In A Rose Among Thorns , Rosie Goodwin weaves a captivating historical saga of a troubled family and the power of love and friendship. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Cathy Sharp. It is of great significance that the start of this section of the Zohar, which is a commentary on the Torah, should begin by quoting not from the Torah, but from the Song of Songs of King Solomon. The space in between the Cherubim in the Holy of Holies in the Temple is the place of the closest, most intimate relationship between G‑d and His People; this level of relationship is expressed in the Song of Songs, a love-song pouring out the intimacies of the heart. By opening up its revelation of the Supernal mysteries with this quote, the Zohar hints to us that this relationship is its driving theme. With this we can understand why the Zoharic system of giving over its knowledge revolves around the masculine-feminine relationship. This same relationship pervades the Song of Songs in its every verse. The inner level of the Torah which expresses itself in the form of song…

There is no end to the theological debate that has ensued over the centuries as to what Paul meant when he wrote that his ‘thorn’ was a messenger of Satan sent to torment him, but I won’t attempt to deal with that in this short article. My view is simply that Paul had some sort of affliction that God used redemptively to keep him humble, and the devil used to torment him. There has also been endless speculation as to the exact nature of Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Some say anxiety over his pre-Christian past; others claim it represented his critics such as the ‘super apostles’ of Corinth; yet others claim that Paul was an epileptic or that he suffered from migraines. It is all just speculation, but I believe there is reasonable evidence to show that Paul was probably suffering from deteriorating eye sight (Galati ans 4:!3, 15 6:11). The word " Shechina" derives from the Hebrew word " shachain", which means "dwell". This helps to explain the English term "Presence", as the Shechina is the state of G‑d's Presence manifest in the world, i.e. His Imminence. The kabbalistic teaching is that there are two general areas where this occurs; the upper realm and the lower realm. The Rabbis teach that G‑d created the world because He wanted to dwell in the lower realm. He created the spiritual realm as a pathway to reach the lower realm. So much so that He wanted His Presence to be manifest in the lower realm in the same manner as in the upper realm. In this way His omniscience becomes apparent everywhere, thus revealing His absolute unity. The above lines were meant to introduce who that ‘rose’ is referring to. The phrase, “the greatest gift of God,” provides us with the key. For what or who else could be God’s greatest gift to mankind other than His only begotten Son? We’ve already known the answer to this from the book of John. And as we move further, the song will make it even clearer for us. The following lines summarized the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Of course if I said that today to anyone under fifty she would probably think that I was strange to say the least. In the Song of Solomon the young woman refers to herself as a rose of Sharon (SS 2:1). Some commentators understand the Song of Solomon to be an allegory of Christ and the church and so, in this context, they see the rose as representing the Lord Jesus. Certainly, when Jesus was nailed to a cross between two criminals He was the epitome of a rose between two thorns. The name Y-ah is used in reference to spiritual energies above nature. This divine energy will be given to the student as he delves into the supernal secrets.

Rabbi Chezkiah opened [his discourse] and said: "It is written: ' As a rose among the thorns, so is my beloved amongst the daughters'. (Songs 2:2) Who is the rose? This refers to 'Knesset Yisrael' - the Collective soul roots of Israel, malchut. (For there is one level of a rose and there is another level of a rose.) Just as a rose, which is found amidst the thorns, has within it the colors red and white, also Knesset Yisrael has within her both judgment and loving kindness. Just as a rose has in it thirteen petals, so too Knesset Yisrael has within her thirteen paths of mercy which surround her from all her sides. ( Zohar I, Intro. pg 1) All the things that G‑d creates in the lower realm…are expressions of their spiritual roots, forces, and divine archetypes in the upper realms… The villains of the piece were great as well, Elizabeth the step-mother and Thomas's American wife, without feeling at all stereotypes or wooden. The relationship between Sassy and Clara, her neighbour, was perhaps one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen portrayed in any format. Clara became the mother that Sassy lost, the supporter and wise adviser; but Sassy also became a pillar of support for Clara, in her time of grief but also in her time of loneliness with her husband away at work during the day and her sons away (or dead). Was moved to higher ground The Bishops | Photo: Screen grabbed from Youtube Did this piece make your day? Here’s the thing – afflictions have the potential of drawing us closer than ever to Jesus. Often, it is only when we are experiencing a severe thorn in the flesh that we realise our need for the Lord and admit our dependence upon Him. We cry out to Him and ask Him to heal or release us, but sometimes He simply says, “No….. but I am with you and that is all you need.”

