Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Kabbala: The Inside Story

By the grace of G-d
Kabbala: The Inside Story
By : Rabbi Berel Bell

Rabbi Shimon began: Woe are they whose hearts are stuffed and whose eyes are closed! So many secrets are hidden in the Torah, and they pay no attention to them. They only want to eat the "straw" of the Torah - the simple meaning, or the "garment" of the Torah. They don't taste from the deep intellect which it contains within. (Zohar Chadash, Tikunim II:93b. See also Zohar III:152a)

Those who learn the stories of Torah only on the superficial level, without the Kabbala, cause good to be transformed into bad, and create many obstacles. (Tikunei Zohar, 1b)

Through the course of history, there have been nine major famines; immediately before the Messianic Age, there will be a tenth. But the hunger pangs will be of a different sort, as the prophet (Amos 8:11) said, "Behold, days are coming, said G-d, the Lord, when I will send hunger to the world; not a hunger for bread, and not a thirst for water - but to hear the words of G-d." (Bereishit Rabba on Gen. 25:3, Gen. 40:3, and Gen. 64:2)

Elijah the Prophet said to Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai: Many people down below will derive nourishment from this book of yours [the Zohar], when it will be revealed [finally] in the last generation, before the End of Days. But it has been already been revealed for hundreds of years!? Close to the Messianic Age, however, even the deepest passages will be explained. (Tikunei Zohar, end of Tikun 6, Kisei Melech, ibid.)

Since in the future, the Jewish people will taste from the Tree of Life, i.e. the Zohar, they will be redeemed from exile with mercy. (Zohar, Raya Mehemna, III:124b)

Even a cursory reading of the Five Books of Moses is likely to leave a person full of questions. The central figures often behave in questionable ways, and sometimes seem to be questionable role models. In addition, G-d's motives are frequently enigmatic. He seems to want one thing, and then structure events so that everything becomes unnecessarily complicated. We are often unable to understand what His goals are and why He chooses such convoluted paths to reach them.

The Oral Tradition passed down from Mount Sinai and recorded in the words of our Sages helps elucidate the text. The classic biblical commentaries engage in unraveling these stories, and one can find numerous explanations to many of these puzzles. However, their answers are sometimes difficult to reconcile with the text; they sometimes fit the text but stretch the imagination; they sometimes contradict each other; they sometimes solve one enigma - only to raise others which might be even more numerous and more difficult to solve; and most importantly, these explanations sometimes help only to resolve the difficulty of one particular episode. We are often left wondering how the details fit into the broader picture; and even regarding the story itself - couldn't things have been done in some easier, more straightforward way?

Finite humans are obviously unable to fathom the Ways of the Infinite. One the other hand, the Torah is given to us to study and understand. From it we are supposed to draw inspiration and guidance, even down to the details of our daily lives. How can we do so when the message is so obscured by questions?

The obstacle becomes more acute when we consider the difference between this generation and previous ones. Years ago, virtually everyone in the Western world was somewhat familiar with the content of the Bible, and accepted its veracity. Today, many are unaware of even the most basic ideas, and are skeptical of its authority. Their questions are worse than just unsolved intellectual puzzles. They often represent the first - and seemingly insurmountable - barrier to seriously considering anything having to do with faith or "religion."

But the thirst and curiosity is there. This thirst is evident throughout the world in the explosive interest in Kabbala, Bible codes and the like. This dimension of the Torah has a very special relationship with other levels of Torah interpretation. [Note: Ginzei Yosef, Gen. 12:10 (quoted in Yalkut Mashiach U'Geula, Lech Lecha, p. 70-73) in fact says that the 10th "hunger" for the "words of G-d", mentioned above, is the desire for Kabbala. He also explains how this is alluded to in the story of Abraham and Sarah going to Egypt.]

