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Mail to Rabbi Marmorstein at: milayomit@telus.net
MILA YOMIT 81 DALET : (VA'YOMER ELOHIM NAASEH) ADAM
(AND ELOHIM SAID LET US MAKE) HUMAN
Genesis 1: 26
------------------
OTIOT:LETTERS (continued)
ADAM to review is spelled <ALEPH, DALET, MEM>,
-----
ALEPH-the One, beginning and forming AUR-(<Aleph ,Vav ,Reish ):Light and
AVIR <Aleph, Vav, Yud, Reish>:Air., This wondrous transformation of Aur to
Avir enables us to exist.
In fact the word PELEH-Wonder is spelled <Peh, Lamed, Aleph>
The letter ALEPH when spelled out as it is sounded is spelled <Aleph, Lamed,
Peh>,
In one direction we see the simple Aleph.
In the other direction when we open our eyes we are struck by the wondrous
nature of being.
-----------
DALET-the Door. We are perhaps the Delet-Door of Da'a't:Knowledge.
"the Dalet is also the initial letter of the word Dira, dwelling place, as
in the phrase Dira BeTachtonim-(God's) Dwelling Place Below. Thus the full
meaning of the Dalet is the door through which the humble (DaL) enter into
the realization of G-d's dwelling place below." (Ginsburgh, Aleph Bet, P.
67)
---------
MEM-the Waters of Creation in the Womb of Life.
The Home of the Seed of Life.
Receiving the Light of the One and vivifying all life into being.
----------
ADAM - A Birthed Knowing Being
--------------------------------------------
RELATED WORDS AND MEANINGS: (continued)
Samson Raphael Hirsch on ADAM:
"We traced the etymology of the word ADAM to come from the meaning ADOM:Red,
as the leastbroken ray of the spectrum, of the pure ray of light, i.e. the
nearest revelation of the divine on earth;
from the phonetic relation to HaDoM <Heh, Dalet, Mem>-Footstool, as HaDom
Raglei Shechina- as transmitter and bearer of the glory of God on earth.(In
contrast to BaMaH-<Bet, Mem, Heh>Raised Area/Stage which is the means of
raising something or somebody while HaDom-Footstool spares a superior from
placing his (/her) feet on the earth. Without setting (the Hu)Man to be
ADAM=HaDom God Him (/Her) Self would have to consummate all the truth, the
equity, the benevolence and the love that God wishes to be demanded (!) on
earth. The pure activity of (the Hu)Man acheiving the will of God spares the
Supreme Being from Himself to fulfill God's Will on earth...
. also with HaTaM <Heh, Tav, Mem>-Seal (which relation is also indicated by
the root AToM <Aleph, Tet, Mem>-to close> as God's seal on the creation
which brings home to the world its unseen Lord and Master." (Hirsch, P. 30)
-------------------------------
CONCEPTUAL MEANING:(continued)
We learnt earlier that every Act of Creation is sourced 'by' the emergence
of one of the Ten Sefirot that provide a structure for that which we call
the Tree of Life.
As Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz explains: " Creation is an emanation from the
divine light...Even though it appears as an entity in itself, the world is
formed and sustained by the divine power manifested in this primal essence.
The manifestation takes the form of ten Sefirot...(these) are 'the
fundamental forces or channels of Divine flow." (13 Petalled Rose, P. 37)
In MILA YOMIT 81, when we began along this branch of the Treee, we learnt
that this Act of Saying and Making (VA'YOMER ELOHIM NAASEH) is related to
the emergence of the Ninth Sefira: YESOD-Foundation.
We read that "Yesod parallels the sixth day of creation." (Innerspace,
Kaplan, p. 64-65)
"Yesod is the link between heaven and earth. Thus, it is the foundation of
the Creation. Linking the upper worlds and this world, Yesod is the avenue
of
communication."
Yesod is also related to the sexual capacity of reproduction and
relationship.
ADAM-Human is thus the material manifestation (and completion) of that which
links heaven and earth.
Communicating, loving, and creating.
----------------
And so the Zohar speaks of ADAM's connection with the first Utterance:
"God Said: "Let there be light." And there was light. (Genesis 1:3)
This is the light that the Blessed Holy One created at first.
It is the light of the eye.
It is the light that the Blessed Holy One showed the first ADAM;
with it ADAM saw from one end of the world to the other."
(Zohar, Matt, P. 51)
One end of the world to the other. From inside the Divine Creator to the
furthest reaches of the material world
ADAM connects all of these.
It is astounding the extent to which we, humans, seek to know of all that
there is.
We send our consciousness hurtling to all physical space, creating
satellites and telescopes to see better the extent of the physical light.
We send our consciousness through time, researching, imagining how it was in
all epochs of the past.
Insatiably curious as to who we are, where we came from.
We send our consciousness through matter, exploring and investigating all
the particles of life.
Wondering what we are? What is this that we are in?
What is this that we are a part of?
-----------
What are we?
We are certainly searchers seeking knowledge and understanding. .
Rav Kook teaches that:
":The most significant (human) talent is the ability to penetrate to the
depths of our being.
But to effect this penetration it is important to know that is an easy
endeavor, that labor and exertion only impairs this august domain, that it
is necessary to heed the claim for the delight of inner tranquility.
Thus will be enhanced the substantive significance in the fruits of
creation, and the sparks of holy light will begin to flash on all life and
its spiritual concerns...
And eternal truths will be released to us from the fountain of life, the
source of the soul, which knows no falsehood or deceptive speech. It is hewn
from the torch of truth. What flows from its light is only truth and justice
which will abide forever." (Light of Holiness, 1:171).
-------------
Shabbat is our invitation to enter inside and come to know our true nature.
Celebrating our ADAMness on this ADaMaH.
MILA YOMIT 81 HEH : (VA'YOMER ELOHIM NAASEH) ADAM
(AND ELOHIM SAID LET US MAKE) HUMAN
Genesis 1: 26
CONCEPTUAL MEANING AND SHALOM-GoodBye(temporarily) and Hello-:
The One and all existence united in creating ADAM.
Yesod-Foundation, the capacity for creativity, results in the matter of the
ground -ADAMaH- vivified by life blood -DaM- reaching with
DiMaYON-imagination and vision towards that which the
uman -DoMeH-resembles.
A being whose form and function enables them to know the ALEPH-the unity.
Blessed with the DALET-door or gateway of Daat-Knowledge.
Nurtured in the compassionate (rachamim) womb (rechem) of the MEM-the
miraculous waters of creation.
ADAM-a creature of extraordinary capacity.
-----------------------------------------------
We began this journey of MILA YOMIT, soon after Shabbat Breishit.
When once again, we began to read this Scroll of Torah.
We are now, on the twenty fifty of Tammuz, July 9, on Erev-Eve Shabbat
Mattot-Maasei, the conclusion of Sefer:The Book of BaMidbar: In The Desert
or as commonly known 'Numbers'.
Because of my travelling and teaching schedule for the next month (see
logistics section) , I will have to pause here at Mila 81before continuing
on in MidAugust.
Perhaps it is appropriate to pause in mid sentence.
ADAM has just been introduced and the qualities and directions of this
creations' activities are about to be defined.
A chance for our self reflection, before meeting the Torah's perspective.
I had hoped to finish this pasook before leaving but events of late made
this difficult. These past weeks, my 4 children have, Baruch HaShem, all
been here and I have been single parenting as well as teaching a half day
Hypnotherapy course.
(I have in the past few years explored a little bit into the world of
HypnoTorah and look forward to doing more with people who may be interested
in exploring Torah in this en-trancing way.)
