Mikeitz: Joseph's Treasure – The Refinement Process Begins

December 13th, 2001

There was famine in all the lands… the hunger spread over the entire area…all countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain; because the famine was so severe in all the earth
– This week’s portion, Genesis 41:54-57

Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt. And Jacob said to his sons: ‘Why should you display yourselves?’ Why are you showing off before the children of Ishmael and the children of Esau and giving the impression that you are sated, for at that time they still had food (Rashi). I have heard that there are provisions in Egypt, descend there and buy food. Let us live and not die
– Ibid 42:1

Joseph gathered all the silver and gold of the world and brought it to Egypt… when Israel ascended from Egypt they ascended with it [the treasures]. It remained with them until Rechovom son of [King] Solomon. Sishak King of Egypt seized it from Rechovom… Zorach King of Kush seized it from Shishak, Assa seized it from Zorach and appropriated it to Hadrimon son of Tabarimon. The children of Amon seized it from Hadrimon, Yehoshofat seized it from Amon and it remained stored until Ochoz. Sancheriv seized it from Ochoz, Chezikoyohu seized it from Sancheriv and it remained stored until Tzidkiyohu, the Chashdaim seized it from Tzidkiyohu, the Persians seized it from the Chashdaim, the Greeks seized it from the Persians, the Romans seized it from the Greeks. And it still remains stored in Rome
– Talmud Pesachim 119b

And so the war continues. Caves in Afghanistan are being bombed. Suicide bombers continue their unholy work in the streets of Israel. Anthrax in America still remains a mystery. A chilling videotape just released captures the incomprehensible demonic faith of these religious fanatics, how truly foreign they are from us and the difficulty we face without any frame of reference.

As much as we try – some more successful than others – to return to our normal lives, the shadow of the unknown hangs over us. Will there be another terrorist attack G-d forbid? What will happen when America goes into the next stage of this war? Will Iraq be next? How will the Muslim world react to America as the war escalates? The questions go on and on. If you’re a thinking person, and who can afford not to be one today, you are aware now more than ever before in your life that what we don’t know far outweighs what we do know.

Hence, a profound uncertainty that has to haunt every investment, every move, every choice that we and people around us make.

I have not found better recourse today than to turn to the Bible. For the last 14 weeks since September 11, I have been writing a running commentary paralleling the events of our times with their Biblical roots. The uncanny relevance of the weekly Torah chapters with current events is consistently amazing.

So back we go to the videotape. Back we go to the unfolding saga in these weekly Torah portions that outline for us in graphic detail the seeds of today’s events and what we can do about them in our personal and political lives.

Where is the story holding in this week’s Torah portion?

There is no peace in the world. Jacob and Esau have parted ways because they cannot yet live in peace (see previous article, The Big Confrontation). There is no peace at home. Jacob’s family is torn apart by his sons selling their brother Joseph into slavery.

G-dliness is hidden in the world and is restlessly awaiting to be revealed. The world is therefore trembling. The G-dliness that Abraham began revealing into the universe is slowly taking hold, but Jacob is right in recognizing that much work still needs to be done in refining the world and making it a comfortable home for G-d. Meanwhile Jacob suffers as his family is torn asunder with Joseph’s disappearance. Microcosm/macrocosm: The battle without is reflected in the battle within. We must first refine and reconcile the warring factions within our family and our psyche, before we can begin to do so in the world around us (see last week’s article).

But therein lies also the remedy and cure. In the strangest of ways, the selling of Joseph begins the healing and refinement process.

What happens next?

After Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, he ends up in prison in Egypt (last week’s portion). This week’s portion begins: “At the end of two years, Pharaoh dreams.” These dreams free Joseph from prison as he is summoned to interpret them. He interprets them as foretelling the great 7 year famine that would follow 7 years of plenty, and he suggests that Egypt hoard food during the first 7 years that would serve them during the upcoming famine. Pharaoh in turn appoints him viceroy of Egypt, second in command only to Pharaoh. Joseph heads the effort of gathering all the grain during the plentiful years, which allows Egypt to subsequently become the dominant superpower as the surrounding countries become dependent on Egypt for their sustenance, and they expend all their money and valuables in the purchase of food during the famine.

What is the story behind all this?

Joseph son of Jacob is the one who begins the work of refining the material world, the birur of Esau. [This explains why upon Joseph’s birth Jacob is ready to return and encounter Esau (Genesis 30:25 and Rashi), because Joseph has the power to begin Esau’s refinement]. In Kabbalistic and Chassidic terminology: Jacob’s power in the Divine world of Atzilut (world of unity) is carried by Joseph into the lower divisive worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah.

And this work begins in Egypt, with Joseph’s ascent to power and leadership.

To better understand this, let us return to Abraham, great grandfather of Joseph. You may recall (and if you don’t please see previous article Abraham’s Vision) Abraham’s vision about the events to come. Abraham was told that his “descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs for 400 years” and they will ultimately leave “with great wealth.” He is shown the future great empires that would control and terrorize the world, each in their own way: the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman and Ishmaelite empires.

These empires represent the different stages of refinement (birur) that we achieve throughout the generations. Everything in our material existence contains Divine ‘sparks,’ i.e. spiritual energy, and we are charged with the mission to redeem and elevate these sparks, and thereby refine the material universe and transform it into its true purpose: a vehicle for spiritual expression.

Beginning with the enslavement by the Egyptian empire – the archetype and root (‘head’) of all the exiles and empires – each subsequent empire symbolizes another stage of refinement in integrating G-dliness into the material world. The process concludes with the refinement of the last two powers, Edom (Esau) and Ishmael, which leads to the Messianic age – a world where there is no more destruction and terror and all children of Abraham serve the One G-d of Abraham in peace and harmony.

