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MILA YOMIT 34: VA'YAAS (ELOHIM ET HA'RAQIYAA)
Breishit 1:7
TRANSLATION: AND (ELOHIM) MADE (THE FIRMAMENT)
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NEW WORD : VA'YAAS : AND, MADE
OTIOT:LETTERS
VAV(V): connection, meaning "and"
YOD (Y) Divine Spark
AYIN (AA)-sight
SHIN (S)- flame-
((the Shin is composed of three VAV's joined together at the base> On the
left side of the tefillin the SHIN is four-headed (four VAV"s) Kabbalah
explain the four headed SHIN as being the shin of the future. As Ginsburg
explains : In the form of the SHIN, the three vav's indicate three general
'vectors' of change. Their common base point symbolizes the changeless
origin. The four headed SHIN of the future indicateas tht in the future,
change itself will increase, for all reality will ascend in ever
accelerating
motion, while simultaneously, in direct proportion to the acceleration of
change, the changeless Source will become manifest.)) (Ginsburg. p. 319)
((Things are speeding up, as we delve deeper into the power of
fire:electricity.))
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The letters suggest that the act of doing involves a process of
Divinity,Vision, and Creativity. The fire of creativity, as it were.
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RELATED WORDS AND MEANINGS:
YA'AAS is a form of the transitive verb AASAH (ayin, shin, heh) which means
'to make, do, act, produce, accomplish, etc.' (widely used)
L'AASOT (lamed, ayin, shin, vav, tav)- to make
ASSIYA(ayin, shin, yud, heh) is the fourth of the four worlds (see MILA 2
for Atzilut:Emanation and Briya:Creation ) of the unfolding. It is the
material world, "the world in which we ordinarily live, with all that it
embraces, is called the 'world of action' and it includes the world of both
our sensual and our nonsensual apprehension." (Steinsaltz, 13 Petalled Rose,
p. 4)
"Assiya...has the connotation of final action and completion...it represents
a consciousness of the world as a vessel that was made to receive God's
light. It is in the universe of Assiya that the spiritual actual interacts
with the physical dimension, bringing the entire continuum of the universes
to its intended fulfillment." (Kaplan, Innerspace, p. 27)
It corresponds to the final HEH of the Divine Name (YHVH).
An interesting related MILA is the name of Jacob's twin brother and nemesis
(until a healing occurs) -ESAU -(ayin, samech,vav)-literally 'made' or
'completed'
"The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of
sau."( Breishit 27:22.)
Esau is a being of this world. The conflict and the healing are perhaps a
teaching of our need to integrate our inner(voice) and outer (hands).
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PREVIOUS WORDS
ELOHIM- 8th appearance (of 32) in Creation narrative, 1st time (of 3) with
verb -YAAS:Made.
As we learnt earlier, each of the 32 appearances of ELOHIM
in the Creation narrative correspond to a path of the Tree of LIfe, Three
times the verb 'YAAS: is used along with ELOHIM. Sefer Yetzira teaches that
this corresponds to the 'creation' of the three mother letters.-alef, mem,
shin.
Therefore this appearance is the creation of ALEPH. Aleph
corresponds to the element of air. It seems significant that the firmament
that is being 'made' is the 'membrane' that holds within it this environment
of air. This enables us to live and serves as a filter between us and the
cosmos.
The inner teaching of the letter Aleph is "as above, so below' and vice
versa.
ET- the-sign of the accusative denoting 'an object is about to appear'- (see
MILA 4 and 6) and that object is
HA'RAQYIAA: the firmament. (MILA 32)
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CONCEPTUAL MEANING
Rashi: Va'Yaas meas that the Creator set it in its ordained position.
Ramban: The terms ASSA always means putting an object into its ultimate
condition.
Munk: God 'completed' the expansion...let it proceed to a certain state and
there stopped further expansion.
The Midrash quotes Ben Zoma as being very disturbed-puzzled by the Torah's
need to add VA'YAAS.
Isn't it enough for the Creator to speak as in verse 6. "VA'YOMER
ELOHIM...." ?
Rav Yehuda in the Zohar offers an answer:"It does not say here 'God Said and
there was' instead 'God said and God made' because this involved 'melacha
begvura elyona:action of the highest power' 've'heechzeeko be koach atzum:
and maintained it with huge power." The implication seems to be that this
creation requires
extraordinary stregth to manifest and exist.
(Perhaps the constant tension dynamic of gravity and verticality, entropy
and its opposite.)
(Perhaps also related to this is the teaching that the Creator is constantly
bringing the creation into being, and existence would cease instantly if
this is not continued every moment.)
Do you have a possible understanding of why here it follows the Speaking
with the Acting?
