"If you aspire to become a master of your soul, if you still feel in yourself that your spirit is not satiated with dry words and you no longer find fulfillment in the external things that your eyes beheld in the days of your youth,and behold, you desire to descend into the inner depths of things according to the true spirit of the Torah - then come and I will reveal to you the mystery of creation.You will then understand and see your world in your very own lifetime." Friday, April 30, 2010
Der Alter...
"If you aspire to become a master of your soul, if you still feel in yourself that your spirit is not satiated with dry words and you no longer find fulfillment in the external things that your eyes beheld in the days of your youth,and behold, you desire to descend into the inner depths of things according to the true spirit of the Torah - then come and I will reveal to you the mystery of creation.You will then understand and see your world in your very own lifetime." 
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Models of Torah VIII - The Torah as a Brain
The Torah is not merely a description of an ancient reality; it is a blueprint, a map, of reality itself. The Torah reveals the makeup of reality, both of the cosmos and the psychos, the Adam ha'Gadol and the Adam ha'Katan[i].
Yet the Torah is not merely a map of reality; it is that which contains[ii] and continuously[iii] channels reality.[iv]
We may call the Torah a brain, the interface between the Divine and the world. This brain is influenced from above and from below, from the mind and from the body, from the Divine and from the mind of Klal Yisrael.[v] The Divine gives the brain its basic form and life-force and Klal Yisrael determines the processes and memory of that brain.[vi] Thus, the Torah is a meeting tent, a covenant, a marriage between heaven and earth.[vii]
Israel, Torah, and the Holy One are one.[viii]
-------
[i] Breisheit Rabbah 1:1; Zohar, I:5, II:161.
Regading the cosmos: R. Menachem Azaria of Fano (Assara Maamarot, Chikur ha’Din 3:22) writes that the Torah essentially discusses the spiritual structure of the universe and only hints to the lower worlds. Ohr Meir (Metzora, Emor, Korach), for example, explains that the letters of the Torah are imbedded into the world (and give it its life-force). See Stan Tenen.
Regarding the psychos: The Gr'a writes (Commentary on Safra d’Tzniuta, 55a): “Everything written regarding the patriarchs and Moshe and Israel in their entirety appear in every generation. The sparks of their soul reincarnates in every generation, as is known. Similarly, all of the actions – from Adam to the end of the Torah – appear in every generation as is known to the one with understanding. Furthermore, they appear in every single person...All of this is contained within Parshat Bereishit, and further contained within the first seven days, and further contained in the first seven words which refer to seven thousand years.” On the latter point, see Avodat Avodah. This concept can be explained using the model of fractals. In Jungian terminology, the Torah presents to us the essential psychological archetypes in the collective unconscious of Israel and, perhaps, the Nations. “Ma’aseh avot siman la’banim.”
The Torah also reveals the psychos in a different sense: R. Chaim Vital (Shaarei Kedusha 1:1) explains that the six-hundred and thirteen commandments correspond to six-hundred and thirteen soul parts which correspond to six-hundred and thirteen body parts. Thus, the Torah presents us with a spiritual (and physical) health manual. See The Torah as a Building.
[ii] Ta'anit 9a; Ramban, Hakdama l’Peirush al ha’Torah. The Gr’a writes (Commentary on Safra de Tzniuta, 55a): “The principle is that everything that was, is, and will be until the end of time is contained within the Torah from “Breisheit” to “l’Eynei kol Yisrael.” This applies not just to generalities [of existence] but even the particulars of every species and every specific person. Everything that will happen to him, from the day of his birth until his demise, and all of his tribulations [alternatively: reincarnations], and all the details of the details. Furthermore the [details] of every single species of animals and beasts and every living thing in the world, and every piece of grass and vegetation, and matter - all of the details of the details of the details of every single species and individuals for all of time – what will happen to them and their roots...”
