Layer by layer
The stories of the Torah are only its “garments.” Beneath them is the body — the mitzvot — and within that, the soul: the deepest secrets.
The soul has three levels — nefesh, ruach and neshamah — each higher than the one before.
The sukkah is “the shade of faith,” and great souls visit it as guests — the Ushpizin.
Tradition attributes the Zohar to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (2nd century); historians date its appearance to 13th-century Spain. Both views are held in the Jewish world.
Chassidut, including the Tanya, takes the Zohar’s ideas and applies them to daily life, prayer and the inner struggle of every person.
Choose one familiar verse and ask: what might be beneath its “garment”? Bring the question to Wednesday night.
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