My Child: Let Us Not Part

October 12th, 2007

Tags: happiness, unity, connection, celebration, inner child, concealment, dance, Simchas Torah
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Tishrei, Bereishit, Soul & Mystical, Months & Holidays, Noah, Personal Life, Simchat Torah, Spiritual, Torah | No Comments »

Shoftim: A True Relationship

August 17th, 2007

The Kabbalah of Marriage

Tags: relationships, unity, matter and energy, love
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Month of Elul, Soul & Mystical, Months & Holidays, Love & Marriage, Devarim, Shoftim, Spiritual, Torah, Elul | No Comments »

Matos-Masei: 1967: The Summer of Awakening Part II

July 13th, 2007

The Aftermath

No matter who you are or what you do, you will have moments of inspiration – a time when your heart will be open and your soul stirred.

No matter how stuck you may be, a window of opportunity will open in your life. And what you do at that moment will make all the difference.

But what happens when a moment of inspiration is not realized?

This week’s essay – a sequel to last week – discusses the power of inspiration and the  profound consequences of not acting on a call from above, and what we can do to mend it – both in our personal and collective lives.

*   *   *

Last week’s article addressed the great spiritual awakening that took place 40 years ago, in the summer of 1967.

At the time the Rebbe referred to the awakening as the onset of the “great shofar” call which resulted from the miraculous Six-Day war victory. The call of the “great shofar” touched a deep chord inside people, even those “lost in the land of Ashur” – in the pleasures of life, and those “banished in the land of Mitzrayim” – in the oppressive forces of life.

Forty years have passed since the ’67 summer of awakening. Have things changed? And how! Everything gained back then seems to be lost now. Indeed, it often appears as things are worse today than they were prior to 1967.

During the past four decades several more wars have been fought – with far less pride and success – the Yom Kippur war in 1973, the Lebanese War in 1981, the ongoing Intifidas. The only thing predictable in Israel today is unpredictability. Today, 1967 seems like another lifetime.

Terrorism is now the norm in the Middle East. It began in Israel, but now it has spread to the entire world – in all its hemispheres.

People in Israel and all over the world are weary, resigned, confused by an unknown future. The political systems are in shambles and the confidence in leaders is all but gone. The mere fact that the country is running is in itself quite a miracle. What is even more confusing – and miraculous – is that in this toxic climate Israel’s economy is booming, with unprecedented prosperity.

Just last summer yet another senseless war was fought in Lebanon – draining and humiliating Israel, leaving everyone more resigned than ever.

Even more bizarre and ironic is the fact that today’s Islamic terror campaign is driven by misplaced faith. Faith – the power that was stirred in 1967 – now is regularly abused by others to wreak destruction on innocent people…

How could things have changed so drastically?

The argument can be made, that with the fundamental changes that have taken place over the past 40 years, who really cares what happened in 1967? Whatever happened then was then, but today, forty years later, we live in a new world order, far more complex. Instead of an awakening we have a major mess. Peace seems farther than ever.

So what difference does it make what transpired 40 years ago? How does that knowledge help us today?

But, the truth is that the only real way to solve a problem is by looking at its roots; to deal with the causes and not just the symptoms.

Thus, the only way to address today’s challenges is to look back at the events of 40 years ago, and trace today’s events to their earliest roots.

So let’s revisit 1967 and take a closer look at the events that followed the Six-Day War. There was an undeniable awakening at the time that electrified the world. But the big question, of course, is what happened next?

What happened next is perhaps the most important story of our modern times.

Initially, in the immediate aftermath of the Six-Day War, everyone recognized and marveled at the hand of G-d, eliciting a profound faith-inspiring euphoria. But just after a few days, the wonder began to wane and people began to dismiss the miracle by explaining the events away. They began to take credit for the smashing victory – arguing that it was due to the great training and discipline of the Israeli Army.

This is the nature of all success: After the initial appreciation, we usually gravitate to taking it for granted and feeling that we are self-made successes. The same with every inspiration: It dissipates unless it is kept alive.

Therein – the denial of G-d’s miracles and hand in victory – lays the undoing of all great successes, throughout history. Arrogance, the delusional sense of all-powerful invulnerability, brought down many an empire and many a leader in centuries past.

The Torah warns us of this human tendency (Deuteronomy 8:17-18):

[When you achieve success and prosperity be careful that you not] say to yourself, “It was my own strength and personal power that brought me all this prosperity.” You must remember that it is G-d who gives you the power to become prosperous. He does this so as to keep the covenant that He made with an oath to your fathers, even as [He is keeping it] today.

Why is it a problem to feel self made? If a child wants to be foolish and convince himself that he is self made – let him be; why should it matter what he thinks? Does is it have any negative impact?

The answer is absolutely yes. Besides for the fact that we shouldn’t be living in delusions, and we shouldn’t be ungracious in acknowledging those that helped us achieve success, there is a deeper issue at stake. By denying your blessings and cutting G-d out of the picture, you end up creating a self-defeating prophesy. Attributing success solely to yourself basically renders you into a vulnerable creature, with no strength but your own. Once you refuse to recognize the “hand inside the glove,” even the “Hand” itself cannot do anything to show its strength.

In psychological terms: A mortal creature needs nurturing and love. In this cruel world, every one of us must have an unwavering foundation that holds us up. Without it – our conscious and unconscious never develop the strength and confidence necessary to navigate life. Witness the profound effects that an unnurtured (or abused) childhood has on a person’s self esteem and inner security. Without the fortitude provided by a higher power, we are left to our own vulnerable schemes, with the existential fears, insecurities loneliness of our psyches – left alone, relying on our own, weak selves.

The humility of recognizing the Divine blessing of your success opens up the channels to manifest and contain these blessings. Which in turn give you the strength to face any challenge.

This is the both the great gift – and power – of free will: We have the ability to open or close the channels of blessings.

This is true anywhere, anytime in every life experience, in every part of the world. How much more so in the Promised Land, which is so much more dependent on the Divine covenant, without which Jews would have no right or chance of survival, surrounded by hundreds of millions of enemies.

Tragically, this is what happened back in 1967. People began to feel that huge victory was due to their own great power. Kochi v’otzem yodi –

“It was my own strength and personal power that brought me all this prosperity.”

Ironically, both left wing and right wing extremists assumed the same position and cut G-d out of the picture: The secular left, denying the Divine hand, by arrogantly taking credit for their own successes. Some religious extremists argued that the victory did not come from G-d but from the “other side.” They felt that G-d would not work miracles through the secular “Zionists” who defy G-d.

And this is the root of all the problems: By denying the Divine hand and not actualizing the call of the “great shofar,” we actually make it more difficult to manifest the channels of blessing.

A strange Midrash illuminates this point even further: The Talmud states that “the world is like a balcony without the fourth, northern, wall” (Baba Batra 25b). Why? Explains the Midrash: Should someone claim to be the Creator, he will be told to finish the northern wall (Pirkei D’Rabbi Elozor ch. 3).

What is the meaning of this cryptic statement? Who in their right mind would suggest that he is the Creator?!

The Midrash is telling us, that every person at times may be tempted to feel that he is a self-made entity. In order to remind us all that as great as we may be, we must always appreciate our blessings from above, the universe was created in a way that there always remains one vulnerable corner – the northern border – which can allow in problems, “out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land” (Jeremiah 1:14).

No matter how successful a person may be, even if all “three sides” of you life are covered, we always remain vulnerable creatures. Everyone should always be blessed, but we never can know when or where a “curveball” may come. Never, ever forget that we need every blessing we can get. If you ever feel self made, be careful, because you may be them challenged: Ok, you think you’re an all powerful, self created individual,  let’s see what you can do with the vulnerable (“north”) areas of life… Go ahead, show us how you can close up and protect that open border.

