God hidden, whereabouts unknown – notes on the book by Miles-Yepez & Schachter-Shalomi

Notes on books, Spirituality /

These are my own gleanings from a book by Netanel Miles-Yepez & Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, God Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown: the Holy Ari and the ‘Contraction of God’ (2021, Albion-Andalus). I hope they encourage you to buy the book. I have paraphrased in order to clarify my own understanding, but there are also direct quotations from the […]

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Fourth Turning of Hasidism – notes on the book by Miles-Yepez & Shachter-Shalomi

Notes on books, Spirituality /

These are my own gleanings from a book by Netanel Miles-Yepez & Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, Foundations of the Fourth Turning of Hasidism: a manifesto (2014, Albion-Andalus). I hope they encourage you to buy the book. I have paraphrased in order to clarify my own understanding, but there are also direct quotations from the book. The notes

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A Merciful God – notes on the book by Shachter-Shalomi & Miles-Yepez

Notes on books, Spirituality /

These are my own gleanings from a book by Zalman Shachter-Shalomi & Netanel Miles-Yepez, A Merciful God: stories and teachings of the holy rebbe, Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev – translated and retold with commentary (2010, Albion-Andalus). I hope they encourage you to buy the book. I have paraphrased in order to clarify my own understanding,

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Kedushah

Liturgy / Siddur, Prayer / T'fillah /

Music & audio © 2024 Alexander Massey – All Rights Reserved On Shabbat morning, as part of the Amidah blessings, we sing prayers in a call and response. Every prayer tradition has different texts for the parts that the leader recites, so I had to choose which rite I was going to set. The text

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Neir Adonai (No.1)

Festivals, Interfaith, Psalms / Tehillim, Songs by theme, Uncategorized /

Music & audio © 2023 Alexander Massey – All Rights Reserved נֵר יְהוָה, נִשְמַת אָדָם חֹפֵשׂ, כָל-חַדְרֵי-בָטֶן אֱלהַי נְשָמָה שֶנָתַתָ בִי טְהורָה הִיא כִי-אַתָה, תָאִיר נֵרִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי, יַגִיהַ חָשְכִי 1: The soul of a person is the candle of God, that searches the deepest parts of ourselves. [Prov. 20:27] Ch: My God, the soul

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Parshot – Divrei Torah

Torah /

The annual cycle of Torah readings is traditionally split into 53 portions. Here’s what I’ve written (and sometimes composed) in relation to some of those portions. 7 Vayeitzei Jacob’s ladder – dreaming awake (Jacob #1) Jacob and Lavan – learning to make a good ending (Jacob #2) 8 Vayishlach Wrestling at Yabbok – doing the

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Jacob meets Esau – putting God at the centre (Jacob #4)

Torah /

<< Previous post in the Jacob series: #3 Wrestling at Yabbok – doing the inner work There are four episodes close together in Jacob’s life that can tell us something about the nature of his—and our—spiritual journey. I’ve been reading—and writing about—these four episodes through the lens of Four-Worlds consciousness, as taught in kabbalah: Assiyah,

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Jacob and Lavan – learning to make a good ending (Jacob #2)

Torah /

<< Previous post in the Jacob series: #1 Jacob’s ladder – dreaming awake Running away is not a solution In my commentary on the ladder dream (Jacob #1), we’ve seen Jacob go through an important spiritual transformation using Four-Worlds consciousness. But that’s not the end of his spiritual journey, only one stage in it. Jacob’s spiritual

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