Preparing for a Mystical Passover

On the physical or outer level, preparing for Passover includes the cleaning of the house and the removing of leaven. On the spiritual or inner level, these physical rituals can be transformed into a clearing away of our inner obstacles to personal freedom, through conscious intention, ritual and prayer.

Cleaning the Inner and Outer House

Beginning on the new moon, two weeks before the start of Passover, we begin to simultaneously clean our physical house (spring cleaning) while we begin “…a serious exploration of the meaning of freedom, creativity, the birth and rebirth of identity” (Waskow, 1982). We ask ourselves: What mitzrayim, what tight spots, do we need to leave behind us this year? What buds and sprouts of inner change do we see in ourselves and in the world around us?

As we clean our physical home of dust and dirt, we can imagine we are cleaning our inner home (inner being) of the perceptions and habits that keep us from living life fully…our narrowness of mind and heart. Depending on your level of observance, this house cleaning could also include changing over your entire kitchen to include Kosher for Passover foods, dishes, silverware, utensils, etc.

The Search for Chametz

At the same time as we clean our inner and outer house, we search for and remove all the leaven from our homes. On the physical level, leaven or Chametz, refers to “…any mixture of flour and water that has been allowed to ferment for more than 18 minutes” (Rabinowicz, 1982); this includes all breads, cereals, and other foods made from wheat, barley, spelt, oats, rye and corn. On the spiritual level, leaven refers to those aspects of ourselves that lead to self-inflation, possessiveness, competitiveness, jealously, and lust (Waskow, 1982).

The process of this inner and outer removal of the leaven begins with a search throughout the house for any physical leaven while we search within ourselves for our psycho-spiritual leaven. Once we collect the leaven, we nullify it through ritual and prayer, and then remove it from our possession either by selling it, burning it or donating it to charity. As you collect each piece of leaven in your home you can imagine that it is a part of your self that is inflated, selfish, forgetful or fearful, and that as you remove it from your home, you are also removing it from your psyche.

Excerpt from A Mystical Passover: A Transformational Passover Haggadah by Mark Allan Kaplan Ph.D. with mandala art by Maja Apolonia Rode. Available at AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, and other sources.

"A Mystical Passover: A Transformational Passover Haggadah" Now on Amazon

"A Mystical Passover: A Transformational Passover Haggadah" Now available for purchase on Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Passover-Transformational-Haggadah/dp/148198893X/

A MYSTICAL PASSOVER: A TRANSFORMATIONAL PASSOVER HAGGADAH offers a powerful trans-denominational psycho-spiritual approach to the Passover experience that includes individual and group psycho-spiritual exercises to help transform the holiday into a deeply mystical and magical experience for young and old alike.

New Edition of "A Mystical Passover: A Transformational Passover Haggadah" Now Available

A brand new 3rd Edition of my integrally-informed trans-denominational Passover Haggadah is now available in paperback for purchase online at: https://www.createspace.com/4128956.

A MYSTICAL PASSOVER: A TRANSFORMATIONAL PASSOVER HAGGADAH offers a powerful trans-denominational psycho-spiritual approach to the Passover experience that includes individual and group psycho-spiritual exercises to help transform the holiday into a deeply mystical and magical experience for young and old alike.

From the Introduction:

This Passover (Pesach) Haggadah represents a process of spiritual exegesis that I have employed as a vehicle for deepening and healing my relationship with Judaism, my religion of origin. This process consisted of a radical interpretation of the Passover rituals and prayers into a language and process that resonated with my own heart while also attempting to honor the heart of Judaism itself. Through this technique I have endeavored to heal old wounds and purge myself of the obstacles between the Divine and myself.

There are three basic levels of text interpretation in the Jewish tradition: Literal-Biblical, Theoretical-Talmudic, and Mystical-Kabbalistic (Fishbane, 1998; Kenton, 1980). Literal-Biblical text interpretation includes the historical, biblical and narrative levels of the material. Theoretical-Talmudic text interpretation consists of the extrapolation of the philosophical, ethical, moral and religious doctrines, laws and teachings that are woven into the fabric of the written material. Mystical-Kabbalistic text interpretation seeks to unearth the hidden and concealed metaphysical teachings buried in the text.

On the literal level of interpretation, Passover is a ritualistic retelling of the story of a historical biblical event, the Israelites’ exodus from bondage in Egypt. On the theoretical level, the story and rituals of Passover have many philosophical, ethical, moral and religious lessons to teach us about human behavior and the human endeavor to live according to the teachings of the religion of Judaism. Traditionally, the rituals of Passover, including the Passover Seder, tend to focus on these two levels of interpretation and understanding. In the Jewish mystical tradition, Passover can also be seen as a powerful vehicle for personal and communal psycho-spiritual development. From the Mystical-Kabbalistic perspective, the Passover story of a people being freed from the bondage of slavery is transformed into a road map for how an individual can be freed from the bondage of limited consciousness (Kenton, 1980); the land of Egypt becomes the realm of narrowness of body and mind, and Moses becomes the Higher Self being called upon by the Divine to free all the different voices of the psyche (the children of Israel, THE AWAKENING SELF) from the bondage of the ego (Pharaoh).

This mystical level of interpretation became my pathway through the metaphysical gates of these ancient and sacred rites of inner and outer freedom, and my attempt to integrate all three of these levels of interpretation, along with the interpretative constructs of the various denominations of the Judaic tradition, has lead me to the discovery of this powerful transformative psycho-spiritual Passover experience.

About the Author:

MARK ALLAN KAPLAN, PHD is a psycho-spiritual researcher, counselor, educator, and author focusing on integral, transpersonal, and transformative approaches to spiritual life and practice. His writings include "Prayers for the Awakening Self" and "The Experience of Divine Guidance," and he is the founder of the Integral Judaism Project, a trans-denominational research initiative exploring integral and transformative approaches to Judaic theory and practice.

An Integral Interpretation of the Ten Commandments (Precepts)

As a spiritual exercise I attempted to translate the Ten Commandments using an integral approach whereby I analyzed Biblical (religious/historical), Talmudic (moral/philosophical), and Kabbalistic (mystical/metaphysical) sources of the texts related to the commandments and then attempted to integrate them. In addition, I analyzed the original Hebrew, which has no tense, from 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd person tense/perspectives; and I also explored the multiple translations of each Hebrew word, since in Hebrew most words have multiple meanings. This word/meaning/tense analysis included exploring the multidimensional meanings of the text using Kabbalistic letter/number calculus.

I started this process by delving into the multidimensional meaning of the Hebrew word for commandment, mitzvah, which can be translated as: commandment; precept; duty; or blessing. The word mitzvah simultaneously recognizes both a sanctified action and the blessing that arises from that action; so when one performs a mitzvah, one receives the blessing that arises from it. But this goes even further; from the mystical perspective, every mitzvah raises up one of the sparks of Divine Light that has been separated from its Source and hidden within the fragments that make up the world of form; so that every mitzvah “repairs” the world and brings it closer to its return to the Divine Source. In Hebrew this process is called Tikkun Olam or “repairing the world.” The concept of mitzvah is also very close to the Buddhist concept of Dharma; in that these Holy actions not only bring blessings to the individual and the collective, but also on a deep level, they represent the natural and most true path of the individual whose true Self is considered one with its Divine Source.

With this multidimensional concept in mind, I went through each commandment using the above method of interpretation, and combined the process with deep meditation and contemplation. This is what I came up with…

The Ten Precepts:

1. Let me strive to recognize and honor the Unity within and beyond the diversity
2. Let me strive to recognize and honor that which is beyond form
3. Let me strive to recognize and honor that which cannot be named
4. Let me strive to take time for both doingness and beingness
5. Let me strive to honor the sacredness of all beings
6. Let me strive to honor the sacredness of all of life
7. Let me strive to honor my commitments to others
8. Let me strive to recognize and honor the boundaries of others
9. Let me strive to know and speak the truth within me
10. Let me strive to release all attachment and aversion.