This combination has been a full experience, in the inner and outer worlds,
but has made it hard to be able to sit and learn Mila Yomit.
We continue to be challenged with charting a course of healing for our son
Amitai.
(As some of you may know he recently underwent surgery to insert a gastric
(stomatch) tube to allow him to absorb approximately 1500 calories nightly,
in addition to his daily food intake. This has helped somewhat in
stabilizing and sustaining his energy, but not enough. This week , based on
energy, growth rate and his last blood test, our doctor and us were
concerned about the rate and direction of his progress in healing.)
.
I shared specifics above because we are seeing that the power of conscious
and directed prayer is an
extraordinary capacity that we as ADAM human have. Our desire for Tov:Good
for all fuels our efforts to healing. Each of us I am sure is faced with
healing challenges of all sorts. Mine must sensitize me to that of others.
A few months ago, out of my desire to maximize his healing and the healing
of so many others, I
dedicated this learning journey to the healing of what I termed, The Mila
Yomit Healing List.
I thank you who have sent in names for healing and all of you who have in
some way included this
invitation to healing prayer into your spiritual practice.
Together we as ADAM are blessed with an extraordinary gift of Chayim:Life
and with the capacity to
both destroy and create it. Our Torah has come as a guide for us in this
challenge.
Mercaz HaRaya:The Centre For Vision is named after HaRav Avraham Itzchak
Hacohen Kook (1865-1935), who is known by his acronym as HaRAYAH. He is a
sage of extraordinary capacities whose teachings represent in my humble
opinion the deepest and furthest reaching expression of human understanding
of Torah. With a total grasp of all the prior tradition and a soul of
illumination, he teaches of the universal integration and synthesis that
draws so many of us into our paths of spirit.
His writings have been a constant source of learning for me even since I was
first introduced to them in the 1970's. This is why I have so often included
his comments as part of Mila Yomit. It therefore seems appropriate to
conclude this 'phase' of our journey with his comments to us as Bnei
Adam:Children of Humans.
It is also fitting that I have shared parts of this piece before. As we see
and shall see in our Torah learning, our tradition involves repetition.
And so in a piece entitled "Qreeaah LeHistaclut Elyona-A Call To The Highest
Contemplation" we read:
"Eem teertzeh-If you will it
Ben ADAM-Child of Human.
Observe the light of the divine presence that pervades all existence.
Observe the harmony of the heavenly realm, how it pervades every aspect of
life, the spiritual and the material, which are before your eyes of flesh
and your eyes of the spirit.
Contemplate the wonders of creation, the divine dimension of their being,
not as a dim configuration that is presented to you from the distance but as
the reality in which you live.
Know yourself and your world; know the meditations of your heart, and of
every thinker; find the source of your own life, and of the life beyond you,
around you, the glorious splendor of the life in which you have your being.
The love that is astir in you-raise it to its basic potency and its noblest
beauty, extend it to all its dimensions, toward every manifestation of the
soul that sustains the universe, whose splendor is dimmed only because of
the deficency of the person viewing it.
Look at the lights, in their inwardness. Let not the names, the words, the
idiom and the letters confine your soul. They are under your control, you
are not under theirs.
Ascend toward the heights, because you are of mighty prowess, you have wings
to soar with, wings of mighty eagles. Do not fail them, lest they fail you;
seek for them and they will at once be ready for you.
The forms that robe reality are precious and holy to us...but when we
approach a life of enlightenment we must not swerve from the perspective
that light flows from the incomprehensible to the comprehensible, by way of
emanation, from the light of the En Sof.
And we are summoned to share in the heavenly delight, in all its
particularized perceptions, which are included in this universal whole, from
which all the proliferations of life are engendered."
(Lights of Holiness, 1:83-84, translated by Rabbi B.Z. Bokser)
------------
Thank you so much for your participation in Mila Yomit.
I continue to invite and am looking forward to expanding this into a
multilogue of voices learning Torah from and with each other.
May our Torah learning be a source of blessing for all chayim-life.
Shabbat Shalom
MILA YOMIT 81: (VA'YOMER ELOHIM NAASEH )
(AND THE CREATOR SAID LET US MAKE)
Breishit 1:26
MILOT CHOZROT:REPEATING WORDS
VA'YOMER :And Said- 9th of 10 Acts of Amira:Saying (Mila 18)-(8th time
Va'Yomer is used-"the first Saying is said to be the verse 'In the
beginning, God created heaven and earth'.
Even though "God said" does not appear here, it is implied and understood."
(Kaplan, Yetzira, p. 7)
ELOHIM:The Creator- 26th of 32 times the Name is used.
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in his commentary on Sefer Yetzira explains that this 9th
Speaking
relates to the emergence of the 9th Sefira-Yesod.
How do we understand Yesod?
Yesod:Foundation is the integration of the two previous Sefirot, Hod:Glory
and Netzach:Eternal Victory. According to the Ari's schema of the Tree
(Sefer Yetzira, p., 29, and many other places-) It is the conjuction point
in which all the other previous Sefirot 'join' together and unite as the
precursor for manifestation into Malchut:Kingdom-"the ultimate receptacle".
(Adin Steinsaltz, 13 Petalled Rose, p. 39)
When this schema is applied to the microcosm of the human form it
corresponds to the sexual organs, seat of passion and creativity.
Yesod is described in a a number of related ways:
-"the vehicle, the carrier from one thing or condition to another".
(Steinsaltz, Ibidor
-"Yesod means 'foundation'. A foundation does not merely support a building.
It establishes the proper relationship between the building and the ground
In the same way, the Sefirah of Yesod represents the ideal reciprocal
relationship...
It parallels the sexual organ. This is the organ with which a person can
give pleasure and yet at the same time, receive pleasure...Yesod is
basically a reciprocal relationship. The paradigm of this is the
relationship between male and female, which is the most perfect reciprocal
relationship that exists...
(He makes it sound so easy-my comment.)
-Yesod parallels the sixth day of creation." (Innerspace, Kaplan, p. 64-65)
-"Yesod is the link between heaven and earth. Thus, it is the foundation of
the Creation.
Linking the upper worlds and this world, Yesod is the avenue of
communication." (The Sefirot, Shulman, p.177)
-----------
NAASEH:Let Us Make-first person plural form of AASEH <ayin, sin, heh> (see
VA'YAAS:And Made-MILA 34)
Spelled <Nun, Ayin, Sin, Heh>,
Let Us????
Who is the Us is the obvious question.
And it has been asked before.
When our sages first translated the Torah into Greek at the behest of
Emperor Ptolemy in the year 3515 corresponding to 215 BCE ..."72 great Torah
scholars were gathered by the ruling Ptolemy, sequestered separately and
forced to translate the Torah into Greek. They produced 72 corresponding
translations (including identical changes in thirteen places)." (The Jewish
Time Line Encyclopedia, Kantor, p.81).
The first place where the translation changed from the Hebrew was in this
verse in which the Greek was rendered in the singular. "So that Ptolemy and
others would not have a pretext to claim that the Torah implicityly
recognizes the existence of a duality of Creators." (Artscroll, p. 69).
How do we understand it?
A small sample...
-"God was speaking to all the forces of creation that God had brought into
existence. Now that all the ingredients of creation had essentially been
completed, all would participate in the creation of ...".