But if you recognize the true Creator, then He will do what is necessary to protect us from the “north,” he will finish and seal the vulnerable points.

In a most uncanny fashion, this Midrash is literally being played out in Israel: Despite the great success of the Six-Day war, which basically eliminated the enemy in the South (Egypt), East (Jordan), Northeast (Syria) and West (the Mediterranean) – Israel’s northern border (Lebanon) has always remained a vulnerable sore point.

Forty years have passed since the ’67 war, people have argued that our strength is “self made,” and till this day the “northern front” remains a source of festering misery – as witnessed in the Lebanese War in 1982, and again last summer, with thousands of missiles raining down on Israel in the years in between.

Indeed, the lack of healthy faith in the Divine hand at work, has created a vacuum which has allowed for a distorted faith to emerge – yet another ironic twist – the misplaced faith of Muslim extremists, who in the name of faith, are wreaking havoc and murdering innocent people.

Conversely, this also teaches us what we need to do to achieve and maintain success: We need to recognize the Divine hand affecting our lives, and ensure that we actualize our Divine calling in our daily lives.

In the words of Isaiah: Following the call of the “great shofar” comes the second half of the verse and the challenge: Will the call lead us to “come and bow down to G-d on the holy mountain in Jerusalem”? The victory 40 years ago sounded a “call” that touched millions. But, as it is with every inspiration, the challenge is maintaining the inspiration. As the inspiration dissipates we tend to take our miracles and gifts for granted. Will we utilize this awakening to its fullest? Will we act upon it and allow it to change our lives?

Recognizing the Divine hand is also the secret to peace:

True peace between peoples is only possible when there is a fundamental respect for the sanctity of every life and every human being. Self-made people will compete for dominance and superiority. When people feel that they are self made, it is not a far step to abuse the rights of others. But when we accept that “all people were created equal” and by virtue of our Divine souls each of us has unalienable rights, than respect for each other is a given. In G-d we trust creates a firm foundation that allows for coexistence, despite our differences.

Many ideas have been presented suggested to bring peace to the Middle East. One way that has not been explored is the path of faith – healthy faith.

While it is true that we are witness to profound intolerance in the name of faith – both today and over the centuries, yet a similar level of intolerance is practiced by those without faith. Without respect for the sanctity of each and every life, ultimately “self-made” men will follow the “survival of the fittest” dictum. When success is seen as self-made, with mo need to humbly acknowledge a higher presence, how can people ever treat each others as equals? Hence, there will never be permanent peace.

This suggests a third path – neither the path of faithlessness not the path of fanatical faith. Rather the path of a faith in G-d who created all life, thus a faith that dictates the sanctity of every life, Jew, Christian or Muslim, black or white.

In essence, the lack of humble recognition in the Divine miracles ultimately is the greatest cause for the escalation of hostilities. Left on our own, without acknowledging G-d’s gift of life, we will be at each others throats, either in the name of (misplaced) faith or in the name of faithlessness.

Obviously, there are other factors necessary to consider in order to achieve peace in Israel. I am not naively suggesting that faith alone will solve all the deep distrust and animosities. However, the question should be posed the other way: Can peace be achieved without healthy faith? So, in addition to all the other political and diplomatic means being employed, it would be a good idea to introduce the element of humble faith.

Looking back at the events of 1967 and seeing what transpired over the last four decades, perhaps we now have the wisdom and experience to launch a new offensive – one built on humility and appreciation of the miracles in our lives.

Now forty years later, blessed with the insight 40 years bring, the lessons are relevant more than ever as we have witnessed, in retrospect, the consequences of ignoring or denying the Divine hand.

We now can appreciate that we must do everything possible to reintroduce the Higher power behind the script of world events, and especially those in the Middle East

It is never too late. With forty years of accumulative experience, we now can reignite V’hoyo yitoka b’shofar gadol – the call of the “great shofar,” which reaches those “lost in the land of Ashur” and those “banished in the land of Mitzrayim.” And above all – to ensure that this call will cause them all to “come and bow down” not to themselves and their self-made illusions, but “to G-d on the holy mountain in Jerusalem”, and do so not once, but on a permanent basis.

This is the lesson for the summer of 2007: Recognize the great hand of G-d in our lives, and allow His blessings to take hold.

This in turn will open up the channels of blessings, drawing them down into every aspect of our lives.

Leading, finally, to the ultimate blessing: Peace in our lives, in our communities, in the Middle East and in the world at large.

Tags: Israel, ego, terrorism, war, human behavior, Rebbe, Tisha B'Av, psychology, Yom Kippur, faith, Six day war, belief
Posted in Tisha B'Av, Weekly Parsha, Israel, Months & Holidays, Beliefs & Concepts, Bamidbar, Social, Exile, Moshiach & Redemption, Torah, Government, Matot, Massei, Av, Current Events | No Comments »

Balak: The Ultimate Stand

June 29th, 2007

Tags: Jewish nation, Egypt, Rebbe, divine providence, war, freedom, miracles, good and evil, Spirituality, time, jewish survival, holocaust, Soviet Union, Israel, leader
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Israel, Beliefs & Concepts, Personal Life, Modern, Torah Personalities, Bamidbar, Exile, Social, Balak, Torah, Government, Rebbe Rayatz, Rebbe, Personal Stories, Current Events | No Comments »

Shelach: Six-Day War

June 8th, 2007

Fearing the Promised Land

The 40^th anniversary of the miraculous Six-Day War victory (June 1967-2007) corresponds with this week’s Torah portion in which we read about Moses sending scouts to survey and discover the best way to conquer the Promised Land.

And now, just as then, great opportunities were squandered; grave mistakes were made. Then, just as now, a people rose to great heights only to fall into dark depths.

Following their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and the unprecedented Sinai revelation, the Jewish people were ready to enter the Promised Land. The scouts were sent to help pave the way for Israel’s easy conquest. Had they stuck to their mission, they would have facilitated the process and within a few days the Jewish people, led by Moses, would have entered Israel with pride, victory and celebration. The sages tell us, that had Moses entered the Promised Land, the world would have been brought to complete redemption.

Instead, the scouts returned with a terrifying report, “slandering” the land and inciting the entire nation to mutiny, against marching onward into the Promised Land. “We cannot go forward…they are too strong for us,” it is a “land that consumes its inhabitants.”

As a result, instead of a smooth entry, the Jewish people had to wander for forty years in a desolate wilderness – one year for each of the forty days the scouts spent exploring the land with slanderous intent. And the entire nation, including Moses, would end up perishing in the desert, never to enter the long-sought Promised Land.

A tragedy of immense, yes, Biblical, proportions.

Now, over 3200 years later, an uncanny similarity of extremes cannot be ignored. The Six-Day War fought in June 1967 – close to the same time period when the scouts were sent to explore the land (end of the month of Sivan) – marked one of the highest points in modern Jewish history. Twenty-two years after Auschwitz, the fledgling Israel was surrounded from all three sides – Jordan to the East, Egypt to the South and Syria to the North – all determined to drive it into the sea. Mass graves were dug and fear consumed the land; would there be a second holocaust, this time in the Promised Land?

Then in a mere six days, Israel triumphed and tripled in size. The unprecedented victory of a tiny country, the size of New Jersey with a population of under 2 million, over the surrounding Arab countries numbering hundreds of millions, stunned the world. The miracle became the source of unparalleled Jewish euphoria and pride. Religious and secular alike, believers and cynics, could not contain their tears when touching the stones of the newly reclaimed Western Wall.

What happened next remains one of the tragedies of Jewish history. From a state of euphoria, today Israel is embroiled in enormous conflict from within and without. Peace seems as distant as ever. Israelis themselves cannot agree what sort of Israel they want. Israel’s vision – so powerfully celebrated 40 years ago – is now in shambles. Hope has turned into resignation.