With Joseph’s descent into Egypt Abraham’s vision begins to be realized. Joseph’s work of gathering and selling grain – the most valuable commodity of its time – represents the work of refining Egypt and the world at the time, by gathering all the wealth and elevating it. This prepares the ground for the next generation of Abraham’s descendants to do their hard labor under Egyptian enslavement of actually refining the land and leaving with great wealth – taking with them all the wealth that Joseph accumulated during his tenure as leader and more.

202 divine sparks were refined and elevated during the Egyptian bondage. As the archetype of all exiles to come, this 202 refinement process empowers all generations to come to endure, prevail and elevate their respective sparks in their respective time, under each of the world empires to come.

Because the stakes are so high and the work so difficult, much preparation is necessary to launch the effort of reconciling G-d and the material universe – integrating matter and spirit, Esau and Jacob – the work begins internally in Jacob’s home and family.

Jacob and Esau embody the war between two nations, two global forces that would be in a perpetual conflict. Jacob realizes this and understands the need to do the work slowly, at the right pace.

Everything that happened to Jacob happened to [his son] Joseph. Just as his father Jacob had to build his family in corrupt Charan by Laban before he was ready to encounter his brother Esau, so too Joseph built his family in Egypt before encountering his brothers who sold him into slavery.

In order to facilitate the refinement of the Divine sparks within Edom (Esau), and to start the reconciliation process between earth and heaven, matter and spirit, Jacob does his work as a shepherd in Charan and builds his family there. Then he is ready to face Esau.

But even after he reconciles with Esau, the work just begins. Joseph is the one that begins the real work. He is sold into slavery, and the rift between him and his brothers must be repaired.

This is the inside story of Joseph and his brother in these weeks Torah portions.

The refinement process begins with Joseph’s work in Egypt. Abraham’s vision is beginning to be fulfilled — his children would be enslaved in a foreign land not theirs. But no one expected that it would happen this way — brothers selling their own flesh and blood. Yet, when you think about it, it couldn’t have happened any other way. As discussed in last week’s article, problems in the world reflect problems at home and vice versa. Just as the repair has to come from within the family so to does the fracture. Had the brothers not sold Joseph he would never have ended up in Egypt. Had he not ended up in Egypt, Jacob and his family would not have been saved from the great famine. Had they not gone down to Egypt the Jewish nation would not have been born, the Torah not given, etc.

So the selling of Joseph, as reprehensible as it was, is actually the beginning of salvation and redemption. The brothers sincere intention was to rid the world of a mutiny that would fracture and destroy the world; they considered Joseph’s usurp as a challenge against the very essence of transforming the world into a G-dly home (see last week’s essay). Though their timing was off and Joseph needed to become leader before Judah would, they ultimately achieved the goal, albeit in the most painful way: By selling Joseph he ends up becoming not only a leader over them but a leader of the world. And he is in the position to influence and elevate the world.

Joseph’s leadership sets the tone and gives direction for the work to come in refining the wealth of sparks in Egypt, and is empowers the next generation to endure and ultimately refine the land of Egypt, and then leave with great wealth as promised to Abraham.

This in turn imbues the generations to come with the fortitude they would need to grow through their trials and tribulations.

No peace at home. No peace in the world. Treasures abound beneath the surface.

That was then.

Today, after all the thousands of years of work in refining the world, this final confrontation between Ishmael and Esau will free the treasures stored for the last 2000 years in Rome, descendant of Esau, which originated with Joseph 3533 years ago when he came to power in Egypt and began accumulating the wealth of divine sparks, the wealth that the Jewish people left with during their Exodus from Egypt.

Today we will reap the fruit of all the hard years of work, as the prophet Micha says, “as in the days when you left Egypt, I will show you wonders.” Wonders and great treasures held secure and protected for the day when we are worthy of receiving them.

We must ask ourselves today: Are we doing all we can to earn these treasures back?

Tags: empowerment, personal refinement, Joseph, leadership, treasure, sparks, self-development, matter and spirit
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Toldot: The Plot Thickens – Jacob & Esau: Two Nations

November 15th, 2001

The Next Generation

Just when you thought that the story of Ishmael is over…

He returns for a curtain call.

This week’s Torah portion concludes with Esau, elder son of Isaac, marrying the daughter of Ishmael, Machlat.

Hmmm, what does that do to the gene pool, and what are its effects today?

But let’s not jump ahead of ourselves.

Following the chronicles of Ishmael’s life at the end of last week’s portion, today’s Torah portion begins with the chronicles of Isaac: “And these are the chronicles of Isaac son of Abraham…” the story of Esau and Jacob, children of Isaac and Rebecca.

“And (these are the chronicles)” emphasizes that the chronicles of Isaac are not a separate story but an extension and continuation of Ishmael’s chronicles. In other words, the story of Ishmael and his children continues with Esau and Jacob.

What is the story of Esau and Jacob?

The Torah tells us, that Rebecca’s pregnancy was a difficult one. “The children clashed inside her.” Confused she asks of G-d: “Why is this happening to me?” G-d’s reply: “Two nations are in your womb. Two governments will separate from inside you. The upper hand will go from one nation to the other. The greater one will serve the younger.”

The twins Esau and Jacob are born – the father of these two nations. Esau is the elder of the two. The brothers are diametrically different characters. Esau is a “skilled hunter, a man of the field.” “Jacob was a wholesome man, who sat in the tents” – a scholar who dwelled in the tents of study.

The story continues: One day Esau comes home exhausted from hunting in the field. Jacob is simmering a stew, and famished Esau asks for a swallow of the ‘red stuff’ (he is therefore called ‘Edom,’ which means red). “First sell me your birthright [first born rights]” and then I will give you to eat. Esau agrees. “Here I’m about to die, what good is a birthright to me?” He sells his birthright to Jacob and in return gets his meal.

