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  • Central Beliefs In Kabbalah

    According to the traditional kabbalistic school of thought, all thoughts and ideas stem from the foundation that is God. Therefore, the belief in God is central to the study of Kabbalah. Traditional kabbalists hearken to the words of Maimonides as written in

    Central Beliefs In Kabbalah

    the work called the Mishneh Torah: “The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of all wisdom is to know that there is God who brought into being all existence. All the beings of the heavens, and the earth, and what is between them came into existence only from th

    e truth of God’s being.”
    God’s Nature

    In tandem with this line of thinking is the idea that since God is the creator of both spirit and matter, He cannot be either of these things. This begs the question: “what is the nature of God?” Kabbalists believe that there are two sides or aspects to God. The first aspect is known as Ein Sof. This is a Hebrew expression that translates to “endless” or “infinite.”  This aspect of God is not accessible to human beings and is impersonal.

    Ten Sephirot

    The second aspect of God can be accessed by human thought, at least in part. Kabbalistic thought holds that the two divine aspects complement each other through a process of emanations. The emanations have been characterized according to various schools of thought with later systems incorporating the various models into one. The various structures used to denote these emanations are: Four Worlds, Ten Spheres (Sephirot, or Sefirot), and Faces.

    Divine Energy

    The singular of the word Sephirot is Sephira. A sephira is a channel through which divine energy can flow. It is believed that during creation, the unending light that emanates from God created something that humans experience as a finite reality. Th

    e 10 Sephirot represent ten divine emanations, each possessing individual names and which represent the hidden knowledge that is called Kabbalah.

    Larger Chain

    There is a school of kabbalistic thought that believes the emanations serve to link all things to God. This line of thinking, as characterized by such scholars as Moses ben Jacob Cordovero, believes that all beings are a part of a larger chain of being. Another school of thought, as recorded by the Chabad Lubavitch founder and Chassidic scholar Schneur Zalman of Liadi, holds that God is all that exists and that all exists as a part of His whole.

     

  • Origins Of Jewish Mysticism

    There are two different versions relating to the origins of the term: “Kabbalah.” Some authorities

    Origins Of Jewish Mysticismbelieve the term originated with Solomon ibn Gabirol (1021-1058), while others subscribe to the theory that it was the 13th century CE Spanish kabbalist, Bahya ben Asher, who coined the moniker. Until the term came into common usage, many other terms were employed to describe this field of Je

    wish mysticism.

    Contemplative Kabbalah

    Kabbalistic literature is divided between early works produced in the 1st or 2nd century CE and later works which date back to the 13th century CE. The major kabbalistic work hails from the latter era and is known as the Zohar (lit. Illumination). This work is the basis for the type of Kabbalah known as Kabbalah Iyunit, or Contemplative Kabbalah.

    Tradition has it that Kabbalah knowledge was handed down to the Jewish patriarchs, prophets, and sages by word of mouth with the intention that this knowledge become an integral part of the school of divine Jewish thought and literature. Today, most traditional kabbalistic study focuses on the study of the Zohar and the works of the renowned kabbalist, Isaac Luria, known by his Hebrew acronym, the Arizal, as transmitted through the work of the scribe, editor and rabbi, Chaim Vital. The Arizal’s work includes commentaries on earlier kabbalistic works.

    Buried Works

    The codification of the Arizal’s work by Chaim Vital involved many revisions, resulting in several versions of the same works. When Vital took ill in Safed in 1587 CE, his brother, Moshe, permitted Chaim’s dear friend, the biblical namesake Joshua Ben Nun to borrow some 600 pages of manuscript on short-term loan. Ben Nun was an enterprising fellow who hired 100 scribes to copy the manuscripts, and the goal was accomplished within 3 days time. The text resulting from Ben Nun’s venture was filled with errors, but was accorded the honor of being circulated among the leading kabbalists of the time. The original text, along with the rest of his work, was buried with Chaim Vital upon his death.

