The ’Spark’

The 'Spark'
The Spark (Hanitzotz) is an innovative program of experiential Kabbalah workshops for high school students produced by the International Center for Tzfat Kabbalah in cooperation with the 'Livnot' organization of Tzfat.
The three-hour workshop teaches positive values of personal awareness and empowerment through Jewish spirituality, in an experiential and enjoyable way.
The students who participate in the program learn about the meaning of the spiritual spark that exists in every created being (including themselves) and how to take advantage of their special talents, for personal development and contribution to society.
During the activity the students participate in archeological excavations in the Old City of Tzfat, learn about the importance of the tie between past and future, enjoy a dramatic presentation about Jewish identity and practice making good decisions in the spirit of the “personal spark” according to Kabbalah.
Last month, 50 students from 'ORT Hatzor' High School in Hatzor Hagelilit participated in the Spark workshop. Their responses were warm and enthusiastic and the school management requested that we hold 'Spark' workshops for additional classes during the current and next school year.
The International Center for Tzfat Kabbalah will market the 'Spark' workshops to more schools during the next school year.
The concept of the sparks appears in early Kabbalah literature, relating to cosmic processes that took place at the beginning of the Creation.
The story of the Creation tells us that in the beginning “the earth was unformed and void (Tohu)… and the spirit of G-d hovered over the face of the waters.”
The teachings of the Kabbalah explain that before the formation of the world as we know it, there was a spiritual world of very high level, known as “the world of void” (Tohu).
In this world there was very powerful spiritual radiance and tremendous divine energy that the world of void could not contain.
Therefore, a process occurred in the world of void known as “breaking of the vessels”, in which the patterns and frameworks of that world broke, and divine sparks fell to our world, known as “the world of repair”(Tikun).
The teachings of the Kabbalah tell us that in all, 288 (Rapach - resh-peh-het) divine sparks fell to our world.
This is implied in the word merahefet (divine spirit) – when the letters are moved around, it can be read as resh-peh-het - mem tav( Rapach met) meaning that 288 sparks “died” and fell to our world.
According to the teachings of the Kabbalah, one of the most important tasks of humans is to excavate and discover those sparks hidden in the earth and in its soul, and to use them in a good, beneficial way. In doing so, humans lift the sparks back into the higher worlds, “repairing” the world and adding light and joy to its life, and to the entire creation.