The Torah conveys its messages simultaneously on different levels of meaning. In general there are four levels, referred to by the Hebrew acronym "PaRDeS": the simple level (Peshat), the allusion (Remez), homiletic (Drush), and the secret (Sod). There is, furthermore, another dimension which transcends all these four levels. The final two are normally referred to as the mystical dimension, that of Kabbala and Chasidut.

The "inner dimension," or the "soul" of Torah, explicated in Kabala and Chasidut, takes the perspective of the underlying spiritual reality from which everything in the universe is derived. Understanding these forces and their effects helps us perceive the essential unity within Creation, and to use this knowledge to guide us in all aspects of our lives. (Zohar I:145b. III:152a. See Yahel Or, Tzemach Tzedek, on Psalm 119:18. Maamorim Melukat 5:273)

The essential truths are conveyed to us in the Torah. Understanding its inner dimension helps unravel its mysteries. Then, the traditional explanations take on greater depth and become an integral part of the path leading us to the deeper truth. The revelation of this inner dimension of Torah indicates that the universe is ready to reach its culmination with the Messianic era (see beginning of Keter Shem Tov). It is also the vehicle through which the world is transformed into a world of harmony, fulfillment, and perfection.

The Zohar itself is written in the form of a commentary on the Bible. The stories of the Bible are not just stories, for within them are buried the secrets of the Universe. Through understanding their inner dimension, we tap into that Infinite Wisdom which G-d has been waiting for us to discover. And we must thank the Creator for making these stories so unfathomable as to spur us on to keep digging until we find the "light" within.

One central theme which runs through a number of incidents is that lying, or at least trickery, seem to be involved. Abraham and Isaac say that their wives are their sisters; Jacob tricks Esau out of his privileges as the first-born; Rebecca and Jacob trick Isaac into giving him the blessings; Joseph's brothers kidnap and sell him and then led Jacob to believe that he's been killed; Leah tricks Jacob into marrying her; Tamar tricks Judah into fathering her children. Why does everything seem so crooked?

The theme of trickery stems from the first, and perhaps most famous case - that of the serpent tricking Adam and Eve. Had they not sinned, Adam and Eve would have brought the world to perfection and the Messianic Age would have begun right away. Kabbala explains that when they ate from the Tree of Knowledge, there was a catastrophic change by which sparks of good and sparks of evil become mixed in virtually every aspect of the universe. In order to rectify this act, its effects must be undone. The retrieval and elevation of these sparks is the unifying task which has occupied the world ever since. (See for example, Shaar HaPesukim, 4a. Etz Chaim 36:2. 39:1. See also Tanya, Igeret Hakodesh 26 (144a).

Part of the mystery of this rectification is that the manner in which it is carried out must also match the way in which these sparks were spread out in the first place. A corresponding action is performed, but this time, on the side of holiness. This could perhaps be compared to the cover of a jar: just as it became tightened through being twisted on, the way to remove it is through twisting in the opposite direction. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 39b) [1] similarly explains why the prophet Obadiah was chosen to pronounce the downfall of the Edomite kingdom - because he himself was an Edomite convert, and "the handle for the axe to cut the tree comes from the forest itself."

We find a similar idea when Moses showed Pharaoh that G-d sent him by turning a stick into a snake (Ex. 7:10-11). The head sorcerers of Egypt replied, "Are you bringing straw to Ephraim?" (a city known for its grain), i.e. "Are you bringing witchcraft to a place which is full of witchcraft?!" (Menachot 85a., Shemot Rabba 9:5) Moses answered that indeed, "You take your vegetables to sell in the place where everyone brings their vegetables." At first glance, it is difficult to see what exactly is Moses answering; he just seems to repeat their question as his answer! But his answer is that although he and the Egyptian sorcerers superficially seem to be doing the same thing, there is a huge difference between them. Only a discerning mind is able to distinguish them, just as only in a place where everyone sells vegetables can you tell "which is the good vegetable and which is the bad." (Iyun Yaakov, Menachot ibid. See also Maharsha, Eitz Yosef, ibid. Y'fat To'ar on Shemot Rabba, ibid.) "Ephraim" refers to the primordial snake, (since "the earth [in Hebrew, "afar"] is his bread" (Isaiah 65:25) - "afar" from the same root as "Ephraim"), and its abundant produce alludes to the Tree of Knowledge[2] . Only in that place and in an almost identical fashion can its darkness be transformed to light.