An Integral Perspective on Judaic Exegesis and the Tradition of Passover

There are three basic levels of text interpretation in the Judaic tradition: Literal/Biblical, Theoretical/Talmudic, and Mystical/Kabbalistic (Fishbane, 1998; Kenton, 1980). Literal/Biblical text interpretation includes the historical, biblical, and narrative levels of the material. Theoretical/Talmudic text interpretation consists of the extrapolation of the philosophical, ethical, moral, and religious doctrines, laws, and teachings that are woven into the fabric of the written material. Mystical/Kabbalistic text interpretation seeks to unearth the hidden and concealed metaphysical teachings buried in the text.

From an Integral perspective these three levels can be seen as correlated to the Big Three of 1st Person (I), 2nd Person (WE), and 3rd Person (IT) perspectives. The Literal/Biblical level of interpretation is the 3rd Person or IT level of the text; it is the surface structure; the directly observable aspects of the material. The Theoretical/Talmudic level of the text is the 2nd Person or WE level of the text; it is the communal meaning patterns just under the surface of the text; it is the blueprint for how we should treat each other, of what is right and good and just. The Mystical/Kabbalistic level is the 1st Person level of the text; it is level of secret teachings that guide us into a personal experience of the Divine. These three levels are The Good, The True, and The Beautiful, and when integrated together, they reveal a deeper and more expansive vision of the Word, the Logos.

Taking the story of Passover as an example… On the literal level of interpretation, Passover is a ritualistic retelling of the story of a historical biblical event, the Israelites’ exodus from bondage in Egypt. On the theoretical level, the story and rituals of Passover have many philosophical, ethical, moral, and religious lessons to teach us about human behavior and the human endeavor to live according to the teachings of the religion of Judaism. Traditionally, the rituals of Passover, including the Passover Seder, tend to focus on these two levels of interpretation and understanding.

On the Judaic mystical level of interpretation, Passover can also be seen as a powerful vehicle for personal and communal psycho-spiritual development. From the Mystical-Kabbalistic perspective, the Passover story of a people being freed from the bondage of slavery is transformed into a road map for how an individual can be freed from the bondage of limited consciousness (Kenton, 1980); the land of Egypt becomes the realm of narrowness of body and mind, and Moses becomes the Higher Self being called upon by the Divine to free all the different voices of the psyche (the children of Israel) from the bondage of the ego or the limited self (Pharaoh).

Several years ago I attempted to create my own Passover Haggadah or prayer book (Kaplan, 2003) that integrated all three levels of interpretation and discovered a deeper and more profound experience than I had ever encountered within the Judaic tradition. This was my first Integral Passover…in that I experienced Passover on a physical, communal, and psycho-spiritual level of being and becoming.

References

Fishbane, M. (1998). The Exegetical Imagination: On Jewish Thought and Theology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Kaplan, M. A. (2003). A mystical Passover: A transformational Passover haggadah. Pacific Grove, CA: Original Gravity.

Kenton, W. (1980). Kabbalah and Exodus. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc.

Image: Passover Shehechianu by Baruch Nachshon

Judaic Cycles of Prayer

Judaic spiritual practice can be divided into four major cyclical patterns of observance: The daily cycle – weekday practices; the weekly cycle – Shabbat practices; the monthly cycle – welcoming the new month; and the yearly cycle – festivals and Holy days (Falk, 1996). The daily cycle focuses on the cyclical spiritual practices that occur during the day and includes three prayer services (morning, afternoon, and evening) performed on weekdays (Sunday through Friday).  The weekly cycle draws us into the cycle of the Sabbath, which creates and honors the cyclical spiritual practices that occur at the end of each week. This cycle connects us with the sacred pattern of creation (the seventh day). The monthly cycle brings us into harmony with the phases of the moon and the cyclical spiritual practices that occur from month-to-month. The yearly cycle expands our practice to the historical and seasonal patterns of spirit through the celebration and observance of the festivals and Holy Days.

Two additional patterns of observance exist within and around these four major cycles. These patterns fall into the two categories of the momentary cycle and the life cycle. The momentary cycle consists of the blessings and benedictions that are practiced from moment to moment, awakening us to the sacredness of all things and providing a vehicle of expression for the gratitude we feel for the blessings in our lives.  These practices include blessings and benedictions for all our actions and reactions in life from eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom to traveling, seeing beautiful sights, and experiencing something new. The life cycle observances are the blessings and benedictions we use to celebrate meaningful life events such as births, weddings, and funerals.

Excerpt from: Prayers for the Awakening Self: A Psycho-Spiritual Siddur for Judaic Weekday Practices by Mark Allan Kaplan, Ph.D.

Prayers for the Awakening Self eBook Release

PRAYERS FOR THE AWAKENING SELF: A PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL SIDDUR FOR JUDAIC WEEKDAY PRACTICES

NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINTABLE AND READ-ONLY EBOOK EDITIONS

Prayers for the Awakening Self offers mystical and psycho-spiritual translations of traditional Jewish daily prayers and practices designed to invoke deep personal transformation of heart and spirit.

FREE ONLINE PREVIEW

TESTIMONIALS:

"I loved this siddur. Yesher koach!"
- Rabbi Rami Shapiro (Author of The Angelic Way and Minyon)

"This is a remarkable piece of work. I really enjoyed it, especially your humanistic translations of the prayers. Keep up the excellent work."
- Rabbi Roger Ross (Executive Director of The New Seminary)

OFFERED IN FOUR EBOOK (PDF) EDITIONS:

• $10.00 – Read-Only eBook Edition for Digital Viewing Only
• $22.00 – Personal eBook Edition for In-Home Personal and Small Family Use (Printable/up to 4 copies*).
• $40.00 – Family eBook Edition for In-Home Personal and Large Family Use (Printable/up to 8 copies*).
• $90.00 – Congregational eBook Edition for Public/Non-Commercial Printing Use (Printable/up to 18 copies*).

*Additional permissions to print available for purchase for all printable editions at $5.00 per copy.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

Author: Mark Allan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Contributor: Maja Apolonia Rode
Format: PDF, 8.5 x 11
Pages: 92 pages
Language: English/Hebrew
Item Number: OGPUB-PASE
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797980-2-3
ISBN-10: 0-9797980-2-7

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT: http://www.markallankaplan.com/publications/awakeningself.htm

The Birth of Trans-Opera: The Convergence of Cinema and Opera

A new form of opera emerged recently. For this year’s production of the Barber of Seville, the Florida Grand Opera company blazed new territory by using an animated digital screen backdrop for their production, adding depth, movement, and cinematic immersion to classic opera. This animated digital backdrop added evolving background environments replete with changes in location, light, and weather. It also added shadow characters that interacted with the live actors on stage, from groups of musicians and soldiers to a lone alley cat. Beyond these dimensions, the animated background also appeared to add greater symbolic and thematic depth to the relatively simple story of the Barber of Seville. Then, in the final moments of the opera, something even more wondrous occurred. The actors climbed up the steps of the central set piece and in the digital background, giant animated wings unfolded and began to flap. The juxtaposition between the animated backdrop and the live action actors and set pieces created the effect of flying to the heavens. The audience let out a collective gasp and for a few brief moments the stage was transcended and the audience, actors, and set pieces soared.

This convergence of opera with digital cinematic elements created a new multi-dimensional form of entertainment that could be called “trans-opera.” The birth of this new opera-cinematic hybrid is the work of French Director Renaud Doucet and Canadian Production Designer Andre Barbe, with the technical help of Miami’s Lava Studios. The impetus for the birth of this new approach came out of current financial constraints, and from these limits an artistic phoenix has risen. I feel honored to have personally witnessed this event.

A Mystical Passover eBook Release

A MYSTICAL PASSOVER: A TRANSFORMATIONAL PASSOVER HAGGADAH

NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINTABLE AND READ-ONLY EBOOK EDITIONS

A Mystical Passover: A Transformational Passover Haggadah offers a powerful psycho-spiritual approach to the Passover experience and includes individual and group psycho-spiritual exercises to help transform the holiday into a deeply mystical and magical experience for young and old alike. This unique Passover haggadah incorporates all three levels of Judaic interpretation (Biblical, Talmudic, and Kabbalistic) and integrates perspectives and practices from all the current Judaic movements (Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Renewal).

FREE ONLINE PREVIEW

TESTIMONIALS:

"Thank you for your magnificent work. Our Passover was not only Mystical, it was magical."