What transpired during the last forty years? What mistakes were made following the victory in 1967 that allowed for the never-ending downward spiral that has led to the stalemate in 2007? How was such great victory and pride squandered?

Many answers can be gleaned from studying the events that took place 3318 years ago and their parallels to today’s situation. The mistakes made then by the scouts were meant to be lessons not to be repeated in 1967 and in the forty years hence.

Here are some of the lessons:

G-D’S PROMISE

1) The only right that Jews have to Israel is because G-d granted them the Promised Land.

Why else would several million Jews insist on planting themselves in a small sliver of land surrounded by hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims who don’t want them there?

HOW NOT WHETHER

2) We do not have the power, and were not given the right, to challenge the mission we are charged with. Our role is to figure out how to fulfill our calling, not whether to do so or not.

Jewish leaders then, leaders in 1967 and leaders today have allowed their own subjective perceptions and philosophies – and doubts – to dictate policy whether to hold on to and advance into the Promised Land. Your role as leaders is to explore ways to ensure security and peace; not to question your right to the land.

Before and during the Six-Day War Israeli leaders were questioning whether to proceed forward. The Israeli Defense Minister at the time declared unwillingness to conquer the Old City of Jerusalem, stating “who needs this Vatican city?” The miraculous conquests continued despite the initial opposition of the leaders.

After the war, these same leaders declared a policy of returning “land for peace.” In one of the greatest historical ironies, it was President Nasser of Egypt and the other Arab leaders – humiliated in defeat – that rejected the offer, arguing that taking back land for peace would be a declaration of… defeat.

No one asked for or wanted the Six-Day War. But once it was fought and won, behave like winners not like losers.

[Moses’ scouts refused to enter the land because they feared it would compromise their own deep spirituality. Today the reasons are far different; some actually fear that Israel’s spirituality will compromise their “free” lifestyle. But regardless, both positions, as different as they may be, are rooted in personal agendas overriding the Divine command to enter the Promised Land].

CONFIDENCE

3) In opposition to their ten colleagues, Caleb and Joshua declared

“we must definitely go up and take possession [of the land], we are definitely capable of it;” “the Land through which we passed in our explorations is a very, very good land. If G-d is satisfied with us and brings us to this land… He can surely give it to us. But don’t rebel against G-d. Don’t be afraid…G-d is with us.”

HUMILITY

4) When we are blessed with miracles, we must never ever become arrogant. Blessings must elicit in us humility. Humility enables us to review our own previous positions and perhaps change them, instead of stubbornly holding on to old attitudes. And humility leads to sensitivity, instead of aggression, which is the only sure way to true peace.

VISION

5) Entering and living in the Promised Land is not somebody’s whim or personal desire. It reflects a global vision for life – the Divine promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them the Land of Israel – the Holy Land, a place that would be sanctified and transformed into a spiritual haven. A land that would be a “light unto nations” – “a house of prayer for all people” – illuminating the entire world, serving as an example to all nations, peoples, races and cultures, how to live a life according to the highest spiritual standards. The Holy Land is meant to inspire every man, woman and child on earth to fulfill his or her Divine calling, and civilize his corner of the universe into a home for G-d.

As the prophet Isaiah foretold:

“It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of G-d’s house shall be established on top of the mountains and all the nations shall flow unto it. And [they] shall go and say, let us go up to the mountain of G-d and He will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths, for from Zion shall go forth the Torah; and the word of G-d from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:2-4).

The scouts back then, and the “scouts” entrusted with Israel’s security today must never forget the purpose and mission of the Promised Land.

When leaders are driven by faith, confidence, vision and humility, they combine both fortitude and wisdom to face every challenge that will come our way. No where is this more important than in the hotbed of the Middle-East – a vortex that has been consumed with battles over the last three millennia.

“Leaders” who lack these vital features will waver from doubt to aggression (to compensate for the doubt), to paralysis and more aggression – fluctuating extremes – as  witnessed in the Israeli approach to last year’s Lebanese war. Instead of leadership, we end up at best with “administrators” and “fire-fighters,” offering temporary band-aids for deep rooted wounds.

We cannot turn the clock back to 1967, but we can learn from past mistakes – and from errors made thousands of years – and adopt new policies and approaches, and perhaps finally offer Israel, the Middle East and the entire world the vision it expects and deserves to see emanating from the Holy Land.

Do we have such leaders? And if yes, will they rise to the occasion and make us aware of their presence?

* * *

Question of the Week: How do you anyalyze the events of the Six-Day War and its aftermath?

Tags: Spirituality, Jerusalem, leader, desert, Joshua, scouts, Divine service, Caleb, confidence, humility, Moses, mission, attitude, war, hope, peace, Israel
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Israel, Religion, Beliefs & Concepts, Bamidbar, Shelach, Exile, Social, Spiritual, Torah, Government, Current Events | 4 Comments »

Think Different Part II: On the Nature of Intelligence

May 11th, 2007

Can We Become Smarter?

(Based on Samach-Vav ,Part 23 )

There are twelve days to go in our 49-day journey between Passover and Shavuot, when we recreate the journey of the Jewish people 3319 year ago, as they left Egypt on their way to Sinai. At Sinai we were empowered with the ability to expand our limited channels of human consciousness and access higher states of consciousness, reaching into the collective unconscious and into the Divine Source of all reality.

As we get closer to recreating the Sinai experience during the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, we will now explore, in this second of a two-part article, the two ways that allow us to enter into the collective unconsciousness, as discussed in Samach-Vav. Click here for part I.

Last week we discussed the nature of human intellect: Like water dripping from a faucet, the unconscious mind releases, drop by drop, ideas into the conscious mind.

The question is whether we are simply passive recipients of the output of the dripping valve of insight? Can we facilitate the inspirational process? Can we expand the channels and open the valve wider to access more of the collective unconscious?

Based on the statement in the Ethics of the Fathers, “turn it and turn it for everything is in it,” Samach-Vav explains that there are two primary ways to twist and extract deeper levels of the unconscious and expand the channels of consciousness: The first “turn it” is through exertion. The second and even deeper “turn it” is through humility.

Let us now explore these two methods.

Every mind has a certain defined capacity to understand ideas, comprehend concepts and to process and assimilate information. Each mind has its own unique “personality” – shaped by many factors, including genes, education, social and cultural influences.

In psycho-spiritual terms: Every individual mind receives its own particular flow (unique both in quantity and quality) from the “source of wisdom,” the collective unconscious. For some, ideas flow easily; others are not innovators, but excel at developing pre-existing ideas. Some minds are analytical, others instinctive, some have quick minds, others may be slower but more thorough. We have minds that are, deep, broad, creative, visionary, abstract, theoretical and practical. The list goes on.

But all these distinctions are based on the mind’s natural (and nurtured) capacity. Animals, for instance, don’t have the ability to go beyond their natural, inherent instincts. How about humans?

We have the power to transcend our natural boundaries; to stretch our minds and intellectual horizons, not just quantitatively but qualitatively. We do so through two ways.

The first is exertion. Exertion is the difficult process of straining and pushing the mind beyond its natural limits. As Edison said:

“Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

By exercising your muscles you not only loosen them up, you develop and expand their possibilities. The same with exercising the mind: Through deep concentration and mental strain, you force open and widen the channels that allow more of the unconscious to flow into your consciousness.

Think of the unconscious as a state of being encased inside an impenetrable, rock-like container. The only way in is to apply strong pressure, to break open the “box” and access what is within. Like pressing an olive or a grape, exertion is necessary to force out the juices locked within.