The serpent succeeded through being "deceptive" (Gen. 3:1) or as the Zohar (Zohar I:36a) puts it, "all its words were false" - where his true intentions were concealed. He was only able to succeed because he also had a certain G-dly energy and influence - and was therefore, "wiser than all other creatures." The serpent - had it been ignored or defeated - could have become a powerful force of holiness in the world. Since Adam and Eve failed the test, it is up to the subsequent generations to achieve this rectification.

There is a level of "deception" which is called "concealed chochma". ("Vayomer Lo Elo-him," Vayishlach, 5694. Likutei Sichot 1:55-56. See also Zohar III:144a.) It is called "deception," because the world cannot determine its true nature, but it is ultimately the tool which we use to undo the damage caused by the serpent.

Since the epic struggle to combat darkness draws from this "concealed chochma", it often comes in a manner which seems foreign to us. A superficial glance will only see that the cover of the jar is being twisted; it takes Kabbala to reveal to us how it's being twisted in precisely the opposite direction.

This has implications for our daily lives, in that our entire existence in this world is really a form of "deception". The soul comes from the spiritual realms of existence where the Infinite Light shines strongly. It descends into a physical body to live its life in a physical world where the presence of G-d and the purpose of existence are concealed. Because of this concealment, the physical universe is called in mystical literature, "the world of falsehood" ("alma d'shikra"). In order to fulfill the purpose of our creation, we must in turn, "deceive" the world by using its physicality for spiritual purposes. The Torah demands that we be honest, but by being "honestly" materialistic, we would fall into the deceptive trap of concealment and spiritual darkness. To this extent the Torah directs us towards one particular sort of "deception" - the kind that enables us to be spiritual within the physical world.

Our forefathers had the job of preparing the world and the Jewish people for this historic struggle. Their lives foreshadowed what would happen in the future. (Ramban, Gen. 12:6) Even more so, their actions actually forged the path which pulled their descendants to follow them (ibid.). They were considered a "Chariot" (Zohar III, 28b, 217a), i.e. a pure vehicle for the most sublime heavenly revelations. Everything they did reflected the deeper truths guiding things from Above. Sometimes this is difficult for us to see, but in the bright light of Kabbala and Chasidut we can discern at least a glimpse into their motives. And in this light, not only do their acts not seem so puzzling; we can often not understand how they could have considered acting any other way.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1]See also Shabbat 121b, that a snake was killed because, "it met someone just like him." In addition, a transgression cannot be fully undone unless one encounters the identical set of circumstances, and comes through unscathed (Yoma 86b. Maimonides, Laws of Repentance, 2:1.).

[2]Likutei Levi Yitchak on Zohar, vol. 2, p. 225. "Efrayim" mentioned here is the same city mentioned in Chronicles II, 13:19 (see Tosafot, Menachot, 83b). There it is pronounced "Efrayin," but it written "Efron," which has the same numerical value.