"I received the Mystical Passover today. Thank you very much. It is so in line with my way of thinking. God bless you."

OFFERED IN FOUR EBOOK (PDF) EDITIONS:

• $10.00 – Read-Only eBook Edition for Digital Viewing Only.
• $22.00 – Personal eBook Edition for In-Home Personal and Small Family Use (Printable/up to 4 copies*).
• $40.00 – Family eBook Edition for In-Home Personal and Large Family Use (Printable/up to 8 copies*).
• $90.00 – Congregational eBook Edition for Public/Non-Commercial Printing Use (Printable/up to 18 copies*).

*Additional permissions to print available for purchase for all printable editions at $5.00 per copy.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

Author: Mark Allan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Contributor: Maja Apolonia Rode
Format: eBook (PDF), 8.5 x 11
Pages: 60 pages
Language: English/Hebrew
Item Number: OGPUB-AMPE
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797980-5-4
ISBN-10: 0-9797980-5-1

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT: http://www.markallankaplan.com/publications/mysticalpassover.htm

Kabbalah Q&A

Welcome to Kabbalah Q&A. Since I have been asked many questions about Kabbalah throughout this blogging journey, I thought I would try to answer some of the most basic questions here.

WHO SHOULD STUDY?

Traditionally, the study of Kabbalah in Judaism was reserved for Jewish men over the age of 40. Aside from the cultural and patriarchal issues involved in this stance, these constructs represented the belief within the tradition that the study of these mystical teachings required a high level of maturity, and extensive knowledge and training within the other, more exoteric teachings of the tradition (Torah and Talmud). The age of 40 also has a mystical meaning to it as well; 40 is the total number of the 10 Sefirah or branches of the Tree of Life, manifesting through the Four Worlds of Creation (see below).

My own belief is that these traditional conditions for the study of Kabbalah still hold true on a symbolic and/or archetypal level: For me, being Jewish means to be a devoted seeker of the Divine Oneness; since it is believed that the Divine Presence (Shekhinah) is a feminine energy, those who study Kabbalah should symbolically hold the masculine stance towards this presence in order to attain union with it; and one must be psychologically healthy, emotionally mature, and have some knowledge of the tradition before entering into the experiential mystical practices of Kabbalah.

There are also those who say that it is dangerous to study the Kabbalah if these traditional conditions are not met, and once again, I would agree on a more symbolic/archetypal level: It is my belief that any advanced psycho-spiritual practice like that of the Kabbalah, can be dangerous for those not prepared to loosen the perceptual bounds of the traditional constructs of both personal and consensual reality.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE KABBALISTIC MATERIAL?

In my view, there are three major theories about the origin of the Kabbalah: One theory holds that the teachings that would one day become the Kabbalah were communicated to Abraham and passed down from one generation to the next through an ever-expanding oral tradition; Another theory holds that the Kabbalah was transmitted to Moses at the same time that he was given the Torah and the other Oral Teachings that would eventually become the Talmud, or the codified Jewish Law; and still another theory holds that the teachings of Kabbalah were developed by Judaic mystics after the first millennium CE.

It is my understanding that there is historic evidence for the existence of Kabbalistic teachings dating back to the early Talmudic period (74 CE). Many Kabbalists and Biblical historians also point to hints of Kabbalistic teachings and practices in the writings of the Prophets, and within the Torah itself.

My own belief is that all three theories are true on some level; that the teachings of the Kabbalah slowly developed over the span of Judaic history, first beginning as simple mystical understandings and practices, then developing into more and more complex system of oral teachings and spiritual exercises, and finally becoming a codified and written tradition.

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT KABBALISTIC SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT AND PRACTICE?

There are many different schools of Kabbalistic thought and practice both within and outside of Judaism. Within Judaism, there are many different systems of Kabbalah related to the different mystics who codified the teachings and practices to fit their particular mystical approach; these include the Kabbalistic teachings and systems of Moses Cordovero, Isaac Luria, Moses Luzzatto, Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai, Abraham Abulafia, and the Baal Shem Tov. There are also more recent permutations within the tradition, including more pop culture oriented movements like that of The Rav and the Kabbalah Center.

There are also many systems of Kabbalah (Cabala, Cabbala, or Qabalah) outside of Judaism, including Hermetic traditions like that of the Order of the Golden Dawn, along with various other Alchemic and esoteric traditions. Many of these teachings come from a long list of non-Judaic mystics and spiritualists including Franz Bardon, Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley, A. E. Waite, Israel Regardie, and Paul Foster Case.

Kabbalah has also influenced and been influenced by other mystical systems; one can find Kabbalistic signs on most Tarot decks, and many see traces of neo-Aristotelian and Neo-Platonic thought within the teachings of Judaic and non-Judaic systems of Kabbalah.

My personal position on all these different schools and influences is...that it is all God in Drag (as Ram Dass likes to say). It is my belief that each method speaks to different people, and/or speaks to each of us at different times and phases of our journey. There is a poem I often like to remember when I am asked to comment on what I think of all these different and often seemingly divergent mystical paths...it says: “Oh Stream of Life, Run Ye Slow, or Run Ye Fast, All Streams Reach the Sea at Last.” So for me, if a path speaks to me, then I take it; and if that path stops speaking to me and another path calls me, then I take that one; because in my heart and mind I feel a single great river running through all these streams, all rushing towards that wondrous mystical ocean of oneness.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BASIC CONCEPTS IN KABBALAH?

While Kabbalah is a very complex system with a vast cosmology, I believe there are some basic concepts common to most, if not all, of the different Kabbalistic traditions. My perception of these basic concepts includes the idea of a formless, nameless Source of existence (EIN SOF); the emergence of the energy of that source through a process of emanation, creation, formation, and manifestation (THE FOUR WORLDS); the movement of this energy through the different worlds is channeled through a mystical structure (THE TREE OF LIFE) with numerous pathways (32 PATHS) and ten main branches or hubs (THE TEN SEFIROT).

These are just a few of the basic concepts of the tradition, and each of them is merely a tiny spark on the edge of a vast mystical universe of teachings and practices.

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Here are some resources for further exploration of the vast mystical universe of the teachings and practices of the Judaic Kabbalah, which is the form of Kabbalah I am personally drawn to.

Some Classic Books of the Judaic Kabbalah Tradition

Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation. Translated by Aryeh Kaplan. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser.

Sefer Bahir. Translated by Aryeh Kaplan. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser.

The Zohar. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. New York: The Soncino Press.

Derech HaShem: The Way of God by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. Translated by Aryeh Kaplan. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers.

Da’ath Tevunoth, The Knowing Heart: The Philosophy of God’s Oneness by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. Translated by Shraga Silverstein. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers.

Sha’arey Orah: Gates of Light by Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla. Translated by Avi Weinstein. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Some Modern Books About Judaic Kabbalah

Daniel C. Matt. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1995.

Perle Epstein. Kabbalah: The Way of the Jewish Mystic. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1978.

Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi (Warren Kenton). Kabbalah: Tradition of Hidden Knowledge. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1979.

Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi (Warren Kenton). Kabbalah and Exodus. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1980

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. Meditation and Kabbalah. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1982.

Rabbi Arthur Green. Seek My Face, Speak My Name. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1992.

Rabbi David A. Cooper. God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism. New York: Riverhead Books, 1997.

Rabbi Shoni Labowitz. Miraculous Living: A Guided Journey in Kabbalah through the Ten Gates of the Tree of Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.

Rabbi Steven A. Fisdel. The Practice of Kabbalah: Meditation in Judaism. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996.

Dr. Philip S. Berg. Kabbalah for the Layman. Jerusalem, Israel: Research Centre of Kabbalah, 1981.

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

The Ten Lessons

One of the most difficult elements of the Passover story for me has always been the ten plagues. As a child I was terrified at the description of a God who would administer such suffering. As I studied the mystical interpretations of these events I found a deeper meaning that has helped me hold these archetypal elements in a way that brings me closer to spirit.

The world was created with ten Divine statements.
The ten statements of creation brought the world into being
in a manner in which the energy of spirit
that maintains its existence
was hidden.
The ten plagues were actually ten lessons
that sought to break through
the veils of concealment
and allow for
the revelation
of that
Divine power
to enter our consciousness
through the giving of
the Ten Commandments,
the Ten Precepts.
-Rabbi Yehudah Arieh Leib of Gur.