Strange story. How could honest Jacob, Jacob the scholar, manipulate his brother for the birthright? G-d decided that Esau be the first-born! Additionally, the birthright is a spiritual right; can it be sold for… a stew?!

But the story gets stranger yet.

Rebecca overhears Isaac telling Esau that he wants to bless him. When Esau goes out to the field to bring back a meal for Isaac before blessing him, Rebecca tells her son Jacob what she overheard, and she says to him that he should go to his father Isaac and pretend that he is Esau and receive the blessings. Rebecca prepares a tasty meal and dresses Jacob in Esau’s garments. She places animal skins on his arms and neck, so that when Isaac (who was blind at the time) would touch him, he would think that Jacob is Esau.

Jacob approaches his father. “Father” he says. “Yes, who are you, my son?” Isaac asks. Jacob replies: “It is I, Esau your first born. I have done as you asked. Sit up and eat the game I trapped, so that your soul will bless me.” Isaac asks Jacob to approach him. “Let me touch you, my son. Are you really Esau or not?” When Isaac touches him he says: “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” Isaac then proceeds to bless him with the most powerful blessings, “May G-d grant you the dew of heaven…”

Just when Isaac finishes blessing Jacob and Jacob leaves him, Esau returns only to discover that Jacob had “stolen” his blessings. “Your brother,” Isaac tells him, “came with deceit and he already took your blessing.” Esau lets out a very loud and bitter scream. “Isn’t he truly named Jacob (Yaakov). He went behind my back (akav) twice. First he took my birthright and now he took my blessing.”

This incident, documented in such detail, is absolutely bizarre. How could Rebecca and Jacob so blatantly deceive husband and father Isaac?! Can blessings be won through deceit? Even if Rebecca was convinced that Jacob deserved the blessings, why did she not attempt to communicate that to Isaac? And what was Isaac thinking; is he not a tzaddik who knew what he was doing? The questions go on and on.

The Torah portion continues with Rebecca sending Jacob away out of fear that Esau will kill him. At Rebecca and Isaac’s bidding, Jacob leaves and goes to Charan to find a wife.

Finally this week’s portion concludes with Esau following suit. Hearing that Isaac is displeased with the Canaanite girls – and therefore sent Jacob to find a wife among Abraham’s family – Esau goes to Ishmael and “marries Machlath daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, a sister of Nebayoth” [Ishmael’s eldest son].

So what is the story?

Recall, that this entire account of Esau and Jacob are the “chronicles of Isaac son of Abraham” which is a continuation of the chronicles of Ishmael and his children.

The story begins with Abraham, man of passionate faith. He sets the tone and establishes a relationship with G-d. He educates his children Ishmael and Isaac in this spirit, and they carry on the faith that Abraham taught them, each in their own way. Ishmael is excessive and untempered chesed (passion and love). Isaac is gevurah (discipline), the antithesis of chesed, that balances and channels the love of Abraham.

Ishmael in his “wildness” wanders away, only to return years later when he does teshuvah. “On the face of all his brethren he fell” (end of last week’s portion, Chayei Sarah) – Ishmael’s excessive faith must be tempered with the appropriate measure of discipline. When Ishmael did teshuvah and was humbled (‘fell’), he is elevated (tikkun).[1] (see at length last week’s issue).

So, if Ishmael does teshuvah, why are we still having problems?

Because the forces unleashed have affected the universe and we still need to refine the world. Even after Abraham began the process of transforming the material world into a G-dly home, but that was just the beginning; even after all Abraham accomplished, the world is far from its intended purpose.

And so the story continues – ‘and these are the chronicles of Isaac.’ The next generation continues the process began by Abraham.

Following the struggles between chesed and gevurah in Abraham’s times, the new chapter carries this over to the next level. Just like Abraham’s chesed becomes excessive in Ishmael, the gevurah (severity, discipline) of Isaac becomes excessive in Esau. Esau is a warrior, a man of the field. As Isaac tells him: “You shall live by your sword.”[2] Jacob, on the other hand is a man of “peace,” a wholesome scholar dwelling in the tents of study.

The stage is set for another confrontation. Esau and Jacob are “two nations” that initially cannot co-exist in peace. They represent two forces in each of our lives and in the world as a whole. Esau symbolizes the body, the material world, whose untamed elements need to be conquered. Jacob symbolizes the soul, the spiritual world. Initially these two worlds do not co-exist. Matter and spirit are at war with each other. “When one rises the other falls.” Yet they need each other – they are ‘twins.’ The vulnerable soul without an aggressive body would not be able to survive in this harsh world. Each of us needs to have a “warrior” dimension to protect and defend against the difficult forces of material existence. But the body must have a soul within, and the soul must be the directing force in life. “The greater one – the powerful body – will serve the younger [gentler] soul.” Your body has to be a vehicle for your soul not the other way around. If the body and material drives are in control then the gevurah of the “warrior” becomes excessive.

How do you reconcile and integrate body and soul, matter and spirit – G-d and the universe? The soul must train and teach the body to sublimate itself so that together they can both serve and fulfill their purpose on Earth. The only way to relieve the tension between them, without compromising either, is to spiritualize the material.

But the body has its own agenda; it is not ready to ‘listen’ to the soul’s wisdom. It’s busy hunting, surviving in the best way it knows how. The solution is that the soul must satisfy and nourish the body on its (the body’s) terms and slowly direct and align it to a higher goal. The soul feeds the body with “stew” and gratifies the body’s immediate needs, with the intention to harness and channel the body’s powerful spirit (birthright) toward its Divine calling.

