyes. I see you in the flower’s smile, the rainbow, and the wind in the trees....
User avatar
Naga_Fireball
Posts: 2012
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2015 6:22 pm
Location: earth
Has thanked: 1751 times
Been thanked: 1566 times

Re: An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Naga_Fireball »

A huge hug for you Spiritwind.

I never did understand the Jew bashing that seems to be the rite of passage on many co opted alt outlets and communities. For instance I'm not sad to be banned from AJ and other recently anti Jewish publications.

I don't know if I've accidentally hit Thanks on pro Nazi crap over the years but honestly? It's probably happened by accident. Protocols of the vomit etc.

I have often wondered if my rich dream life was connected to an unknown Jewish ancestor. My husband certainly had a dream that suggested this about me and I had one too.

His was about us getting onto a train and Jewish women in black said "she's one of us", and my dream was being hidden by the Jewish underground and being offered a safe meal. Very poignant dreams considering the reality of the holocaust.
I would be honored to break bread with the elders any day...


BTW was thrilled by the results of my research into a possible 1st century ad migration from Judea to the british isles.

Tuatha de Danaan dont really " fit in" very well...
Brotherhood falls asunder at the touch of fire!
He finds his fellow guilty of a skin
Not coloured like his own, and having power
To enforce the wrong, for such a worthy cause
Dooms and devotes him as his lawful prey.
~William Cowper
User avatar
Christine
Site Admin
Posts: 2520
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:29 pm
Has thanked: 4419 times
Been thanked: 4703 times
Contact:

Re: An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Christine »

Oh my, here we go spiraling through Truth again! Thank you so much for sharing, Laurie.

I would like to once again speak to how vital I feel being open and transparent with our memories, our thoughts and our feelings is. Each of us a fractal of the other, coming home.

Image
Everlasting Star
Image
The journey, the challenge is to step into the
projection room and stop being lost in the script.
User avatar
Spiritwind
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:24 pm
Location: Inland NW, U.S.
Has thanked: 2478 times
Been thanked: 2935 times

Re: An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Spiritwind »

I having been feeling a bit of angst lately, as can probably be seen in my writing. But every time I feel discomfort, it is actually trying to tell me something. Even finding time to go inward has been challenging lately, for a whole bunch of reasons. But I read so much here and there, and my mind starts to feel almost under pressure trying to put the pieces together. I know I am going somewhere with this, but it has its own trajectory, and I am just going to try and work with it. Because when I get under pressure is when the gems start to surface, from deep within. I'm not even sure yet what will come of it. But bloodlines just keeps coming up, and the question of the why, the who, and the when, and even the what the hell are they really doing. I honestly feel that the truth really is there, in each of us, in our DNA, our blood, our very soul. This is sacred ground to me. The truth, it's got to be in there somewhere, I just need to create the pathway to get there. It seems to happen in a spiral fashion. Anyway, I'll post the following here, because I can. And see where it goes.

If I had a choice of whether to put my trust in nature and the elements, or the supposed safety and support of the systems built up by man, I would take nature in a heart beat every time! I'm trying to sort out my thoughts as of late, as I continue to mull over in my mind as to the true nature of the adversary we face. I have heard so many different versions it makes my head spin around.

I believe in myself. For over 35 years now I have learned to identify the plants in nature that provide healing for any malady man can have. I trust that. I chose to have two of my three children at home, and to breastfeed all three, even when it was not popular to do so. I did this because birth is a natural event, not a health problem. And the milk my body makes specifically to nourish the infants I give birth to is what nature specifically designed for them. It is perfect already in every way.

I have literally felt the nurturing and care that the creative force in this world has for all life. I have also felt the pain that has come with the so called progress of man. What the hell is that anyway? It makes my heart hurt. They have done nothing but rape and pillage since this new version of so called man has arrived on the scene. Time we stop blaming anyone else, the aliens, the interdimensionals, the anti life force that has descended upon us. In reality I can only see one choice. Do you choose life? Or do you choose death? Do you choose freedom or enslavement? They have tried to muddy the waters so much that these two questions can even appear to contradict one another.