According to this mystical interpretation, each lesson or plague shattered an illusion of human power over nature and of the powers of idolized gods, thus revealing that there was a single Divine force at work in the world. Once all ten lessons occurred, the human ego (Pharaoh) surrendered its control to the higher Self (Moses) and the rest of the human psyche (the children of Israel) so that the mind and heart of each person who was to receive the Ten Precepts would be open to receiving them.

This process was created by the Divine to establish a profound experience for humanity to aid in the awakening of the Divine self within all beings. It was a symbolic and a literal example of Divine principles at work within the individual, collective, and unitive heart and mind. To this end, the Divine led the children of Israel, the Awakening Self, into the land of bondage/narrowness (Egypt/Mitzrayim) with the intention of freeing them by means of the Ten Lessons.

And the Divine “…hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to have the opportunity to display many miraculous signs and wonders in the land of narrowness;” (Exodus 7:3) proving the existence of the one true Source of Life and shattering the belief in false gods and human powers.

These are the Ten Lessons
that the Divine
brought upon the land of Mitzrayim, 

the consciousness of narrowness;
each lesson revealing
a Divine aspect
of creation:

Lesson/Plague (Hebrew)	Lesson/Plague (English)	Represented Divine Aspects of Creation
Dom	Blood	All sustenance comes from the Divine
Tzifardeyah	Frogs	All support comes from the Divine
Keenim	Lice	All integrity comes from the Divine
Arov	Wild Beasts	All endurance comes from the Divine
Dever	Pestilence	All beauty comes from the Divine
Shicheen	Boils	All justice comes from the Divine
Barahd	Hail	All mercy comes from the Divine
Arbeh	Locusts	All understanding comes from the Divine
Choshech	Darkness	All wisdom comes from the Divine
Makat Bichorot	Death of Firstborn	All life and death comes from the Divine

REFERENCES

Buber, M. (1947). Ten Rungs. New York: Citadel Press.

Kaplan, M. A. (2003). A Mystical Passover: A Transformational Passover Haggadah. Pacific Grove, CA: Original Gravity.

Touger, E. (1988). The Chassidic Haggadah. New York: Moznaim Publishing.

*Image: The Ten Plagues

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

Season of Liberation

The Jewish holiday of Passover (Pesach) is approaching. As part of my personal journey of healing, studies, and return to the Judaic path, I have explored the meaning, purpose, and practices of this important holiday through a process of spiritual exegesis. This process consisted of a radical interpretation of the Passover rituals and prayers into a language and process that resonated with my own heart while also attempting to honor the heart of Judaism itself. Through this technique I endeavored to heal old wounds and purge myself of the obstacles between the Divine and myself in relation to this important Judaic ritual of liberation.

There are three basic levels of text interpretation in the Jewish tradition: Literal-Biblical, Theoretical-Talmudic, and Mystical-Kabbalistic (Fishbane, 1998; Kenton, 1980). Literal-Biblical text interpretation includes the historical, biblical and narrative levels of the material. Theoretical-Talmudic text interpretation consists of the extrapolation of the philosophical, ethical, moral and religious doctrines, laws and teachings that are woven into the fabric of the written material. Mystical-Kabbalistic text interpretation seeks to unearth the hidden and concealed metaphysical teachings buried in the text.

On the literal level of interpretation, Passover is a ritualistic retelling of the story of a historical biblical event, the Israelites’ liberation from bondage in Egypt. On the theoretical level, the story and rituals of Passover have many philosophical, ethical, moral and religious lessons to teach us about human behavior and the human endeavor to live according to the teachings of the religion of Judaism. Traditionally, the rituals of Passover, including the Passover Seder, tend to focus on these two levels of interpretation and understanding.

In the Jewish mystical tradition, Passover can also be seen as a powerful vehicle for personal and communal psycho-spiritual development. From the Mystical-Kabbalistic perspective, the Passover story of a people being freed from the bondage of slavery is transformed into a road map for how an individual can be freed from the bondage of limited consciousness (Kenton, 1980); the land of Egypt becomes the realm of narrowness of body and mind, and Moses becomes the Higher Self being called upon by the Divine to free all the different voices of the psyche (the children of Israel, the Awakening Self) from the bondage of the ego (Pharaoh).

This mystical level of interpretation became my pathway through the metaphysical gates of these ancient and sacred rites of inner and outer freedom, leading me to the discovery a personally transformative psycho-spiritual Passover experience. The final product of this endeavor was the creation of a Mystical Passover handbook or Haggadah (Kaplan, 2003) which I now use ever year at this time.

REFERENCES

Fishbane, M. (1998). The Exegetical Imagination: On Jewish Thought and Theology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Kaplan, M. A. (2003). A Mystical Passover: A Transformational Passover Haggadah. Pacific Grove, CA: Original Gravity.

Kenton, W. (1980). Kabbalah and Exodus. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc.

*Image: Mystical Sedar Plate revealing the inner dimensions of the physical symbols.

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

The Divine Name

There are many different ways in which the Judaic tradition views the idea of the Name of the Divine. On one level, the Divine has no name because the Divine is that which is beyond naming. On another level, the Divine has a name but it is a name not to be spoken; this is called the Tetragrammaton or the four-letter (YHVH) name of the Divine. When this name appears in prayer or in the sacred texts another divine name (Adonai or HaShem) is spoken in its place.

On still another level, there are many names of the Divine; names which seek to comprehend the Divine by naming its attributes, qualities, and the ways in which it relates to humanity and all of creation.

There are Kabbalistic meditative practices for all of these levels of divine naming. Kabbalists have also discovered and constructed additional names of the Divine that are mystical combinations of Hebrew letters related to the Divine. These "Lettered Names" are used in advanced Kabbalistic practices to help the individual practitioner unite with the Divine (see below).

Here is a list of some of the Judaic Names of the Divine and a mystical interpretation of the divine attributes, qualities, and ways of relating they represent. It is said that the reading and speaking of these Divine names can be a powerful spiritual practice in and of itself.

Abir: Strong One.
Adonai: Guardian; Keeper.
Avinu Malkeinu: Patron; Wise Counselor.
Boreh: Creator.
Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh: I Am That I Am (Exodus 3:14).
E'in Sof: The Endless; The Infinite (Kabbalistic name of God).
El: The Source; That Which Calls; That Which Invokes.
El De'ot: Source of Knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3).
El Echad: Source of Oneness (Malachi 2:10).
El Elyon: Source Most High (Genesis 14:18).
El Emet: Source of Truth: (Psalm 31:6).
El HaGadol: Source of Greatness (Deuteronomy 10:17).
El HaGibbor: Source of Courage and Strength.
El HaKadosh: Source of Holiness (Isaiah 5:16).
El HaNe'eman: Source of Faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:9).
El HaShamayim: Source of the Heavens: (Psalm 136:26).
El Olam: Source of Eternity (Genesis 21:33).
El Yeshuati: Source of Salvation (Isaiah 12:2).
El Yisrael: Source of Awakening (Psalm 68:35).
Elah Sh'maya: The Source and Calling of Heaven (Ezra 7:23).
Elah Sh'maya V'Arah: The Source and Calling of Heaven and Earth (Ezra 5:11).
Elah Yerush'lem: The Source of the Vision of Peace (Ezra 7:19).
Elah Yisrael: The Source and Calling of the Awakening Self (Ezra 5:1).
Elohay (or Elohim): Honored One; That which is to be revered.
Elohay Avraham, Elohay Yitzchak ve Elohay Ya`aqov: Honored One of the father of great multitudes, the one who brings laughter, and the one who prevails.
Elohay Kedem: Honored One of the Beginning (Deuteronomy 33:27).
Elohay Mishpat: Honored One of Justice (Isaiah 30:18).
Elohay Selichot: Honored One of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17).
Elohay Marom: Honored One of Heights: (Micah 6:6).
Elohay Mikarov: The Honored One Who Is Near (Jeremiah 23:23).
Elohay Mauzi: Honored One of Strength (Psalm 43:2).
Elohay Tehilati: Honored One of Praise (Psalm 109:1).
Elohay Yishi: Honored One of Salvation (Psalm 18:47, 25:5).
Elohay Elohim: Honored One of Calling (Deuteronomy 10:17).
Elohim (or Elohay): Honored One; That which is to be revered.
Elohim Kedoshim: Holy Honored One (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19).
Elohim Chaiyim: Living Honored One (Jeremiah 10:10).
Emet: Truth.
Elyon: The One that is Most High.
HaKaddosh, Baruch Hu: The Holy One, Blessed be.
HaShem: The Name.
Immanu El: The Source who is with us (Isaiah 7:14).
Kaddosh Israel: Holy One of the Awakening Self.
Magen Avraham: Protector of the father of great multitudes.
Makom: The Omnipresent One.
Melech ha-Melachim: Counselor of Counselors.
Ro'eh Yisrael: Guide of the Awakening Self.
Shaddai: Almighty Source of Blessing.
Shekhinah: Divine Presence.
Tzur Israel: Rock of the Awakening Self.
YHVH (Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey): That Which Is and Will be; the Source and Author of Life.
YHVH-Elohim: That Which Is and Will Be Honored (Genesis 2:4).
YHVH-M'kadesh: That Which Makes Holy (Ezekiel 37:28).
YHVH-Nissi: That Which Is and Will Be Our Banner (Exodus 17:8-15).
YHVH-O'saynu: That Which Is and Always Will Be Our Maker (Psalm 95:6).
YHVH-Ra-ah: That Which Is and Will Be My Shepherd (Psalms 23:1).
YHVH-Rapha: That Which Healeth (Exodus 15:26).
YHVH-Shalom: That Which Is and Always Will Be Our Peace (Judges 6:24).
YHVH-Shammah: That Which Is and Always Will Be Present (Ezekiel 48:35).
YHVH-Tsidkenu: That Which Is the Source of Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).
YHVH Tzva'ot: That Which Brings All Things Together.
YHVH-Yireh: That Which Will Provide (Genesis 22:13, 14).