    Dream And Exhumation

    After the death of Chaim Vital in 1620, his son Shmuel Vital, dreamed that he was meant to remove certain writings from the grave of his father, while leaving other works buried. The dream and subsequent exhumation of his father’s grave occurred in the year 1650. Shmuel Vital recovered the same work that had been transcribed by Ben Nun’s scribes and set to work on his own redaction. His version of his father’s work was divided into eight sections and is known as the Shmoneh She’arim (lit. Eight Gates). The work was first circulated in manuscript form in the year 1660 CE. Between the years 1863-1898, the book was published in Jerusalem in the form of seven volumes. This version, known as the mehadura kamma, is considered to be the one that is true to Chaim Vital’s visionary codification of the Arizal’s commentary on the Zohar.

     

  • What Is Kabbalah?

    Kabbalah is the Hebrew word for “receiving,” and is the mystical branch of Jewish wisdom.

    What Is Kabbalah?Kabbalah consists of teachings which are meant to help finite mortals to understand their relationship to their Creator, whose nature is believed to be infinite, eternal, and unfathomable. Kabbalists believe that understanding existence and the relationships between things which exist is the path to spiritual attainment.

    A Paradox

    Kabbalah attempts to address this paradox between the finite and infinite natures of man and God by furthering the individual’s understanding of the nature of the world and of human beings, as well as the meaning of our existence and our own nature. Scholars of Kabbalah are in essence, concerned with ontology: the study of existence and things which exist. The discipline als

    o offers methods by which one can gain understanding of such concepts.

    Classic Kabbalah is rooted in Jewish thought and references classic Jewish sources to explain, prove, and illustrate concepts. Traditional Jewish kabbalists believe that the mystic teachings, in turn, help to define the deeper meaning of biblical texts, rabbinic writings, and the meaning of the various Jewish religious observances.

    The Orchard

    The Zohar is considered to be the main kabbalistic work and this book is studied on four different levels. The levels

    are labeled with the Hebrew acronym “PaRDeS” which means: “orchard.” The four levels include:

    *Pshat (plain meaning or lit. “simple”)-the literal meaning of the text

    *Remez (lit. the “hint”)-This is the allegorical meaning to which the text alludes

    *Drash (derivative of the Hebrew word “darash”—to seek or inquire)-Comparative meaning as found through rabbinic teachings (midrashic literature, the midrash)

    *Sod (lit. “secret”)-this is the hidden or inner meaning of the words and is the foundation of kabbalistic study

    Modern Environment

    Observant Jews faithful to the strictest form of Judaism believe the Kabbalah to be part and parcel of the study of the Torah, or divine Jewish doctrine. However, classic Torah study deems Kabbalah as the final discipline learned upon the mastery of all the other Torah works. It is rare to achieve this level of mastery, and most traditional Jews never reach this point in their studies. To be overeager to reach this level is considered outré by many Jews. The exception to this rule is the Chassidim, who believe that in the current world, mysticism is meant to be studied early in order to imbue scholars with a sense of the Torah’s deeper meanings and to give joy to everyday life, which serves to aid in the preservation of faith in a harsh and difficult modern environment.

  • Rabbi Isaac Luria: The ARI

    Background

    The most revered figure in the Kabbalistic World, next to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, is Rabbi Isaac Luria, The ARI. Known as “The Lion”, the ARI arrived in Tzfat in the mid-16th century and his presence, in addition to the developments that he brought to the study of Kabbalah, assured that Tzfat would forever more be known as the “City of Kabbalah” throughout the Jewish World.

    HaARI And Kabbalah

     

    The ARI was already a revered Torah scholar when he arrived in Tzfat. His custom was to sit in a small cave in the Elijah HaNavi synagogue (today the ARI Sepharadi synagogue) and learn new insights into Kabbalistic thought while studying with Elijah the Prophet.

    Jews believe that God gave the Torah to the Children of Israel on Mount Sinai. Religious Jews believe that the Torah is God’s Word, both in its recitation of the origins of the Jewish people and the commandments that God expects the Jews to keep. A simple reading of these Five Books of Moses spells out the early years of the world and of the Jewish religion, from Adam and Eve through Noah and the Flood, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph’s descent into Egypt, the Children of Israel’s years of slavery, and their Exodus from Egypt and travels towards the Land of Israel.