A good mind, with its own natural ability and no extra effort, can only access the stream of knowledge and inspiration which naturally flows from the unconscious source of wisdom, moderated by the “valve” that controls the flow. The best mind will not reach its ultimate potential without exertion. By pushing your mind, in the vigorous effort of struggling with a concept beyond you, studying it from different angles, challenging the idea with questions and counter questions, weighing all the arguments and counter-arguments – by experiencing the deep frustration and chaos in the process of researching a complex problem – all this hard effort stretches the boundaries and expands the channels, opening the valve wider to access the unconscious source of wisdom, allowing in new depths of understanding into your consciousness. The crystallization of a concept is in direct proportion to the amount of exertion applied to comprehend the thought.

We thus have two forms of comprehension: Wisdom that comes naturally without exertion, and wisdom that comes through exertion. Even though both types of understanding are rooted in the unconscious mind, nevertheless they express two different dimensions of the concealed unconscious. An example of the two is the difference between a white-hot coal and a flint stone. The fire in the coal is hidden, but it exists in the coal. All you need to do is fan the coal and the flame will emerge. In a flint stone no physical fire exists. However by striking it with force, you can release its spark. Because the fire in the coal has substance, it also is limited and finite: At some point the coal will burn out. By contrast the flint stone, not having a flame of substance, can be struck again and again and continuously release sparks.

The way to tap the unlimited reservoirs of intellectual energy within the “undefined unconscious” is through pressure and force (as one strikes the flint stone) – the intellectual exertion applied to comprehend the ideas. The deeper the questions and contradictions, all the more refined and clearer is the resulting comprehension. The more intense the challenge and force applied, the more profound are the ideas that come flowing out of the “hidden essence” (“helem ha’atzmi”).

However, as deep as mental exertion may reach, it ultimately has its limits.

A second, more powerful, method to enter into the unconscious and beyond is called humility.

Humility is the process of getting your ego-consciousness out of the way, thus allowing in the higher state of unconsciousness and reaching the ultimate truth.

A fascinating Talmud captures the power of humility in the intellectual pursuit: Three years the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel disputed… Finally a heavenly voice was heard to the effect that both schools expressed the words of the living G-d, but Halacha (the final ruling) prevails according to the school of Hillel. Now if it be true that both schools expressed the words of the living G-d, why should the school of Hillel be thus favored? Because the members of the school of Hillel were modest and patient, and would always repeat the words of the school of Shammai. Moreover, they also always gave the school of Shammai precedence when citing their teachings… From this we learn, that everyone who makes himself humble is raised up by G-d, and one who is arrogant is humbled by G-d. He who pursues greatness, the greatness eludes him, and he who avoids greatness is sought by greatness (Eruvin 13b).

Modesty is a very powerful virtue. But why is it the factor that determines the law? It would seem that the final ruling should follow the scholar with the better arguments and sharper mind, not necessarily the humbler one?

To answer this important question, we must return to the definition of wisdom. What is ultimate wisdom? If true wisdom is only mind based – defined by knowledge and understanding, then of course we would follow the conclusions of the person with the greatest brain power. The true definition of wisdom, however, is something far greater than the mind alone; it is the search for truth. And in the search for truth we need more than a good brain.

How does one find truth? Truth can only be found through objectivity. The greatest mind, biased and subjective, will not find truth.

“Bias blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the tongue of the righteous.”

On the contrary: the better the mind, the more biased it can become, and the better it hides its tracks, creatively finding every argument to justify its biased position.

Humility is the key ingredient to reach an objective result. The school of Shammai may have been brighter, sharper, presenting better arguments. But the school of Hillel was humbler, “modest and patient,” and therefore could be trusted more to arrive at an objective conclusion.

Both schools taught the “words of the living G-d,” as in the name Elokim, both expressed Divine truths and revelations. But only the humbler one was able to reach the Divine Essence.

But didn’t the school of Shammai also exert themselves in their academic pursuits, thus reaching beyond their natural intellectual abilities? Indeed they did. However, exertion produced by human effort, driven by the pleasure of the intellectual pursuit for clarity, will only go as far as the pleasure desires, not more. The revealed wisdom will be in direct proportion to the exertion applied. As a product, after all, of human effort, the exertion can only be a strong as the person himself.

But when the exertion is driven by humility – the profound awe of the Divine that motivates the student to discover the ultimate truth – it is not limited by human effort alone; it actually transforms the student into a channel for a higher wisdom, allowing him to become an extension of higher truth, drawing down entire new dimensions of creativity and wisdom.

Mental exertion alone expands the horizons of wisdom, but it still remains an extension of human effort: It is you, the person, who understands a truth outside of yourself. Exertion out of humility essentially sublimates the student into nothing more than a channel for higher wisdom.

In other words, exertion alone expands our channels of consciousness, and allows us to reach into the unconscious mind – the essential source of wisdom (the hidden “ayin” of chochma). It only has the power to actualize the potential hidden unconscious wisdom, but it cannot create new creative paradigms of revelation. Exertion out of humility reaches into the unconscious essence itself (the essential “ayin” of keter), beyond the “reservoir” of the unconscious mind, allowing you to generate entirely new paradigms of thought.

Humility, and the sensitivity it brings, gets your ego-consciousness out of the way, and allows you to access the most profound truths. It allows you to recognize that

Wisdom is not about you; it’s about the idea. It’s not your truth, but global truth.

True wisdom – the pursuit of truth – is also universal. If it’s true only under certain conditions and not others, then it is not true at all. Wisdom alone, without humility, can be compartmentalized, and thus limiting its ultimate truth. When you get out of the way and access truth, that truth will permeate you entire being – it will not just be preached but also practiced.

When asked how he, as a professor of ethics, could behave unethically, Bertrand Russell once said, “I am also a teacher of mathematics and I am not a triangle.” Academics often take pride in their detachment: “I can be completely knowledgeable of a given topic and it does not affect my behavior.” Contrast this attitude with Maimonides’ words, that a true scholar is recognized in his actions: how he talks, walks, sleeps and does business. A seamless flow between knowledge and behavior.

To have knowledge affect you this way requires bittul – total immersion in the pure waters of knowledge. True knowledge is not about you, it’s not about being smart, it’s about the Divine truth of the knowledge and your humble recognition that you are a transparent channel for this knowledge.

Without humility this level of wisdom – channeling a seamless truth – is impossible to reach. Because the mind, the best mind, is still only a mind, which does not encompass all of existence. Every entity can never free itself from its own boundaries, as Einstein said:

“You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.”

However, through exertion (pushing yourself beyond your conventional boundaries), and even more so through humility, you step outside of yourself, your mind, your ego, your whole being – and once we step out of the problem we can solve it. Or better put, once we get our own egos out of the way through humility, the higher truth will emerge through our beings.

As we prepare to recreate Sinai during the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, we are struck by the fact that their preparation to receive the Torah was not through diligent study. It was through personal refinement.

Why would personal behavior be the ultimate way to prepare to receive the wisdom of Torah? Because ultimate wisdom is about discovering – and experiencing – ultimate truth, and ultimate truth is not about being smart; it’s about being refined – about a truth that encompasses your entire being and transforms your entire person.

Compartmentalized truth can hardly be called truth. Truth in the mind is not a complete truth. Truth is a full experience.

By humbly refining yourself you become a container that can experience Sinai. Indeed, the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai – the lowest of all the surrounding mountains – to teach us that humility is the key to wisdom.

These two elements – exertion and humility – are also hinted to in this week’s Torah portion, always read right before Shavuot:

“If you follow [walk in] My statutes and observe My commandments, and do them, I will provide you with rain at the right time, so that the land will bear its crops and the trees of the field will provide fruit.”

Rashi explains that “follow My statutes” means to toil in the study of Torah, to exert yourself and vigorously “walk” into the inner recesses of wisdom.

“Observe My commandments” refers to the humility in study which brings one to apply the teachings in action, “and do them.”

