Complete your religious decor with wall crosses

Written by Johann Erickson


Continued from page 1
  • Withrepparttar bottom part ofrepparttar 126767 cross-shaped like an anchor andrepparttar 126768 top as a standard cross,repparttar 126769 Anchor Cross symbolizesrepparttar 126770 hope andrepparttar 126771 steadiness found in faith.
  • The Calvary Cross stands on three steps--each step is said to stand for one of three emotions ofrepparttar 126772 heart: faith, hope and love.
  • The Celtic Cross has a gothic look and symbolizes spiritual growth, gender unity, and spirtitual passage. Amongrepparttar 126773 other wall cross designs arerepparttar 126774 Tau Cross,repparttar 126775 Gothic Cross, andrepparttar 126776 Chi-Rho Cross. Each has its own unique shape, special meaning, and historical background. While adding a decorative element your walls, wall crosses evoke feelings of peace above a child’s crib, above a staircase, and in family rooms. Once you settle on a particular type of cross, you will be able to find variations that can be matched torepparttar 126777 lines and design of your rooms.

    Johann Erickson is the owner of Online Discount Mart Please include an active link to our site if you'd like to reprint this article.


  • ABOUT THE SPRITUAL WORLD OF MADONNA

    Written by moshe reinfeld


    Continued from page 1

    The Secrecy doctrine exists sincerepparttar 2nd century, but did not appear in any book untilrepparttar 126766 end ofrepparttar 126767 14th century, when a Spanish Jewish scholar named Rabbi Moshe de Leon rewrote and edited it in a book called "Seffer Hazohar" (The book of Glow, in Hebrew). The contents ofrepparttar 126768 book is attributed torepparttar 126769 Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (mentioned above) who had lived 1300 years beforerepparttar 126770 time of de Leon. Believers claim that Bar Yochai wroterepparttar 126771 book, but Kabbala researchers say thatrepparttar 126772 text was written much later, inrepparttar 126773 middle ages.

    "Seffer Hazohar" is not a text book. It is a collection of ideas and Torah material. Only inrepparttar 126774 end ofrepparttar 126775 15th century, another Spanish Rabbi, Moshe Cordoveiro, who later moved to Safed, wrote structured lessons which enabled a systematic studying of Kabbala.

    As opposed torepparttar 126776 other three layers of Torah world, dealing primarily withrepparttar 126777 Jewish religious laws,repparttar 126778 Secrecy doctrine deals withrepparttar 126779 philosophical side of Judaism: For example,repparttar 126780 eternal question of "Why do righteous people suffer in our world, and why are wicked people so successful?"

    The Kabbala, developed in Safed by a genius nicknamed "HaAri Hakadosh" inrepparttar 126781 16th century, uses abstract concepts which are incomprehensible to outsiders: "Elohut" (Divinity) and "Tzimtzum" (Reduction), for instance. The Divinity filled inrepparttar 126782 pastrepparttar 126783 whole universe. It was later reduced to make room forrepparttar 126784 present world. Following this Reduction,repparttar 126785 lights of Divinity were accumulated into "Sefirot",repparttar 126786 vessels which containrepparttar 126787 immense Divine lights. The three upper "Sefirot" did their job. Butrepparttar 126788 lower six broke into many pieces and scattered. This is called in Hebrew: "Shevirat Hakelim" (Breaking of Vessels). Because of this breaking of vessels, good and evil were mixed with each other inrepparttar 126789 whole universe. The splinters ofrepparttar 126790 divine lights, called "Nitzotzot" (sparks), fell intorepparttar 126791 depths of "Clippot",repparttar 126792 evil powers of impurity. The broken "Divinity" went into exile amongrepparttar 126793 "Clippot". According to Kabbala,repparttar 126794 fate ofrepparttar 126795 Jewish people is similar to that ofrepparttar 126796 "Divinity". The Jews are still in exile amongstrepparttar 126797 nations. The salvation depends on every person. If people succeed in collecting allrepparttar 126798 "Nitzotzot",repparttar 126799 salvation of humanity will come. The collection of "Nitzotzot" will be done by good deeds, such as obeyingrepparttar 126800 Jewish religious rules. When someone does so, he collects "Nitzotzot" and puts them back in place. He then deals with "Tikun Olam", correction ofrepparttar 126801 world.

    The Kabbala has a great influence on Judaism, especially onrepparttar 126802 Hasidim movement. Kabbalic concepts, developed mainly in 16th century Safed, have penetratedrepparttar 126803 Jewish liturgy. One of them isrepparttar 126804 "Holy matching". Philosophically, this concept has another meaning, but inrepparttar 126805 popular cognition it is perceived as a holy marriage treaty between God andrepparttar 126806 Jewish people.

    For example,repparttar 126807 "Shavuot" holiday, in whichrepparttar 126808 Holy Torah was given by way of a pact between God andrepparttar 126809 Jews, has been compared to such a holy marriage. Alsorepparttar 126810 customs of "Kabbalat Shabbat", (receiving Sabbath), were changed followingrepparttar 126811 Safed notion of "Holy matching". The Kabbala followers in Safed started inrepparttar 126812 16th centuryrepparttar 126813 custom of going Friday before sunset out of town, wearing white clothes, to receiverepparttar 126814 bride, Shabbat. Friday night wasrepparttar 126815 link between God (the king) and Shabbat (the queen). Followingrepparttar 126816 mystical marriage, souls of righteous people were born. This custom of going out of town Fridays was abolished afterrepparttar 126817 fall ofrepparttar 126818 Safed centre inrepparttar 126819 beginning ofrepparttar 126820 17th century, but its influence is felt until todayrepparttar 126821 Alkabetz poem "Lecha Dodi", mentioned above. HaAri Hakadosh said that "the Shechinah (the presence of God) rests above Safed". You can feel it even today. Its clear air and serenity helps visitors to contemplate aboutrepparttar 126822 philosophical subjects I have just mentioned, and others. It is worth visiting this place even if you do not haverepparttar 126823 faintest idea what you are going to do there.

    COPYRIGHT 2004: MOSHE REINFELD

    written:

    9/17/2004

    The Author is a freelance journalist and a tour guide in Israel

    Websites:

    http://israel.electrical-contractor.net/

    http://pr4u.bravehost.com/

    http:// tourisrael.friendpages.com


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