The Baal Shem Tov, or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism — 
met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven. 
The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?" 
The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!" 
(from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) 


 
Add comments to this entry

Unlocking the Haggadah

A partly edited .mp3 of the Beit Midrash Ruach v'Lev session on "Unlocking the Mysteries of the Haggadah" held at Chochmat Halev in Berkeley CA, led by Rabbi David Seidenberg. The essence of the class is found in the first half of "The Mystery of Charoset". This is the first time we've tried presenting a class like this - you are invited to be a compassionate guinea pig by dowloading the recordings.

Part 1 – the obvious fours of the haggadah, what they mean, and a list of the hidden fours to be discussed.
Part 2 – the first two meanings of matzah, the true meaning of "seder", and the transformation of the symbol of matsah.

[The following sections are truly unedited. They're being made available specifically for people who want to listen in preparation for the seder. The end of the class will be filled in at a later date. Please check back for edited versions after Pesach.]

Part 3 – the second two meanings of matzah; redemption and the afikoman.
Part 4 – the transformations of the verse "Ba'avor zeh..."; psychological dimensions; beginning of discussion of the four sons/children (last section incomplete).


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feedback:
Design in progress © Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg 2006