    Understanding Kabbalah

    But Kabbalist thought brings one to a deeper level of understanding of what God is telling us in the Torah. It encourages one to explore the true essence of God, and the ARI further refined this study to encourage us to explore how we can strengthen our relationship with God and with our fellow man through understanding God’s attributes, how He has created the world, and the various elements that He left in the world for us to understand.

    The ARI explained this through conceptualizing the various elements that make up the world. One conceptua

    lization, the Sephirot, explains how the Divine descended into the physical world during creation, and continues to influence the physical world. These Sephirot, characteristics, are:

    Keter is Thought
    Chokhmah is Wisdom
    Binah is Understanding
    Chesed is Mercy
    Gevurah in Power
    Tifereth is Glory
    Netzach is Victory
    Hod is Identifying with God

    Yesod is Foundation
    Malkuth is Kingdom

    Paths connect the Sephirot to each other, and represent our subjective experiences as we move from one state or condition to another.

    The ARI’s Influence

    The ARI brought the study of reincarnation into Jewish consciousness, as well as the idea of how a soul rectifies some lacking or mistake from its life on earth in order to be released from the earth and continue on to its reward in heaven. He was also involved in traveling around the North, marking gravesites of scholars and Jewish leaders who died thousands of years ago – those graves are sites for pilgrims today to gather and pray. Included is the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at Mt. Meron, who is believed to have written the Book of Zohar, the base for studying Kabbalah, in the 1st century A.D.

    Many Jewish customs and traditions which are today celebrated throughout the Jewish world by Ashkanazi and Sepharadi communities alike began in Tzfat with the ARI’s leadership – Kabbalat Shabbat service, the Tu B’shevat Seder, the Lag B’Omer pilgrimage to Rabbi Bar Yochai’s gravesite, and many others.

    The teachings of the ARI had a tremendous effect on the development of the Hassidic movement, and Hassidim revere him – on his Yartzeit, anniversary of his death, every year, tens of thousands of Hassidim flock to his gravesite to pay their respects. The ARI lived in Tzfat for 3 years, but his legacy has lasted almost 500 years, and strengthens with time.

  • Kabbalah

    A great reason to decide to journey to the city of Safed is to become more aquainted with the mystical religious text known as the Kabbalah.  Here in our Kabbalah section you can find out more about this inspiring book and prepare yourself to become immersed in the teachings of the Kabbalah.

    Discovering Kabbalah

    Kabbalah and Mysticism

     

    Many people come to Safed in order to learn more about the mystical meanings of Kabbalah.

    To help spark your interest check out our articles on the history of Kabbalah, what is Kabbalah, what is Kabbalah study, who was the HaAri, Kabbalah in the 8th-13th centuries, and mystic doctrines of Kabbalah.

    Kabbalah Concepts

    Also check out our articles on Kabbalistic concepts, the ten sephirot, the zohar, sex and the Kabbalah, the human soul and Kabbalah, the unity of God in the Kabblah, and Kabbalah secrets revealed.  Get all of the information you need to get on the road to becoming a great Kabbalah scholar.

    Studying The Kabbalah

    There are many ways to study Kabbalah and many groups who teach this mystical text in different ways.  Learn more about popular Kabbalah and the many other ways of studying and understanding Kabbalah.

     

     

  • Safed Sushi

    Safed cuisine was once limited to the basics but today there’s a sushi bar in Tzfat where sushi aficionados can enjoy their favourite treat.

    Sushi Bar

    Sushi in Safed

     

    The Sushi bar is located at 27 Jerusalem Street. The chef spent many years learning the art of sushi-making and today he offers his expertise to Tzfat residents who can enjoy numerous types of sushi as well as other Asian food.

    The restaurant specializes in sushi as well as different types of stir fry and Thailandi food. The restaurant serves meat and has a mehadrin hechsher.

    Hours

    The sushi bar is open from 12:00 noon – 10:30p.m. daily, Sundays through Thursdays. It is open sporadically on

    Fridays. There are places to sit in the restaurant and it’s also possible to order take-out.

