The Kabbalistic Meditations of Rabbi Shalom Sharabi Birkat L’Haho'le ek - pots mois In Accordance to the Kavanot of the Ari'zal (Sidduar Sar Shalom 38A) Introduction Rabbi Shalom Sharabi, Master Kabbalist, Head of the great Kabbalistic Yeshivat Beit El of Jerusalem 751-1777), ‘The Rashash (the anaeronym for Rav Shalom Sharebi) organized the kavanot meditations of the Ari'zal into a precise form, adding what was revealed to him, directly from Eliyahu HeNavi. According to Sephardi legend, prior to the Ari's death he told his talmidim that if they merited it, he would return in gilgul (reincarnation), and continue to teach them. Gur Sages teach us that the Ari fulfilled his word and retuned in gilgul as the Rashash. The Rashash was well respected as a community leader far beyond the confines of the Kabbalists. As all Sephardi Kabbalists he was a master of healing and miracles. The ‘most famous episede regarding Rav Sharabi's abilities and powers occurred ona Shabat. A member of the congregation had accidentally swallowed a poison and death was soon to follow. The talmidim ran to Rav Sharabi for help. He immediately called for a Sofer Stam (Torah seribe) and instructed him to write a number of holy Names on a scroll and that this seroll was then to be folded up and swallowed by the patient. Being that this was a maiter of a danger to life, pikuak nefesh doheh haShabat (a matter of life and death supersedes the Shabat observance). Immediately after swallowing this seroll the person recovered. The text of what Rav Sharabi wrote is used by Kabbalists to this day. Copyright © 1904 by Ariel Bar Teadak. AU rights reserved. "The greatest contribution of the Rashash is considered to be his book, Nahar Shalom, which details the secrets of meditation and kavanot. It was so widely reeeivad that to this day it is published and bound alongside Rabbi Haim Wital’s great Etz Haim, and is called Etz Haim, Part Ill. His other great contribution is his Siddur, known as Siddur HaRashash. This has become the standard Kabbalistic Siddur used by Sephardim as well as the Ashkenazim.! In our previous issue (#1) I have written discussing the depths of Kabbalistic prayer in accordance to Rav Sharabi’s teachings, and have reprinted section of it here, Most Jews today, even the frum (religious) ones have no idea that there are vast Kabbalistic “kavanot”™ underlying the prayers, and that it is these kavanot that give prayer its power and meaning. It is the kavanot within a prayer that. makes it “heard” above. It is for this renson that. when we pray, we recite a L’Shem Yihud prayer®, that concludes with the words “B'Shem Kol Yisrael (in the mame of all Yisrael), meaning that we recite our prayers, net as an T Recently in Jerusalem, a new and updated expanded ‘edition of the ‘Siddur HaRashash (3 volumes) has been publithed, in aecordance to is new Version, along with lafia version, (also 3 volumes, published for the first time about ten years ago), compliment the old Sephardi version, thet t and. use for aver 108 Yours (van. thea ed Sepharat version was originally published by the Ashkenazim of Yoohivat Gho'er HaShamayim, Jerusalem. 2 4 L’Shem Yihud prayer - hee the ache roy ths unity of the Holy Onc, Olesved be He, heBhing Examples sof this oe anf Sct in frost Racal Sepawd prayersonke, moet notably those of Artscroll or Lubaviteh,Phau Dareth - Prepac The Way individual, but rather as a part of collecti Israel. So as the prayers of the Kabbalists ri above due to their knowing how to make the ascent, so to our prayers rise up alongside theirs, kind of riding “piggyback”. Some systems today have rationalized away the need for praying with kavanot by saying that they don't need them for they already know what the kavanot mean, and they just pray with the correct meaning, This group really has no idea about how real Shefa descends, and when I have asked certain “learned” individuals to explain to me the most basie of kavanot concepts (such as the procedure of the descent of the Shefa in the word “Barukh" in any blessing), they were totally unable to comply. ‘They had some nice Musar and Hasidut to offer, but it was not Kabbalah, and thus they could not make the appropriate Yihud above. Kavanot are not easily learned. Full knowledge of the system of the Ari'zal is an obvious prerequisite. Even then one must sindy the Sha’arei Kavanot (the 6th Gate of Rabbi Haim Witals Gates, which sum up the Ari’zal's teachings) as well as the Siddur HaRashash. While this is a major undertaking, it is nonetheless not impossible and many people, including American Ba’alei Teshuvas are studying the system of Rav ‘Sharabi in Israel today. For the sake of those whe do not have access to Issue #1,1 will reprint here the appropriate ‘material for understanding the function of Kavanot. OOOEOSSLSSS OOS SHOHHSHSOSSOOSS Kavanot are not just Kabbalistic meditations on the meaning of the general concepts expressed in the prayers. In reality, kavanot have more to do with the letters of the prayers than directly with the words. Kavanot are the underlying power and meaning of every word and letter in the prayers. Prayer, when combined with Kavanot, is the specific channel through which