And here are some of the Kabbalistic Lettered Names of the Divine used in Judaic mystical practices. These practices include gazing at the Hebrew letters of the Name, repeating the letter sounds or the letter Names like a mantra, and meditating on the hidden patterns of meaning within and between each letter of the Name. (Note that Hebrew is read from right to left)

The Four-Letter Name:
The Tetragrammaton or the Name of that which is Nameless.

Y-H-V-H

(Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey)

The Eight-Letter Name:
The Tetragrammaton interspersed with the word Adonai.

Y-A-H-D-V-N-H-Y

(Yud-Aleph-Hey-Dalit-Vav-Nun-Hey-Yud)

The Ten-Letter Name:
Derived from the first three Sefirot of the Tree of Life; Keter (Crown), Hokhmah (Wisdom), and Binah (Understanding).

K-T-R-Ch-Kh-M-B-Y-N-H

(Kuf-Tav-Resh-Chet-Khaf-Mem-Bet-Yud-Nun-Hey)

The Forteen-Letter Name:
Derived through the transposition of letters of the phrase "Adonai Elohainu Adonai" from the Shema prayer.

Kh-V-Z-V-B-M-V-Kh-S-Z-Kh-V-Z-V

(Khaf-Vav-Zayin-Vav-Bet-Mem-Vav-Khaf-Samech-Zayin-Khaf-Vav-Zayin-Vav)

The Twenty-Two-Letter Name:
Derived from the Priestly Blessing.

A-N-K-T-S-P-S-T-S-P-S-P-S-Y-S-D-Y-V-N-S-Y-S

(Aleph-Nun-Kuf-Tav-Samech-Peh-Samech-Tav-Samech-Peh-Samech-Peh-Samech-Yud-Samech-Dalet-Yud-Vav-Nun-Samech-Yud-Samech)

The Forty-Two-Lettered Name:
Derived from the first 42 letters of the Torah.

A-B-N-Y-T-Ts-K-D-Ay-S-T-N-N-G-D-Y-Kh-S-B-T-D-Ts-T-G-Ch-K-D-T-N-Ay-Y-G-L-P-Z-K-S-K-N-Ts-Y-T

(Aleph-Bet-Nun-Yud-Tav-Tsadi-Kuf-Dalet-Ayin-Shin-Tet-Nun-Nun-Gimmel-Dalet-Yud-Khaf-Shin-Bet-Tet-Dalet-Tsadi-Tav-Gimmel-Chet-Kuf-Dalet-Tet-Nun-Ayin-Yud-Gimmel-Lamed-Peh-Zayin-Kuf-Shin-Kuf-Nun-Tsadi-Yud-Tav)

The Seventy-Two Lettered Name:
Derived from three verses in Exodus (14:19-21); each of the verses contains 72 letters, and when combined they form 72 names.

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

The Awakening Self

The Hebrew word Yisrael, or Israel, has been used in the Judaic tradition as a label for the Judaic "tribe" as a whole, and for the land that the tradition has held as sacred.

The name Yisrael was first used in Genesis 32 in the story of Jacob wrestling with a "stranger" from Heaven. In this story Jacob is at a crossroads in his life and he heads off alone in the middle of the night and ends up wrestling with a divine force in order to receive a blessing. This blessing finally was given to Jacob in the form of a new name, Yisrael.

This name has several mystical meanings that all relate to the process described in the story (Gordis, 1995). These definitions include: One who wrestles or struggles with the Divine; one who yearns for the Divine; the song of the Divine; and the Awakening Self (the Self that struggles to awaken to it's true oneness with the Divine).

A mystical translation of this biblical story reveals the archetypal psycho-spiritual pattern of our struggle to awaken to our true Self and the Divine:

In the middle of the night Jacob arose

and sent his loved ones and all his possessions

across the river of struggles.

Jacob remained alone.

A stranger appeared and wrestled with him

until the break of day.

The stranger saw that Jacob was strong in faith

and touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh,

causing a great strain.

The stranger said:

"Let me leave for the dawn is breaking."

Jacob told the stranger:

"I will not let go until I am blessed."

The stranger replied:

"Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,

the one who strives to awaken

and know the truth of the Divine."

Jacob asked the stranger's name.

The stranger replied:

"Why do you seek my name?"

He then blessed Jacob.

Jacob named the place Divine Face and said:

"I have seen the Divine face to face,

and my soul has withstood it."

The sun rose and was shinning on him

as he continued on his way.

- Genesis 32:23-32

REFERENCES

Gordis, D. (1995). God was not in the fire. New York: Scribner.

*Image: Jacob wrestling with the Angel of God

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

The Divine Orchard

I have traveled through a long dark night of the soul. As I emerge from this sacred time of exploration and wonder, I am still unable to fully understand it, yet I can share that I feel as though I have traveled through the Divine Orchard that the Kabbalists speak of…

The following is my own mystical interpretation of the famous passage of the “Four Who Entered the Divine Orchard” from the Babylonian Talmud (Hagigah 14b):

Four seekers entered the Divine Orchard. The first seeker said to the others: “When you reach the stones of marble, do not speak the words: 'water, water'...for it is said: 'You that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before my eyes.'” The second seeker gazed and died. Of this seeker it is said: “Precious in the sight of the Divine is the transcendence of physical form.” The third seeker gazed and was stricken with Holy Madness. Of this seeker it is said: “Hast thou found the sweetness? Consume that which is sufficient, or be filled to overflowing.” And the fourth seeker cut down the shoots in renunciation. In the end, only the first seeker departed in peace.

• The first seeker sees the truth behind form, and leaves in peace.


• The second seeker gazes at the Divine and loses body, for one cannot gaze upon that which is formless without losing form.


• The third seeker gazes at the Divine and loses mind, for one cannot gaze upon that which is beyond thought without losing thought.


• The fourth seeker gazes at the Divine and loses heart, for one cannot gaze upon that which is beyond love and fear without losing all attachment.

During my journey into the orchard, I felt all four forms of seeking within me: At times I felt as though I was going to die, and at other times I felt as though I was transcending my constructs of the physical universe; At times I thought I was losing my mind, and at other times I felt a loosening of my mental constructs; At times I felt myself losing heart and faith, and at other times I felt a loosening of my emotional attachments; and throughout the process I felt a soft whispering presence holding me and showing me the way through the orchard’s maze of truth and illusion.