(Ramban, as stated in Kaplan's translation Living Torah, p. 5)
-"And God said to the Ministering Angels who had been created on the second
day of the creation of the world, "Let us make...". (Targum Yonatan, in
Artscroll, p. 68)
-"This preamble indicates that (this next creation) was created with great
deliberation and wisdom. God did not associate ...'s creation with the earth
by decreeing 'Let the earth bring forth...' as God did with other
creatures, but instead attributed it to the deepest involvement of Divine
Providence and wisdom." (Abarbanel, Artscroll, P. 67)(plural implies 'all
aspects of the Creator')
-"God was addressing 'all of creation' bidding each to contribute a portion
of its characteristics to..." (Vilna Gaon, Artscroll, p. 69)
-"Others interpret 'we' in the majestic sense...The use of the 'pluralis
majestatis, with which human kings proclaim their will to their subjects,
suggests that the ruler does not issue orders to satisfy his personal whim,
but only for the general interest and well being. It is only as
representative of the people that the king rules. Similarly the Creator
announces to the world the appearance of ... as an act of consideration for
the world's interest." (Hirsch, Artscroll, p. 69)
-Rashi explains that God is implying by the use of the plural form the
ethical lesson that one should always consult with others.
-"The intention of these verses is not ...to assert that God spoke,
deliberated, or actually consulted with and sought the help of other beings.
How could the Creator seek help from those God created? This verse shows
only that all parts of the Universe are produced through angels, for natural
forces and 'angels' are identical." (Maimonides, Guide For The Perplexed,
2:6, as quoted in Artscroll, p. 68).
Perhaps, not such a small sample, but an indicationof the perplexing and
significant nature of this Act of Saying and Making.
VA'YOMER ELOHIM NAASEH:
The Divine Unites with all that has been Created and brings into
manifestation....
Stay tuned.
BeShalom
And may all our Assiyot:Acts of Making integrate with all life.
Itzchak
-------------------------
Logistics: A bit of a different structure in which the new Mila is saved for
the next posting.
This is because of it significance and how much there was to explain about
these 'repeating words' as the prelude.
If you do not have Sefer Yetzira in front of you, and feel the need for a
visual chart of the Tree of Life that is emerging in the narrative, there
are a number of web sites that include the Tree and the Sefirot and Letters
related to its Paths.
For example see. http://www.inner.org
Please let me know of other good ones.
MILA YOMIT: LAG B'OMER:
It is 'three and thirty days which are four weeks and five days of the
Omer."
The numeric of Lamed is 30 and Gimel is 3. Today is thus known as LaG
B'Omer:the Thirty Third of the Omer.
A day of celebration marked in mystery. On the Sod level it is the Yaartzeit
of Shimon Bar Yochai-the teacher of the Zohar. Hundred of thousands of
people are at this moment at his burial place in Meron, Israel.
It feels appropriate to share a piece of Zohar related to where we are in
Mila Yomit as well as a contemporary piece of Kabbalistic writing relating
to counting the Omer and our journey to the 50th.
First Rav Kook on the Zohar:
"Now the times require acquiring the inner Torah with holy visions that
cannot begin to be heard but by the ascent of the soul...The Book of
Splendor (Zohar) breaks new ways, making a way in the desert, a road in the
wilderness, it and its crop are ready to open doors of redemption. 'Since
Israel are destined to taste of the Tree of Life which is the Book of
Splendor (Zohar) they will emerge from exile with mercy.'" (Orot, p. 204,
translation by Bezalel Naor)
-------------
Zohar on "VAYIVRA ELOHIM ET HATANINM HAGDOLIM:The Creator Creator the large
sea monsters.:
"These are an allusion to the powers above, the seventy heavenly
jurisdictions that correspond to the seventy nations. They are created to
have power on the earth, as it calls them HaGdolim;the large ones...
the mystery of Yichud:Unification... is the mystery of Shma Israel...Hear O
Israel, YHVH is our Elohim, YHVH is One...The mystery of 'Hear:Shma (shin,
mem, ayin) is the Name (SheM-shin, mem) which becomes seventy (ayin-numeric
is 70) This is the unifying category Israel..."
-----
Our work is to serve the unification of all life.
Our work is to affirm the ECHAD;Oneness of all existence.
May the light of Shimon Bar Yochai and his extraordinary teachings
illuminate our way.
The following is a contemporary Kabbalistic teaching about Sefirat Ha"Omer:
The Counting of the Omer that explains its connection to ECHAD.
Thanks to of Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Leib Mirvis, Spiral Institute for this.
He is in South Africa. I have recently begun a correspondence with him and
it is obvious that he is a significant
Torah and Kabbala scholar and integrator of important strands of
knowledge...'opening new paths'.
----------------------
QUALITY COUNTS
"You shall count for yourselves. for seven full weeks, you shall count fifty
days until the day after the seventh week" (Lev. 23.15f)
If we count seven full weeks we number 49 days in all, yet the Torah
suggests we count 50 days!
Count 49 days and sanctify the 50th day. (Aderet Eliyahu)
Sefirat Haomer - counting of the omer , has a goal. We are motivated to
count 7 weeks in order to sanctify the 50th day. Holiness is a value, it
has quality, it does not have quantity. Quantity may be numbered, there is
no reckoning for quality, so the qualitative value of the sanctity of the
50th day is unaccountable.
The Psalmist declared : `Teach us to number our days that we may attain a
heart of wisdom' (Ps. 90.12) Wisdom is a value, once we have attained
this goal, age is of no consequence. He who is wise may give counsel and
the age for counsel is 50. (Avot 5)
The letter nun has a numerical equivalent [num.e.] of 50. The ancient
pictograph for nun is a snake, symbolising self-generation. The ancients
represented this concept in the form of the uroborus - a circular snake with
its head touching its tail. The
tail-eating serpent generates energy to grow its tail, this self-generating
process is eternal and is descriptive of hochmah as pure wisdom which
transcends time.
He who attains wisdom becomes ageless. His life is one of quality and we
count on his advice without taking his years into account.
THE GEOMETRY OF SEFIRAH
The ideas discussed above may be clarified through a geometric diagram.
We count 7 days for each of 7 weeks i.e. 7 x 7 = 49 days. So we may draw a
square of side 7 units giving a surface area of 49 square units. Our
diagram may be clearly grasped because the square has exact measure, our
counting is tammim - complete.
The number 50 cannot be represented by a perfect square for there are no two
like integers which, when multiplied by each other, gives an area of 50
square units. 7 x 7 = 49 square units is less than 50, 8 x 8 = 64 square
units is more than 50.
We have indicated that the ancients represented the nun = 50, by a circular
snake. We may therefore represent 50 by a circle equal to 50 square units
in area. The border of the circle has no beginning and no ending for it is
continuous, and aptly descr
ibes continuous self-generation.
To find the radius of this circle we use the formula a = area = p(pi)r
squared where r is the radius. Using p(pi) = 25/8 (the figure for p in
ancient geometry) we find that the radius equals 4 and the diameter equals
8.
The 50th day, the day of perfect union of G-d and Israel i.e. the day on
which G-d and Israel are one, is 1 more than the 49 days counted beforehand.
1 x 1 still gives us one = alef. We combine alef with the letter het = 8 =
the diameter of our circle,
and the letter dalet = 4 = the radius of our circle.
The three letters in combination are ehad = one!
GEM OF THE WEEK
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS
"You shall count for yourselves from the morrow" (Lev. 23.15)
The verb saphar - to count, is akin to sappir - sapphire, alluding to
clarity and purity of thought. We look forward to the morrow with pure
faith, for we know not what the morrow may bring, so we count on tomorrow in
the belief that G-d will give us
life and strength as he does this day with each and every passing moment.