The soul must dress itself up in the “garments” of the material world in order to refine the world and channel the hidden blessings and strengths of the material world. Thus Jacob dresses in Esau’s garments to receive the blessings. The soul is not taking the blessings away from the body; it only protects them so that the body not destroy them, and the soul uses them to help train and refine the body until the time when the body can co-exist peacefully with the soul, as one seamless harmony[3] – “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

Isaac looking into the depths of Esau’s soul, felt that Esau might be ready. But Rebecca, his mother, saw that the time had not yet arrived. The world (Esau) was not yet refined, and she realized that Jacob would have to harness these blessings.

 Jacob introduces the third dimension called Tiferet, beauty, compassion. Following the chesed (love) of Abraham and Ishmael’s excess of chesed, and Isaac’s gevurah and Esau’s excess of gevurah, comes Jacob – the third and central pillar, that synthesizes and fuses the two in a healthy balance.

Esau in his own way tries to balance his excessive aggression (gevurah) by marrying the daughter of Ishmael (chesed). Machalot is her name, which means forgiveness, signifying the forgiving of sins upon marriage.[4]

The implications of these chronicles today are quite evident.

Following the confrontations between Ishmael and Isaac, Ishmael’s banishment and ultimately his teshuvah, the next stage begins with Esau and Jacob joining the scene. We now have before us Abraham, father of all nations, Ishmael father of the Arab/Muslim world, Esau, father of the Roman/Christian/Western world and Jacob, father of the Jewish world.

Though Ishmael does teshuvah, the world is not yet refined. Thus we need to go through the Esau-Jacob battle – the war of two nations – to achieve balance and harmony between G-d and the universe. The Romans destroying the Holy Temple, and then the wars of Christianity against Judaism – imposing their religion ‘by the sword’ – are all manifestations of Esau’s gevurah approach in his battles with the world.

While this battle gets under way, Esau attempts to join forces with Ishmael, only to backfire. The Midrash tells us that Esau’s intentions in marrying Ishmael’s daughter was to then to ensnare Ishmael in the following plot:

“You – Esau said to Ishmael – kill your brother Isaac. I will kill my brother Jacob. Then we will become one nation, remaining sole heirs to all of Abraham’s legacy and property! Ishmael refused: ‘Am I then like Cain who killed his brother?! No, I will not do as you suggest.” Esau’s intention was to then kill Ishmael, and he would be left the sole heir.[5]

What a wedding it must have been!

Though Esau and Ishmael join hands,[6] this marriage is far from simple. Ishmael refuses to participate in Esau’s plot against Isaac and Jacob. This sets the stage for later wars to come between Ishmael and Esau.

Ultimately the only healthy way to refine Ishmael and Esau (excessive chesed and gevurah) is through the balance of Jacob’s tiferet, which is driven by humility and selflessness. Chesed and gevurah as great as they can be, are driven by their own particular personality features. Tiferet is connected to bittul. Tiferet is the middle pillar, that runs up and down from ketter to malchut, and thus, like the spine holds up the entire structure. Tiferet is dedication and commitment to G-d and His will, and that is what allows it to transcend and unite the opposing personalities of love and aggression (chesed and gevurah).

So just when you thought that it was safe to go back into the water… Ishmael returns for a curtain call.

Abraham, Sarah, Ishmael, Isaac, Esau and Jacob – all the players and characters are in place. The question is: Are we?

Tags: blessings, compassion, personal refinement, Isaac, kindness, discipline, Jacob and Esau, humility, selflessness, harmony, matter and spirit
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Chaya Sarah: Ishmael – How Does it End ?

November 8th, 2001

Ishmael did teshuvah (Rashi Chayei Sarah, Genesis 25:9)

They [Ishmael’s descendants] overran all their brethren (25:18)

On the face of all his brethren he will dwell (16:12)

On the face of all his brethren he fell (25:18)

While Abraham was alive he [Ishmael] dwelled; after Abraham’s death he fell (Rashi)

‘On the face of all his brethren he fell’ is followed immediately by ‘and these are the children of Isaac,’ to teach us that the son of David, who stems from the children of Isaac will sprout when Ishmael will fall at the end of days, then will sprout the son of David, who stems from the children of Isaac (Baal HaTurim end of Chayei Sarah)

He [Ishmael] will be a wild man. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him (Genesis 16:12)

Abraham 1948-2123
Ishmael 2034-2171
Isaac 2048-2228
Jacob 2108-2255

And so the story continues…

Following the events of Abraham and Sarah’s lives – the birth of Isaac, the expulsion of Ishmael at Sarah’s behest, Abraham offering Isaac to G-d (the Akeidah) – this week’s Torah portion (Chayei Sarah) brings this chapter of history to a close.

Sarah passes away at the age of 127 and is buried in the Machpeilah Cave in Hebron, which Abraham purchases from Ephron. Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to find a bride for his son Isaac. Eliezer returns with Rebecca and she marries Isaac. Abraham passes away at the age of 175, and is buried beside Sarah by both his sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

The portion concludes with the chronicles of Ishmael. It delineates his twelve children, who become twelve princes that establish the Arabian nations. Ishmael dies at the age of 137. The final verse of this week’s portion is: “[Ishmael’s descendants] lived in the area from Havilah to Shur, which borders on Egypt, all the way to Assyria. They overran all their brethren.”

Thus ends the story of Ishmael son of Abraham. In each of the last three Torah portions Ishmael plays a prominent role: in Lech Lecho Ishmael is born, with the promise to Abraham that he would be a great nation. In Vayeira, Sarah insists that Abraham send him away. Finally in Chayei Sarah, his life ends and his progeny documented.