Copyright © 2003 Kabbalaonline.org
P.O. BOX 296, SAFED 13102, ISRAEL
kabbala@kabbalaonline.org
http://www.kabbalaonline.org

Bris Avrohom Arranges 18 Weddings

חדשות חב"ד


Bris Avrohom Arranges 18 Weddings

It was 12:00 P.M.., Sunday afternoon, September 18, for the 18 Jewish couples from the former Soviet Union, who were remarried according to strict Halocha (Jewish Law) under eighteen Chuppahs (wedding canopies) outside on the parking lot of the Wyndham Hotel at Newark Airport.
(Continued in full article)


For almost all of the couples, deciding to remarry this way was a very difficult decision to come to.  After all, none of them was familiar with any sort of religious ceremony.  However, something changed in each one during the course of the day.  Participants, who were complete strangers to the “newly weds”, celebrated the wedding as if they were family members and knew them forever. This act of sheer happiness touched each couple very deeply. Every couple toasted Bris Avrohom with warm thankful sentiments for everything the organization has done for them. It is obvious that, from the time when we all stood together at Har Sinai, we have remained Am Echad B’Lev Echad.
 
Twenty years ago, Milton and Shirley Gralla, along with Rabbi Mordechai and Shterney Kanelsky, founded this milestone celebration. Our gala weddings are complete with wedding gowns, bouquets, wedding rings, photographers, videograp! hers, flowers, live music, a smorgasbord, chuppas, rabbis, a full wedding feast and even wedding gifts.  All of this is provided by Bris Avrohom through the caring generosity of our supporters.  These weddings have become a landmark event that is duplicated by many other organizations in different parts of the globe; such as Israel, Canada, New York, Chicago and Detroit.
 
The weddings were performed simultaneously let by the Master of ceremonies Rabbi Yossi Kanelsky director of Bris Avrohom of Old Bridge The couples surrounded by family and friends, danced and celebrated throughout the day with great joy and happiness.  Special letters of greeting arrived from the Vice-President, Senators, Congressmen, Governors and Mayors. Mayor Bollwage of Elizabeth, NJ came personally to the wedding to greet and address all the “newly-weds” and their guests. Towards the conclusion of the wedding feast, special gifts were given to each couple.  These were s! ilver plated candlesticks, a silver plated cup to recite the F! riday ni ght Kiddush, a Hebrew/Russian Siddur; a 5-volume set of Hebrew/Russian Chumashim; and a Jewish Russian calendar for the New Year.
 
Bris Avrohom has served the Russian Jewish Community in New Jersey for the past 26 years, with headquarters in Hillside and branches in Old Bridge; Fair Lawn and Jersey City offering a variety of educational, social and religious services. The organization is well known for providing brissin, bar mitzvos, weddings, ESL courses, Yeshiva education and continuing adult education courses.  To date, 438 Jewish Russian couples have been married through Bris Avrohom.
 
The organization’s headquarters are located at 910 Salem Avenue Hillside, New Jersey.  For more information or participation in future events, please call (908) ‎289-0770‏ or contact our website: www.brisavrohom.org.



Simchas Choson V'kalla Marks 13 Years

חדשות חב"ד


Simchas Choson V'kalla Marks 13 Years

This past Sunday, Chevra Simchas Chosson V'Kallah of Crown Heights marked 13 years since its founding with a festive dinner.  The organization helps arrange weddings for needy young couples.  Chevra Simchas Chosson V'Kallah was founded by Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuel and Devorah Benjamin, and is especially beloved by the Crown Heights community.

Mrs. Benjamin and her associates, R. Mendy Raitport and R. Shmully Brashevitzky, do not just provide young couples with the minimum - they strive to give every couple the very best that they can.  During the event, Chevra Simchas Chosson V'Kallah honored their regular donors and volunteers.  The main honoree was Mr. Neville Clifton of Commerce Bank, who over the years has contributed over $30 million to the fund.





Chiang Mai Flooded a Second Time

חדשות חב"ד


Chiang Mai Flooded a Second Time

For the second time in recent months, heavy rains in Northern Thailand caused flooding in the city of Chiang Mai.  The local Beis Chabad is assisting Israelis in the area, and they report that B"H no one was injured.

Since the early morning hours, the Chabad House prepared for the flooding by placing sandbags at all the doors and lifting all furniture up from the floor to protect it from flood waters.  The last heavy storm, on Tisha B'Av, caused extensive damage to the Chabad House.