REFERENCES

Louis Jacobs. Jewish Mystical Testimonies. New York: Schocken Books, 1997.

Gershom Scholem. Jewish Gnosticism, Merkavah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition. New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1960.

Isidore Epstein. The Soncino Press Babylonian Talmud: Ta’anith/Megillah/Hagigah. Brooklyn, NY: The Soncino Press, 2001.

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

Darkness

“Darkness covered the face of the deep.”
- Genesis 1:2

Before there was light, the EIN SOF withdrew itself (Zimzum) from one place and created a void. This void made a space for the EIN SOF OR, Eternal Light, to enter. This void was the darkness that covered the face of the deep.

Before there could be light, there needed to be darkness through which it could shine and penetrate. This is the foundation for the dualistic nature of the world of creation, out of which all other dualities unfold...light and dark, earth and sky, masculine and feminine, yin and yang, and love and fear.

This darkness is not just the absence of light, it is the boundary between form and formlessness, and it is also the spiritual darkness that descends upon us as we struggle to touch the light of the Divine.

I have experienced this spiritual darkness many times. I am immersed in a spiritual darkness at this very moment. This darkness has lasted a long time and began after writing my last entry about the Eternal Light. The writing of the entry and several other processes in my life and spiritual practice converged and I experienced an extended experience of "light" which was then followed by a descent into darkness.

Through my experiences of light and darkness I have come to realize that after a period of closeness or nearness to the Divine light, I often experience a period of disconnection or desolation in which I seem to loose touch with the Divine, and the light and love of the Divine appears to be replaced by an experience darkness (or a Dark Night of the Soul). This darkness is like a cloud of unknowing that surrounds me and fills my being.

For years I perceived these dark times as a withdrawal of the Divine presence, but I have learned that from the Kabbalistic perspective, one can actually perceive this darkness as a sign of a greater nearness to the Divine. From this perspective, as we approach the Divine through intent and practice, we move through many layers of body, mind and spirit until we reach the light, then we enter that dark void between the light and the EIN SOF, which is actually the closest we can be to the Divine without giving up our physical form.

Now that I hold these times of darkness as times of nearness to the Divine, my entire experience of the dark times is very different. I surrender into the unknowingness and feel a sense of grace and blessing. I become aware that there are forces beyond my perception moving deep within, unearthing and dissolving the barriers I have between myself and the Divine. In this way darkness covers the face of the deep within me and reveals the hidden Divine face.

"I will come to you in a cloud of thick darkness,
that you may come near to me
and hear when I speak with you..."
- Exodus 19:9

"Clouds and darkness surround the Divine Presence"
- Psalm 97:2

"The Divine Presence makes darkness Its hiding place"
-Psalms 189:12

*Image: Divine Cloud over Mt. Sinai

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

Eternal Light

After Endlessness (EIN SOF) withdrew itself (Zimzum) from one place and the void appeared, the EIN SOF OR, the Eternal Light, surrounded the void.

With the appearance of the Light, the universe expanded, then the Eternal Light contracted and entered the void and poured its radiance into the center of the void. The center could not contain the Light and it shattered, and the light separated into tiny sparks or particles of light, which radiated outward in undulating waves of vibration. The light became concealed within these undulating waves which then unfolded into different forms and different worlds.

This concealed light is the light of the whole spectrum of vibratory substance from cosmic rays to visible light to audible sound to the vibrating molecules of matter. Theoretical Physicist David Bohm considered light to be the entire electromagnetic spectrum and beyond it as well. He saw light as more than just energy, but as the potential and foundation of literally everything that exists, enfolding the whole material universe. (1)

(2)

Hidden in all these vibratory forms are the sparks of the Eternal Light continuously emerging out of and dissolving back into the great cosmic void, like the sea of photons that continuously arise out of and dissolve back into the quantum void at the heart of every atom within every form and substance of the universe. The ancient texts of sacred wisdom and the electron microscopes of science seem to be revealing the same underlying truth, that at the heart of everything is a great void and out of this great void comes light and out of this light comes all that exists and all that exists is just vibrating waves of being. (3)

(4)

With the appearance of the light, the universe expanded.
With the concealment of the light,
the things that exist were created in all their variety.
This is the secret of the act of creation.
One who understands this will understand everything. (5)

The light is said to be hidden in Torah, in the human soul,
and in sparks of light that fill and animate the entire world. (6)

This Inner Light is born within us at birth
and it is the stuff that we are made of,
and so it is said we are "Children of Light."
There is also an Encircling Light that we create
as we perform acts of loving-kindness. (7)

(8)

Since the eternal light is the closest visible form to the Divine Endlessness, there was always a light burning in the Holy Temple of the Children of Israel, and to this day every Judaic House of Worship has a continuously burning "Eternal Light" (Ner Tamid) in its sanctuary. This eternal light burning in the sanctuary is there to remind us of the EIN SOF OR, the Eternal Light within every aspect of creation, arising out of the Divine void in waves and waves of vibrations continuously unfolding and enfolding into and out of existence.

My earliest childhood memory is of a haunting mystical experience of this vibrating reality that I had when I was in first grade. One morning, as I was getting ready to go to school, I experienced a deep sense of panic at the thought of returning to the ridicule and laughter I was receiving from my fellow classmates because of my stutter. Walking down the block with the other kids, the dread became unbearable. I turned the corner and slipped behind some tall bushes. As I watched the other kids going to school, I started to calm down. After a while, the street was empty. I slowly got up, turned down our back alley, and walked back to my house. I snuck into the garage, took my bicycle, and rode off feeling the urgency of escape. After riding through the neighborhood for a while, I turned down an alley and suddenly stopped.

Autumn leaves swirled around the cracked pavement of the alley, being blown in spiraling waves by the strong Chicago winds. White billowing clouds swiftly rolled across the bright blue sky above, and the electric power lines gently hummed around me. In an instant all my pains and fears vanished, and I was filled with a sense of awe and wonder. Somehow I felt the power and beauty of nature washing over me and cleansing me. I sensed a presence of something vast and deep and unknown around me and within me. A feeling of safety and peace filled me, and I stood there for what seemed like hours. Now, after all these years I finally understand that I was bathing in the light of creation in all its vibrating forms, and this bathing awakened the light within me, producing a "lightness" of being.

This brief glimpse of the great vibrating waves of existence has lived in my memory every since, lighting my way toward my return to a state of remembering the light that is me, that is everything, that is eternal.

(9)

Let's close our eyes
and see the light shining within
Let's listen
to the sounds of light streaming around us
Let's sing out
vibrations of light and love
Let's touch
the surface of things
and sense the vibrating reality beneath
Oh great mystery of light
light in the sky
light in my eyes
light in my cells
lightness in my being
Oh great mystery of light
eternal
shinning
glowing
vibrating
waving
sparking
igniting
blinding
concealing
and
ultimately
revealing

NOTES:

(1) David Bohm (In Friedman, 1990, p. 292).

(2) Image of the wave patterns produced as an electron passes through the mass of a crystal, revealing its underlying wave reality. Note the striking similarity between this image and the Kabbalistic Creation Mandala in the previous entry (Endlessness).

(3) The relationship between modern physics and spirituality is part of an emerging debate between science and spirit. There are many different views and belief's within this debate, and the concepts I am presenting here represent one of many perspectives within this ongoing dialogue between these two spheres of knowledge. My reference to "the electron microscopes of science" is meant as a metaphor, since there are many different instruments and methods used by scientists to observe and explore the quantum universe.

(4) Image of the sun's ultraviolet level of light.

(5) Shim'on Lavi (In Matt, 1995, p. 91).

(6) Rabbi Arthur Green (1992, p.154).

(7) Adapted from Dr. Philip S. Berg (1981, p.24).

(8) Kabbalistic image representing the Encircling Light.

(9) Image of the sun's x-ray level of light.

REFERENCES:

Dr. Philip S. Berg. Kabbalah for the Layman. Jerusalem, Israel: Research Centre of Kabbalah, 1981.

Norman Friedman. Bridging Science and Spirit. St. Louis, MO: Living Lake Books, 1990.

Rabbi Arthur Green. Seek My Face, Speak My Name. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1992.