Interesting to note that the concluding chapter of Ishmael is included in the portion called Chayei Sarah, the life of Sarah. Sarah was not Ishmael’s mother; indeed, she actually caused Ishmael to be banished from Abraham’s home. Why then would the Torah place Ishmael’s final legacy in the chapter titled “the life of Sarah”?!

Was Ishmael a Tzaddik?

Rashi, the great classical Torah commentator, tells us that Ishmael did teshuvah (repented) before Abraham passed away.[1] Indeed, the expression “vayigveh” (he breathed his last) used to describe the death of Ishmael, is only used in regard to tzaddikim.[2] Some commentaries explain that through his teshuvah he transformed all his sins into virtues, thus his entire life was ultimately redeemed.[3]

Being the son of Abraham was the ostensible cause for Ishmael’s teshuvah. Yet, it was Sarah’s banishing Ishmael that ultimately caused him to return to the right path.

Abraham felt that the best way to influence Ishmael was through love and kindness. However G-d tells Abraham that he should defer to Sarah and send Ishmael away. Because chesed (love) that is not balanced with gevurah (discipline) can ultimately turn destructive. Rain without discipline will flood the fields; rain must fall in drops so that the earth can absorb the moisture.

Ishmael “will be a wild man.” He inherited the passionate faith of Abraham. However passion must be tempered and channeled with gevurah lest it consume others, “his hand will be against everyone.” As it turns out (at the end of today’s Parsha), that Ishmael’s descendants “overran all their brethren,” “at the end of days the children of Ishmael will initiate wars in the world.”[4]

Thus G-d tells Abraham to heed Sarah’s gevurah approach, to send Ishmael away. This was not meant to destroy Ishmael, rather by banishing him he will become a great nation, as G-d promises Abraham. Ishmael cannot live in the same home with Isaac. Only with the appropriate measure of discipline can Ishmael grow. On the face of all his brethren he fell – Ishmael did teshuvah and was humbled (‘fell’), and that elevates him (his tikkun).[5]

Ishmael’s teshuvah and the summation of Ishmael’s life is therefore specifically placed in the portion of Chayei Sarah: Sarah’s life and influence, particularly in regard to disciplining Ishmael, was instrumental in Ishmael’s return to Abraham’s faith.[6]

The conclusion of Sarah’s life (the end of Parshat Chayei Sarah), the climax of her achievements, is her impact on Ishmael: Sarah’s gevurah approach causes that ‘on the face of all his brethren he fell.’ And from Ishmael’s fall at the end of days will sprout Moshiach, who stems from the ‘children of Isaac.’

Thus concludes the story of Ishmael son of Abraham – a story of aggression, banishment, but also a story that concludes with hope and redemption.

Tags: gevurah, Tzaddik, Ishmael, Sarah, love, kindness, teshuvah, discipline, Abraham, passion
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Lech Lecha: Abraham’s Vision – Roots of Today’s Conflict

October 25th, 2001

The Birth of Ishmael and Isaac
Tracing the Roots of Today’s Global Conflict

Living with the times – with the Torah portion read this week – has never seemed more appropriate.

America is now in the painful throes of facing an assault from an unknown enemy. Fear of the unknown is much more debilitating than the known. In the face of such fear, nothing can be more empowering than gaining a better understanding of the forces affecting our lives today.

We know little more about the attack on September 11 than the fact that it stems from a certain part of the world and that it is dressed in religious garb – one filled with passionate extremism. Can we get to know more about this new war?

The answer is yes. This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, illuminates the roots of the tremors shaking our lives today. In this chapter a process begins that leads to the events of our times.

Abraham gives birth to Ishmael, father of the Arab/Muslim world, and then later to Isaac, father of the Jewish people. Isaac would later bear Esau, father of the Roman/Christian world (referred to as Edom). These individuals and their interactions set the stage for the events to come.

But let us step back for a moment and read the dialogue in our Torah portion between G-d and Abram [later his name would be changed to Abraham]. This dialogue takes place before the birth of Ishmael or Isaac and is part of one of the most fundamental events in history: G-d’s covenant with Abram, called “Bris bein Ha’Besorim,” “the covenant between the halves.”

“G-d’s word comes to Abram in a vision, saying: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield. Your reward is very great.’ Abram said: ‘O, G-d what will you give me if I remain childless’?…

“Suddenly G-d’s word came to him: “… One born from your own body will inherit what is yours. He then took him outside, and said: “Look at the sky and count the stars. See if you can count them… that is how [numerous] your descendants will be. Abram believed in G-d and he counted it as righteousness.

“[Abram] said: ‘G-d, how can I really know that it will be mine?’ [G-d] said to him: ‘Bring for Me a prime heifer, a prime goat, a prime ram, a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these for Him. He split them in half, and placed one half opposite the other. The birds, however, he did not split. Vultures descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

“As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and a deep dark dread fell upon him. [G-d] said to Abram: ‘Know for sure that your descendants will foreigners in a land that is not theirs for 400 years. They will be enslaved and oppressed. But I will finally bring judgment against the nation who enslaves them, and they will then leave with great wealth…’

“The sun set, and it became very dark. A smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the animals. On that day G-d made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your seed I have given this land (The Land of Israel), from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates’.” — Genesis 15:1-21

What was the “deep dark dread” that befell Abraham? The Midrash explains that Abraham was shown the future great empires that would control the world and bring terror to it, each in their own way: the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman and Ishmaelite empires.[1]

The great Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria (known as the holy Arizal) explains[2] that these empires – that extend over the entire span of history – represent the different stages of refinement (birur) that we achieve throughout the generations. Everything in our material existence contains Divine ‘sparks,’ i.e. spiritual energy, and we are charged with the mission to redeem and elevate these sparks, and thereby refine the material universe and transform it into its true purpose: a vehicle for spiritual expression.