In most other places Speaking is enough to manifest the object?
((It will be interesting to note the other two times that Action is
included.
Remember that these three Actions are the origin of the three mother letters
which are the three elements-air :avir (aleph), water:mayim (mem),
fire:aish (shin) ))
This moment is the introduction of action as the fulfilment and culmination
of desire, vision, understanding, and emotion. All of this is brought into
physicality through ASSIYA-action.
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VA'YAAS ELOHIM ET HA'RAQIYAA:
The Creator Brought Into Physicality The Matter Of Life, the Vessel, the
Background out which all further Life will emerge.
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Rav Kook on Action:
"The heart must be filled with love for all. The love of all creation comes
first, then comes the love for all humankind, and then follows the love for
the Jewish people, in which all other loves are included, since it is the
destiny of the Jews to serve toward the perfection of all things.
All of these loves are to be expression in practical action, by pursuing the
welfare of those we are bidden to love, and to seek their advancement.
(from Moral Principles, Love)
Allen Afterman, z'l on Action (from Kabbala and Consciousness):
"Action that expands consciousness, that leads toward the revelation of the
unity of all existence in God, is rectifying...No action is meaningless or
without effect. Each person has a special purpose or life's work which is
the major area of their tikkun:repair; this work, in turn, defines their
true identity."
May we be blessed to fully discover and experience the blessing and the
power of Action in our temporary sojourn in Olam: World of ASSIYA.
MILA YOMIT 35: (VA'YAVDEL BEIN HAMAYIM) ASHER
Breshit 1:7
TRANSLATION: (AND SEPARATED BETWEEN THE WATER) WHICH WERE
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PREVIOUS AND REPEATED WORDS:
VA'YAVDEL: And Separated (MILA 24)
Bein: Between(MILA 25)
Ha'Mayim:The Waters (MILA 17)
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NEW MILA
ASHER: Which were
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OTIOT:LETTERS
ALEPH(A)-unity
SHIN-(Sfire
REISH (R)- consciousness
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RELATED WORDS AND MEANINGS
ASHER can be used as a preposition, pronoun and/or adverb meaning: 'who,
which, that; as to, regarding,; in order that;
As a verb -L'ASHER means to confirm, verify, aprove, acknowledge, to make
happy
AoSHeR-(also aleph, shin, resh, pronounced 'osher') is a masculine noun
meaning ' happiness, bliss,'
Leah's handmaiden, Zilpah's second son with Jacob was named Asher: "It is is
my happiness." (Gen. 30:12)
(ASHREI: 'blessed be, happy is'- as in the psalms AShrei Yoshvei
Beitecha:Happy Are Those Who Dwell In Your House" (Psalm 84)
CONCEPTUAL MEANING:
Here it is a preposition used to denote something about the water mentioned
in the word. "The waters
which were..."
It is challenging to discover something beyond the obvious meaning here. I
could not find any particular commentary relating to this Mila. The only
thng that seems possible to say is that the capacity to describe something
by other words is perhaps introduced here. This is something 'asher-which
is'....The capcity to locate and describe something by other reference
points is a distinctly human capability here on earth.
This from the Torah's perspective is one of the ways we are created in the
image of the Creator.
The need to separate and divide in order to create seems to be a developing
theme.
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VA'YAVDEL BEIN HA'MAYIM ASHER:
THE Divine Mind continues to unfold the creation, dividing, separating,
defining, describing and locating everything into its place. The waters of
life are being so directed. We will soon see to where and what for.
May we come to know fully that -ASHER:which we are created for.
Itzchak.
----------------
Logisitics: Please note again how many word are beginning to be repeated.
This must be the shortest posting yet. Perhaps this word has more secrets
within it. We will come to them if they are there. One of the beauties of
Torah study is the capacity to always understand and discover more.
MILA YOMIT 36: MEE'TACHAT (LA'RAQIYAA)
Breishit 1:7
TRANSLATION: FROM UNDER ( THE FIRMAMENT)
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OTIOT: LETTERS
MEM(M)-water-here used as a prefix meaning 'from'
TAV(T)--final letter of Aleph Bet- 'seal' 'impression' -formed closed on
three sides, open below
CHET(CH)-related to Chayim-Life, letters whose form is also closed on three
sides,open below
TAV(T)-as previous Tav
This Mila is subdivided into M-from TaCHaT- below.
The Mila TACHAT forms a palandrom(sp?)- a word that is the same from both
directions.
The otiot:letters and their symmetry suggest a boundary of life, bounded
on both sides by an environment- border that contains and encloses life
within it.