HaShem's energy, called Shefa in Hebrew, is channeled to the earth, Shofa is a real energy, it is not symbolic. It is the power that was used by the prophets and Copyright © 1994 by Asie Bar Taadok. Al rights reserved. Kabbalists, and enables them to act by the higher laws of metaphysical nature (miracles), Shefa, in order to be received must be channeled. from its source, through an appropriate path, and must finally rest upon some specific obj or thing, in order for its energy to be manife In this respect, shefa is similar to electricity. Electricity is in the air, yet in that form we cannot use it to empower our electrical tools. First the electricity must be harnessed, and then dispensed. It will then travel through an intrieate series of wires, as it travels from the powerplant to your home, Once it arrives there, an appliance must be plugged into a connection socket. Yet, even now the electricity will not flow, until the appliance is "opened up” and the power allowed to flow through it, enabling it to perform it's function, The channeling of shefa works in exactly this same way. Shefa exists primordially in the Ayn Sof, which is Ged in His absolute unknowable state. It is harnessed in Adam Kadmon which is the generic pattern of G-d's supernal universe, (Keter - in the Partzufim of Atik & Nok and Arikh & Nok). From here it must be channeled correctly through the appropriate and complete paths through all the objective and subjective levels of the spiritual (Atzilut), mental (Beriah}, verbal-emotional (Yetzirah), and physieal (Asiyah) planes, in order to be received on our end, and perform the function for which it was drawn forth. ‘Mitzvot and prayer are the ehosen vehicle for this. For kavanot is a spiritual form of eommunication, and our everyday mitzvot and prayers provide the “wiring system" for the shefa to be tapped and drawn forth. Thus each and every action that we perform, every letter and word of our prayers, as well as their order in relationship to one another, a code signifying the type, direction, intensity, and flow of the shefa. For this reason, for example, do we recite a blessing, giving thanks to HaShem with a specific formula. We recite, Barukh Atah HaShem Blokeynuy Melekk HaOlam, meaning “Blessed are you, HaShem, our G-d, King of the universe", This phrase is a secret code, with each letterPanu Derekh = Prepare The Way signifying a multitude of various meanings. ‘The "spiritual wiring system” is the path the shefa takes as it flows from its source in Ayn Sof, the Absolute, 1 the sefirot! , which are the filters of HaShem's shefa. ‘The power that motivates shefa movement is our intentions, thoughts, and desires, i.e. our kavanot. This is the secret of true spiritual power and complete mitzvot observance. - ‘The fener of channeling shefa is to picture its movement in our mind's eye, and to activate our vision, making it real, by the power of, and by our connection with the "Supernal Will", With every word we recite in prayer, there is a code | jmecifying wh level we are at, what specific shefa channeled, and where that shefa is ced veut to be picked up, and moved ee word of prayer. The holy Names Ii ; within each word of prayer ari le (or “magic” words) to be recited, but ral Ae they are ‘signy path that the shefa is distending alent g). The holy Names , way as mathematical \ing else but symbols represeniang @ righer is a serious and Briovous error, POSRASORSARoREdAdESaGed : In my work “L’kha Dodi” I have included as a supplement the full text of not for the blessing “Barukh Atah He Pehera Biniionota Vi Melek ehh TaD ios Asher B'mitzval ” For mation on this subject, order I am prosentin; ‘s’sondented version of the fel Also: In. soit ae oe version is not in scourdane proper kananot., This version should therefore be discontinued in favor of the more proper version, excluding the word "Shel 1 The 10 Sefirat are is bibeot Is through which Ged filters and ects tie Laght fron Fhe ‘Absolute Essonee into the realms of differentiation. ‘The general Sofitct axe also refered to as the world of Atzilut. 16 Copyright © 1994 by Ariel Bar Taadok, All rights reserved. 7?°97107-L’hahd'leek The word j2°97109-L’hahd'leek, with the collel (the value of 1, for the word itself) is equals 180, which is also the numerical value of AB, SAG, and MAH: V1 TW (72-AB) >p NIP TN (63-SAG) Np WN) Np 117 (45-MAH) xa These three Names (their values, and. energies) are drawn down from the HaBaD, HaGaT, and NaHi¥ of Z.A. of Asiyah of Atzilut, and from Z.A. of Asiyah of Asiyah to Nok, the Shekhina, who is BEN, or Nok of Asiyah of Atzilut, and Nok of Asiyah of Asiyah: Pp? VY pj TW (52-BEN) ‘pnb ‘The "hahd'laka" i.e. the lighting that we are performing b y the physical lighting of the Hanuka Menorah is the for bringing down the AB, SAG, and MAH energies to manifestation on the earth. What is created is a "Ner" ie. a light. 3)-Ner This is the union (Yihud) of all the levels. This is the light, i.e. the Ner that is lit. The Name AB: pMopay is intertwined with Ehyeh of KASA: “par p wR, this is the upper union: Pp PAV VID? oN 7” 2 The letter Hey has been substituted here with the letter Kef so as not to have to print the authentic holy Names.