Beginning with the enslavement by the Egyptian empire – the archetype and root (‘head’) of all the exiles and empires – each subsequent empire symbolizes another stage of refinement in integrating G-dliness into the material world. The process concludes with the refinement of the last two powers, Edom (Esau) and Ishmael, which leads to the Messianic age – a world where there is no more destruction and terror and all children of Abraham serve the One G-d of Abraham in peace and harmony.

Why was Abraham shown this vision? In order for him to share it with his children, so that we, at whatever point in history we may be living, should know that the events in our lives are part of a long historical process.[3] Even ‘as the sun sets’ and a ‘deep dark dread’ strikes us, we must always hold onto Abraham’s vision, that all our journeys and challenges are part of a bigger process and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

This vision and promise is what the Jewish people held onto during their long hard years in Egyptian slavery. This dream is what they held onto during all other forms of persecution, and it is this vision that allowed them to prevail and thrive.

Abraham’s vision gives us not only strength and fortitude during difficult times, it also gives us direction how to proceed. Understanding the different dynamics of each empire/exile empowers us to be proactive and take action in order for us to refine that particular dimension of experience.

As we shudder in the shadow of September 11 and its aftermath, and we stand uncertain with what lies ahead if us, now is the time to embrace and connect to Abraham’s vision. Faith is the most powerful resource you can access when our security is threatened. Faith – to firmly hold onto G-d’s words that we shall prevail and “come out with great wealth.”

So, the first thing we can do in these trying times is to truly live with the times by reading, studying and living with the words in this weekly portion, personalizing and integrating them into our lives. By doing so we can connect to Abraham’s strength and G-d’s promise to him.

The second thing that we can do is not be a passive bystander waiting for something to happen. By recognizing that we are in the final steps of a process – a process that was shown to our great grandfather Abraham – we must discover what action is required of us in this particular step of the process, and then we must act. Being proactive means taking control of the situation rather than allowing it to control us.

What can and must we do in these particular times?

The Arizal (cited above) explains that the refinement of Edom and Ishmael – our work today – corresponds to the two emotions, netzach and hod, endurance and humility/acknowledgment. What does that mean in practical terms?[4]

Netzach (literally “victory”) is the sheer determination to forge ahead despite the unknowns and doubts. That energy comes from a deep rooted belief in who you are and what you need to accomplish. Netzach means embracing what you believe in and not allowing anything to stop you from getting it. Hod (from the root of the Hebrew word “hoda’ah”) is the suprarational acknowledgment and commitment to that which is beyond us. Humility is modesty; it is recognizing how small you are which allows you to realize how large you can become. And that makes humility so formidable.

We are being terrorized with a negative netzach and hod (netzach and hod of kelipah) – a demonic force beyond rational that is ready to blindly die and kill innocent people in the name of its distorted faith, a passionate onslaught on our freedoms. The only long term way to counter this force is with positive netzach and hod – an equal if not stronger passionate embrace of our inner values.

This, is in addition of course, to the obvious need to defend ourselves and uproot any form of terrorism and those that support it. But defense is not enough. We must go on the offensive. Long term, the only solution for the birur of netzach and hod, the final steps before the revelation, is to transform it into a passionate spiritual revolution.

The work of earlier generations was more internal. Spiritually they were more evolved and naturally gravitated to G-d. Their minds and hearts were more attuned to spiritual experience, and they served G-d with deeply felt emotions.

Today our work is such, that even when we don’t have a revealed sense of G-dliness – our minds don’t easily relate to G-d and our hearts don’t naturally feel G-dliness, and on top of it all we live in a highly evolved materialistic world – we obstinately commit with suprarational tenacity and acknowledgement to fulfilling our mission to refine the world.

We may be small midgets relative to Abraham and the giants of history, but when we connect to their vision and climb onto their shoulders, we can see farther than they – like a midget on the shoulders of a giant.

After all the refinement accomplished by previous generations, we have the last part to do. Indeed all our ancestors wait and watch in Heaven for us to finish the last touches of what they began.

And when we do our job, we bring about the realization of Abraham’s vision, and from the “deep dark dread” Moshiach will sprout, ushering in a world of unity, where all of Abraham’s children serve one G-d, and serve in the way that Abraham taught them.

Suggested Actions

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This life skills article is one of many services that we are providing in response to the September 11th atrocity perpetrated against humanity. We want you to know that all of us here at The Meaningful Life Center are working overtime to provide solace and clarity in these trying times. As people everywhere are undergoing a new soul search for finding meaning in life, we are redoubling our dedication to our mission to offer insight and direction to appreciate the deeper meaning of our lives and build security with all the uncertainty brewing around us.

If you or anyone you know has any specific needs or questions, please call on us. We are committed to doing everything we can to serve you.

Our ability to bring you more such vital services is entirely dependent on your financial support. We have established a special September 11 fund specifically dedicated to address the unique needs of our times. We urge you to make a donation to this fund and help us respond to the profound need today for clarity and direction.

We need to join together as never before to nourish the grass roots awakening that has consumed this nation and its gravitation to faith and G-d, and transform it into a permanent spiritual transformation. Our calling today is to demonstrate leadership and light up the way in which to forge ahead amidst this tragedy, and these new, challenging times.

Our sages teach us that by intensifying our charitable acts we open up new channels of blessings. In this spirit, may your commitment be a source of blessings in all aspects of your life.

We look forward to working together with you in this divine cause. Through our joint effort we can grow through this process and build a better world – a world where there is no evil and destruction because it is filled “with Divine knowledge as the waters cover the sea.”