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RELATED WORDS AND MEANINGS;
Mee-'from', is one of a few related uses of this prefix- it can also mean
'more than'
TaChaT-is a 'milat yachas: relationship word' -preposition meaning 'under,
below, instead, in place of,sub-"
-also a noun meaning 'the under part, the buttock'
TaCHTon(tav, chev, tav,, van, nun sofit)- lower, inferior
TaChTonim(tachton plus 'yud, mem'- plural of 'tachton' is Midrashically a
reference to this 'earthly world below'
-in modern Hebrew the word for 'underwear'
TaT (tav, tav) is an abbreviated form used in compound word- meaning sub-,
under-,
-as in 'tat-yami'-underwater
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LE'RAQIYAA-literally 'towards' the firmament- related also to word
'karka-ground'- (kuf,resh,kuf, ayin)
-the firmament is somehow the ground (in a liquid form) above us.
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CONCEPTUAL MEANING:
Our tradition describes this in a few related ways:
"theCreator separated between the waters and the firmamet with the
atmosphere," -placing the atmosphere in between two forms of water
(HaRecasim le Bikah, quoted in Artscroll)
The Malbim explains that in the verse before, "let it separate between water
and water" the division was made in space, between two similar
substances. Now the division is also made in kind: the water below was
literally a liquid, while the water above was a vapor. A border defined by
differences in material form.
The amazing thing about water is as we noted earlier, that it can be solid,
liquid, or vapor, depending on its proximity to light-heat. (quoted in
Artscroll)
(In Yeshiva we were often reminded of the Creator's compassion in breaking
one of the natural laws. It's a strange anomaly that lakes don't freeze all
the way through. Water turns to ice at a certain temperature than apparently
turns to liquid again at a lower temperature. Fish and wildlife in lakes can
only survive because this is so.
(Anybody know the science of this? I could be wrong on this, I don't have
the sources on this in front of me and there may be other explanations.)
Hirsch explains that the Creator is created the structure for
existence-forming, separating, ordering, defining governance. Contrasts are
unfolding, Heaven and earth, light and darkness, day and night, and now
waters above and waters below.
"The waters below which by constantly beating against the dry land not only
affect the physical formation and development of the land, but also as
rivers, seas and oceans, separating and joining, found and regulate the
historical development of the nations of the world." (Hirsch, p. 12)
((The Zohar contains a fascinating teaching which we will begin now and
continue with the next Mila.
It explains that the verse begins with 'let there be a firmament'- which
means 'let there be a gradual extension'.
It continues by explaining that the extension is of EL-the Divine Power
extended to ELOHIM (which is EL+HEH,YUD, MEM) Existence is the Divine Name
extended to a number of places. The letters HEH, YUD, MEM can and does
permute into at least two forms. The waters below are the permutation of
YUD, MEM, HEH- which spells YaMaH- meanig 'seaward' or 'toward th sea'.The
other permutation is of course related to the 'waters above the firmament' ,
but we are not there yet.))
Sefer Yetzira (1:5) introduces the Ten Sefirot as 'ten measures which have
no end'. Each one is referred to as a 'omek:depth' One of these is 'omek
TACHAT'-a depth of below. "Each direction extends without limit, and in this
respect, the Sefirot share a property with the Infinite Being. A meditation
suggested in Sefer Yetzira is to meditate on the depth as a direction which
has no end as it merges with the Infinite. As we apply this to 'below' and
the other directions that we are sorrounded by, we begin to experience
ourselves as a 'sphere of finite, suspended within the Infinite'.
Directionality, different jurisdictions are being defined here as matter
begins to differentiate form and function.
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MEE'TACHAT LA'RAQIYAA
Down here, down from the firmament above us, the waters of life.contain us,
support us, vivify and nurture us.
Our tradition teaches that the Divine is seeking "Dira be Tachtonim: A
Dwelling Place Below"
Our challenge and invitation is to create an environment that allows the
Divine Presence to fully manifest.
Our capacity to thus reach the universal is also our greatest blessing.
As Rav Kook teaches:
"We must liberate ourselves from confinement within our private concerns.
It is necessary for us to raise our thought and will and our basic
preoccupations towards universality, to the inclusion of all, to the whole
world, to humankind, to the Jewish people, to all existence. This will
result in establishing even our private self on a proper basis.
The firmer our vision of universality, the greater joy we will experience
and the more we will merit the grade of Divine Illumination. Tjhe reality of
God's full name is discernible when the world is seen in its totality...how
can the Divine abide where everything is lacking, where all we have is the
weak and puny entity, only the particularity of the ego." (Orot HaKodesh, 3:
147, adapted from Bokser's translation)
Le'Chayim:To the living waters of life.
Itzchak
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