Published:
August 24, 2026
Originally recorded:
November 21, 2021
This week's study from Rav Isaac Luria, the Ari, centers on a practical framework of ability, opportunity, and awareness which describes that for every piece of spiritual work we are meant to do, the Creator ensures we have the ability to handle it. But the opportunity to actually do it must appear, and it is up to us to bring the awareness that recognizes it when it does. Yosef explains that a judgmental thought that surfaces, an unexpected detour, a stranger's dropped item on the street are not random interruptions but precisely timed openings the Creator has placed before us to pay attention and do exactly what we are meant to release or reveal. We learn that most of the time we are carried along by someone else's action to complete our correction. Kabbalah teaches that instead of assuming interruptions, unexpected encounters, or stray thoughts are distractions from our spiritual work, we might ask, in each one, what our soul has been waiting for — possibly for lifetimes — to fulfill right here in this moment.
Isaac Luria, who came to be known as The Ari (meaning ‘Lion' in Hebrew) because of his prodigious capacity for spiritual study and understanding, was a 16th century kabbalist who delved deeply into the mystical wonders of the Zohar. Commonly considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah, the Ari produced a historic commentary on the Zohar that removed many of its layers of complexity. His teachings created some of the most important kabbalistic ideas and practices used today, including the concept of tikkun, or correction of the soul. Join us for a consciousness-expanding course as we demystify the seminal writings of the Ari and connect with his righteous soul.