Blank Family is Sitting Shiva

חדשות חב"ד


Blank Family is Sitting Shiva

Rabbi Sholom Blank- Shliach in South Beach, Florida, is sitting shiva for the passing of his mother Chana Blank OB"M.He is sitting shiva with his brothers Chaim and Moshe and sister Shaina Rossdeutcher.
To Menachem Avel, please call: 011 972 2 538 9645
He is sitting at Rechov Divrei Chaim 9





770 Celebrates Founding of Tomchei Temimim

חדשות חב"ד


770 Celebrates Founding of Tomchei Temimim

Every year, students of Tomchei Temimim celebrate the Yeshiva's founding with dancing and rejoicing, in keeping with the sicha of the Rebbe regarding the "Chadoram" that is appropriate for the day that Tomchei Temimim was founded.  The dancing is held in the main Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva in 770, as well as in its branches around the world.

Enter full article for a gallery of pictures by Meir Alfasi, of the Chadoram in 770 in honor of 15 Elul.





BBC To Air Program on Chabad of Menali

חדשות חב"ד


BBC To Air Program on Chabad of Menali

The Beis Chabad of Manali, India, directed by R. Baruch Shenhav, is often visited by the media.  R. Shenhav has been interviewed in the local papers many times in connection with the work of his Beis Chabad does and the help they offer to the many tourists who visit the site.  Following his exposure in the media. R. Shenhav was visited by a crew from BBC, who filmed the activities of his Beis Chabad.  The report will be broadcast on Friday, IY"H.




Plate Belonging to F"R to be Auctioned Off

חדשות חב"ד


Plate Belonging to F"R to be Auctioned Off

Exclusive to Chabad.info:  A plate that belonged to the Frierdiker Rebbe will be auctioned off this Wednesday at a benefit dinner for the Chabad Yeshiva of Ramat Aviv.  Chabad.info was informed that the plate was donated to the Yeshiva by an anonymous member of Anash.




Treasures of the Baal Shem Tov

חדשות חב"ד


Treasures of the Baal Shem Tov

A new Sefer has been released for children, comprised of stories of the Baal Shem Tov that have been handed down to us by our Rebbeim.  All the material has been compiled from Likutei Sichos and Maamarim, in the words of our holy Rebbeim, to assure the authenticity of every story.

To make the sefer appealing for children and easy to read, the book has nekudos and colorful illustrations.  Otzros Habaal Shem Tov has over 700 pages of stories, divided into two volumes.  The sefer was released a number of months ago but there has been a spike in demand as Chai Elul approaches.





Florida: Thanking Hashem for the Miracles

חדשות חב"ד


Florida: Thanking Hashem for the Miracles

In accordance with the directive of the Rebbe, to publicize and thank Hashem for miracles that He does for us, a feast of thanksgiving was held last Thursday in the home of one of the Mekuravim of Mercaz Moshiach, Florida.  A few months ago, their car had overturned on one of the main roads in Florida, with their small daughter inside.  With Hashem's help, no one was hurt.  On Thursday, they made a seudas Hoda'ah together with a Chanukas Habayis for their new home.

In the course of the evening, Hatamim Itzik Shmueli spoke about the importance of thanking Hashem for miracles, and also explained the parsha according to the interpretations of the Rebbe, Melech Hamoshiach.


'עוברים' על הלוח שנה החדש



New Development in Kfar Chabad

חדשות חב"ד


New Development in Kfar Chabad

Construction has begun on Phase II of the Levi Yitzchok neighborhood in Kfar Chabad.  The new development is located along Highway 1.  The construction is proceeding in a "do-it-yourself" manner, with owners buying lots and erecting their own homes on the property.

The first to lay the foundation was R. Yitzchak Abukasis.  In the picture, you can see R. Abukasis with the area to be developed in the background..

Gallery of pictures of the groundbreaking in full article.





Related Posts with Thumbnails