כְּגַוְונָא דָּא, (תהילים ק׳:ב׳) עִבְדוּ אֶת יְיָ' בְּשִׂמְחָה. חֶדְוָה דְּבַּר נָשׁ, מָשִׁיךְ לְגַבֵּיהּ חֶדְוָה אַחֲרָא עִלָּאָה הָכִי נָמֵי הַאי עָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה, כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִיהִי אִתְעַטְּרָת, הָכִי אַמְשִׁיךְ מִלְעֵילָּא.
As it is written, “Worship the Divine in joy” (Ps. 100, 2), that the joy of a person may draw down upon them supernal joy. So, too, does the lower sphere affect the upper: according to the degree of awakening below there is awakening and heavenly joy above. — Zohar II, 184b; Tetzaveh 11, 94
At first, this can sound like a description of some distant metaphysical system: we create joy below, and then a corresponding joy descends from some supernal realm above. But the deeper meaning is something we can verify directly in our own experience: the “upper world” need not be understood as a place somewhere else, but rather, as the dimension of awareness itself — the field of consciousness within which all experience arises. Awareness is always present; every thought, emotion, sensation, and perception appears within it. But usually, awareness remains in the background while our attention is absorbed in the movements of mind and emotion. We are busy thinking, reacting, judging, resisting.
But when we intentionally practice awareness — when we become present on purpose — something changes. The qualities inherent within awareness begin to infuse our lived experience: spaciousness, receptivity, intimacy, unburdened openness. The act of becoming present is the “awakening below” – our intentional turning toward whatever is present. The “awakening above” is then the blossoming forth of the deeper qualities already inherent within awareness itself, including joy. In order to awaken the “upper joy,” we need not “pretend to be happy.” Joy in the deeper sense is not forced positivity. Rather, it arises naturally when we live in the moment for its own sake. When we consciously open to life as it happens, we become receptive to the deeper joy that isn’t dependent on any circumstance or on “getting what we want.” – the lower movement awakens the higher. Or perhaps more accurately: when we create inner space through Presence, the deeper joy that was always present can fully reveal itself.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat (literal level)
The parshah opens on Mount Sinai (b’har – “on the mountain”) with the laws of the Sabbatical year: every seventh year, all work on the land should cease, and its produce becomes free for all to take, human and beast alike…
Seven Sabbatical cycles are followed by a fiftieth year— the Yovel, the “Jubilee” year, on which, in addition to ceasing work on the land, all indentured servants are set free, and all ancestral estates that have been sold revert to their original owners. Additional laws governing the sale of lands, and the prohibitions against fraud and usury, are also given…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
What is non-duality? Or as it says in the language of Torah, that God is One? The affirmation of Divine Oneness is the central practice of Judaism underlying everything else – but what does it really mean? And what is the connection between non-duality and the festival of Lag B’Omer? There is a wonderful hint in a Torah verse from Parshat Behar, which talks about the Sabbath of the earth that happens every seven years: וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְיְ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם וְשָׁבְתָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיי׃ שֵׁ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ תִּזְרַ֣ע שָׂדֶ֔ךָ וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ The Divine spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall rest – a Shabbat for the Divine. Six years you shall sow your fields and six years you shall prune your vineyards and gather in your yields…’” - Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:5-6; Parshat Behar
What does this Shabbat of the earth have to do non-duality and Lag b’Omer?
