All posts by Michael

Passover (Pesach)

Passover began March 27th at sundown. It ends on the 4th of April. This Saturday is “The 7th of Pesach.” It corresponds to the day in the Biblical story when the Jewish Nation has left Egypt and is up against the Red Sea. “It’s a Red Sea Moment” is a phrase to describe the time(s) you are up against a seemingly insurmountable wall or block or challenge or problem or situation or whatever. It doesn’t look good. Within the Nation of Israel there were four reactions to the situation they faced with the Red Sea in front of them and The Egyptian Army approaching because Pharaoh had a “change of heart” after letting them go from slavery. The first group was the biggest group and they wanted to surrender and go back to Egypt and slavery. The second group were warriors and wanted to fight the Egyptians. A third group wanted to commit suicide because they did not want to go back to slavery. The fourth group which was really one person plus Moses began to walk into the Sea. The water reached his nose and the Sea Split.

The story is like the physical/material world. The physical/material world is the 1%. If you don’t see this or believe this that is ok. Just for a moment suspend your disbelief and hold this “assumption” about the nature of things in your thought structure. The 99% is the spiritual world. It can’t be seen or proven. It can’t be forced upon some one. There is no coercion in spirituality. Most of us can only perceive the 1%. That’s ok. A matter a fact, awareness of this is the starting point. Awareness combined with humility. From this point the path must begin. Every moment is an opportunity to re-turn to the starting point.

What is your Red Sea?. Do you want to run, fight, surrender, give up?

The Kabbalah map says that what is needed right now are two things: 1. Achieving a mental and emotional state of “Certainty beyond reason.” And, 2. The 72 Names of God; The map says to become aware of them, inquire into them and scan them.

The Yoga map tells us that we have found our personal edge. Time to explore and sustain a cognitive approach of inquiry.

The Vipassana map directs us to inject equanimity into the situation, stay aware, restrict desired or habitual reaction and watch how things change thus becoming more and more aware of the nature of impermanence resulting in less tendency to involuntary attachment resulting in less suffering and more happiness. Oye Vay!

Phase 2: The Quantum Leap

We have learned so much in the last year. At least I have! WOW. These weekly zoom classes have honed me in on many years of study, seeking right alignment, discovering and “playing” my personal “edge. This “work” with the objective of finding connection and authentically expressing my “true self.” One thing is for sure…..It’s a process!

I believe one of the benefits I bring to you in our effort is finding other ways in which the maps of yoga, meditation, consciousness and Creation’s purpose is expressed. It is my working assumption that different “perspectives” are valuable. I found this excellent 21 minute presentation that really ties many of the components of our Master Map together; It connects the dots. Let me know what you think……

The 3rd ‘Step”; The 2nd ‘Phase’

The Way Seekers Group is one year old and currently transitioning into the next “phase” of its inquiry.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION? WHAT IS OUR OBJECTIVE? WHAT IS OUR WAY POINT? You can probably think of other ways and words to use to ask this most important of questions.

Let’s review what we have done. In Phase Zero (March 2020 – January 2021) we were meeting 3-4 times per week doing yoga and checking out the practice of meditation. We also looked at a few “maps of the territory.” We followed the Eight Limb Path of Yoga. We were introduced to the philosophy behind Vipassana and other meditation techniques. We took a look at the Kybalion. I have been posting about the weekly Torah Portions.

Our mission in phase zero was to awaken to the mind that seeks the way. Our mission in phase one has been to explore this mind that seeks the way. Phase Two in the Kabbalah map is named after the sefirot BINAH. Binah translates as UNDERSTANDING…… This is a very important step in the process. Phase zero is THE ALL. Incomprehensible yet ever present. Phase One (Chochma, Wisdom) is called the first expansion. It is described as the potential of the potential. Chochma has the ability to receive the totality of THE LIGHT yet has no desire to receive the Light for itself. It is like a passive container for The Light to empty into. In Phase Two we Awaken to the Reality that The Vessel and The Light are different. In fact, they are polar opposites. The Vessel’s purpose is to Receive and The Light Shares. In Binah we understand this and a new desire is awakened….The Desire to be like The Light….To Share. This phase is called the potential of the realization. It is also called the first exertion. So, what is our mission now? For a deeper dive read an essay by Michael Berg entitled “The Power of The Tetragrammaton. There are so many “rabbit holes” one can explore. In my opinion, this is one to at least become aware of and do a bit of inquiry. REMEMBER, it is ok not to “get it” fully or even a little bit. It is ok to start in confusion. Ya know how some people are just really good at fixing things. They are patient and calm and they don’t get frustrated when it takes a few different attempts or a different tool is required? And the rest of us have no idea where to start or get reactive when we can’t fix it? This is the attitude to cultivate when doing the spiritual work. A mindset; an attitude of curiosity and inquiry. Instilling Patience and Perserverance.