Daniel C. Matt. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1995.

*Title Image: Ner Tamid, the Eternal Light

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

Endlessness

In Kabbalah the furthest reaches of our concept of the Divine is represented by the EIN SOF.

EIN SOF means "Without End" or "Endlessness." It is that which is beyond all things, it is the no-thing-ness out of which all things continually arise and dissolve back into; it is the quantum void or zero point field at the heart of every particle of matter, out of which all matter continually arises and dissolves back into; it is the giant black holes in the furthest reaches of the universe, continually giving birth to planets and stars and then swallowing them up again.

EIN SOF is also that which precedes thought (machshavah) and even the nothingness (ayin) out of which thought arises. (Cooper, p.67)

EIN SOF is the totality of all that is and all that is not; it is all being and all non-being; it is nothing and it is everything. It is the Divine void out of which all creation continuously arises and into which all creation ultimately returns.

Meditation on the EIN SOF is the practice of transcending our mental, emotional and perceptual boundaries and returning to the Source of Creation, the endlessness that is at the heart of our essential nature. (Fisdel, p.96)

Meditation on Nothingness

1. Sit in a comfortable upright position and relax;


2. Focus on the breath for a few moments;


3. Then bring your awareness to your pulse, listening for its beat in your body;


4. Then bring your awareness to any sensations in your body and be present to them without trying to judge or change them;


5. Then bring your awareness to any feelings you are holding and be present to them without trying to judge or change them;


6. Then bring your awareness to your thoughts and be present to them without trying to judge or change them;


7.  Then bring your awareness to the space between your thoughts and imagine the space expanding into silence;


8. Enter into the silence, the emptiness, the nothingness;


9. Sense your being-ness beyond thought, feeling and perception. Sense your nearness to the Divine. Sense the nothingness deep within you;


10. Be with the nothingness for as long as you can;


11. When you are ready to return, bring your awareness back to your thoughts, then to your feelings, then to any physical sensations, then to your pulse, then to your breath;


12. Take four slow deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.

EIN SOF Mantra and Mandala Meditation

1. Sit in a comfortable upright position;


2. Take four slow deep breaths;


3. Focus your eyes on the center point of the EIN SOF Mandala above;


4. Take slow gentle breaths while silently repeating EIN (eye'n) on the exhalations and SOF (so'f) on the inhalations;


5. After ten breaths and silent EIN SOF repetitions, close your eyes and focus on the after image of the mandala, continuing the silent repetitions until the after image fades into nothingness;


6. Be with the nothingness for as long as you can;


7. When you are ready to return, bring your awareness back to your breath and take four slow deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.

REFERENCES

Rabbi David A. Cooper. God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism. New York: Riverhead Books, 1997.

Rabbi Steven A. Fisdel. The Practice of Kabbalah: Meditation in Judaism. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996.

Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi (Warren Kenton). Kabbalah: Tradition of Hidden Knowledge. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1979.

* EIN EIN SOF Creation Mandala

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

Before The Beginning

The following is a version of the creation cosmology of Kabbalah, which I have compiled from several different Judaic mystical sources. It is an exploration of one level of the hidden mystical story buried under the traditional biblical story of creation. In creating this piece I endeavored to create a general summary of Kabbalistic creation cosmology and an overview of the elements of Kabbalah and their relationship to each other and the related surface story elements found in the Genesis story. These elements will be explored in more depth in upcoming KabbalahBlog entries.

Before the Beginning, there was, is, and always will be EIN SOF, the Divine field of eternal formlessness. (1)

Within the EIN SOF, a yearning arose, a yearning for 'Face to gaze upon Face;' EIN SOF wished to behold itself, so it withdrew itself (Zimzum) from one place. A void appeared "...in which the mirror of existence could be manifested." (2)

EIN SOF OR, Eternal Light, surrounded the void and emanated into it, manifesting ten distinct qualities or energies (the Ten Sefirot), in seven phases (the Seven Days of Creation), through the vibration of ten utterances (the Ten Sayings of Creation), along twenty-two paths of resonance (the Twenty-two Letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet). (3)

During the sixth phase of emanation (the Sixth Day of Creation), the Divine emanation unfolded into the Four Worlds of Emanation (Azilut), Creation (Beriah), Formation (Yetzirah), and Manifestation (Assiyah), with the ten energies (Sefirot) unfolding in each world, creating the cosmic Tree of Life, the pathway of Divine emanation through all the worlds. (4)

A Living Being (Human Being) was created and formed in the image of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life lived within the Being and mirrored the Tree of Life in all The Four Worlds; with the ten energies (Sefirot) of Intention (Keter), Wisdom (Chokhmah), Understanding (Binah), Compassion (Chesed), Strength (Gevurah), Beauty (Tiferet), Endurance (Netzakh), Glory (Hod), Creativity (Yesod), and Nobility (Malkut), unfolding in four levels of being: Spirit, Mind, Emotion, and Matter. (5)

Within the Human Being, the ten energies (Sefirot) emanated around the Three Pillars of Energy, Balance, and Containment. (6)

The Human Being entered a state of unconsciousness and the two outermost pillars of energy and containment differentiated into masculine and feminine energies. Thus the Human Being entered a realm of duality and began its journey of experiential learning and growth through the world of love and fear, and toward the return pathways back up the Tree of Life, where one day, the Human Being would return to it's source, the EIN SOF, and look upon it, Beloved to Beloved, Oneness to Oneness, and finally, Face will gaze upon Face. (7)

NOTES

(1) EIN SOF is also transliterated as AYIN SOF and can be translated as: Without End; Absolute All. It is the title of the Divine that is formless and eternal, beyond space and time.

(2) Halevi, 1979; Zinzum is also translated as contraction.

(3) It is also said that when the Eternal Light penetrated the void, it filled it to the point of shattering its boundaries, fragmenting the light into a sea of endless sparks, which then gave birth to all matter and form (This is the Kabbalah version of the Big Bang!). It is said that every act of kindness returns one of those sparks to the Source, and hence is an act of repairing the world (Tikkun Olam); the Ten Sayings of Creation are the ten Divine utterances found in the first chapter of Genesis, beginning with “Let there be Light.”

(4) The arrangement of the 10 Sefirot and the Four Worlds varies among different schools of Kabbalah, and is depicted as either a single tree of ten Sefirot whose elements are divided into four levels or worlds, or a tree of ten Sefirot existing for each of the four worlds, or a combination of the two. This version uses the combination theory, holding that the four worlds exist within each of the four World Trees (Halevi, 1979).

(5) Each of the Ten Sefirot holds many layers of meaning and has been translated various ways by different schools of Kabbalah. The mystical cosmology depicted in this text uses the idea that the meaning of each Sefirah shifts as they enter each of the Four Worlds; the Sefirot depicted in this section represent the Divine attributes that manifest within us. The traditional translation of the ten Sefirot corresponds to the Tree of Life within the first world of Azilut (Emanation): Crown (Keter), Wisdom (Chokhmah), Understanding (Binah), Mercy (Chesed), Justice (Gevurah), Beauty (Tiferet), Victory (Netzakh), Glory (Hod), Foundation (Yesod), and Kingdom (Malkut) or Divine Presence (Shekhinah).

(6) The pattern of the Tree of Life can be seen as a lightening flash zigzagging down, and back and forth between three pillars or energetic principles. These energetic principles can be seen as the interplay between the energies of expansion, balance and contraction. The ten Seferot are laid out as intersection points between emanating Divine energies and these three principles or vertical pillars. In descending order, Keter, Tiferet, Yesod, and Malkut exist on the central pillar of balance, and the Sefirot pairs of Chokhmah and Binah, Chesed and Gevurah, and Netzakh and Hod exist within the side pillars of expansion and contraction. (More detail will be given in the upcoming entry on the Sefirot.

(7) The journey through the world of duality, represented by the Tree of Knowledge of Love and Fear in the creation story, is a necessary learning process to enable us to return to the EIN SOF, our source, and become a mirror for its eternal light and love.

REFERENCES

Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi (Warren Kenton). Kabbalah: Tradition of Hidden Knowledge. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1979.

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. Meditation and Kabbalah. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1982.

Daniel C. Matt. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1995.