As we approach Sinai we learn the secret of intelligence from Sinai (“Moses received the Torah from Sinai”): “Turn it and turn it” we are told. We must always “comb” wisdom, never suffice with our natural faculties, but always go beyond ourselves.

The key to intelligence is: “Turn it” – through mental exertion, and “turn it” again through humility.

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Question of the Week: Why do you think many intelligent people don’t correlate their pursuit of wisdom and truth to their own personal behavior?

Tags: Intellect, mind, Divine, humility, bittul, Torah, wisdom, knowledge, absolute truth, personal refinement, consciousness, Intelligence, Divine knowledge, truth
Posted in Shavuot, Soul & Mystical, Months & Holidays, Religion, Personal Life, Spiritual, Torah, Emotions & Psychology, Sivan | 1 Comment »

Think Different Part I: On the Nature of Intelligence

May 4th, 2007

Can We Become Smarter?

We are now in a special 49-day period, recreating the journey of the Jewish people over 3000 years ago, as they left Egypt on their way to Sinai. At Sinai – the greatest event in history – we received the Torah: A blueprint for life, which manifests the Divine wisdom and will, teaching us how to broaden our horizons and unite our lives with the immortal.

In the coming weeks, as we prepare to relive Sinai on the holiday of Shavuot (less than three weeks from now), this column will focus on the nature of intelligence, the nature of the human experience as a whole, and how we can expand its boundaries. This week’s column is the first of a two-part series. [This was originally published as part 22 of a series of essays on the classic discourse called Samach-Vav].

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What is the secret to intelligence? Is it smart genes, hard work, experience, literacy, maturity or something else?

Wisdom is obviously shaped by many factors. It’s not enough, for instance, to be born with a good mind if the mind is not used. Laziness can undermine the benefits of brain power. A weaker mind that exerts itself can surpass a languid brilliant mind.

A mind must also be cultivated and nourished through education and scholarship; sharpened through challenges. Finally, experience is the ultimate teacher.

But, what is the true nature of intelligence? How much is hereditary and how much is acquired? How, exactly, does education and experience affect the mind? And above all: Is there a way to become more intelligent? Can wisdom be nurtured? Study and scholarship broaden your knowledge base quantitatively. But is there a way to qualitatively enhance brain power, to sharpen your mind and think differently, to open the mind’s creative channels?

In discussing the nature of intelligence we also must define what “smart” means. “Book smart” is not the same thing as “street smart.” We find geniuses with the highest IQ’s but no common sense. Conversely, some people are very intuitive and have, what author Daniel Goleman has coined, “emotional intelligence,” though they may be academically challenged. Intelligence, some argue, is also related to language. A great mind will be compromised without adequate tools to express itself. Some people may be highly intelligent yet, due to shyness or even a handicap, their abilities can be severely limited.

Our discussion today concerns balanced intelligence: not extreme in one way or another, but a synthesis of knowledge, methodology and common sense.  We refer to the overall wise man or woman who has a good mix of all the features of intelligence: Information, intuition, brainpower and practicality.

Is there anything we can do to become more intelligent? Not more knowledgeable, which is aquired through reading and scholarship, but the intelligence that tells us how to use our knowledge in productive ways?

To answer to this question requires a review of how the mind works. Where do ideas come from? You’re standing in the shower or strolling down the street, and suddenly an idea pops into your mind. From where did this idea originate?

Try to trace an idea to its source. You’ll come to a dead end. You can never remember the moment before you became conscious of the idea. Why? Because memory can only recall conscious thoughts, not the unconscious state that precedes it.

No wonder ideas are compared to flashing light bulbs. Seemingly out of nowhere, a new idea flashes into your mind like a light bulb bursting on when you flick the switch.

So, where do new ideas come from? What creates these flashes?

Kabbalah maps out the mind in the following fashion: The conscious mind, which consists of three stages: first an idea (chochma), then its development (binah), finally its conclusion (daat), originates from an unconscious state of hidden wisdom. This hidden state – the collective unconscious – is like a reservoir of water, a quantum-like state which contains the potential, and has the power to generate, an infinite amount of wisdom.

The cognitive process, thus, works likes this: The unconscious mind releases, drop by drop, ideas into the conscious mind. An idea, therefore, feels like a flash – a spark released from a larger flame. Our conscious mind feels as though the idea came from nowhere – from “thin air.” In truth, it is being released from a body of unconscious wisdom that contains the potential for infinite ideas, allowing us mere drops from its wide ocean.

In between the unconscious “reservoir” and the “conscious” thoughts a “valve-like” force – a type of filter – regulates the flow from the unlimited source to the limited containers. Should the “faucet” break down and stop controlling the flow of thoughts from the unconscious to the conscious, the conscious mind would become flooded to the point of causing madness. Which explains the thin line between madness and genius: Genius is a “valve” open to capacity, allowing in a steady flow of imagination, bordering on the edge of being flooded. Should the flow intensify just a bit more, the mind would go mad, overwhelmed by the deluge of ideas as they come pouring into the conscious mind without a chance to be absorbed and compartmentalized.

According to this theory of consciousness, the entire concept of human awareness is turned on its head: Ostensibly, one could argue, that madness is being out of touch with reality, while sober consciousness is being in touch. The truth, however, is the other way around: Not only is sanity a limited state of awareness, it actually is a form of blindness. Should we be completely aware of the truths of the collective unconscious we would be unable to contain them. The only way for us to remain intact is through limiting and filtering the flow, allowing us to experience only a drop at a time, like raindrops that fall slowly so that they can be absorbed by the earth, instead of flooding it. Insanity, in a fascinating ironic twist, is actually closer to reality than sanity.

Yet, for us to survive and function “normally” in our defined and narrow world, the essential truth must be suppressed and filtered; our perception must be limited, our vision myopic, lest the pure awareness overload our circuits.

William Blake, who was deeply influenced by the Bible and mysticism, described it well:

“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern.”

However, our perception is not locked in an airtight chamber. We have many reminders that offer us a glimpse into a higher state of being. There are doors and channels that connect us with the hidden unconscious.

Intelligence – and for that matter, the entire human journey – is about recognizing our limited perception and reaching, yearning for transcendence, to expand our horizons, see beyond and experience the infinite.

Intelligence is not merely the ability to understand that which is obvious – that does not require any special level of wisdom. Rather, intelligence is defined by its capacity to recognize and perceive that which is invisible to the naked eye, to go beyond the doors of perception and access the inner states of reality, to expand and broaden the channels (“valve”) that connect the unconscious and the conscious.

Someone born with natural intelligence has broad containers and an “open faucet,” that allows in an ample flow of ideas and creativity. (Obviously, there are many variations of intelligence; a wide array of “smarts”). But, even a great mind, deprived of effort and nourishment, will stagnate and atrophy. A mind must be fed – with knowledge, education and inspiration. A mind must be exercised – challenged, pushed and cajoled.

So how do we open or expand these channels? How can we reach deeper into the subterranean caverns of the unconscious and draw its power into our consciousness?

The most obvious way, most of us would reply, is through education and scholarship. By acquiring knowledge, through reading, listening, probing, we expand our minds and broaden our horizons.

However, upon further thought, is this really true? Acquiring new information, even profound and radical ideas, only expands our minds quantitatively. Our consciousness has not shifted to another dimension of understanding. We begin our lives with a very limited scope; as we integrate more information, our perspectives broaden. Qualitatively, however, nothing has necessarily really changed. Our perception may still be just as limited, albeit wider but not deeper.

What allows some people to actually “think out of the box” and discover a qualitative paradigm shift – new dimensions of experience? How do we become lateral thinkers instead of vertical ones? Solving a problem requires stepping outside of the problem, as Einstein said, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created” (or “the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them”). But how do we step outside of the problem, when we (and our existence) are so much part of it?

How do we access our imagination, which is “more important than knowledge” (as Einstein also said)?

