Midrash Tanchuma Beresheet on the Order of Creation

"Rabbi Yitzchak said: When a mortal builds a palace, be begins building from the bottom and then builds the upper part. But, the Holy One, Blessed Is He, first built the upper part and then He built the lower part, as it is stated, 'In the beginning of God's creating the heaven', and then afterward, 'and the earth'."

-- Midrash Tanchuma, Beresheet §4

Midrash Rabbah Vayiqra on the Eight Character Traits of Moses

"Any Torah scholar who lacks knowledge (Da'at), an animal carcass is better than he. Know that this is so. Go forth and learn from Moses, the father of wisdom, the father of the prophets, who took Israel out of Egypt, and through whom numerous miracles were performed in Egypt, and awe-inspiring deeds at the Sea of Reeds, who ascended to the heavens above and brought down the Torah from heaven, and who was the one who concerned himself with the work of constructing the Tabernacle. Yet, he did not enter the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle until God called him, as it is stated, 'He called to Moses and God spoke to him' (Leviticus 1:1)."

-- Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus 1.15


FATHER OF WISDOM : Chesed
FATHER OF PROPHETS : Hod
OUT OF EGYPT : Malkhut
NUMEROUS MIRACLES : Gevurah
AWE-INSPIRING DEEDS: Netzach
ASCENDED TO THE HEAVENS : Yesod
TORAH FROM HEAVEN : Tif'eret
TABERNACLE : Keter, Chokhmah, Binah

Introduction to Mishnah and Talmud

The Talmud is the Mishnah and the Gemara. Gemara means Completion. The Gemara is the completion of the Mishnah. The Mishnah is written with an extreme brevity of language; its statements are highly-terse and compact, requiring it to be unpacked and expanded in order to fully understand.

The Sages of the Mishnah began their tradition long before the writing the the Talmud as we know it today (these sages are referred to as "Tanna'im"), which consists of the redaction of the Mishnah and the much lengthier Gemara, which comprises the overwhelming bulk of the text of the Talmud.

The Gemara is the accumulated documentation of a period of intense Torah scholarship that lasted for well over 300 years. The scholars whose debates and inquiries are recorded in the Gemara are known as the "Amora'im".

There are in fact two Talmuds: Talmud Yerushalmi and Talmud Bavli. The Talmud Yerushalmi was begun slightly earlier than the Bavli. The Yerushalmi was written in Eretz Yisrael while the Bavli was written in Babylonia.

Talmud Yerushalmi contains a Gemara for every Tractate until the end of the Fourth Order of the Mishnah. The Sages of Yisrael were unable to complete the redaction of the Gemara for all Six Orders of the Mishnah. Talmud Bavli contains a Gemara for almost every Tractate for the Second through the Fifth Order of the Mishnah.

So for neither the Yerushalmi or the Bavli were the Sages able to finish the Gemara. The major missing component of both Talmuds is therefore the Sixth Order of the Mishnah, the Order of Purities.

The result of this analysis proves that the Sixth Order of the Mishnah remains the most elusive and difficult to understand of all the Orders of the Mishnah.

Talmud Yerushalmi on Keeping a Torah Scroll in the House

"If one sells a Torah scroll he inherited from his father, he will never see a sign of blessing. But whoever keeps a Torah scroll in his house, about him scripture states, 'Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever' (Psalms 112:3)."

-- Talmud Yerushalmi, Bikkurim 26b


"A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not go out." 

-- Leviticus 6:6

Sefer haZohar on the First Verse of Genesis and the Image of the Cherubim on Top of the Ark Cover

"This image extended in the spreading of the cover, and in that spread two images formed, one male and one female, standing as two youths in passionate love, clinging to one another.  This mystery is: 'In the beginning God created' - spread of concealed cover.  'Heaven and earth' - two cherubim, standing in passionate cleaving.  It is not written שמים וארץ (shmayim va-aretz), but rather את (et) - to include two cherubim as one. This cover is spread within, in the secrecy of the Temple, and these two stand on two sides."

-- Sefer haZohar 2:277b


SPREADING OF THE COVER : As it is written, "The name of the Lord is a tower of strength; the righteous runs into it and is strengthened."  (Proverbs 18:10).

TWO IMAGES : This refers to the conjunction of יה with וה.