Phillip, Jason, Neria, Shoshana, Chani, Sarah, Yael, Eli
and of all us at The Meaningful Life Center
www.meaningfullife.com

“Helping You Redefine What Truly Matters”
Our hearts, condolences and prayers go out to all the families directly affected by this calamity, and to all New Yorkers, Americans and the entire human race against whom this atrocity was perpetrated.

WHAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL THING YOU CAN DO IN RESPONSE TO SEPTEMBER 11?

Join us in creating a passionate spiritual revolution for the good.

As passions of violence have been released on us, against humanity, our most powerful response is to counter with a passionate revolution of purpose, with no less passion and drive than the evil being waged against us.

This is our mission at the Meaningful Life Center.

Tags: fear, Arizal, Islamism, war, Netzach, Hod
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Bereishis: Renewal, Not Just Survival

October 11th, 2001

Time is like a spiral. Every year on Shabbos Bereishis the world is renewed (Shabbos Bereishis is the first Shabbos after the Holidays when we begin to read the Torah anew).

Indeed, the Baal Shem Tov elucidates the concept of perpetual creation. Existence has no validity on its own and must be renewed each moment. Like the words that stream from your mouth, the universe and all its elements is G-d speaking to us, it is a form of energy that needs constant sustenance.

Among the many far reaching implications of this profound philosophy is the hope that it offers us: Life is not a monotonous continuum that just keeps ‘rolling along.’ At the surface level it may appear that there is no movement, but brewing beneath the surface is vitality that is being renewed each moment from its source. At any given moment we can access this inner energy and renew our lives.

We are not just like a dead pool of water cut off from its source; we have the power to access this dynamic life force within.

We have a choice: We either succumb and resign ourselves to the mortal forces of nature that cause us to age and erode; or we tap into the inner vivacity of the marrow that flows like a stream through the cosmic arteries of existence.

This is the compounding challenge facing us today, in the aftermath of September 11th. When things are ‘going well,’ when life seems to be regular, we can convince ourselves that we do not need to access the perpetual renewal of “Bereishis boro Elokim – In the beginning G-d created.” On the contrary, one can even argue that there is comfort in the ‘boring’ consistency of life. Now that illusion cannot be perpetuated.

In the wake of the shock of September 11th we can deny the reality that things are not ‘regular’; we can respond to the terror and uncertainty with panic; or we can access deeper reservoirs of strength that provide us with a more profound source of security.

“Bereishis” reminds us and gives us the power to create a new beginning. We dance on Simchat Torah with unbridled joy — joy in recognition of our ability to connect to new sources of energy — and then we use these energies to recreate the world in which we live.

“Bereishis” (literally ‘in the beginning’) contains the word “rosh” (and “reishis”), which means ‘head.’ Like Rosh Hashana and this entire month of Tishrei (the letters of Tishrei can be rearranged into the word “reishis”), “Bereishis” tells us that this is not just the beginning of the new year, but it is like a head – it is the central nervous system that controls the entire body of time. Every moment of this month that concludes with the reading of “Bereishis” is concentrated energy that has the power to affect the entire year ahead, like the head and mind that controls the entire body.

So, renewal today is the source of renewed energy for the entire year.

Two practical suggestions how to implement this in our lives:

1) Every morning, first thing upon awakening, while still lying in bed, say the prayer: Modeh Ani Lefonecho Melech Chai v’Kayom She’he’chozarti Bi Neshmosi b’Chemlo Rabbo Emunosecho. I acknowledge You for returning my soul to me.

Take a moment to concentrate and think about these words and what they mean to you. You have a soul that has been renewed (‘Bereishis’) this morning. Your soul has a mission whose contract has been renewed. This is your personal mission statement — the reason you are here on earth.

This is how you should begin your day. And this is how you should be focusing all your activities throughout the day: Are they fulfilling your soul’s mission?

Before you go to sleep say this prayer: B’yodcho Afkid Ruchi Podeso Oisee A-donoi E-l Emes. I entrust my spirit into Your hand. You will redeem me, Lord, G-d of truth.

Don’t fall asleep with the TV on or with a newspaper on your nose. Read something spiritual; pray; say the above prayer; and allow yourself to fall asleep with nourishment of your soul. Your sleep will then be peaceful and healing. And you will awake with a fresh soul, ready to take on the day.

2) As we begin reading the Torah anew with Bereishis, why not commit to begin reading the weekly Torah portion every week of the year. Besides becoming familiar with the Torah, you will find now more than ever the amazing relevance of the Torah to our times. The ongoing Torah portions — in their blunt depiction of the battle of good and evil, the story of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Esau and the entire subsequent events — all parallel in a most uncanny fashion the unfolding drama following the tragedy of September 11th, and it helps us make some sense of what is going on. Above all, it gives us direction on how to proceed.

In this spirit — and at the request of many of you — we will be bringing you, in this article, and in the ones to come in the following weeks, insights into our current situation and practical suggestions on how we can build security in these uncertain times; sources of permanent security that can be implemented in all aspects of our daily lives.

As always, we also welcome and appreciate any of your suggestions and feedback. If you have any of your own thoughts or have seen relevant articles, please pass them on to us.

May this be a year of renewal. And renewal that comes with joy.

Tags: spiritual, joy, body and soul, Baal Shem Tov, Divine energy, renewal
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Sukkot: The Power of Joy Amidst Uncertainty

October 4th, 2001

How Can we Celebrate with Tragedy Around Us?