*Image: Kabbalistic Cosmological Map/Mandala of the process of creation.

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com

In The Beginning

The following is my own mystical translation of the first few sections of the book of Genesis (Bereshit). It is just one of many possible ways of translating this sacred text. I have used both traditional and mystical Judaic sources in the translation of this material in an attempt to capture the transformative qualities of spirit inherent in the original Hebrew text, while retaining the traditional narrative structure. These transformative and mystical qualities include a transcendent quality of time (no past or future tense) and a strict resistance to the naming of or the anthropomorphization of the Divine. I have also sought the deeper meaning of the text by translating proper names into their essential meanings. For example, the Hebrew word for Eden means delight, so the Garden of Eden is thus translated into the Garden of Delight. Additionally, I have attempted to filter out the gender, cultural and egoic biases present in some of the previous interpretations of the text.

In the beginning there was Spirit. The earth was empty and without form. Darkness covered the face of the deep. Then Spirit moved over the waters. And the Word was given: “Let there be light…” And there was light. The light was separated from the darkness. The light was called day and the darkness was called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
- Genesis 1:1-5

And the Word was given: “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, dividing upper from lower.” The firmament was called sky. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
- Genesis 1:6-8

And the Word was given: “Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered together, so that dry land may be seen.” The dry land was called earth, the gathered waters were called ocean. And the Word was given: “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and trees bearing fruit with their seed within.” And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed and trees bearing fruit with their seed within. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
- Genesis 1:9-13

And the Word was given: “Let there be luminaries in the firmament of the sky to separate day from night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, the days and the years. Let them be luminaries in the sky to give light to the earth.” And the stars and the two great luminaries were made: The greater one to rule the day, the lesser one to rule the night. They were set in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth, to hold sway over day and night, and to separate the light from the dark. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
- Genesis 1:14-19

And the word was given: “Let the oceans team with living creatures. Let the birds fly above the earth, across the dome of heaven.” And the great sea creatures were created, and every kind of living creature that teems in the waters, and every kind of winged bird that graces the sky. And a blessing was given: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the sea; and let birds abound on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
- Genesis 1:20-23

And the Word was given: “Let the earth bring forth every species of living creature: Animals, reptiles and wild beasts.” And the various species of animals, both wild and tame, and all that creeps upon the ground were created. And the Word was given: “Let a Human Being be made in the Divine image and likeness, and let them be custodians of the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, over the animals, over all that creeps upon the ground, and over the whole earth.” And human beings, male and female, were created in the Divine image, in the very image of the Source of Life.
- Genesis 1:24-28

And the Source of Life blessed them and the word was given them: “You shall be fruitful and multiply. You will fill the earth and govern it. You will be custodians over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and every creature on earth. You have been given every seed-bearing plant and tree on the face of the earth as your food. All the animals of the field, every bird of the sky, and everything that walks the land, that has in it a living soul, have been given every green plant as their food. All of creation witnessed itself and beheld that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
- Genesis 1:29-31

Heaven and earth were completed. With the seventh day, the work of creation was finished. All work ceased on the seventh day. The Source of Life blessed the seventh day and declared it to be holy, for it was on this day that the work of creation ceased and the being-ness of creation was set to unfold.
- Genesis 2:1-3

On the day the human being was created a mist rose up from the earth and watered the entire surface. The human being was formed out of the dust of the ground. The breath of life was breathed into the being and thus it became a living creature. Eden, the Garden of Delight, was planted in the east and there the human being was placed. Every tree that is pleasant to look upon and good to eat from grew out of the ground, including the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Love and Fear.
- Genesis 2:4-9

A river flowed out of the Well of Delight to water the Garden. From there it divided and became four major rivers. The first river is the River of Change (Pishon) and surrounds the entire Land of Bringing Forth (Havilah) where gold, sapphires and precious stones are to be found. The second river is the River of the Valley of Grace (Gihon), which surrounds the Land of Blackness (Cush). The third river is the River of Strength (Tigris), which flows to the east of the Land of Happiness (Assyria). The fourth river is the River That Makes Fruitful (Euphrates).
- Genesis 2:10-14

The human being was taken and placed in the Garden of Delight to work it and watch over it. The human being was told, “You may eat from every tree of the garden. But from the Tree of Knowledge of Love and Fear, you must not eat, for from the moment you eat it, you will know death.”
- Genesis 2:15-17

The word was given: “It is not good for the human being to be alone. A compatible helper must be found.” Every wild beast and every bird of Heaven had been formed out of the ground. They now were brought forth to be named by the human being. Whatever the human being called each living thing would remain its name. The human being named every livestock animal and bird of the sky, as well as all the wild beasts. A compatible helper was not found.
- Genesis 2:18-20

The human being fell into a deep state of unconsciousness and began to sleep. One of the human beings sides was taken and flesh closed in to take its place. The two sides were formed into Man and Woman. The man and woman said to each other, “Now we are bone from our bone and flesh from our flesh. We shall be called man and woman because we are part of the other. We shall be each others home and be united and become one flesh.” The man and woman stood naked before each other without judgment.
- Genesis 2:21-25

The Serpent of Sorcery was the cleverest of all the wild beasts that were created. The serpent asked the woman, “Is it true that you may not eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman replied, “We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden. But the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden we may not eat or even touch for it would bring death.”
- Genesis 3:1-3

The serpent said to the woman, “You will certainly not die! In reality, on the day you eat from the tree, your eyes will be opened, and you will have great powers, knowing both love and fear.”
- Genesis 3:4-5

The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and desirable to the eyes, and that the tree was attractive as a means to gain knowledge. She took some of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to the man, and he ate. The eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. They sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves garments to cover their loins.
- Genesis 3:6-7

They heard the Voice of the Source of Life moving through the Garden on the wind of the day. The man and woman hid themselves from the Source of Life among the trees of the Garden. The Voice called to the man and woman and said, “Where are you?”
- Genesis 3:8-9

“We heard Your Voice in the Garden,” replied the man and woman, “and we were afraid because we felt naked, so we hid.” The Voice asked, “Where did you get the idea of nakedness? Did you eat from the tree of knowledge of love and fear?” The man replied, “The woman that is a part of me gave me what I ate from the tree.” The Voice said to the woman, “What is this that has been done?” The woman replied, “I was seduced by the serpent of sorcery and I ate.”
- Genesis 3:10-13

The Voice said to the serpent, “Because of the eating of the fruit of knowledge, you will feel cursed more than all the livestock and all the wild beasts. On your belly you shall crawl, and illusion you shall eat, all the days of your life. Fear and hatred has been planted between you and woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. They will strike you in the head, and you will strike at their heals.
- Genesis 3:14-15

To the woman it was said, “The knowledge of love and fear will greatly increase your suffering and your pregnancy. It will be with anguish that you will give birth to children and you will be dominated by your passions.”
- Genesis 3:16

To the man it was said, “The knowledge of love and fear will cause the ground to be hardened beneath you. You will derive food from it with anguish all the days of your life. It will bring forth thorns and thistles to confound and bewilder you; and you will eat the grass of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread until you return to the ground from which you were taken. You have become dust, and to dust you shall return.”
- Genesis 3:17-19

The man was named Adam, because he was now of the earth and of blood. The woman was named Eve, because she had become the mother of all life. The Source of Life made shrouds of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them.
- Genesis 3:20-21

Now that the human being had tasted the knowledge of love and fear, they could not remain in the Garden of Delight and taste the Tree of Eternal Life. The knowledge of love and fear drove them out of the Garden of Delight, to work the ground from which they had come. The veil of life and death arose at the east of the Garden, along with the revolving sword of creation and destruction, concealing the path of the Tree of Eternal Life.
- Genesis 3:22-24

REFERENCES

Hitchcock, R. D. (1874). Hitchcock’s bible names dictionary. New York: A. J. Johnson.

Kaplan, A. (1981). The living Torah: The five books of Moses and the Haftarot. Hew York: Maznaim Publishing.

Mitchell, S. (1996). Genesis: A new translation of the classic biblical stories. New York: HarperCollins.

*Image: The Three Trees by Robin Sinclair...The Tree of Knowledge; The Tree of Life; The Tree of the Human Family (Adam & Eve)

*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com