Lag b’Omer means the “thirty-third day of the Omer,” referring to the practice of counting the days between Pesakh and Shavuot. Lag is lamed ל – gimel ג, thirty-three. (Hebrew letters have numerical values; lamed ל is thirty, gimel ג is three.) These two letters, lamed ל – gimel ג, also have meanings: Lamed ל means “learn.” To learn means to go from a state of less knowledge to more knowledge; it is forward moving in time, filling a lack, going from incomplete to more complete without end, never reaching completion (since there is, of course, always more to learn). Gimel ג has the opposite connotation. As a verb, the word gamal means to “pay back.” When you’re able to pay someone back, then not only do you have enough for yourself, but you have extra to pay back someone else – so in this sense, gamal represents not only a state of completeness but of overflowing-ness. As a noun, a gamal is a camel, which carries its water in its hump as it traverses the desert; again, a symbol of being already-complete-within-oneself. These two opposite meanings – the never-complete of lamed ל and the always-already-complete of gimel ג – point to two dimensions of our experience, right now. On the level of form, we are ever-incomplete. Our bodies need constant nourishment and exercise, and our minds must actively learn new things and have new experiences to stay sharp. This is reflected in the ongoing spiritual practice of studying texts and contemplating meanings with the thinking mind. And this brings us back to the first half of our verse: שֵׁ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ תִּזְרַ֣ע שָׂדֶ֔ךָ וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ Six years you shall sow your fields and six years you shall prune your vineyards and gather in your yields…’” Six years you shall sow (tizra) your fields… Tizra תִּזְרַ֣ע, “sowing” or “seeding” is the work we must do on the “fields” of our minds. This is lamed ל, “learning.” But on the level of consciousness, the open space of awareness within which all experience comes and goes, there is a direct sense of completeness to this moment; there is a wholeness available to us when we “arrive” into the present. This is the gimel ג. But to experience this fullness, we paradoxically need more emptiness; we need to “prune” away excess thought, so that we can sense the underlying Presence beneath our thoughts – which brings us to the second part of our verse: וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ – six years you shall prune (tizmor) your vinyards… Tizmor תִּזְמֹ֣ר, “pruning,” is the work we must do on “grapevine tendrils” of our own thinking minds; this is meditation. “Sowing” and “pruning,” learning and meditation, thinking and not-thinking, are non-duality in practice, because together they comprise two sides of the same transformative coin. Now let’s look at the repeating phrase that introduces both sides of this inseparable duality: שֵׁ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ תִּזְרַ֣ע שָׂדֶ֔ךָ וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ Six years you shall sow your fields and six years you shall prune your vineyards… The word shanim, “years,” also can mean “change.” “Six” also represents change, as in the story of the “six days of creation” in which the universe is developed stage by stage. Furthermore, the Hebrew letter that represents the number six is vav ו which, as a prefix, means “and” – again, implying adding, transforming, doing the dual spiritual work of “sowing” and “pruning.” But there is also a level at which all work stops. It stops not because the “sowing” and “pruning” are no longer happening, but because at this deep level, there is the recognition that is not “me” who does the work; there is the recognition that everything comes from and returns to the same Reality; we can’t “take credit” for any of it. This level is represented by Lag B’Omer. In terms of the sefirot, Lag B’Omer is Hod Sheb’Hod, or “Humility of Humility.” What is humility? The essence of humility is not some kind of self-deprecation or belittlement; it is the recognition that the “me” comes from beyond “me.” Existence is a gift, everything I have and everything I am is a gift; this is the inner dimension of Shabbat. וְשָׁבְתָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיי: – The land will rest a Shabbat for the Divine… This is the deeper, non-dual dimension of the practice, which we do not instead of sowing and pruning, learning and meditating, but while we’re learning and meditating. It is the simple recognition of the One in the midst of duality. And not just in learning and meditating, but you can “let the land rest a Shabbat for the Divine” any time. Before you learn, before you meditate, before you do the dishes, whatever – take a moment to recognize Reality, to simply stop, to let the “me” dissolve and let this moment be One. This is non-duality – the recognition of Divine Oneness, in and as this moment, just as it is.
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Our Teacher, the Elder (the Alter Rebbe) – during the years that he would speak short teachings – said: “‘Know what is above you.’ (Avot 2:1) Meaning, you should know that all which is l’mala –‘above’ – in the transcendent s’firot and partzufim (Divine qualities and personas), all of it is mimkha – ‘from you’ – dependent on human avodah (spiritual practice).”