I see this in so many areas of the culture that man has engaged in here, forcibly or not. I think, that when this original invasion took place that the life forms here literally did choose life, in the only way they knew how. Sometimes the appearance of death is the only way out. I can literally feel them when I am in nature. They are still here, but they reside in a reality that I can only describe as like being right next door. Just a slight shift in awareness and it can become quite palpable. And this is what they want to keep the populace from ever rediscovering.

I cry over the wings I lost. But I must have given them up thinking it was the only way out. And maybe, just maybe, this is a stage I have to go through to become the future. I mean, I know things can never remain static. At some point you just have to let go and jump off that dam cliff, and face the possibility of your death. And trust anyway. For no good reason than just because.

And that's when you really begin to feel things, things you never knew before. Love is real. Love Is Ra El. What does that really mean? See the twist? I do.
I see your love shining out from my furry friends faces, when I look into their eyes. I see you in the flower’s smile, the rainbow, and the wind in the trees....
User avatar
Spiritwind
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:24 pm
Location: Inland NW, U.S.
Has thanked: 2478 times
Been thanked: 2935 times

Re: An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Spiritwind »

Naga_Fireball wrote:A huge hug for you Spiritwind.

I never did understand the Jew bashing that seems to be the rite of passage on many co opted alt outlets and communities. For instance I'm not sad to be banned from AJ and other recently anti Jewish publications.

I don't know if I've accidentally hit Thanks on pro Nazi crap over the years but honestly? It's probably happened by accident. Protocols of the vomit etc.

I have often wondered if my rich dream life was connected to an unknown Jewish ancestor. My husband certainly had a dream that suggested this about me and I had one too.

His was about us getting onto a train and Jewish women in black said "she's one of us", and my dream was being hidden by the Jewish underground and being offered a safe meal. Very poignant dreams considering the reality of the holocaust.
I would be honored to break bread with the elders any day...


BTW was thrilled by the results of my research into a possible 1st century ad migration from Judea to the british isles.

Tuatha de Danaan dont really " fit in" very well...
Funny you should mention the Tuatha de Danaan. They do seem to factor in here somewhere, I intuitively feel.

Here's a video that you might enjoy. I know I did.

Robin Williamson - A Tale of the Deeds of the Tuatha Dé Danann - Megalithomania 2009
https://youtu.be/4WB17qv-joc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I see your love shining out from my furry friends faces, when I look into their eyes. I see you in the flower’s smile, the rainbow, and the wind in the trees....
User avatar
Spiritwind
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:24 pm
Location: Inland NW, U.S.
Has thanked: 2478 times
Been thanked: 2935 times

Re: An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Spiritwind »

I have wanted to discuss this tradition in Judaism for quite some time now. When I was going to go through the paths on the tree for the second time with Sid Greenberg, he shared with me about the weekly reading of the Torah. I even bought my own copy of the Chumash with the intent to try and read along, but could never quite muster up the needed commitment. I also remember asking him what qualifies someone to share this knowledge with others. I can't remember his answer, but the perception I took away was, never, for me anyway. First, I am a woman. Second I am not a member of a Jewish Synagogue. At least I meet the age requisite. I'm not sure that he had converted to Judaism either, but I know he did study with at least a rabbi or two.

Maybe I am just doing my usual, and choosing my own path, and giving myself permission to share my understanding with anyone else interested in this system of understanding. But I really don't believe this information was originally meant to become what it has. Not much different than Christianity trying to tell us the only way to understand God and how it applies to our everyday life, is to give your power over to some outside authority. This I will do no longer.