    Contact

    The sushi bar can be contacted at (04)6973-322

     

  • The Artisan Bakery of Safed

    The newest hip cafe recently opened in the Old City of Tsfat on Simtat Bar Yochai. Enjoy breakfast, lunch and

    Artisan Bakery of Safeddinner here. The cafe offers a delicious breakfast menu with gourmet cheeses and hand rolled bagels baked fresh every day. For lunch and dinner, there is pasta and Italian-style thin crust pizza with fresh mozzarella and salads.

    On Fridays they offer a selection of delicious breads and pastries for Shabbat. The cafe also makes their own

    fresh bread daily including a special rustic fermented bread which goes along with every dish on the menu.  Indoor and outdoor seating.

    Open Sunday to Friday from 7:30 am – 8:00pm. Motzei Shabbat, open an hour and half after Shabbat ends.

    Simtat bar Yochai, 14 in the Old Cty. Call 052-792-2068

    Facebook page = newartisanbakerysafed/Facebook

     

  • La Marjolaine – Chef Restaurant – Villa Galilee hotel

    The atmosphere:

    La Marjolaine Restaurant

     

    Imagine a paved stone stairway climbing to an old stone house. The last sun beams form an abstract picture of orange and pink over the mountains. Upon arriving at the renovated building you open a French style door and enter a unique European lobby. On the floor you’ll find heavy wool rugs, as well as classic paintings on the walls. Soft sounds of jazz music are accompanying you i

    n the background, while waiting for the host to guide you to the restaurant.

    Location:

    La Marjolaine is a kosher Chef Restaurant located at the Villa Galilee boutique hotel on the top of mount Canaan – Safed. The hotel is in a well preserved stone structure erected in 1932, and integrated into the local architecture and landscape.

    The Villa Galilee Hotel’s style is European, and reminds us of small boutique hotels there. The European feeling is well sensed in the luxurious design and furniture, a great deal of which has been imported from Italy, France and other European countries. The view from the Hotel presents the Mount Meron ridge, the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights.

    Chef Restaurant:

    La Marjolaine is the pearl of the hotel. It has a romantic atmosphere with pronounced furniture, heavy wooden tables and chairs, white tablecloths, beautiful paintings, collectibles, and relaxing music.

    La Marjolaine is a kosher French cuisine restaurant with a homey, romantic, and warm atmosphere. The restaurant offers meals inspired by French cuisine combined with local Galilee ingredients. The wine menu is based on the products of wineries from around the Galilee and the Golan, with quality series and a professional, connoisseur selection.

    From morning to evening:

    La Marjolaine has a diverse kosher menu and it is varied according to the season. Rich stews, special soups and dishes during the winter and the summer time brings with it a light and tempting menu, spiced with aromatic and rich herbs.

     

    In the mornings the restaurant offer a rich Galilean breakfast: wide selection of salads, cheese bar, hot bar

    with constantly changing dishes, different kinds of fish, home-bake cakes, different pastries, jams, home-bake breads, fruits, dried fruits, sweets and many more.

    Lunch On Route

    Group dining for lunch or dinner can be ordered in advance. We’ve got several menus for different budget and size of groups.

    Opening Hours:

    Breakfast: 8:00am – 10:30am

    Lunch: 12:00pm – 17:00pm

    Dinner: 19:00pm – 21:00pm

    Kosher certificate: rabbinate of safed

  • Grill Bar

    Opened in the summer of 2010, the Grill Bar meat restaurant is a welcome addition to the Kikar HaMaganim in the Old City. Operating in a store previously used for jewelry, Yosef Pe’er, the owner, has completely changed the small space. With artist Elinor Kaysar’s amazingly lifelike mural, you feel like you are walking into the alleyways around the Mayan HaRadum when you go into the Grill Bar.

    Yosef, originally from Tiberius, ran cafes and restaurants all over the north, before being drawn to open his Gril

    l Bar in the heart of the Old City. He wanted to connect his soul to his calling of providing people

    Grill Bar with good food and the location of his café-restaurant, so he chose the holy city of Safed.