In anticipation of the morrow, we should sephartem lachem - clarify and
purify, everything related to the lachem - the body self, in readiness for
the eternal life which the mor
row will bring. (Rabbi Yisrael of Rozin)
Physical regeneration is possible only in a state of purity. With physical
impurity, negative energies are released. The same principle applies to our
thoughts; clarity and purity of thought is associated with positive
energies. Positive thinking about the future guarantees our future.
-----------------
Shalom Chevra:
It is the new moon of Nissan: "This month shall be the head month to you.
It shall be the first month of the year." (Exodus 12:2)
An auspicious moment of new beginning. The following is a piece on Pesach
and Kabbala that I wrote for the local Jewish newspaper. It is appropriate
for our journey as it includes an exploration of some of the Milim related
to Pesach. More will come as we approach closer.
Chodesh:Month is also the word Chadash:New (Chet, Dalet, Shin). May this
month bring us much newness and liberation.
Chodesh Tov
Itzchak
---------------------------------------------
THE LIGHT OF LIBERATION: Kabbala on Pesach
by Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein
"It was a night of vigil for God (preparing) to take them out of the land of
Mitzrayim." (Exodus 12:42)
This verse is speaking of an extraordinary night; the fifteenth of Nissan
in the year 2448 (1313 BCE). After hundreds of years of enslavement, the
next morning the Children of Israel were to walk out of Egypt.
Their suffering had become horrible, unbearable.
What did they do to bring about their liberation?
The Torah describes the moment, merely one year before, in which the
breakthrough began:
"And the Children of Israel moaned because of their subjugation ; they
cried out and their cries for deliverance from their slavery went up before
the Creator. The Creator heard their cries of anguish and remembered the
covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God saw the children of Israel and
knew." (Exodus 2:25)
Kabbalah teaches that it is significant that Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim: the
story of the Exodus from Egypt begins after the Children of Israel call out
to God in a number of different ways. Four different verbs of calling out
are used.
This story, along with the creation, is the primary event in the Torah.
Four of its five books cover the time period of the Exodus and many of our
rememberances and practices revolve around it.
"This night remains for the children of Israel a vigil to God for all
generations." (Ibid 12:42)
Each year since, we have been gathering around tables all over the world,
sharing and eating Pesach offerings of all sorts and telling the story of
that night. Why all this emphasis on one particular night?
The Kabbala teaches that the interface between time and experience is such
that the energy created during one moment continues to exist throughout
time. As the wheels of time returns us to that same moment even in a later
period, the energy of that moment is available to us. And so the Torah
invites us to experience each fifteenth of Nissan as a moment of birthing
liberation.
Sefer Yetzira, the first book of Kabbala, contains the primary discoveries
and teaching of Abraham. This includes our calendar and explains that the
month of Nissan which corresponds to the constellation of Tleh:The Ram
(which came to be called Aries)is 'ruled' by 'sicha:speech'.
The Zohar, the second primary book of Kabbala explains that Pharoah which is
spelled <phe, reish,ayin,heh> can be read as <Phe:phe,heh (the first and
last letter in his name) > Rah<reish,ayin (second and third)> which means
"Mouth of Evil". He was the spokesperson directing others to fear, hatred
and cruelty.
In the fifteen hundreds, Isaac Luria, a student of Torah, who came to be
known as the Ari, meditated on the banks of the Nile while reading the Zohar
. He later moved to Zfat and taught among other things that Chag HaMatzot:
The Festival of the Matzas (which is also the same word as
Mitzvot:Practices) is called PehSach to teach us that our speech has great
power. He noted that PehSach literally means 'the mouth speaks'.
"Because on this festival emerges the all encompassing light containing the
secret of speech and conversation, from the mouth and outwards…and for this
reason the Torah invites us on the night of Pesach (in four different
verses) to speak of the Exodus from Egypt." (Gates of Intention, Rabbi
Shmuel Vital (son of Chaim Vital, Luria's main student))Our sages thus teach
that one of the unique things about Pesach is that it is a festival that
focuses on the activities of the mouth ; eating Matza, drinking wine and
speaking of God, miracles and teachings.
A foundation of what we now call Lurianic Kabbala is that the world's
history (renamed by some to 'our story') is now in the process of
Tikun:Rectification or Repair. On Pesach night during the 'first month of
the year' through conscious eating, drinking and speech we are performing
rectifications that will hopefully set into motion further liberation from
enslavements of all sorts. Our sages thus point out that the root of
'Mitzrayim:Egypt' is 'tzar:narrow and thus Yetziat Mitzrayim can also be
read 'Yetziat Meh Tzarim: Emerging from the narrownesses."
Our ancestors began their journey of freedom on the first Pesach Night. We
are invited at each subsequent Pesach Night to emerge from whatever is
enslaving us and keeping us 'narrow' in order that we can truly journey to
freedom. Zman Herutenu: The Festival of our freedom is thus a great gift and
opportunity for all of us.
"On the night of Pesach, the Chag HaGeula: The Festival of Liberation, all
fifty gates of understanding are opened." (Ibid) "We need on the Night of
Pesach to draw this consciousness to ourselves." (Pri Etz Chayim, Chayim
Vital)
There are many voices to Pharoah, many types of narrownesses.
The major Kabbalist of the modern era is Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the
first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. It seems appropriate to conclude this
introduction to the Kabbalistic perspective on Pesach with his stirring
words to all of us.
"Whoever is endowed with the soul of a creator must create works of
imagination and thought. We cannot lock ourselves in superficial
understanding. The flame of the soul rises by itself and we are now allowed
to impede it in its course.
Scope for thought is the constant claim that the thinking person addresses
to themselves.
Superficial understanding sometimes narrows thought, it aborts it at birth.
It is this that aggravates the sickness of narrowness of thought. With all
our strength we must liberate ourselves from this, in order to free our soul
from its narrown confines, to redeem it from its Egypt, from its house of
bondage." (Lights of Holiness, 1: 177)
As the Children of Israel called out to end their pain and suffering, we
also are invited to call out for this same freedom for all humankind.
May we come to know the full power of our yearning for this and experience
the blessing of freedom that awaits us.
Chodesh Nissan Tov
Itzchak
---------------------------
THE LIGHT OF LIBERATION: Kabbala on Pesach
by Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein
"It was a night of vigil for God (preparing) to take them out of the land of
Mitzrayim." (Exodus 12:42)
This verse is speaking of an extraordinary night; the fifteenth of Nissan
in the year 2448 (1313 BCE). After hundreds of years of enslavement, the
next morning the Children of Israel were to walk out of Egypt.
Their suffering had become horrible, unbearable.
What did they do to bring about their liberation? The Torah describes the
moment, merely one year before, in which the breakthrough began:
"And the Children of Israel moaned because of their subjugation ; they
cried out and their cries for deliverance from their slavery went up before
the Creator. The Creator heard their cries of anguish and remembered the
covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God saw the children of Israel and
knew." (Exodus 2:25)
Kabbalah teaches that it is significant that Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim: the
story of the Exodus from Egypt begins after the Children of Israel call out
to God in a number of different ways. Four different verbs of calling out
are used. This story, along with the creation, is the primary event in the
Torah.
Four of its five books cover the time period of the Exodus and many of our
rememberances and practices revolve around it.
"This night remains for the children of Israel a vigil to God for all
generations." (Ibid 12:42)
Each year since, we have been gathering around tables all over the world,
sharing and eating Pesach offerings of all sorts and telling the story of
that night.
Why all this emphasis on one particular night?
