Art Of Judaica

Today is the death anniversary of Rav Yehuda Brandwein

Yehuda Ashlag. Also known as the Baal Ha-Sulam ("Author of the Ladder") was an orthodox rabbi and kabbalist. He was born in Poland to a family of scholars connected to the Hasidic courts of Porisov and Belz. Whilst still living in Poland, he met an unidentified Warsaw merchant who revealed himself to be a kabbalist. Rabbi Ashlag studied with this particular teacher, every night for three months he said, "until my arrogance separated us," and the teacher disappeared. A few months later he met the teacher again and pleading with him, convinced him to reveal an important kabbalistic secret. The next day, the teacher died. ( Wikepedia, the free encyclopedia)

Rav Yehuda Brandwein was a gentle and devout soul, a man of the people. He invoked a deep love in all those with whom he came into contact. Both atheists and pious men had great reverence for him. He had an uncommon ability to straddle two worlds - climbing scaffolding on construction sites to lay bricks by day, then scaling the highest of spiritual worlds by moonlight. (Master Kabbalists and their writings - The kabbalah Centre 7th Feb 2012)

Rav Philip Berg was an American rabbi and Dean of the worldwide kabbalah Centre organisation. Having written a number of books on Kabalah he believed that the philosophy should not be taught exclusively to a select few scholars but become a shared wealth of practical wisdom, available to all mankind. (Wikepedia the free encyclopedia)