Of course, this is nothing against those who do. I just don't think they even question the deeper reasons why they are doing this, and how much words and spelling, and even letters, have become part of the programming of this reality that is actually false. We never did need to give our power away. I tend to think that was our first misunderstanding. Anyway, below is an explanation of this tradition as it is participated in today, by millions all over the planet. I found it interesting that they don't just read it, they chant it. What is this really creating? Just an open question.

http://www.jewfaq.org/m/readings.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Each week in synagogue, we read (or, more accurately, chant, because it is sung) a passage from the Torah. This passage is referred to as a parshah. The first parshah, for example, is Parshat Bereishit, which covers from the beginning of Genesis to the story of Noah. There are 54 parshahs, one for each week of a leap year, so that in the course of a year, we read the entire Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) in our services. During non-leap years, there are 50 weeks, so some of the shorter portions are doubled up. We read the last portion of the Torah right before a holiday called Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Law), which occurs in October, a few weeks after Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). On Simchat Torah, we read the last portion of the Torah, and proceed immediately to the first paragraph of Genesis, showing that the Torah is a circle, and never ends.

In the synagogue service, the weekly parshah is followed by a passage from the prophets, which is referred to as a haftarah. Contrary to common misconception, "haftarah" does not mean "half-Torah." The word comes from the Hebrew root Fei-Teit-Reish and means "Concluding Portion". Usually, haftarah portion is no longer than one chapter, and has some relation to the Torah portion of the week.

The Torah and haftarah readings are performed with great ceremony: the Torah is paraded around the room before it is brought to rest on the bimah (podium). The reading is divided up into portions, and various members of the congregation have the honor of reciting a blessing over a portion of the reading. This honor is referred to as an aliyah (literally, ascension).

The first aliyah of any day's reading is reserved for a kohein, the second for a Levite, and priority for subsequent aliyot are given to people celebrating major life events, such as marriage or the birth of a child. In fact, a Bar Mitzvahwas originally nothing more than the first aliyah of a boy who had reached the age to be permitted such an honor. Celebrants of life events are ordinarily given the last aliyah, which includes blessing the last part of the Torah reading as well as blessing the haftarah reading. The person given this honor is referred to as the maftir, from the same root as haftarah, meaning "the one who concludes."

For more information about services, see Jewish Liturgy.

Jewish scriptures are sometimes bound in a form that corresponds to this division into weekly readings. Scriptures bound in this way are generally referred to as a chumash. The word "chumash" comes from the Hebrew word meaning five, and refers to the five books of the Torah. Sometimes, a chumash is simply refers to a collection of the five books of the Torah. But often, a chumash contains the entire first five books, divided up by the weekly parshiyot, with the haftarah portion for each week inserted immediately after the week's parshah.
I see your love shining out from my furry friends faces, when I look into their eyes. I see you in the flower’s smile, the rainbow, and the wind in the trees....
User avatar
Naga_Fireball
Posts: 2012
Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2015 6:22 pm
Location: earth
Has thanked: 1751 times
Been thanked: 1566 times

Re: An Honest Look into my Jewish Heritage

Post by Naga_Fireball »

Dearest Spiritwind, I share your frustration regarding ridiculous gender biases and point you toward the Judges period in Israel, when a council of elders including women led the people.

The Parshas, ah, wish I was doing those readings. My fire is pretty low you might say :(

But in the world reknowned comic novel "Maus", written by the son of Holocaust survivors, the Parshas are referenced due to the fact that a Rabbi is imprisoned along with the other Jews supressed by the Nazis, and his memorized readings not only provide regular comfort to the prisoners, but also provides the authors father with an accurate and prophetic reference by which to predict their release.

" Parshas Truma", if I am not mistaken. In his dream the protagonist sees his grandfather, who tells him that on the day of parshas truma he will be free.


The presenting of the Torah not only reminds me of the High priestess tarot, but also a picture from Duncan's ritual of freemasonrt in which the initiate is presented by parading him in a circle... The rope could symbolize the tradition of sending the Jewish high priest into the holy of holies with a rope attached in case the presence of God kills him outright.


Aliyah , shortened to Alia, was the name of the ruling sister in frank herberts dune series. When Paul goes into the desert, his wicked sister ascends to the throne to become the queen of darkness.

All very masonic and creepy lolol
Brotherhood falls asunder at the touch of fire!
He finds his fellow guilty of a skin
Not coloured like his own, and having power
To enforce the wrong, for such a worthy cause
Dooms and devotes him as his lawful prey.
~William Cowper
Post Reply

Return to “The Divine Arts and Occult Knowledge”