Otzros Chaim | Ep 1/5 | 47 min
Ep 1: Series Introduction
Reb Joey introduces the world of the Arizal and Otzros Chaim, exploring why the inner dimension of Torah becomes especially necessary in times of concealment. Beginning with the fundamental question of how multiplicity can emerge from Hashem’s absolute unity, this shiur frames the Arizal’s teachings as both a map of creation and a form of spiritual medicine—revealing the infinite light hidden within a fragmented world.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Why Pnimiyus HaTorah Matters
3:24 - The Arizal’s Torah as Medicine
5:08 - Why Begin with Otzros Chaim?
7:27 - From Separation to Unity
9:31 - How the Many Emerge from the One
13:05 - Chaim, Unity, and Redemption
14:19 - The Arizal and Rav Chaim Vital
18:14 - Kabbalah, Redemption, and Chassidus
22:16 - Speaking About an Infinite God
26:01 - Faith vs. Idolatry
27:58 - Sefiros, Vessels, and Human Understanding
32:00 - How This Series Will Be Learned
34:21 - Kabbalistic Schools and the Baal Shem Tov
39:23 - The History of Kabbalah and the Ramak
45:14 - Sha’ar HaIgulim and the Endless Introduction
Otzros Chaim | Ep 2/5 | 49 min
Ep 2: Introduction to Partzufim
This episode explores how the teachings of the Arizal unfolded through Rabbi Chaim Vital, Mahari Sarug, and the generations that followed. Like a river dividing into many streams, the different paths of Kabbalah reveal distinct dimensions of one underlying light and offer a way to discover unity within fragmentation.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Choosing an Edition and Commentary
02:12 - How to Approach the Words of the Ari
04:25 - The Hidden Fifth Level and Redemption
06:28 - Turning Four into Five
08:58 - The Human Being as a Microcosm
11:01 - Five Worlds, Five Partzufim and Five Levels of Soul
13:31 - From Ein Sof to Zeir Anpin
16:13 - The Limits of the Sefiros Model
18:57 - The Five Partzufim and the World of Tohu
21:55 - Tikun Through Love and Inter-Inclusion
23:46 - Arich Anpin, Abba and Bitul
26:51 - Why Chochmah Is Bitul
29:07 - Every Moment as Its Own Universe
31:34 - Holding Opposites and the Mystery of Tzimtzum
33:36 - Individuality Within a Greater Unity
36:16 - Every Soul Contains All of Klal Yisrael
38:53 - The Partzufim as Practical Avodas Hashem
42:09 - The Vessel Is Also Light
44:40 - Why Zeir Anpin, Not Malchus
Otzros Chaim | Ep 3/5 | 53 min
Ep 3: The Infinite Light of Hashem
Reb Joey enters the opening words of Otzros Chaim and explores Or Ein Sof: what it means to speak about Hashem without ever claiming to grasp His essence, how the infinite can contain the possibility of the finite, and why Tzimtzum is ultimately not a removal of Godliness but a pathway toward its revelation.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Before Creation: Simple Infinite Light
01:10 - “Da”: Awakening Ancient Knowledge
04:10 - What Is Or Pashut?
05:11 - What Does Ein Sof Mean?
06:10 - We Never Speak of Hashem’s Essence
09:03 - Reaching Hashem by Knowing We Cannot Reach Him
15:20 - Does Ein Sof Imply a Sof?
19:21 - Meimei Ein Sof: Endless Waters
23:43 - No Otherness Before Tzimtzum
25:25 - Tzimtzum as Revelation, Not Removal
30:13 - Infinity Must Include the Capacity for Limit
42:56 - From Ein Sof to Zeir Anpin
Otzros Chaim | Ep 4/5 | 48 min
Otzros Chaim 4: Why Hashem Created the World
Reb Joey explores the reasons given by the Arizal for the emergence of the worlds—from revealing the Divine Names to bestowing goodness and compassion upon creation. The shiur moves from cosmic questions into deeply personal avodah, exploring rachamim, bittul, and the possibility that the lowest places of human experience are precisely where Hashem desires His light to be revealed.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Or Ein Sof and Tzimtzum Ratzoni
03:41 - Why Hashem Created the Worlds
07:42 - Emanation, Not Separation
09:12 - Hashem Hidden Within Limitation
12:49 - Divine Names and the Purpose of Creation
21:32 - Creation as an Act of Compassion
25:41 - Becoming a Receptacle for Hashem’s Rachamim
32:11 - Chesed, Gevurah and Human Duality
35:45 - The Four Levels of Bittul
41:03 - Dirah B’Tachtonim and the Avodah of Bittul
Otzros Chaim | Ep 5/5 | 48 min
Otzros Chaim 5: Concealment for the Sake of Revelation
Reb Joey enters into the Arizal’s description of Tzimtzum—the concealment that allows what existed only in potential within the Infinite Light to emerge into actual revelation. Exploring the mysterious “center point,” the relationship between concealment and revelation, and the movement from infinity into limitation, Reb Joey shows how the Arizal’s cosmic map speaks directly to avodah: discovering Hashem’s presence within apparent absence and limitation.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Pure Potential Befobre Tzimtzum
05:12 - Tzimtzum: Revealing the Power of Limitation
07:16 - Davening Directly to Hashem
12:18 - The Ari’s Map: Torah, Mitzvos and Divine Revelation
18:08 - Concealment for the Sake of Revelation
20:35 - The First Tzimtzum and the Empty Space
23:51 - How Can Infinity Have a Center?
29:59 - The Reshimu: A Trace of Infinite Light
35:00 - Why Tzimtzum Changes How We Experience Life
42:15 - Tzimtzum K’Pshuto vs. Lo K’Pshuto
Weekly Torah from Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld, along with the latest shiurim, series updates, and meaningful ways to continue learning.