In Ten Luminous Emanations, Rav Ashlag teaches that there is a spiritual process through which all true Desire is created. The process consists of four phases: Chochmah, Binah, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut. He further explains that these four phases are represented in the four-letter name of God, Yud Hei Vav Hei, known as the Tetragrammaton. Yud Hei Vav Hei represents the totality of everything. There is not anything in the world that is not affected by it. Even the most physical objects and the most spiritual of Lights must go through the process of the Yud Hei Vav Hei. It is through this process that a true Desire to Receive the Light of the Creator (also known as a true Vessel) is created, and it is the singular process through which Light is revealed in the world. 

“The Tetragrammaton represents the totality of everything.

Continue reading The 3rd ‘Step”; The 2nd ‘Phase’

Tzav

The twenty-fifth reading from the Torah and second reading from the book of Leviticus is called Tzav (צו), which means “Command.” The name comes from the first word of Leviticus 6:9, where the LORD says to Moses, “Command Aaron and his sons …” Tzav reiterates the five types of sacrifices introduced in the previous portion but this time discusses the priestly regulations pertaining to them. The last chapter of the reading describes the seven-day ordination of Aaron and his sons as they prepared to enter the holy priesthood.

In my search for a short video to share I came across this recently written article by Michael Berg on this week’s portion. Michael is an exceptional teacher. He tends to be repetitive but repetition is a key characteristic of a good teaching……Here is is:

In the beginning of the portion Tzav, the Creator says to Moses, “Speak to your brother Aaron, and speak of the sacrifice in the morning and in the afternoon.” This is during the time of the Tabernacle. And the Meor Einayim says, talking about the sacrifice and the altar, the fire needed to be sustained in the altar all the time and should never be put out. Therefore, what is the secret of this verse?

He says we know that when the world was created, the totality of the Light of the Creator was revealed. At that time, Adam, who was able to connect to this Light, was able to see everything. He was able to see the past, into the future, and have clarity about the present. Adam, when he connected to this Light, was able to see all of eternity. But then after Adam acted with his Desire to Receive for the Self Alone, the Light became concealed.

What happened to that Light? Rav Ashlag speaks about it in the introduction to The Ten Luminous Emanations. It says, “The Light was clothed.” Concealment doesn’t mean that the Light is removed; it just means that we can’t see the Light beyond Its clothing unless we are able to penetrate that clothing. And that Light was concealed within the wisdom of the Torah, within the secrets of Kabbalah. Therefore, the purpose of study, truly, is to be able to access that Concealed Light.

The great sage Rav Meir says the secret of this understanding is that the purpose of study is not wisdom or information, but to penetrate the clothing and access this Concealed Light, what’s called the Or HaGanuz. This was the purpose of Rav Meir and all the true great kabbalists: to access the Concealed Light that exists within the Torah, within the secrets of the study of Kabbalah, the secrets of this world. And the purpose of any true kabbalist, as was the purpose of Rav Meir, was not to teach, not to give wisdom, not to give information, but to give people the access to connect to the Or HaGanuz, the Concealed Light. Because if a person has access to the Concealed Light, he has clarity about today, and also a vision into the future.

That, he says, is the secret of this Shabbat, the secret of this week. And the kabbalist Meor Einayim is saying that it’s not referring to a sacrifice going up; rather, this is the teaching or study that is meant to elevate a person into the Or HaGanuz, the Concealed Light. Because through true study, the individual becomes elevated, but only if his purpose in studying is to access this Concealed Light. If a person is studying 

just to gain wisdom or to gain understanding, but doesn’t have uppermost in his or her desire that the singular purpose why he is studying is to be able to access this Or HaGanuz, this Concealed Light, then he’ll never access it.

