The Light of Judaism

The first pasuk of Parshat Behar opens with a description of the Divine imparting revelation to Moses who represents the Abstract Mind and corresponds with the Sefirah of Netzach. The revelation is coming by way via the process of bestowal which is termed YHVH. The term "YHVH" is understood not as a noun but as a verb. In actuality it is an acronym that is descriptive of the relationship of the Infinite with the created finite Universe. The YHVH acronym is as follows:

* HaYa- He Was

* HoVeh- He Is

* YeHeH- He Will Be

This acronym contained within YHVH is a description of the unfolding Consciousness from No-Thing to Some-Thing and then to No-Thing (in actualization). YH is No-Thing and VH is Some-Thing. It is our job as the transceivers of Consciousness to unite the two. This is why the term "YHVH" doesn't appear in the Torah narrative until Genesis 2- mankind is fully Assiyatic in Gen. 2 and thus at that point in the narrative he existed in all 4 worlds and had the potential to engage in Conscious evolution. (This is the secret behind the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil as well.)

Understanding that YHVH “speaks” to Moses is to infer that the process of unfolding revelation was given to the Abstract Mind (Moses) which in turn is a necessary link to further dissemination of this Divine Impulse. This Divine Revelation doesn't come to the mundane man without significant effort in the development of his own consciousness and spiritual walk. This is what is implied by the imagery of Mt. Sinai. This mountain is indicative of a high state of Consciousness (mochin d’gadlut) but in the Hebrew language Mt. Sinai (Har Sinai) literally means precipitance, jagged, sharp and cleft with ravines. In other words, the mountain which represents higher consciousness is difficult to climb.

This is an important lesson for all mankind- authentic spiritual growth and development requires conscious and volitional participation in the process. One cannot affect their spiritual essence through the conveniences of religious affiliation nor can one have enough faith to move a mountain without first exerting the effort that is necessary to scale to the height of the mountains peak.

The revelation was to be imparted to the Children of Israel. The term Israel comes from the root Yashar El meaning “directed to El (God),” is implies that a person who was at one time was a goy (gentile) which is a person who is not circumcised (removed the sensual restraints of physicality) or has not overcome the lower mundane for the good of their own tikkun (rectification). However, when one deliberately works towards spiritual elevation (climbs the mountain) they are then directed towards God and become Yashar El (Israel).  Remember that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel after he wrestled with a man all night and prevailed. This means that when we have wrestled with the lower man (gentile) and have conquered then our name will be changed to “A Prince of God” as also indicated by the etymology of the name Israel.

“When you come into the Land…” Whenever a person’s desires are changed from the lower world of the mundane to the higher principles of spirituality then that person who is now called Israel develops a desire for Eretz Kedusha- the Holy Land. The word eretz (land) is derived from the Hebrew word for desire (ratzon). The word kedusha comes from the related word Mukdash which means “dedicated.” Thus the Land that is being given is the desire to be dedicated to the Creator alone.

What does it mean that the Land will keep a Sabbath? The Sabbath of the Land is called a Shemittah. Every seven years is a Sabbatical year in Eretz Israel. During this year the Land is to rest, meaning it must not have seed sown nor be harvested. The Shemittah is also called Shevi’it (seventh). Nachmanides (12th century Spain) explains a beautiful kabbalistic concept: Seven is the number of the natural world. There are 7 days in the week, 7 notes on the musical scale and 7 directions (left, right, up, down, forward, back and center). “Seven” - represented by the 7 days of Sukkot, is the world of nature.  The Sages teach that seven are the attributes of physicality and these seven directions which define the finite realm can be ascribed to the lower Middot (seven Sefirot):

Each of the Sefirot defines the nature of the duality of existence by opposing one another. For example, the Sefirah of Gevurah is restrictive while it’s opposite Sefirah of Chesed is expansive. All of the Sefirot upon each side of polarity work against one another. The middle Sefirah of Tiferet balances and harmonizes all of the conflicting forces. Tiferet is also called Eretz Kedusha and is the Land of peace and Sabbatical rest that Jacob enters into whenever he becomes Israel (note: Tiferet is also associated with Israel).

The connecting of the six opposing Middot at the center by Tiferet fundamentally reveals the nature of seven. It is used for connection. This leads naturally to the meaning of ‘seventy’ which is an elevated connection.

Nothing can exist in the physical world without these seven attributes, nothing. Every item in the physical world must have these seven attributes and each of these seven must also exhibit the same seven attributes. However, without the harmonizing by the seventh, Tiferet, then all would be chaotic and harmony would be impossible.

The association of seven and the Shemittah in the context of our parshah indicated a level of consciousness wherein one rises above the restricted consciousness of mochin d’katnut and expands into the higher consciousness of mochin d’gadlut. At this place one becomes able to perceive a more objective reality and in a conscious sense is not motivated by the struggles on this earth nor in one’s mind and emotions due to the characteristics of the six Middot. Rather one rises above these influence by harmonizing them in the sense of entering into Tiferet- the place of Eretz Kedusha wherein the seven come into rest (harmony).

The personal Tikkun Nefesh (Rectification of the Soul) is accomplished in this manner. Yet there is also a greater Tikkun to be accomplished which is referred to as Tikkun Olam (Rectification of World). Each individual cannot bring Tikkun Olam but they must do their part to effect Tikkun Olam by working towards their own personal Tikkun Nefesh.

Concerning Tikkun Olam and its association with seven, Nachmanides writes:

“The first day of creation, which saw the creation of light, embodies the first millennium of history--the millennium of Adam, whom the Midrash Tanchuma calls the light of the world, when the world was still saturated with knowledge of its Creator and was sustained by the indiscriminate benevolence of God; the second day, on which the Creator distinguished between the spiritual and the physical elements of His creation, yielded a second millennium of judgment and discrimination--as reflected in the Flood which wiped out a corrupt humanity and spared only the righteous Noah and his family; the third day, on which the land emerged from the sea and sprouted forth greenery and fruit-bearing trees, encapsulates the third millennium, in which Abraham began teaching the truth of the One God and the Torah was given on Mount Sinai; the fourth day, on which God created the sun and the moon, the two great luminaries: the greater luminary... and the lesser luminary, corresponds to the fourth millennium, in which the First Temple (2928-3338) and the Second Temple (3408-3829) in Jerusalem served as the divine abode from which light emanated to the entire world; the fifth day, the day of fish, birds and reptiles, unfolded into the lawless and predatory Dark Ages of the fifth millennium (240-1240 CE. in the secular calendar); the sixth day, whose early hours saw the creation of the beasts of the land, followed by the creation of man, is our millennium--a millennium marked by strong, forceful empires, whose beastly rule will be followed by the emergence of Mashiach, the perfect man who brings to realization the divine purpose in creation and ushers in the seventh millennium--the World to Come--a time of perfect peace and tranquility.”

Nachmanides describes seven millienium which correspond to the seven days of the creation narrative as well as the seven years cycle of the Shemittah. The seventh in the Torah always corresponds to rest/harmony/rectification.

The hope of our pasuk (verse) in its exclamation that the Land shall keep a Sabbath is completely tied in with the idea of both personal and collective rectification. This is a time of both spiritual and physical harmony whenever we rise from the “dead” condition of materiality to the “living” condition of spirituality.  In the words of the Torah, when we enter into this Land we will experience great benevolence such as the analogy of the Land “flowing with milk and honey.”