Themes of Featured Ari Articles

Jethro was a reincarnation of Cain, while Moses was a reincarnation of Abel. The various interactions between Jethro and Moses were all designed to rectify the various spiritual blemishes still remaining in their "past" relationship.

Jethro advised Moses regarding an effective judiciary system for the Jewish Nation, thus fixing Cain's lawless murder of his brother Abel (Moses); in addition, Jethro gave Zipporah, his daughter, for Moses to wed, fixing Cain's "theft" of Abel's wife-to-be after his death.

In Egypt, Moses asked Pharaoh to grant the Jewish people one day off a week from making bricks in order that they have strength to produce more on the other six days. Pharaoh agreed, and gave them the Shabbat day off. The Sages state that if the Jewish people would keep two Shabbats properly, they would be redeemed immediately.

This is usually understood to mean two Shabbats in a row, but the Ari comments that the mystical meaning of this statement is that we must keep the two spiritual aspects of the Shabbat - the feminine and masculine aspects, which are the Shabbat night and the Shabbat day. Thus, the two Shabbats are clearly the partzufim of Zeir Anpin and Nukva, and by "honoring" them, that is, observing the Shabbat in accordance with its mystical dynamics, we fulfill the commandment to honor our "parents", i.e. our spiritual roots, and will be redeemed.