Based on the statement in the Ethics of the Fathers, “turn it and turn it for everything is in it,” Samach-Vav explains that there are two primary ways to “turn it” (hence the double “turn it and turn it”) – to twist and extract deeper levels of the unconscious and expand the channels of consciousness:

The first “turn it” is through exertion. The second and even deeper “turn it” is through humility.

Next week, in part two of this essay, we will discuss the nature of these two methods.

Read Think Different: Part II

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Question of the Week: How is it possible to “think out of the box” when we are all “in the box?” Have you ever met anyone that actually “thinks out of the box,” or is it a nice cliche?

Tags: education, perception, self-improvement, consciousness, Intelligence, kabbalah, Intellect, self-discovery, journey, mind, absolute truth, Samech Vov
Posted in Shavuot, Soul & Mystical, Personal Life, Social, Spiritual, Torah, Emotions & Psychology, Education | 14 Comments »

Tazria-Metzora: Greater Expectations

April 20th, 2007

Beyond the Usual Suspects

— Samach-Vav Part 21 —

With distressing news shaking up the world – senseless murders at Virginia Tech, bottomless quagmires in Iraq, endless pain wherever you look – we sure could use a respite. Just in time – Samach-Vav comes to the rescue.

Samach-Vav is the fundamental series of mystical – Kabblistic/Chassidic – discourses delivered one hundred years ago (1906-1908) by the Rebbe RaShaB (Rabbi Sholom Dovber – 1860-1920). This column has been following the progression of this series, with analysis and discussion (click here for the previous installments of the series).

Now, after a six-month break, in which the Rebbe Rashab spent time in Wurzberg, Germany, this week one century ago he resumed this 61-part classic, with his 49^th discourse, addressing the… cosmic comb.

Well, as expected, everybody is weighing in on the latest tragedy coming out of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia.

I, for one, will rely on the flood of commentary deluging us via all possible mediums – some more worthy than others, everyone identifying different culprits, analyzing the current state of affairs, searching for the causes that allow for tragedies like this.

One article that stands out amidst them all is David Brooks’ “The Morality Line” in today’s New York Times. Brooks points out how individual choices have been replaced with a complex series of biological, chemical and social causes, effectively reducing the scope of the individual to:

“A cork bobbing on the currents of giant forces: evolution, brain chemistry, stress and upbringing.”

Instead of personal responsibility we now have – as scientists, psychologists and social experts explain – many background forces at work.

It seems that as time passes we are finding better and more sophisticated ways to lower expectations of our selves and each other. We have developed an entire slew of “reasons” – which are really just camouflaged excuses – for our behavior: Chemicals, natural selection, environment, television, President Bush, Ann Coulter, Hillary Clinton, Noam Chomsky, and of course… Don Imus. (Feel free to add your own culprits).

Did anyone ever consider that the greatest cause for our lower expectations is… lower expectations? The mere fact that we keep lowering the bar of what we expect of the human race is causing us to feel less responsible and less accountable. The lower we drop the bar of expectation the less we will actually expect of each other.

While the pundits debate these issues and search for the “usual suspects”, I am tugged by my commitment to Samach-Vav. The Rebbe Rashab, one hundred years ago this week, beckons us to rise to a greater place.

And yes, he does have expectations – great expectations of us.

Indeed, the entire Torah – and its journey though history – is one grand document celebrating the majestic journey of the human spirit.

And what does the Rebbe Rashab have to tell us this week?

In the discourse he delivered 100 years ago this week the Rebbe Rashab continues where he left off, by elaborating on the central theme of the entire series: The enormous power unleashed by the struggles of life. How we move worlds and define destiny – our own and the universe’s – through our self-generated effort and personal choices. How our individual difficulties and descent into the depths become springboards to reach the most glorious spiritual heights.

More specifically, the Rebbe Rashab discusses the strenuous process of sifting through confusion to achieve a state of clarity. This process begins on the cognitive level, and then extends into the personal domain.

This week’s discourse focuses on a cryptic Talmudic passage (Rosh Hashana 26b): The rabbis did not know the meaning of the word Salseleho in the verse (Proverbs 4:8) “Salseleho u’teromemecho (and she will exalt you).” One day they heard Rav’s maidservant say to a certain man who was playing with his hair, “How long will you be mesalsel (comb) your hair?”

Explains Samach-Vav that according to the Talmud the verse refers to the study of the oral Torah, which is compared to combing hair: The exertion necessary in understanding the depths of the oral Torah is like combing hair, untangling each strand, separating them from one another and ensuring that each lies in its proper place.

The Torah comes to teach us the secrets of existence and serves as a blueprint for life. However, these laws remain obscure and unknown, until we exert ourselves in the strenuous process of excavating the Torah’s wisdom to discover its message. The hair represents the wisdom of Torah, as it is ostensibly understood. Combing the hair is the challenging process to analyze a Torah idea from all angles, “turn it and turn it” in all directions, questions, counter questions, arguments and counter-arguments – all in an exerted effort to untangle the contradictions, organize and categorize the ideas, and finally reach the ultimate clarity.

The analogy of hair is used in order to explain the paradox of the unconscious mind – which emerges through the mental exertion necessary in plumbing the depths of the oral Torah. The unconscious is rooted in the highest dimensions, but manifests (precisely because it carries such potency) in “thin strands” (i.e. in a limited way) as it descends into the depths of existence. The oral Torah is like the strands of hair which originate from the cosmic “skull” (unconscious) and addresses the way we should conduct our lives on earth. But the only way to access the unconscious is through “combing” through the hair strands and untangling the mess until you achieve a higher clarity. Because the Torah’s message is concealed in a confused world, this arduous “combing process” accesses the “skull” itself – the essential “ayin” (nothingness) of the supra-conscious, which is higher than the conscious and revealed wisdom of the hair strands. (1) [If you didn’t understand the last paragraph, don’t worry; you’re not alone. But it won’t stop you from following the rest of this article].

Now that was a mouthful. But one thing is certain, whether we comprehend Samach-Vav fully or not: Much is expected from us humans. We carry great potential and despite our entanglements in a fragmented and tortured universe, we have the ability to comb our way through it all and reach unimaginable heights.

…

But then, we are drawn back to immediate events, and to all the naysayers discouraging us from great expectations. “You are merely another speck of evolved bacteria, wired to crawl your way through life and competing to survive. You want to dream, you want to believe, you want to imagine that you have free will – go ahead and indulge yourself; these fantasies may even serve a role in natural selection. But it’s all been pre-determined. Blah, blah, blah.” Thus speaks many a contemporary thinker.

…

But just when you are about to give up, just when you get carried away by the moment, seduced by the distractions of the here and now, Samach-Vav yanks you right back and tells you: Start combing the hairs of wisdom. Immerse yourself in the embrace of scholarship – turn and turn, exert yourself and find the deeper truths, comb her strands and she will lift you to great heights.

Instead of looking for scapegoats to blame our actions on and lowering expectations of ourselves and each other, we must remember what we are capable of.

The true story behind Virginia Tech is not the spineless, depraved mind of the 23-year old gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, but the selfless heroism of 75-year old Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor who was killed blocking his classroom door with his body while his students fled to safety… Professor Librescu’s courage embodies the highest standard of human behavior.

Yes indeed, the cause for our lower expectations is lower expectations. Like a self-defeating prophecy spiraling downward in a vicious cycle, the less we expect the less we will deliver. Where will it end? How little do we need to expect of each other before we discover that we have lost all semblance of personal dignity?

Conversely, the more we expect of ourselves, our children, our students – the more will live up to the expectations. The actual expectation motivates us to rise to the occasion, to dig deeper and plumb the reservoirs of our rich resources.