[iii] Shabbat 88b. Nefesh ha'Chaim, 4
[iv] R. Bakst writes: "The Torah is considered to not only contain the blueprint of all creation - past, present, and future - but her verses, words, and letters actually are the consciousness through which all reality is evolving and guiding itself - a virtual brain through which the Absolute processes its thought and modes of expression....
"In order to do so we must first ask a question which the Kabbalist himself is, in one sense, also asking himself. What was and what continues to be the purpose of the Sinaic revelation and its covenant, replete with literally hundreds of ritual laws and commandments? What kind of world are we living in that could conceivably necessitate such an intricate and often overwhelming system of obligation?...
"From this Adamic perspective it can now be appreciated that the Sinaic Covenant is no longer simply a code of laws along with their intellectual analysis, but rather the written and oral Torahs are actually specific tools with whichto rectify, reconstitute, and resurrect all mankind and reality. This process of "cosmic mending" with the intent of reconnecting and unifying is called in Hebrew "Tikkun" and if there was one word that could epitomize the essence of Judaism for the Kabbalist it is this. (Even the Hebrew word "mitzvah" which is usually translated as "commandment" [as in the Ten Commandments] also translates as 'connection' and 'union.') Thus, the Talmudic exegesis between scholars becomes a communal effort to search out, identify, and extract the impurities and external elements within the form of legal difficulties. For the Kabbalist, every act, word, and thought performed within this Torah context is literally reconnecting the severed conduits within man's own consciousness and reuniting the Absolute with His own displaced Self, so to speak.
[v] See The Torah as a World
[vi] R. Hirsch (Shemot 12:2) explains that the function of Kiddush ha’Chodesh is to insure that our relationship with Hashem is mutual.
[vii] Based on Sanhedrin 99b and Shabbat 10a we can say that Torah determines metaphysical reality, and that it can change depending on the halakha. See Shiurei Da’at (Darkah shel Torah, R. Elya Meir Bloch).
[viii] Zohar, Acharei Mot.
Yet the Torah is not merely a map of reality; it is that which contains[ii] and continuously[iii] channels reality.[iv]
We may call the Torah a brain, the interface between the Divine and the world. This brain is influenced from above and from below, from the mind and from the body, from the Divine and from the mind of Klal Yisrael.[v] The Divine gives the brain its basic form and life-force and Klal Yisrael determines the processes and memory of that brain.[vi] Thus, the Torah is a meeting tent, a covenant, a marriage between heaven and earth.[vii]
Israel, Torah, and the Holy One are one.[viii]
-------
[i] Breisheit Rabbah 1:1; Zohar, I:5, II:161.
Regading the cosmos: R. Menachem Azaria of Fano (Assara Maamarot, Chikur ha’Din 3:22) writes that the Torah essentially discusses the spiritual structure of the universe and only hints to the lower worlds. Ohr Meir (Metzora, Emor, Korach), for example, explains that the letters of the Torah are imbedded into the world (and give it its life-force). See Stan Tenen.
Regarding the psychos: The Gr'a writes (Commentary on Safra d’Tzniuta, 55a): “Everything written regarding the patriarchs and Moshe and Israel in their entirety appear in every generation. The sparks of their soul reincarnates in every generation, as is known. Similarly, all of the actions – from Adam to the end of the Torah – appear in every generation as is known to the one with understanding. Furthermore, they appear in every single person...All of this is contained within Parshat Bereishit, and further contained within the first seven days, and further contained in the first seven words which refer to seven thousand years.” On the latter point, see Avodat Avodah. This concept can be explained using the model of fractals. In Jungian terminology, the Torah presents to us the essential psychological archetypes in the collective unconscious of Israel and, perhaps, the Nations. “Ma’aseh avot siman la’banim.”
The Torah also reveals the psychos in a different sense: R. Chaim Vital (Shaarei Kedusha 1:1) explains that the six-hundred and thirteen commandments correspond to six-hundred and thirteen soul parts which correspond to six-hundred and thirteen body parts. Thus, the Torah presents us with a spiritual (and physical) health manual. See The Torah as a Building.