The Kabbala teaches that the interface between time and experience is such
that the energy created during one moment continues to exist throughout
time. As the wheels of time returns us to that same moment even in a later
period, the energy of that moment is available to us. And so the Torah
invites us to experience each fifteenth of Nissan as a moment of birthing
liberation.
Sefer Yetzira, the first book of Kabbala, contains the primary discoveries
and teaching of Abraham. This includes our calendar and explains that the
month of Nissan which corresponds to the constellation of Tleh:The Ram
(which came to be called Aries)is 'ruled' by 'sicha:speech'.
The Zohar, the second primary book of Kabbala explains that Pharoah which is
spelled <phe, reish,ayin,heh> can be read as <Phe:phe,heh (the first and
last letter in his name) > Rah<reish,ayin (second and third)> which means
"Mouth of Evil". He was the spokesperson directing others to fear, hatred
and cruelty.
In the fifteen hundreds, Isaac Luria, a student of Torah, who came to be
known as the Ari, Isaac Luria meditated on the banks of the Nile while
reading the Zohar . He later moved to Zfat and taught among other things
that Chag HaMatzot: The Festival of the Matzas (which is also the same word
as Mitzvot:Practices) is called PehSach to teach us that our speech has
great power. He noted that PehSach literally means 'the mouth speaks'.
"Because on this festival emerges the all encompassing light containing the
secret of speech and conversation, from the mouth and outwards…and for this
reason the Torah invites us on the night of Pesach (in four different
verses) to speak of the Exodus from Egypt." (Gates of Intention, Rabbi
Shmuel Vital (son of Chaim Vital, Luria's main student))
Our sages thus teach that one of the unique things about Pesach is that it
is a festival that focuses on the activities of the mouth ; eating Matza,
drinking wine and speaking of God, miracles and teachings.
A foundation of what we now call Lurianic Kabbala is that the world's
history (renamed by some to 'our story') is now in the process of
Tikun:Rectification or Repair. On Pesach night during the 'first month of
the year' through conscious eating, drinking and speech we are performing
rectifications that will hopefully set into motion further liberation from
enslavements of all sorts.
Our sages thus point out that the root of 'Mitzrayim:Egypt' is 'tzar:narrow
and thus Yetziat Mitzrayim can also be read 'Yetziat Meh Tzarim: Emerging
from the narrownesses." Our ancestors began their journey of freedom on
the first Pesach Night. We are invited at each subsequent Pesach Night to
emerge from whatever is enslaving us and keeping us 'narrow' in order that
we can truly journey to freedom. Zman Herutenu: The Festival of our freedom
is thus a great gift and opportunity for all of us.
"On the night of Pesach, the Chag HaGeula: The Festival of Liberation, all
fifty gates of understanding are opened." (Ibid)
"We need on the Night of Pesach to draw this consciousness to ourselves."
(Pri Etz Chayim, Chayim Vital)
There are many voices to Pharoah, many types of narrownesses.
The major Kabbalist of the modern era is Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the
first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. It seems appropriate to conclude this
introduction to the Kabbalistic perspective on Pesach with his stirring
words
to all of us.
"Whoever is endowed with the soul of a creator must create works of
imagination and thought. We cannot lock ourselves in superficial
understanding. The flame of the soul rises by itself and we are now allowed
to impede it in its course.
Scope for thought is the constant claim that the thinking person addresses
to themselves.
Superficial understanding sometimes narrows thought, it aborts it at birth.
It is this that aggravates the sickness of narrowness of thought. With all
our strength we must liberate ourselves from this, in order to free our soul
from its narrown confines, to redeem it from its Egypt, from its house of
bondage." (Lights of Holiness, 1: 177)
As the Children of Israel called out to end their pain and suffering, we
also are invited to call out for this same freedom for all humankind. May we
come
to know the full power of our yearning for this and experience the blessing
of freedom that awaits us.
MILA YOMIT; THE TORAH, WORD BY WORD
"May the Torah shared and learned through Mila Yomit serve as
Bracha:Blessing and Tefilla:Prayer for a Refuah Shleima:Complete
Healing for all those on the Mila Yomit Healing List and all beings who need
a healing. We ask anyone reading this to feel free to offer a short
prayer for these people".
"Please pray for the complete healing and recovery from surgery for Yochanan
Ben Avraham veSara."
HASHEM YIVARECH OTCHA VE KOL YOSHVEI TEVEL BE REFUAH SHLEIMA VE'MEHEIRA
May the Divine Bless you and all who need healing with a complete and speedy
recovery.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------
MILA YOMIT: SHAVUOT
"Sheva- Seven
SHAVUOT-Weeks
Teespor-Count
Lach-To Yourself...
VeAseeta-And You Shall Make
Chag-Festival
SHAVUOT-Of Weeks
Le'YHVH-To The Transcendent
ELOHECHA-Your Creator"
Deuteronomy 16:9-10
--------------------------------
SHAVUOT is spelled
SHIN(SH)-fire
VET(V)-soft Bet-
AYIN(AA)-eye
VAV (V)-and
TAV(T)-seal of completion
-----------------
The root word is
SHEVAA -<SH,VET,AYIN> F. adjective meaning 'seven'
SHIVAAH (<SH,V,AA,HEH) is M. adjective meaning 'seven'
SHAVUAA<SH,VET,VAV,AYIN> is M. noun meaning' period of seven days, week'
<SH,VET,AYIN> is a verb meaning 'to swear, take an oath' or 'bind oneself
by seven things, or by seven oaths'.
SHVUAAH <SH,VET,VAV,AYIN, HEH> is a M. noun meaning 'oath'.or 'curse'.
----------
SVAA-<SH,VET,AYIN> is M. noun meaning 'satiety, fill'
In New Hebrew 'plenty, abundance'.
Add a HEH and, it becomes a F. noun meaning 'satiety, satisfaction'.
----------
SHaV-<SH,VET> is an adjective meaning 'one who returns'
It is at the root of 'la'shoov'- to return
---------
SHaBBaT- is , SHIN, BET, TAV- the ayin-sighty, multiplicity replaced by the
tav-the seal of completion.
SHaVuA completes itself with SHaBBaT.
--------
SHiVEEM-<SH,VET,AYIN,YUD,MEM> is seventy. Formed from 'sheva esronim':seven
tens.
----------
SHAVUOT-We have counted for ourselvs seven complete weeks, binding
ourselves with each of the seven sefirot. Completing all the aspects of the
physical world-the seven days of creation.
-------------
"TEESPEROO-Count
CHAMEESHEEM-Fifty
YOM-Days
And Offer A New Grain Offering"
Leviticus 23:16
It is now time for us to reach the 8th-past the borders of the material and
into the Infinite.
At the beginning of the 8th week, the morning of the 50th day, the Divine
One Spoke with us, and we heard.
"At that time entered Keter Elyon-The Highest Crown (Vision) that is Nun
Shaarei Bina-the 50 gates of understanding, that was heard with the Holy
Names. ..And the practice of Israel is to engage in Torah
on Leil Shavuot-Night Of The Festival Of The Weeks in order to draw into our
consciousness that same
Keter Elyon-Highest Crown, that is known as the Fiftieth Gate" (Pri Etz
Chaim)
--------------------
A tremendous gift, a wonderful opportunities awaits us as we return to that
moment in which the One Opened the veils, teaching us once and for all that
all is One.
May the Blessing of Oneness and Unification be ours this Shavuot.
Itzchak
MILA YOMIT 81BET: ADAM
HUMAN
----------------
'
OTIOT: LETTERS
ALEPH (A)-One, first element in Creation-the first creation was
Aur-Light-begins with aleph .