    The Menu: Meat

    Although the menu is fairly standard fare, falafel (14shk) shwarma (25-40shks), shish kebabs (25-45shks) chicken sticks (28 -45shks) and so on, everything is made fresh on the spot ‘al ha aish’ (on the grill). The stir-fry chicken (35shks) adds variety and gives Yosef a chance to show his cooking abilities and the beef steak (90shks) shows off his skill with the grill. He also offers omelets with a choice of fillings and he certainly knows how to make fries (15shks). Popular with locals and tourists alike, you can choose to have your meal in a pita, a baguette or served on a plate with salad. The Israeli breakfast is also good, but as this is a meat restaurant don’t expect a cheese side platter or milk in your morning tea or coffee! Why not do what the locals do and have herbal tea or Turkish coffee instead. For dieh

    ards he does offer soya milk. In cold weather, for a real winter warmer, why not try a bowl of his delicious daily soup offering at only 10shks! It must be one of the best bargains in Safed!

    Seating

    In summer it is very pleasant to sit at the tables outside in the kikar (square), and people watch. Yosef has room for about 20 customers at any one time but even so, he still manages fast service. With his pleasant manner and ability with languages, he speaks Arabic, English, French, German and Spanish and his native Hebrew, he can communicate easily with almost everyone.

    During the winter, you can still sit outside if the weather is warm enough, otherwise there is some seating inside, enough for four, but it can be a bit of a snug fit. Of course, you can always get take choose to order take out and bring food back to your zim

    mer or hostel if you prefer.

    Drinks

    Grill Bar offers a choice of cold beers: – Carlsberg, Goldstar or Heineken and a wide selection of canned soft drinks, juices and cola. Hot drinks are also available.

    Hours

    Winter: 9am – 10pm
    Summer: 9am – late

    Kashrut: Mehadrin Safed. All Meat is either Rav Landau or Edit Haredit B’datz.

    Contact Info

    To order take out or to make enquiries about catering

    Tel 077 439 0395 or 054 948 9404

  • Late Night Bites

    if you are looking for a late night quick bite after getting off a long bus journey at the bus station, just go straight out of the bus station. Cross the street, keeping the gas station on your left and walk up Jerusalem Street towards the gesher (bridge) and the midrahov. As you continue walking up the street, you will find a few snack bars that stay open quite late. There are almost no other snack places in central Safed normally open this late at night so grab your chance while you can.

    GUSTO

    Late Night Bites

     

    On your left the first snack stand you come to is a nice trendy looking shwarma bar. With three tables outside in summer and 2 tables inside as well, as a long bar with 5 stools, you can enjoy your meal in comfort. Prices start at 22nis and you can have your shwarma on a plate and sit down, or have it in a pita or baguette to take away. This stand is also licensed so you can drink a beer with your meal. You can certainly eat with gusto here, enjoying a variety of different meats and chicken until 2am!

    Kashrut Certificate: Regular Rabbinate

    Address:116 Jerusalem Street
    Tel no: 077 558 2119

    Opening Hours: 8am – 2am Sunday thru Thursday

     

    PIZZA PIE

    If on the other hand you prefer pizza late at night why not try the recently opened Pizza Pie, just across the street. With four tables inside and three outside during the summer, there is plenty of room for soldiers who appreciate the 10% soldiers discount an

    d the free toppings given by the pizza parlor. As it also has a B’datz hechsher don’t be surprised to see a lot of ‘black hatter’ yeshiva students in the parlor.
    Apart from regular pizza (40nis for a pie) you can have toasts, garlic breads and salads. They also offer ice-cream as a dessert and have a good choice of soft drinks. The pizza parlor offers free delivery within Safed.

    Kashrut Certificate: Mehadrin – B’datz (Eidit Haredit)

    Address: 118 Jerusalem Street
    Tel no: 077 201 9416/7

    Opening Hours: 10am -2am Sunday -Thursday

    RAFI’S SHWARMA

    Just up the street again you will find another small shwarma bar simply called Rafi’s Shwarma. With two tables outside for summer and three inside you can easily chat with the friendly staff in the cozy atmosphere. Apart from the usual shwarma choices you can also get falafel and French fries. Prices are fairly standard for Safed with shwarma in a pita at 25nis and a larger shwarma portion in a baguette.

    Kashrut Certificate: Regular Rabbinate

    Opening Hours: times vary