[ii] Ta'anit 9a; Ramban, Hakdama l’Peirush al ha’Torah. The Gr’a writes (Commentary on Safra de Tzniuta, 55a): “The principle is that everything that was, is, and will be until the end of time is contained within the Torah from “Breisheit” to “l’Eynei kol Yisrael.” This applies not just to generalities [of existence] but even the particulars of every species and every specific person. Everything that will happen to him, from the day of his birth until his demise, and all of his tribulations [alternatively: reincarnations], and all the details of the details. Furthermore the [details] of every single species of animals and beasts and every living thing in the world, and every piece of grass and vegetation, and matter - all of the details of the details of the details of every single species and individuals for all of time – what will happen to them and their roots...”
[iii] Shabbat 88b. Nefesh ha'Chaim, 4
[iv] R. Bakst writes: "The Torah is considered to not only contain the blueprint of all creation - past, present, and future - but her verses, words, and letters actually are the consciousness through which all reality is evolving and guiding itself - a virtual brain through which the Absolute processes its thought and modes of expression....
"In order to do so we must first ask a question which the Kabbalist himself is, in one sense, also asking himself. What was and what continues to be the purpose of the Sinaic revelation and its covenant, replete with literally hundreds of ritual laws and commandments? What kind of world are we living in that could conceivably necessitate such an intricate and often overwhelming system of obligation?...
"From this Adamic perspective it can now be appreciated that the Sinaic Covenant is no longer simply a code of laws along with their intellectual analysis, but rather the written and oral Torahs are actually specific tools with whichto rectify, reconstitute, and resurrect all mankind and reality. This process of "cosmic mending" with the intent of reconnecting and unifying is called in Hebrew "Tikkun" and if there was one word that could epitomize the essence of Judaism for the Kabbalist it is this. (Even the Hebrew word "mitzvah" which is usually translated as "commandment" [as in the Ten Commandments] also translates as 'connection' and 'union.') Thus, the Talmudic exegesis between scholars becomes a communal effort to search out, identify, and extract the impurities and external elements within the form of legal difficulties. For the Kabbalist, every act, word, and thought performed within this Torah context is literally reconnecting the severed conduits within man's own consciousness and reuniting the Absolute with His own displaced Self, so to speak.
[v] See The Torah as a World
[vi] R. Hirsch (Shemot 12:2) explains that the function of Kiddush ha’Chodesh is to insure that our relationship with Hashem is mutual.
[vii] Based on Sanhedrin 99b and Shabbat 10a we can say that Torah determines metaphysical reality, and that it can change depending on the halakha. See Shiurei Da’at (Darkah shel Torah, R. Elya Meir Bloch).
[viii] Zohar, Acharei Mot.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Introducing a New Blog on Avodas Hashem (sorry, the link was down before)
“השגה” represents the intellectual grasp of any given idea, while “הויה” represents the incorporation of that idea into the person’s weltanschauung. Our goal is to merely discuss theoretical ideas and then return to our daily lives. We want to transform the ideas of the
Torah into a living Torah, a תורת חיים.
Torah into a living Torah, a תורת חיים.
I would like to introduce a new blog written by two of my Rabbeim, two of my Chaverim, and myself, on Avodas Hashem. Entries will be inspired by the entire gamut of Machshava, Mussar, Chassidus, and even a little psychology.
All posts will be guided by יראת שמים, a desire for קרבת אלוקים and becoming a better עבד ה', a strict adherence to Halacha, including הלכות לשון הרע, a belief in גדלות האדם, both in oneself and all other people, and intellectual rigor.