First mother letter
DALET (D) -Delet:door
MEM (M)-Mayim-Water, the womb of Creation (seeded by the Yud-- First word
Creator Uttered was Yehee-Let There Be- <Yud, Hey, Yud>) .Second mother
letter.
(The Unity entered through the Door of the material realm to seed Water
with Conscious Life.) (?)
----------------------
MEANING AND RELATED WORDS.
ADAM means 'human, man, humankind'.
It is technically a M. noun, that does not have a plural form!!
Hebrew does not have 'man' and 'men'.
(I just learnt this from Klein's Etymological Dictionary, so I am wondering
of the significance of that.
Are there many other Hebrew word that do not have a plural form?
The plural for people is 'anashim'-plural of 'ish-person'.
If anyone knows or has thoughts on this (or any other Mila), please send
them to us.
This Mila is a daunting one because it is so short and so much in it.)
----------
As a verb <A,D,M> is 'to be red'.
-----------
As an adjective ADoM <A,D,M> is 'red'.
----------
ODeM <A,D,M> is a M. noun -name of a red jewel; carnelian or ruby.
(There are many other words that are expansions on "ADoM-red.'
e.g. -admoni- adj. 'reddish').
------
RELATED WORDS
HA'ADAMA: The Ground (Mila 80) was the last new creation or defined concept
introduced in the Torah.
Ground is ADaMA <A,D,M,HEH>. the first three letters is of course our Mila ,
ADAM.
Ground which is the home for human is -ADAM plus HEH.
(The addition of Heh to Avram to make Avraham was a significant moment in
the covenant.)
(I also just noticed the verb <D,M,HEH> which means 'to cease,
stop'. -related to verb-<D,M,M>
which means both 'to go silent' and 'to bleed'. This probably should have
been incorporated in Mila 80:HA'ADAMA, but it's only one word later and it's
almost the same word. So it's all connected.
-Ground stopped gravity as it were.)
ADAMA- a vessel holding ADAM within it.
------------
------------
WORDS CONTAINED WITHIN IT-
ED- <A,D,> M. noun, 'mist ,vapor'
DaM <D,M> M. noun-'blood'.
ADAM can thus be read 'Aleph-DaM'- a unity vivified with blood.
---------
<D,M> is also at the root of DMut-Likeness (more on this in a couple of
Milot).
DoMeh is 'similar'.
DiMayon <D,M, Yud, Vav, Nun> M. noun- 'resemblance' 'imagination'.
EM<A,M>(first and third letter) is F. noun-mother- Post Biblically refers
also to 'womb'.
----------------
CONCEPTUAL MEANING:
ADAM:
Human is a singularity vivified by DaM:Blood.
Of the ADaMA:Ground.-same material molecularly.
DoMeh:Resembling All
With DIMaYON:Imagination, the capacity to see beyond what it is. Our
capacity to imagine is perhaps our most wondrous capability. It is the root
of our vision and creativity.
"Ha'AD'AM:The Human is able to reach to that point that there will be
revealed within them the focal point
(mercaziut) of all existence; this is within them....This inner revelation
of the concentration-centralization (ricuz)
that is in the soul of ADAM is the actualization of the potential that is
truly within the soul." (Rav Kook, Orot HaKodesh, 3:357)
What an amazing creation!!.
MILA YOMIT: PESACH 5799
Shalom Chevra:
It is Erev Pesach-the night of Makkat Bechorot:Plague of the First Born-a
terrible moment. In the narrative, it is the final resort. The enslaver,
experiencing the ultimate suffering before giving up the battle to enslave
others. The enslaved and the enslaver are both not free. As I write this I
imagine the Makkot Bechorot: the many plagues and households of suffering
tonite in Yugoslavia, Albania and all over the world.
Rav Kook teaches that Yetziat Mitzraim:Exodus From Egypt is a constant
mitzva.
So much of us, so much of humanity still in Egypts and bondages of all
sorts.
Pharaohs every where.
Our challenge is to be Moses and the Children of Israel catalyzing freedom
and liberation.
How are we to do this?
As a Mila Yomit offering for Pesach I would like to explore a few of the key
words
related to Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim:The Story of the Exodus. A central Mitzva
for us is to recount this story to each other. We are invited to learnt what
it ever it has to teach us about our own process of slavery to freedom.
As I alluded to in the Rosh Chodesh Nisan Mila, the words that describe the
actions of the Children of Israel in initiating the transformation and
beginning the miraculous process of Divine Intervention are important for
us to consider. Let us return again to that key moment in which the
transformation from enslavement to freedom began. We shall follow this
narrative closely, stopping at the Milim describing their behavior:
In Exodus 2:23 we read:
"A long time passed, and the king of Egypt died.
VA'YANCHU B'nai Israel: And the Children of Israel SIGHED"
VOV-and
YUD-used for conjugating
ALEPH
NUN
CHET
VAV-connotes plural case.
The Root is <ALEPH, NUN, CHET> which means to sigh or moan. Also
translated as lament or mourn.
Interestingly Mozeson relates the English word 'neck' as connected. A sound
emanating from the neck.
"From the enslavement,
VA'YIZAAQU:And (They) Cried Out."
VAV
YUD
ZAYIN
AYIN
QUF
VAV
Similar construction as previous Mila, the roots is <ZAYIN, AYIN,
QUF>ZA'AQ<.
It means to cry out. Also 'to implore, lament, wail'.
The <ZAYIN, AYIN> beginning seems often to connect to possibly related
activities.
For example: ZAAZUA(Zayin ,Ayin, Zayin, Ayin) means 'to shake, agitate.'
ZA,AM (Zayin, Ayin, Mem) : 'to be indignant, angry'
ZA'APH (Zayin, Ayin, Phe Sofit) 'to be enraged'.
-----------------
"VE'TAAL :And went up
SHAVEATAM:Their Cries For Help"
SHIN
VAV
AYIN
TAV
MEM SOFIT.
The Tav Mem is the ending connoting 'theirs'. The root <SHIN, VAV,
AYIN>SHAAVA< means to cry for help.
Hirsch explains it connotes 'to call to someone to turn toward us in order
to help us'.
Klein explains it is derived from a base related to <YUD,SHIN,AYIN>YESHAA<
to help, save, deliver.
-----------
Exodus 2:24-
And the Creator heard NAQATAM:Their Groans.
NUN
ALEPH
QUF
TAV
MEM
Again the Tav Mem ending connotes 'theirs'. The root <NUN, ALEPH, QUF>
NA'AQ< means 'groan, wail, cry.
Hirsch explains this word is rarely found. "It designates the last
despairing cry to which the hearer must say
'that person is lost if I do not help them'.
Mozeson believes it is connected again to the English word: Neck (compare to
Naaqa).
"NAAQ is a groan, moan or heavy sigh. ANACHA (see above) means precisely the
same.
These are neck made sounds just as 'groan' is from the Hebrew word meaning
throat (garon)."
--------------------
The Torah seems to be teaching us that the human call (from the Hebrew
'kol'-voice) is that which opens the Divine Heart. In a free willed
universe, Elokim-the Creator of this Olam:World can not intervene.
Olam<AYIN, VAV, LAMED, MEM> is thus related to the verb ALAM<AYIN, LAMED,
MEM> which means 'to hide, conceal.
A central principle in Kabbala and Torah is
HEETORERUT:-Awakening MEE'LEMATA: From Below
MEYVEE-Brings HEETORERUT-Awakening MEE'LEMAALA:From Above
.
