(This is a continuation of last week's post.) How many petals has a rose? Thirteen, according to the Zohar, the great Kabbalistic classic of the Middle Ages. The number isn't fortuitous, either. It's part of a vast symbolic web that ties together the human body, the world of nature, the … [Read more...]
Kabbalah, the Zohar, and the Rose (Part 1)
"Rabbi Hizkiah opened with the verse, 'Like a rose among thorns' [Song of Songs 2:2]. What is this 'rose'? The Community of Israel ..." That's the way the Zohar starts off. The Zohar, which first began to trickle into Jewish communal awareness around the year 1300, became over the next few … [Read more...]