All posts will be guided by יראת שמים, a desire for קרבת אלוקים and becoming a better עבד ה', a strict adherence to Halacha, including הלכות לשון הרע, a belief in גדלות האדם, both in oneself and all other people, and intellectual rigor.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Models of Torah VII - The Torah as a Dream
The Talmud (Berakhot 55b) states: "All dreams follow the mouth." In other words, the interpretation of the dream determines its outcome. The Sefer ha'Chasidim commenting on this writes (pgs. 307-308, Reuven Margoliot ed.):
"The Torah is from Him and it follows the mouth and heart for interpretation...The sages said there were twenty-four dream interpreters in Jerusalem. No one interpreted as did the other, yet all their interpretations were fulfilled. It is just as Scripture, which lends itself to various interpretations. Regarding dreams, there is a proviso that the interpretation fit the dream. By the same token, interpretation of Scripture must fit the text. Then all of the interpretations are valid. An example is the debate in the Talmud (Megillah 15b) concerning the reason Esther invited Haman to her banquet, where finally, Elijah the prophet revealed that all the different interpretations given by the Tannaim and Amoraim are valid" (trans. Bezalel Naor, Bringing Dreams Down, pg. 248).
Similarly, Rav Kook (Eyn Aya on Berakhot 55b) writes:
"One of the purposes of the dream is prognostication of the future. Since we see that the meanings of the dream can vary, it must be that the dream with its interpretations are a single package. The same holds true for the Written Law and the Oral Law. Since the Written Law is open to interpretation, we are forced to conclude that it was given together with the Oral Law as a package. Pure intellect together with the hermeneutic principles and the (novel situations that arise with the) passage of time, guide how to derive new halakhot and opinions. Whenever something lends itself to multiple interpretations, there is requires an interpreter who will actualize all the latent meanings. Originally the thing was set up so that it would be actualized by interpretations.**
"That which was derived from the verse [quoted in the Talmud] of the Torah concerning dreams, namely that all dreams follow the mouth, may in fact apply to the verse of the Torah itself. (In that sense, the maxim "All dreams follow the mouth" is itself a verse of the Torah.) This is the nature of the word of God that is multifaceted. All that is possible to say about it was given (at Sinai) and all depends upon the mouth that embellishes Torah. This law is found as well in the realm of the dream which is "one sixtieth of prophecy."
[...]
"He [Rava] said that the interpretation must be faithful to the dream; it cannot deviate too much. Even though the soul [of the dreamer] can adapt to the mood of the interpreter, nevertheless, in the final analysis, the dream is the affair of the dreamer, not the interpreter. The same goes for Torah. True, the Torah can arouse various thoughts depending on the mood of the reader, but it retains the name "Torah" and "Torah knowledge" only insofar as things have direct relation to Torah, based on the power of Torah and its integrity. If one goes so far as to embellish things based solely on his private vision, he borders on being megalle panim ba-Torah she-lo ka-halakha (one who reads into Torah unlawfully" (trans. Bezalel Naor, Bringing Dreams Down, pgs. 106-107)
Lastly, I quote from Susan Handelman's study of Freud (Slayers of Moses, pg. 131):
"As Freud wrote, the uniqueness of his approach to the dream and his success in revealing its secret (and thereby the secrets of psychic life) was that he treated it as Holy Writ, as would a Rabbi, searching for hidden significance in every word and detail, and applying ingenious methods of symbolic and linguistic interpretation which to his contemporaries were unorthodox, unscientific madness....
"It is my thesis, though, that psychoanalysis was the Jewish science in a far deeper way that has been recognized. Its founder, who affirmed a "common psychic structure" with the Jews, created what might be called a secular version of Talmud, and an interpretive science whose methodology was in its finest details deeply Rabbinic. Freud displaced Rabbinic hermeneutics from the text of the Holy Writ to the text of the dream, the speaking psyche of the person."
**This "actualization" of the dream or text by means of intepretation can be compared to a particle which could potentially take multiple routes (Superposition), and by means of the observer's consciousness it takes one route. See Michtav M'Eliyahu, vol. IV, pgs. 164-168.