We would be glad to hear your thoughts or experiences related to the song. Likewise, please do not forget to hit the like button and share the inspiration with your friends and loved ones. Here on Country Thang Daily, we strive to bring you a daily dose of cutting-edge entertainment through country gospel music and their interesting stories.For there is one level of a rose and there is another level of a rose": The Arizal was the first person to really reveal the deep secrets of the Zohar from an understanding of its esoteric text. He explains as follows: this phrase hints to two states of malchut; a higher state and a lower state. Before we can understand this explanation of the verse, we must explain briefly the concept of the Shechina: G‑d…wanted to dwell in the lower realm. He created the spiritual realm as a pathway to reach the lower realm… Malchut is alluded to by the term Knesset Yisrael (which also connects with the Shechina, as mentioned above), and therefore the student can absorb the idea of malchut through the filter of the Collective soul roots of Israel. In terms of this discourse, this is meant to bring out to us that the revelation of the divine Kingship depends upon Knesset Yisrael. All this is symbolized by the rose.

I am a passionate champion of the Christocentric or Christ-centred Principle, an approach to biblical interpretation and theological construction that emphasises the centrality of Jesus The Spiritual Realm is beyond "place". However, as discussions about the nature of this realm include this concept, "place" needs to be understood. Within this context, closeness depends on similarity and not distance. When the intensity of the revelation in malchut rises toward that of bina, this is called " malchut ascending to bina". This is the higher state of malchut that the Zohar is referring to, and this gives us a first step in the understanding of spiritual space. Rabbi Chezkiah…": The commentary Damesek Eliezer explains that the Zohar chooses to start with a lesson by Rabbi Chezkiah because his name hints to us a message: "Chezkiah" can be read as " chazak Y-ah" which in Hebrew means "strength of the divine name ' Y-ah'". The message is that when a person embarks on the voyage of traversing the vast ocean of Kabbala he is assured divine assistance. Malchut is the lowest sefira, which is the vessel that receives from all those above, and brings them to expression. The reason that it is a manifestation of kingship is that the unified workings of the sefirot together show G‑d's hallmark in the underlying creative power and providence, and hence to His sovereignty and rulership. In terms of the soul we can explain malchut as self-realization, i.e. the vessel through which the aspects of the self establish themselves. One thing I didn't like was Sassy getting together with Daniel; I just never believed their love. They didn't seem to know each other for that long before becoming totally infatuated with her and I found it hard to believe that she wouldn't ever et over someone she knew for just a few months and even within that time barely spoke to for half of it because of the misunderstanding they had.

Christ’s Representation

My name is Christopher Peppler and I was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1947. While working in the financial sector I achieved a number of business qualifications from the Institute of Bankers, Damelin Management School, and The University of the Witwatersrand Business School. After over 20 years as a banker, I followed God’s calling and joined the ministry full time. After becoming a pastor of what is now a quite considerable church, I earned an undergraduate theological qualification from the Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa and post-graduate degrees from two United States institutions. I was also awarded the Doctor of Theology in Systematic Theology from the University of Zululand in 2000. It is written…": Normally the Zohar excludes this phrase and just says, "Rabbi So-and-So opened", followed by the verse. The message here is that we must write these words on the heart. Rabbi Chezkiah's opening teaching is of fundamental importance in helping us cope with our present situation. By taking this lesson to heart we show that this teaching is not merely an intellectual one, but also an emotional one. We must really feel the pain of exile, and use it to fire our efforts towards redemption. By opening ourselves up in the same way as Rabbi Chezkiah, we can discover the inner truth which is engraved upon the heart. Let us now review the scriptural verse. A "rose amidst the thorns" connotes the Shechina- malchut in its lower state. "My beloved" refers to malchut in its higher state. Even though "beloved" usually refers to bina, when malchut arises to bina, it too can be so-called, in accordance with the Zoharic principle: "like mother- bina, like daughter- malchut". Malchut is…the vessel through which the aspects of the self establish themselves… Also the fact that the Zohar starts by quoting from the Song of Songs hints to us that its special goal is to reveal the inner level of the Torah which expresses itself in the form of song. opened": This term issued frequently in the Zohar to indicate that the teacher opened himself up as a vessel to experience the spiritual. After this he trail-blazed to open up a new pipeline of Torah which he poured forth through his lesson.