Praise G-d all you nations, extol Him all you peoples, because His kindness was mighty over us and the truth of G-d is everlasting – Psalms 117 – Sukkot Hallel prayer

What did G-d do for the nations of the world that they are praising Him? They praise Him for all the might and wonders that He did in the world; how much more so do we [the Jewish people] have to praise Him – Talmud, Pesachim 118b

The seventy Sukkot offerings correspond to and protect the seventy nations – Sukkot 55b. Rashi Pinchat 29:35

All seventy nations are subcategories of Esau and Ishmael – Nitzutzei Orot, Zohar III 227b 

The last birur [refinement] before the Geulah is that of kelipat [husk of] Ishmael –
R’ Dovber of Lubavitch, Shaarei Teshuvah II 17a. See Zohar II 32a. Rambam, Iggeret Teiman ch. 3

On Sukkot is the work of refining kelipat Ishmael… which prevents the Geulah –
Sfat Emet, drush l’Sukkot

As we try to regain some composure following the attack of September 11^th, we also enter the joyous holiday season of Sukkot. Among all ‘festivals of joy,’ Sukkot is specifically designated as the “time of our joy,” and its celebration is greater than that of other holidays. Song and dance permeate each day of this holiday, growing in intensity with each passing day.

Is there room for joy when we are just beginning to bury our dead? How can we celebrate when we are so uncertain of what the future holds?

The trembling Days of Awe seem appropriate to these difficult times; but joyous Sukkot?!… And just plain joy, a joy that is so great that the Talmud says “one who has not seen Simchat Beit Hashoavah (the celebration accompanying the drawing of water for the altar on Sukkot) has not seen joy in his life”!

Penetrating into the personality of Sukkot gives us deeper insight into the very nature of joy itself.

Joy (simcha) is a revealed expression of the soul’s innate celebration of life. Being aware of your indispensable purpose in life, by being connected to your Divine mission, is true cause for natural celebration. Conversely, lack of this awareness is the root of insecurity, fear, uncertainty, and the inevitable resulting despondency.

The joy of Sukkot is the revelation and celebration of the essential connection with our Divine mission established on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Chassidic masters tell us that you can accomplish with simcha on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah that which you can accomplish with tears on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

There is a time to weep and there is a time to celebrate. Just as healthy tears are not mere resignation and fear, but release and catharsis that sow the seeds of growth; so healthy joy is not escape and denial, but the celebration of what makes life worth living, and makes those that tragically died worth remembering. “Those that sow with tears, will reap in joy.”

On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur we stand in awe before our Maker. We stand stripped naked of our illusionary security blankets. We may even be shaken up and frightened for losing the comforts of our past. But we learn to connect to G-d, to embrace our only true source of security – our purpose in this world. And we learn to instill this higher purpose into our daily lives.

On Sukkot we celebrate this connection. We dance and sing in unadulterated joy. It is not frivolous nor superficial joy. It is not jittery not distracting joy. It is the expression of genuine happiness from the essence of your being. We celebrate not because we are oblivious, but because we know that we will prevail. A joy that at once knows of the tragic realities facing us while embracing the reason to fight on and triumph.

The joy is an expression of our commitment to good, the celebration of hope following loss (the hope that was born on Yom Kippur). As we defiantly take the four species in our hand on Sukkot we declare our victory in the battle of good over evil (See Midrash Rabba Vayikra, 30:2).

Some armies once had a custom to sing a victory song as they went to war. Why? They hadn’t even begun the first battle, how can they sing a victory song? Because they are completely and absolutely confident that they will win. This conviction lifts the morale and infuses the soldiers with the absolute surety of victory. You then fight differently. When you go to war with doubt and apprehension whether you will win, you cannot fight with absolute conviction. Doubt is demoralizing.

Sukkot is this victory song. We march with the four species, armed with our spiritual arsenal – spiritual weapons – resolute to fight any battle, because we have cause to fight.

This message of Sukkot’s victory is universal. We are taught that the Sukkot celebration has a profound effect on the nations of the world. The seventy offerings brought in the Holy Temple on Sukkot – and recreated through our prayers today – corresponds to and protects the seventy nations of the world. Thus our joy and service during Sukkot has cosmic impact on the destiny of the world. The fate of the nations that was determined on Rosh Hashana begins to manifest in the days of Sukkot.

As enter these joyous days, we are given power to transcend our uncertainty, our fears and vulnerabilities. We can access a greater strength that gives us the reason and the power (cause) to celebrate. “The time of our rejoicing” – us together with G-d. We celebrate with G-d our Maker, G-d celebrates with us, His creatures.

Joy has some special energy that can help us now, more than ever. Joy has the power to transcend barriers (“simcha poretz geder”). When you dance with joy you break down walls and all forms of limits and constraints.

Joy unites people. Indeed, because joy cannot be celebrated alone, we are obligated to invite guests to our tables on Sukkot. We all sit together in one unifying Sukkah. We bind together the four species – Lulav (Palm branch), Etrog (Citron), Haddasim (Myrtle branches), Arovot (Willow branches) – representing all different personalities, teaching us that our diversity is our strength, it feeds our unity, each of us with our unique contribution to the greater good.

Let us gather together during these upcoming days of Sukkot and celebrate. Celebrate our lives and the gift we have been given today: To be strong and fight for our true beliefs of freedom.

Such gatherings are especially appropriate this Sukkot and throughout the year, being that this year is a Hakhel (gathering) year. [During a Hakhel year in the time of the Holy Temple, men, women and children would gather together on Sukkot to “hear and learn” Torah and stand in “awe of G-d”].

This message of hope, joy and unity is needed now more than ever in the aftermath of September 11^th and its shattering effects. It is the ultimate fuel to be able to forge ahead, rebuild and come out even greater.

Let us not forget the great opportunity before us to use this shakeup as a wake up call to reclaim our purpose.

This is the season to ask yourself: What gives me true joy? What blessings do I have in my life? With all this pain and loss around us, with all the uncertainty hanging over us, what is worth celebrating?

Tags: joy, pain, hope, unity, purpose of life, tragedy, Sukkot
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