"The Torah is from Him and it follows the mouth and heart for interpretation...The sages said there were twenty-four dream interpreters in Jerusalem. No one interpreted as did the other, yet all their interpretations were fulfilled. It is just as Scripture, which lends itself to various interpretations. Regarding dreams, there is a proviso that the interpretation fit the dream. By the same token, interpretation of Scripture must fit the text. Then all of the interpretations are valid. An example is the debate in the Talmud (Megillah 15b) concerning the reason Esther invited Haman to her banquet, where finally, Elijah the prophet revealed that all the different interpretations given by the Tannaim and Amoraim are valid" (trans. Bezalel Naor, Bringing Dreams Down, pg. 248).
Similarly, Rav Kook (Eyn Aya on Berakhot 55b) writes:
"One of the purposes of the dream is prognostication of the future. Since we see that the meanings of the dream can vary, it must be that the dream with its interpretations are a single package. The same holds true for the Written Law and the Oral Law. Since the Written Law is open to interpretation, we are forced to conclude that it was given together with the Oral Law as a package. Pure intellect together with the hermeneutic principles and the (novel situations that arise with the) passage of time, guide how to derive new halakhot and opinions. Whenever something lends itself to multiple interpretations, there is requires an interpreter who will actualize all the latent meanings. Originally the thing was set up so that it would be actualized by interpretations.**
"That which was derived from the verse [quoted in the Talmud] of the Torah concerning dreams, namely that all dreams follow the mouth, may in fact apply to the verse of the Torah itself. (In that sense, the maxim "All dreams follow the mouth" is itself a verse of the Torah.) This is the nature of the word of God that is multifaceted. All that is possible to say about it was given (at Sinai) and all depends upon the mouth that embellishes Torah. This law is found as well in the realm of the dream which is "one sixtieth of prophecy."
[...]
"He [Rava] said that the interpretation must be faithful to the dream; it cannot deviate too much. Even though the soul [of the dreamer] can adapt to the mood of the interpreter, nevertheless, in the final analysis, the dream is the affair of the dreamer, not the interpreter. The same goes for Torah. True, the Torah can arouse various thoughts depending on the mood of the reader, but it retains the name "Torah" and "Torah knowledge" only insofar as things have direct relation to Torah, based on the power of Torah and its integrity. If one goes so far as to embellish things based solely on his private vision, he borders on being megalle panim ba-Torah she-lo ka-halakha (one who reads into Torah unlawfully" (trans. Bezalel Naor, Bringing Dreams Down, pgs. 106-107)
Lastly, I quote from Susan Handelman's study of Freud (Slayers of Moses, pg. 131):
"As Freud wrote, the uniqueness of his approach to the dream and his success in revealing its secret (and thereby the secrets of psychic life) was that he treated it as Holy Writ, as would a Rabbi, searching for hidden significance in every word and detail, and applying ingenious methods of symbolic and linguistic interpretation which to his contemporaries were unorthodox, unscientific madness....
"It is my thesis, though, that psychoanalysis was the Jewish science in a far deeper way that has been recognized. Its founder, who affirmed a "common psychic structure" with the Jews, created what might be called a secular version of Talmud, and an interpretive science whose methodology was in its finest details deeply Rabbinic. Freud displaced Rabbinic hermeneutics from the text of the Holy Writ to the text of the dream, the speaking psyche of the person."
**This "actualization" of the dream or text by means of intepretation can be compared to a particle which could potentially take multiple routes (Superposition), and by means of the observer's consciousness it takes one route. See Michtav M'Eliyahu, vol. IV, pgs. 164-168.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The String of Faith
"At the end of days, before the coming of the Messiah, God shall take a string, a "string of faith," and stretch it around the world. Many a man will attemp to grab that string and to hang on to it. However, God will appoint two angels to hold the string at both ends, instructing them to shake it violently as the days of Messiah near. It will become increasingly difficult to maintain a grasp on the string, and as the years go by, many, many will slip and fall. I am telling you this, my brothers, so that those living at that time will know, and take heed."
-Rabbi Israel Friendman of Rizhyn (Russia, 1797-19850), translated by Mayer Schiller, The Road Back, pg.11.
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