It is for us, materialized souls, created in the Tzelem Elokim:Divine Image
to catalyse the extraordinary possibilities of our inner connection with the
Creator.
The Children of Israel with all their being cried out, yelled out, screamed
out.
They broke the barrier between the visible and the Invisible.
Let us return to the narrative:
"And their cries because of the enslavement went up to Elokim.
And Elokim remembered the covenant with Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaaqov."
"And Elokim saw the children of Israel and took knowledge of them."
----------
So ends chapter 2 of Exodus.
Immediately following this the Malach:Messenger of YHVH appears in a
burning bush that is not consumed.
As Moshe, an 80 year old sheperd is walking by:
"VA'YOMER:And SAID
MOSHE
VA'YOMER MOSHE-And Moshe Said
HINENI-HERE I AM. " (Exodus 3:4)
"VA'YOMER YHVH-And YHVH SAID:
I have indeed seen the suffering of My people in Egypt.
I have heard their cries because of their oppression.
I know their pain.
I have come down to liberate them from Egypt's power." (Exodus 3:7,8)
--------------
The extraordinary events through which we and all humankind came to know of
YHVH then began.
Tonite we are celebrating, remembering and recreating that moment in which
we opened the gates
of liberation and Infinite possibilities.
Our calling out from the depths of our being is our most powerful tool.
Rav Kook from a teaching entitled "HaTzaaka:The Scream"
"Those sparks of holiness, that are imbedded in the depths and abysses of
evil
necessitate the scream which is felt in the vessel of the body...
At any time when the sparks need to be elevated from the depths,
beautiful is the human scream.
And there are those who scream to YHVH because of the world's pain and
oppression...
This scream causes the world to be filled with repair and light...
This scream emerges from the great suffering of the world,
the suffering of the Shechina:Divine Presence, that is screaming and
writhing,
as in the time of birth.
And like a small twig which can ignite the large...thus our tiny and weak
cry brings huge awakening."
(Orot HaKodesh, 3:287)
----------
As we sit together tonite to speak of the liberation, let us not be afraid
to call out to the One
to show us how to bring an end to the suffering and restore the absolute Tov
that is our true birthright and iheritance.
The story of Pesach, which the Ari notes is read PeSach:The Mouth Speaks
teaches us that Poh:Here in our Peh:Mouth we can open the gates.
There are too many human beings, mothers, fathers, children, who are not
reclining freely at a festive table.
Let us join our call together with theirs and come to know in our lifetime
the miracles that are awaiting.
BeShalom and Chag Sameach Meod
Itzchak
MILA YOMIT 72: (VE'ET) KOL (NEFESH HA'CHAYA)
(And) EVERY (Being That Is Alive)
Breishit 1:21
-----------
MILA CHOZERET: REPEATING WORD
VE'ET: And An Object Is About To Appear (Mila 6)
------
MILA CHASHAH:NEW WORD
KOL-Every
-------
OTIOT:LETTERS
KHAPH (KH)- palm (of hand, shaped like palm),
in Kabbala-kaf when written out is spelled <KH,PHE Sofit>
which is associated with Koach-Potential Poel-Actual.
It represents the Power to Actualize Potential.
A vessel in which the potential can be nurtured and emerge.
LAMED (L) learning. Formed by a KHAPH that 'sprouts" a VAV from its upper
left corner.
Referred to as 'a tower that sprouts in the air' it represents 'aspiration,
reaching for knowledge and understanding.
KHAPH, LAMED follow each other in Alef Bet as do K,L in alphabet.
The KHAPH evolves organically into the LAMED, as it were.
---------------------
MEANING AND RELATED WORDS:
KOL is a M. noun meaning "every, all, the whole of, each, any"
Klein explains it is derived from KLaL <KH, L,L> which means 'to complete,
to perfect, to comprise'
As noun it refers to the 'collective, whole, universal'.
KHaLKeL <KH,L,KH,L> literally KOL, KOL (or translated as 'all,all') is a
verb meaning 'to maintain, to support, to feed'. In our daily prayer we give
thanks to the One Who MeKHaLKHeL-Sustains Chayim BeChesed: Life With
Compassion.
(KHaLKHaLA -above plus HEH- is economy. The measure of how much we have? How
close are we to having it all?)
--------
<KH,L,HEH> is a verb meaning 'to complete, to finish'. Something is finished
or complete when it is in its 'allness'. (Mozeson connects the English work
'to kill' to this source word.)
--------
KLI <KH,L,YUD> is a 'vessel, article, object, thing'
<KH,L,ALEPH> is a verb 'to restrain, to withhold'. KeLeH is thus 'prison'.
-------
Mozeson links the English word "ALL' directly to KOL as well as the word
"WHOLE'
------
Backwards KOL is <LAMED,KHOF> meaning Lech:Go and/or LeCha:To yourself.
--------------------------------
MILOT CHOZROT: REPEATING WORDS
NEFESH: Being (Mila 68)
HA'CHAYA: That Is Alive (Mila 69)
------------------
CONCEPTUAL MEANING:
Isaiah channels the following words:
ANOCHI- I
YHVH-Bringer Into Being
OSEH -Forms, Does, Activates
KOL-All
(Isaiah 44:24)
ALL living beings are emerging, the collective before the specific.
On this day of Creation, life forms into creatures with the capacity to
create further life forms .
The Divine is making KOL-ALL of this.
In his commentary on Sefer Bahir, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains:
"The Sefira Yesod:Foundation (related to procreation) is referred to as
'ALL'....since through it must flow all spiritual sustenance. This Sefirah
also parallels the sexual organ...It is through the sex act that new human
beings (and ALL beings-my addition) are born, and souls transmitted to the
world. Yesod:Foundation parallels this function insofar as it is the source
of all souls."
----------
It is interesting to follow this emergence of life and compare and contrast
it to contemporary evolutionary theory. I invite any observations or
comments on this as we journey on.
Rav Kook says in a remarkable piece on evolution:
"The doctrine of evolution that is presently gaining acceptance in the world
has a greater affinity with the secret teachings of the Kabbalah than all
other philosophies. Evolution sheds light on KOL:all the ways of God.
All existence evolves and ascends...It ascends toward the heights of the
absolute good. Obviously the good and the comprehensive all go together.
Existence is destined to reach a point when the whole will assimilate the
good in all its particulars. This is its general ascent: No particularity
will remain outside, not a spark will be lost from the ensemble. All will
share in the climactic culimination.(literally... all is being prepared for
the meal)" (Lights of Holiness, 2:155)
The reference to the meal is probably the meal of the Leviathan that we will
partake of at the culimination. These are the TANINM of Mila 71.
These TANINM are already in place as the KOL begins its journey into
existence and towards its destiny.
Its complete actualization in material form in the presence of the ALL ONE.
Miri, a participant wrote to share with us that "In modern Hebrew TANIN is
used for Alligators or crocodiles. This makes sense since in the
evolutionary world these are the animals that are in
between the water and the land."
-----------
How are we to serve this journey of ALL existence towards its fulfillment?
I invite us once again to the Torah of Rav Kook (whose extraordinary light
has become even more apparent in recent months to myself and a few of my
friends through our occasional
intense learning of his words),
TOV LA'KOL:GOOD TO ALL
When the longing to be TOV LAKOL is intensified in a person, then they
should know that an illumination from the higher realm has reached them.
Happy are those who prepare a proper place in their heart, their mind and
their actions and in all their feelings to receive this noble light, which
is the most precious asset on earth.
Hold on to it and do not let it go.