Try it out. Expect the most of yourself and others, and even if we won’t always live up to it, we will achieve far more than when we expect less. (Needless to say, expectations must be realistic for them to work, but it still may be better to err on the side of greater rather than lesser expectations. Especially since we can never know the depths of our potential).

Samach-Vav carries us – if only we allow ourselves – on its wide wings to places hitherto unknown, to unimaginable heights.

As you immerse in the spiritual power of the discourse, it allows you to soar above the din and the pain. And when you return to earth, you are never the same. No longer can you dismiss human choices simply to deterministic forces shaping our destinies. We no longer are reduced to mere computer programs playing out a pre-written script. We can never again search for the usual suspects to blame our actions on.

Above all, free will remains the ultimate expression of human dignity.

Obviously, there are people and situations in which factors out of our control can affect human behavior. We must always be sensitive and empathetic in such situations. But this cannot be used to undermine human dignity: The power to shape our destinies. Each of us has our limitations, but it never impedes our free will.

So, here’s a toast to Samach-Vav. The year 1907 (5767) – one century ago – was not an easy one. Times then were far harsher than today. Senseless violence was ravaging the land. Yet, despite the burning fires all around, the Rebbe Rashab, the true leader that he was, transcended immediate circumstances and actually used the difficulties to propel him and all his students to the greatest heights of human dignity. The ultimate test of human resilience and personal dignity is when we are faced with adversary.

One century later, Samach-Vav remains a monumental testimony to the power of the human spirit, not to speak of its enormous contributions to understanding life and our relationship with G-d.

And in the process it lifts us all up – helping us live up to the highest standards, to be the best we can be, to expect the most of ourselves and others.

Our role is to not be distracted by the endless knots of life and comb for clues in our search for the deeper unity that lies behind all the fragmentation.

Next time you go to the hair stylist think about the metaphor of life playing atop your scalp. Every stroke of the brush, every wave of the comb, every knot untangled, is another step in the difficult process to unravel the messy forces of life, to resolve the doubts, clear the blocked paths and illuminate the dark passages – and discover seamlessness, as smooth as the freshly brushed hairdo.

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(1) According to this, the Rebbe Rashab explains a fascinating Talmudic query about the nature of hair growth (Nazir 39a): Does hair grow at the roots or at the tips? The Talmud concludes that from the way hair grows after it is dyed we can infer that hair grows at the roots. Explains Samach-Vav that the Talmud’s dilemma is about the primary cause for the growth and expression of knowledge: Do the “strands” of conscious knowledge originate in the unconscious “skull” or in the conscious mind? And the conclusion is the former. Because the power to draw energy down to the lowest levels (through the hair strands) comes from the highest levels of the unconscious.

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Question of the Week: How much are we humans truly capable of? Do we over or underestimate our potential? And why?

Tags: Torah, expectations, Life's Challenges, free will, Rebbe Rashab, responsibility
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Soul & Mystical, Beliefs & Concepts, Vayikra, Torah Personalities, Tazria, Personal Life, Free Choice, Modern, Metzora, Spiritual, Rebbe Rashab, Torah, Emotions & Psychology | 6 Comments »

15 Ways to Invigorate Your Seder

March 30th, 2007

Passover, perhaps like no other holiday, captures the diverse spectrum of religious and spiritual experience, from one extreme to the next.

For the most observant, the Passover Seder is a solemn time, heavily filled with rules and regulations, rich with layers of customs and meanings, to be followed to the tee with all the stringency of Passover law.

For many the Seder is not quite as intense. Rather it is a nice, nostalgic experience. A time to get together with family and friends. A time to remember history and celebrate our heritage.

For others the Seder is at best a nuisance and at worst an imposition. Some wonder what are all these traditions all about; others are skeptical as to their contemporary relevance; yet others are apathetic to the whole demonstration, which doesn’t carry much significance in their lives; finally, there are those for whom the entire holiday experience is an unhealthy facade concealing an otherwise dysfunctional family life.

For many others it’s something in between: A night of tradition, which at times offers some inspiration, but at other times seems hollow and mechanical.

But is there anything more than all the above that makes “this night different than all other nights of the year?”

However you twist it, the Seder nowadays seems to be lacking a vitality that should make it indispensable to our lives. Even those that follow every nuance of the Seder tradition, can appear to be doing so by rote.

After 3319 years since the initial exodus from Egypt, our greatest challenge today is to make the Passover Seder relevant to our lives.

To address this compelling dilemma, this column has attempted to plumb the rich spiritual resources of Torah thought which personalize the Seder experience, rendering it into a powerful psychological/spiritual journey into our own hearts and souls – a Seder experience as it was always meant to be.

In previous years we have discussed the personal significance in The Four Cups of Wine.

The heart of the Seder, from beginning to end, is comprised of fifteen steps – each another stage in the process of personal and global redemption which is the essence of Passover – as defined in detail in The Fifteen Steps of the Seder.

To make these 15 steps even more palatable, below is an exercise that can help bring the Passover Seder alive.

Remember: Passover in one word is transcendence – the power to free ourselves from all forms of constraints that inhibit and constrict our lives. The fifteen steps of the Seder – which recreates the Exodus from slavery to freedom – teaches us that transcendence is achieved through fifteen stages, each reflecting a “personality type” which imparts one piece of the Passover transcendence story. Together, all fifteen parts weave a beautiful tapestry, leading us to personal freedom and universal emancipation.

EXERCISE:

Before the Seder begins, each attendee should choose one of the “personality types” listed below corresponding to the fifteen Seder steps. When your respective stage in the Seder comes around, communicate to the group the “personality type” you have chosen to portray.
Be creative and find ways to express your “personality” – role-play, tell a story, or act out the part. Engage the group and invite them to comment – and together, personalize the fifteen steps and bring the Seder alive.

(If you have less than fifteen Seder attendees, each person can play more than one role. If you have more attendees, more than one person can play one personality type.)

1.      Kadesh: The Sanctifier: Distinguishes between the holy and the mundane.

2.      U’rchatz: The Cleaner: Cleanses the mind, body and heart of clutter and distractions in life.

3.      Karpas: The Dipper: Dips and sublimates the material (vegetable) in the saltwater/tears that come from remembering a more spiritual state.

4.      Yachatz: The Breaker: Breaks his subjective self to see a broader perspective.

5.      Maggid: The Storyteller: Relates the story of life, in dialogue form.

6.      Rachtzah: The Washer: Submerges the mind, body and soul, as a prelude to the next steps.

7.      Motzi: The Earthy One: Blesses and recognizes that even things earthy (bread) are heavenly.

8.      Matzah: The Selfless One: Does not allow the ego (dough) to rise and always remains selfless.

9.      Maror: The Empathizer: Feels another’s bitterness and pain.

10.  Korech: The Binder: Sandwiches selflessness and empathy (steps 8-9) into one experience called life.

11.  Shulchan Orech: The Implementer: Sets the table and ensures that that we have all the tools to eat the “meal” of life.

12.  Tzafun: The Knower of Secrets: Reveals that which is hidden – the unconscious.

13.  Beirach: The Gracious One: Blesses and acknowledges life’s gifts.

14.  Hallel: The Praiser: Sings praise and places complete trust in G-d’s hands.

15.  Nirtzah: The Acceptor: Not action – but complete surrender to being accepted and received by G-d.

For more information on these personality types, go to The_Original_Fifteen_Step_Program.

Tags: psycho-spiritual journey, seder
Posted in Months & Holidays, Passover, Torah, Nisan | 2 Comments »

Vayakhel-Pekudei: Faith at Harvard

March 16th, 2007

The Cathedral in Cambridge and the Sanctuary in Jerusalem

Harvard University recently issued a new proposed Core Curriculum, outlining a fresh set of guidelines defining the requirements for undergraduate studies.