A person can become wise and gain information and wisdom. But if the single purpose for which he or she is studying is not to be able to access that Concealed Light, then he will never be able to access it. Because if a person merits connecting through his study to the Concealed Light within the wisdom, then he is meant to come to an elevation where he can see into the future. If a person’s purpose is not to be able to connect to that Concealed Light, so that he can access the future, then there really isn’t a true purpose to his study.

And we really have to be gauging ourselves in our study. Are we able to see, maybe not into a year from now, but into ten minutes or half a year from now? Can we begin to really appreciate seeing into the future? Because that’s the purpose of the study. If we’re studying in a true way, if we’re studying with a true desire, it gives us access into this Concealed Light. And if we have access into the Concealed Light, we get to see into the future. However, there is a great danger in gaining wisdom, understanding, or information. We think that’s all it’s about, but Moses asks us if we are making the purpose and focus of our study to be able to see into the future. Because if a person is truly studying, if a person is truly connecting not to the surface knowledge, but to the Light that is within that knowledge, then he must be gaining access into seeing the future. This is why Rav Shimon Bar Yochai in the Zohar was able to give teachings over that would only be revealed by sages many generations later.

So, the most important understanding from all this is that the purpose of our study is to gain access into the Or HaGanuz, the Concealed Light, and through that, have the ability to see into the future. And when we access into the true level called the Concealed Light, time, space, and motion no longer exist as barriers. Rashi, the great kabbalist and commentator, says that people need to be awakened to this, especially when there is a lack of a true understanding of why we study and what the purpose of all this study is. If a person truly studies with this desire, with this purpose, and through this study is able to access the true Light that is within it, then there are no more veils or barriers, and a person is able to remove all the veils of the literal Torah, of the literal wisdom, and the Light is revealed completely.

We have to ask ourselves on this Shabbat Tzav if we understand why we’re studying. Do we understand why we’re trying to access this wisdom? Maybe there are other secondary reasons, but the single most important reason why we should be pushing ourselves to study is because we want to access the Concealed Light; we don’t want to become wise, we don’t want to gain information, we don’t want to be able 

to teach… we want to be able to access the Concealed Light that is behind this wisdom. If a person does not make that the focus of his study, there is no purpose to the study if the focus and the desire behind it is not to access the Or HaGanuz.

Therefore, this is one of the understandings we want to receive on this Shabbat: a re-focusing of why we study. There is only one real purpose to our study, which is to gain access into the Or HaGanuz. And it’s as simple as that, meaning, every one of us today, tomorrow, when we sit and study, should remind ourselves that if we understand the reason why we’re studying now is because we want to access the Concealed Light within the words we are going to read, then we are given the opportunity to do that. But if we don’t have that consciousness, if we don’t ask for that before we begin to study, we will never gain access to that Concealed Light.

And how do we gauge to see if we are really accessing the Or HaGanuz? If present and future are the same. If we’re gaining the ability to see into the future, that’s the purpose. It’s not the purpose for the righteous souls, it’s our purpose. Again, maybe not all of us will, as we begin to concentrate on this and ask for this, begin to see a year or two years into the future, but we should be able to start feeling at least ten minutes, half an hour, an hour into the future. That’s the purpose; present and future have to become the same to us.

The way to access this is through our study. When we’re studying, we say to ourselves, “Why am I studying now? Not for wisdom, not to solve a problem, but because I know beyond these words there is the Concealed Light. And I ask that through my study, I gain access to that Concealed Light. And by gaining access to that Concealed Light, I gain access into the future.” If we have this consciousness, request it, and are consistent with it, we gain access to the Concealed Light, and therefore, access into the future. It is an important understanding and gift we receive on the Shabbat of Tzav.

Vayikra

There is a shift underway. Moving from the the book of Exodus into the third book of The Torah. The book of Leviticus is predominantly concerned with Levitical rituals. An older Hebrew name for the book was “The Laws of the Priesthood,” but in Judaism today, it is referred to by the name Vayikra (ויקרא), which means “And He called.” Vayikra is the first Hebrew word of the book, which begins by saying, “And the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from inside the tent of meeting” (Leviticus 1:1).

Leviticus describes the sacrificial service and the duties of the priests. It also introduces ritual purity, the biblical diet, the calendar of appointed times, laws of holiness and laws relating to redemption, vows and tithes. In addition, Leviticus discourses on ethical instruction and holiness. The twenty-fourth reading from the Torah is eponymous with the Hebrew name of the book it introduces: Vayikra. This portion introduces the sacrificial service and describes five different types of sacrifices.