ONE MALE AND ONE FEMALE : Each image is comprised of male and female. In the first image, י (Yod) is male and ה (Heh) is female.  In the second image, ו (Vav) is male and ה (Heh) is female.

STANDING : They stand together in their place, as it is written, "Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place." (Ezekiel 3:12).

TWO YOUTHS : Each image is comprised of male and female, and these are the two youths.

SPREAD OF CONCEALED COVER : This refers to the Throne of Glory and the Seven Palaces.

TWO CHERUBIM, STANDING : The image of assembly for the Mishkan above, and the image of construction for the Beit haMiqdash below.

TWO CHERUBIM AS ONE : They are included as one under one sign.

COVER SPREAD WITHIN : The concealed emanation of the Head is revealed within the Body.

SECRECY OF THE TEMPLE : The secret is known to those two whom has been revealed the secret emanation from above spreading into below, as it says, "And I shall no longer hide My face from them, for I shall have poured out My spirit upon the House of Israel," says the Lord God."  (Ezekiel 39:29).

THESE TWO : These are the male on each side.  The י (Yod) is above, concealed, and the ו (Vav) is above, concealed.

STAND ON TWO SIDES : They stand above the female on each side.  The י (Yod) stands above the ה (Heh) on their side, in the image of the Throne of Glory inside the Seven Palaces.  And the ו (Vav) stands above the ה (Heh) on their side, in the image of the Mishkan inside the Beit haMiqdash.

Hekhalot Zutarti in the Four Who Entered Paradise and a Hidden Parallel in the Zohar

"And these are they who entered paradise (פרדס): Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Elisha ben Avuyah, and Rabbi Akiva.

"Ben Azzai peered and died. Concerning him the Scripture says, 'Worthy in the eyes of YHVH is the death of His pious ones' (Psalms 116:15).

"Ben Zoma peered and was struck down. Concerning him the Scripture says, 'Have you found honey? Eat only your fill, lest you become sated and vomit it up' (Proverbs 25:16).

"Elisha ben Avuyah peered and cut the plants. Concerning him the Scripture says, 'Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin' (Ecclesiastes 5:5).

"Rabbi Akiva entered safely and went forth safely. Concerning him the Scripture says, 'Draw me after you, let us run. The King has brought me into His chambers' (Song of Songs 1:4)."

-- Hekhalot Zutarti, §339, 345


BEN AZZAI : The one who teaches the Pshat (פשט), the literal meaning.
BEN ZOMA : The one who teaches the Remez (רמז), the allusions in scripture.
ELISHA BEN AVUYAH : The one who teaches the Derash (דרש), the homiletical discourse.
RABBI AKIVAH : The one who teaches the Sod (סוד), the secret wisdom.


"Come and see: The blessed Holy One formed the human being corresponding to the pattern above, all according to wisdom, for you cannot find a single human limb not founded upon supernal wisdom. Look! When the whole body is arrayed in its limbs fittingly, the blessed Holy One joins with it, inserting a holy soul - to teach the human how to walk in the ways of Torah and observe His commandments, so that he will perfect himself."

-- Sefer haZohar, 1:186b (Pritzker ed. 3.137)


THE PATTERN ABOVE : This is the soul of Ben Azzai.
ARRAYED IN ITS LIMBS FITTINGLY : This is the soul of Ben Zoma.
JOINS WITH IT : This is the soul of Elisha ben Avuyah.
A HOLY SOUL : This is the soul of Rabbi Akiva.


"And God said, 'Let us make...'" -- Genesis 1:26 

Talmud Bavli Shekalim on The Day the Mishkan was Erected

"On the day that the Mishkan was erected, on that very day the withdrawal of half-shekel donations was made from the treasury to pay for the communal offerings."

-- Talmud Bavli, Shekalim 2a


MISHKAN - This is the human body, about which it is said, "From my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:26).

MISHKAN WAS ERECTED - This refers to Betzalel, about whom it is said, "Bezalel knew how to combine the letters by which the heavens and earth were created" (Berachot 55a).

THE WITHDRAWAL - These came from Salem. DONATIONS - These were brought to Zion. This is proved from "His Tabernacle was in Salem, and His dwelling place in Zion" (Psalms 76:3).