Harvard’s new curriculum establishes eight primary subject areas that all students will have to take: Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding; Culture and Belief; Empirical Reasoning; Ethical Reasoning; Science of Living Systems; Science of the Physical Universe; Societies of the World; and the United States in the World.

The nation’s most famous university’s new plan – which is expected to be formally approved by the faculty before they become binding in May, and won’t go into effect before September 2009 – replaces the previous seven categories: Foreign Cultures; Historical Study; Literature and Arts; Moral Reasoning; Quantitative Reasoning; Science; and Social Analysis.

As can be surmised, the most controversial category of all was around what was finally called “culture and belief.” Last October, when Harvard’s Task Force on General Education first issued its preliminary proposal, the committee initially proposed mandating the study of “reason and faith.”

Louis Menand, co-chair of the six-professor committee and Bass Professor of English, explained the importance of adding this requirement. “Religion turns out to be an enormously important phenomenon in the world, which 30 or 40 years ago we didn’t think we had to deal with.” Menand added that religion is often easy to disparage in a secular environment and that courses on religion were seen as “esoteric” in his earlier days in the academy.

While some considered it bold to add “faith and reason” and a few suggested that it is a return to Harvard’s religious heritage, let’s not get too excited about the university shedding its secular culture.

“Religion is realpolitik, both nationally and internationally,” the report said. “By providing [students] with a fuller understanding of both local and global issues involving religious faith, the courses are intended to help students become more informed and reflective citizens.”

Even supporters of the proposal to add “faith and reason” to the core curriculum did so more out of practical concerns than out of acknowledging the value of faith. “Some may want to throw up their hands and wish religion would simply disappear as it was supposed to with the onslaught of modernity,” Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society Diana L. Eck wrote in support of the proposal, “But realpolitik dictates otherwise.” Roger G. Waite wrote in the Harvard Salient that, that while this may not be Eck’s view, it seems that many in the faculty see religion more as a stain on modernity too large to be ignored than as a part of the fabric of humanity.

So instead of the rich intellectual heritage of great thinkers like Augustine and Aquinas who tried to reconcile reason with revealed religion, the Harvard report suggested that “faith and reason” include topics such as “Wars of Religion,” “Medicine, Spirituality, and Religion in America,” “Religion and Society in Nigeria, “Why Americans Love God and Europeans Don’t” and “Darwin Seminar: Evolution and Religion.”

But this too was unacceptable to other faculty members, primarily from the science department, who sharply criticized the inclusion of “faith and reason.”

Psychology professor Steven Pinker rejected it on the grounds that “the juxtaposition of the two words makes it sound like ‘faith’ and ‘reason’ are parallel and equivalent ways of knowing. But universities are about reason, pure and simple. There is an enormous constituency of people who would hold that faith and reason are two routes to knowledge. It is a mistake to affirm that. It’s like having a requirement in ‘Astronomy & Astrology.’ They’re not comparable topics.”

Though 71% of incoming Harvard students say they attend religious services and many already elect to study religion, the committee gave in, ultimately substituting “faith and reason” with “culture and belief.”

As the wise men at Harvard debate the significance of faith and religion, and scholars over the world either attempt to cut G-d out of the picture entirely or at best, try to fit G-d into their molds – our weekly Torah portion tells us how Moses and the Jewish people carved out a piece of the material world and shaped it to fit G-d’s mold – they built the holy Sanctuary, thereby transforming the material universe into a home for G-d – “build me a holy place and I will dwell among you.”

As we read the narrative in this week’s Torah chapter about the construction of the Sanctuary, one unusual reiteration stands out: The verse repeats the words “as G-d commanded Moses” eighteen different times!

Indeed, the Talmud explains that this one of the reasons for the eighteen blessings in the Amidah Prayer (Shemonah Esrei) – corresponding to the eighteen repetitions in this chapter (Yerushalmi Berochot 4:3).

Why does the Torah have to repeat the phrase eighteen times? Why would we think that the Temple was not being built according to G-d’s command that we need to be reminded eighteen times that it was? And what deeper connection is there to the Amidah prayer, besides the seemingly incidental number eighteen?

Building the Temple is the purpose of existence: To create a Divine home out of this material world. The entire point of life, according to the Torah, is to spiritualize matter; to sanctify our activities and turn them it into channels of Divine expression.

But this work is not as easy as it sounds. We live in an agnostic universe, a world which conceals its inner nature. It takes much effort to “dig” beneath the surface and recognize the forces within that sustain existence. Our material world cultivates self-interest, which lead, at their worst, to greed, corruption and all human vice and injustice.

Thus, the desperate need to ensure, at every turn, that every detail of the Temple was being built according to the Divine plan. Though G-d had already spelled out the instructions how to build the Temple, now when it came to implementing it in real time in the real world, a new reality check was necessary, to assure that the material structure would be completely aligned with the Divine blueprint.

One could think that living in the material world we have no choice but to compromise our spiritual integrity somewhat. As the Psalmist says:

“The heaven’s are G-d’s heavens, but the earth He gave to man” (Psalms 115:16).

It’s one thing to build a Temple in heaven, but down here on earth, that is the domain of man.

Whether it is Rome or Cambridge, Athens or Oxford, history is witness to academia’s attempts to take control of the earthly domain and even at time of the heavenly one. [By no means is this effort limited to academics; warriors, monarchs, empires and “leaders” of all sorts have endeavored to dominate over earth and heaven as well]. However in all of sciences’ attempts to understand or deny G-d, one thing is always glaringly missing: The courage of humility – to acknowledge the possibility, just the possibility, that perhaps they have it wrong: It’s not that G-d has to fit into our models, but the other way around. If G-d is the entirety of reality, doesn’t it make sense that we, who are small parts of the “whole” cannot dictate the terms of the “whole;” the whole defines its parts, not vice versa.

Evolutionary thinkers are spreading their arrogant gospel and trying to explain why people believe in G-d. Based on the so-called laws of “natural selection” why is it necessary for the survival of the species that humans developed faith? Did anyone consider that perhaps people have faith because G-d actually exists?…

Reality is reality. Period. First comes reality, then comes us. And we have to figure out how we fit into “reality,” not try to “package” reality – or ignore it – into our confined straits.

That’s where Abraham, Moses and so many other great minds surpassed the professors and the scientists. They came to understand, yes understand, that “the ultimate of knowledge is knowing that we don’t know” – to know the unknowable, to surrender our limited faculties to a far higher state of being.

This fusion of the finite and the infinite was consummated with the building of the Temple. “Heavens and heavens of heavens cannot contain You, but this building [the Temple] can indeed contain” the Divine. And this empowered us all to transform our corner of the universe into a Divine abode.

But one thing is necessary to successful achieve this fusion – a continuous alignment of your endeavors to your higher calling; to ensure that the entire spectrum of your activities – which break down into eighteen (“chai” for life) different components of life – are linked with “as G-d commanded Moses.”

With all our reminders and signposts, it’s never enough to remind ourselves that we must always connect our actions – even when we are building a holy Temple – with the Divine (see Tanchuma 11). If this is true about building a Temple for G-d, how much more so when we are immersed in our material lives – how vital it is that we are vigilant to ensure that we are aligned with the Divine plan.

One primary way that we create this connection is through prayer, which is equated with the service in the Temple. Three times every day we therefore rise up and stand humbly before G-d in the Amidah service, reciting the eighteen prayers, each aligning another aspect of our diverse lives, with G-d’s plan for us (“as G-d commanded Moses”).

From the beginning of time till this very day, from the banks of the Euphrates to the woods of Boston, from Rome to Jerusalem, we have always been faced with the big question:

Are we attempting to confine the spirit in our limited containers; or are we transforming our material universe into a Divine Temple?

Are we humans trying to create a G-d in our own image, or are we trying to uncover the Divine Image in which we were created?

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Tags: science, education, school, Vayakhel-Pekudei, eighteen
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