Let us not allow any impediment, physical or spiritual to keep us from
welcoming this holy thought into our inner being...Let us draw knowledge
from afar, (be LAMEDs, as it were, and bringing the learning into our
KHAPH-my note, obviously) emulating the attribute of God, who is HATOV
LAKOL-That Which Is Good To All,
and Whose Compassion is on KOL:All God's creations." (Ibid, 3:316)
May we ALL be so blessed:
Itzchak
-------------------------------
MILA YOMIT HEALING LIST
"Please add me to your list of people in need of healing.
I have just foundout that my cancer is back.
Thanking you in advance for adding me to your prayers,
Roz Robinson"
Refuah Shleima ve Meheira:Complete and Speedy Recovery.
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Logistics:
Written on the 34th Day of the Omer corresponding to Yesod She
BeHod-Foundation Within Surrender.
We are in the home stretch towards Shavuot.
Chassidus compares the journey of LEV TOV: the good heart with the 49 steps
to Sinai.
The numeric value of Lev Tov is, Lev-32 and Tov-17, which is 49.
Lag B'Omer (the 33'rd day) therefore represents that moment in which we
enter the Tov of the
journey. And so we celebrate.
For Bay Area, northern California participants:
On Shavuot, I will have the great pleasure and privilige to celebrate with
the Aquarian Minyan and Ruach Ha'Aretz at their Shavuot retreat in the hills
outside the Bay Area. We will have opportunities to learn Sinai Torah
together. If you are interested in participating please email
neshama.achat@bigfoot.com
MILA YOMIT 79: (VA'YOMER ELOHIM TOTZEH HA'ARETZ NEFESH CHAYA LE'MINA)
BEHEMA..
.
(AND SAID ELOHIM BRING FORTH THE EARTH LIVING CREATURES TO THEIR OWN
SPECIES)
ANIMAL
Breishit 1: 24-beginning paragraph 6.
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MILOT CHZROT: Repeating Words
VA'YOMER- And Said (see MILA 18)
This is the seventh Divine Saying.
Sefer Yetzira explains it corresponds to the emergence of the 8th
Sephira:HOD:Glory.
Keter emerged at the word Breishit- before Va'Yomer was said.
Connected to the word LeHodot-to thank, to praise , Hod also means
(interestingly) 'to resonate, reverberate'
Aryeh Kaplan translates it as 'Empathy"
Adin Steinsaltz in 13 Petalled Rose relates it to its dyad with "Netzach: is
the will to overcome, the profound urge to get things done. HOD, in striving
to achieve and attain that which is desired, is also the power to repudiate
the obstacles that rise from reality, and to persevere." (p.61)
In "The Sefirot" a wonderful English sefer-Torah book, (Jason Aronson 1996),
he describes HOD as "devotion, compliance, conformity...consistent, quiet
state of devotion, subordination and consistency."
(P. 160.)
I hear it as surrender and acceptance of all that Elohim, Cause and Effect
and Consequence, sends our way
ELOHIM-THE CREATOR (see MILA 3)
The twenty third time Elokim is named as the Creator of the 32 Netivot Pliot
Chachma: Wondrous Paths of Wisdom that is Etz Chaim: The Tree Of Life.
((Sod-Secret Level:
In the Tree, the Mother Letter, MEM, is the channel between Netzach and Hod.
Remember that the 32 paths consist of the Ten Sefirot or Ten Numbers and
Twenty two lines of connection between the ten points, each line
corresponding with one of the twenty two letters of the Aleph Bet.
The Tree is thus an integration of Number and Text forming Communication)).
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TOTZEH: Bring Forth (out of...) (Mila 53)
HA'ARETZ: The Earth
After the Mayim:Waters produce their life forms, it is time now for the
Yabasha; Dry Land to enable the potential dormant within it to come into
existence
From the matter of the earth, shall come forth...
NEFESH: Being (Mila 68)
CHAYA: Living (Mila 69)
or Living Beings
LE'MINA:To Its Own Species (Mila 51) Feminine form.
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MILA CHADASHA:NEW WORD
BEHEMA:Animal
Otiot:Letters
BET (B)-home,
HEH (H)-expression
MEM (M)-womb
HEH (H)-expression
((Interesting this life form is named by the two Heh's of the Divine Name,
vivifying a vessel that involves a womb of creation. (Compare <B,H,M,H> to
<Y,H,V,H>))
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MEANING AND RELATED WORDS:
BEHEMA is a F. noun for 'animal, beast, cattle'
BeHeMOT- is a M. noun for hippopotamus- and apprently the source for the
English 'Behemoth'-used to refer
to huge animals.
BaHaMI is an adj.-'of an animal, brutish,bestial, brutal'
<B,H,M> is a verb 'to brutalize' -a back formation from Behema.
Hirsch explains that the <B,H,M> root is related to <B,VAV, M> (BUM and that
this construct is only found again in BaMA <B,M,H> where it means, an
elevation which serves for raising an object. (see below)
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CONCEPTUAL MEANING:
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch:
"Referring to the plants it says: Tadsheh-it shall sprout from te earth, and
with all its own characteristic development it still remains bounds to its
parent body, the earth.
Of the water creatures it says: Yeshretzoo Ha'Mayim-water producing free
moving creatures, but they still remain within the element which produced
them...
Only when it comes to the living land creatures does it say: TOTZEH
HAARETZ-that the earth is to set them outside the earth. Only with them do
living organisms attain an ever higher and ever freer independence
BEHEMA (based on etymology explained above) therefore, would be the most apt
denomination for those animals, which, already by their nature submit to
serve the human and by such subordination have formed the most important
stepping stone for the spiritual height which the human was to reach.
Without oxen to work for them, the human would have to harness himself to
the plough and wagon, have to do the hardest work and carry the heaviest
loads, and his mind, too, would share the weight of physical exhaustion, out
of which he would never have been able to raise himself. Inasmuch as the
human could yoke oxen to his plough and wagon, and without bodily exertion
could let the sheep, that clothed and fed him, graze, his mind remained free
for contemplation of heaven and earth...Man has to thank BEHEMA, his sheep
and cattle, for his having been able to rise to greater height, they were
Bamato-his beema-stepping stone." (p. 29)
While the above may strike us as species-centric, it does illustrate that
BEHEMA generally refers to mammals
that became domesticated.
SOD-Secret Level-Kabbala on Behema:
Rabbi Itzchak Ginsburgh in "Alef-Bet"
"(fish)...creatures of the 'hidden world' lack self consciousness. Unlike
fish, land animals, revealed on the face of the earth. possess
self-consciousness.
The souls of Israel divide into two general categories, symbolized by fish
and land animals. The two prototypes of these categories are the leviathan
and behemot. In the present, these two categories ofr souls correspond to
the two innate tendencies and attractions of the soul, to either the
concealed and secret or revealed and legal dimensions of Torah. In the
future, the two prototypes, leviathan and behemot, will unite in battle,
each 'killing the ego' of the other, thereafter to blend together in true
union. Their 'meat' will then be served as the feast for the tzadikim in the
World to Come. The souls of the tzadikim will actually consume the very root
of consciousness of our present level of soul, in order to integrate
('digest') it into a totally new and higher level of consciousness." (p.
208)
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VA'YOMER ELOHIM TOTZEH HA'ARETZ NEFESH CHAYA LE'MINA BEHEMA..
On the fifth day, life emerged in and out of 'ha'mayim:the waters'.
Now the Divine Mind Directs the earth: bring forth from you living
creatures,
vessels for nurturing even more life...
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