This radical Hasidic teaching takes a well-known mishna from Pirkei Avot and turns it on its head through a clever word play. The original aphorism says, “Know what is above you” – meaning simply that we should keep God in mind. But the Hebrew idiom for “what is above you,” mah l’mala mimkha – literally means, “what is above, is from you.” So instead of reading it according to the plain meaning of the idiom, “know what is above you,” he’s reading it very literally: “know that what is above you is actually from you” – meaning that God somehow comes from us – arising from, or created by, or dependent upon – us. What could this possibly mean? It sounds like it’s saying that we create God! How could this be? To understand, it is helpful to remember that there are two different modes of talking about the Divine: Ontological and Relational. The ontological mode refers to God’s existence, or being-ness. Normally, the religious person believes that God exists, and the atheist doesn’t believe that God exists. However, the esoteric understanding of God breaks down this duality, because in Kabbalah and Hasidut, God doesn’t exist, God is Existence; God is Being Itself – as the Torah says, Ayn Od – “There is nothing else” – meaning not that there are no other gods besides God, but rather that there is nothing else except God. And also Hashem Ekhad – “God is One” – meaning not that there is only one god, but that there is One God Only – God is All That Is. In this understanding, “God” is synonymous with Existence, Being, or Reality in the ontological sense. But if God is really just Existence, Being, or Reality, then why don’t we just call It Existence, Being, or Reality? Why bring the word “God” into it at all? Because “God” is also a relational word – “God” describes not merely something that exists, but the way in which we relate to that which exists. “God” is, we might say, the deification of Reality. What does that mean? To “deify” means to have reverence for, to surrender to, to hold up as supremely sacred. In this relational sense, Reality becomes God when we step into sacred relationship with It. So what does it mean to step into relationship with Reality as God? It means that this moment becomes the arena in which we meet the One; it means that the fullness of all that arises in our field of awareness, all experience as it appears now, consists of God’s words to us. It means that the movement of our breathing Now is received as a Divine gift. In this way, our words and actions become imbued with a new depth of intention to do our part in the relationship, to make our response beautiful and bring harmony to the dance of the ever-changing moment. This beautifying quality of Presence-In-Action is represented by the s’firah of Tiferet.
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מוֹרֵנוּ הַבַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב אָמַר: כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר אֲשֶׁר הָאָדָם רוֹאֶה אוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ, הוּא הוֹרָאַת הַנְהָגָה בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם. וְזֶהוּ עִנְיַן הָעֲבוֹדָה, לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל מִכָּל דֶּרֶךְ בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם.
Our teacher the Baal Shem Tov said: Every single thing one sees or hears is an instruction for how to be led in the service of the Divine. This is the essence of avodah – to comprehend and discern from everything a path in which to serve Hashem. - HaYom Yom 9 Iyar, Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Shneerson This beautiful and radical teaching of the Baal Shem Tov has two different levels of meaning: on the surface, it’s saying that “everything you see and hear” is an instruction for your Avodat Hashem (service of God, or spiritual practice). If you look and listen carefully, you will receive a message from God about what you need to do – implying that everyone can be a prophet, at least in the sense of one’s own personal connection with the Divine. But look carefully – it’s actually saying something even more radical: not that within everything you see and hear is an instruction for your avodah, but rather, that whatever you see and hear can instruct you in how to be led in your avodah. In other words, the “seeing” and “hearing” themselves lead us into our spiritual practice. Why? Because “seeing” and “hearing” are forms of paying attention, and the essence of Avodat Hashem IS the act of paying attention! This is clarified by the next sentence, which says that the inyan – the essence or the point of Avodat Hashem – to find your Avodat Hashem in everything. With other endeavors this is not the case: when a doctor seeks to diagnose an illness, the point is not the seeking; the point is the diagnosis. When I have tech problems with my computer and I seek a solution, the point is the solution, not the seeking of the solution. But in this case, the seeking and the finding are one; the paying attention is itself the practice, and Everything we see and hear is “instructing” us in how to be “led” into this essential practice. This teaching is so clever because on the literal level, if we try to receive a message about our Avodat Hashem by paying close attention to everything we see and hear, then the effect will be that we become very attentive to the moment; we will become present. Then, once we are in this state of deep Presence, a profound shift begins to happen; the sacred Oneness blossoms into our lived experience, and we can recognize: this attentiveness is itself is the practice. Our Avodat Hashem is not something to do at some future time, but rather, this heightened alertness in the moment is the point. In Presence, we stand at Sinai once again; this is meditation.
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בִּגְדֵי־קֹ֣דֶשׁ הֵ֔ם וְרָחַ֥ץ בַּמַּ֛יִם אֶת־בְּשָׂר֖וֹ וּלְבֵשָֽׁם׃ They are sacred vestments; he shall wash his body in water and then don them. - Leviticus (Vayikra) 16:4 Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak gives us a profound and practical teaching on this verse, from the collection of teachings known as HaYom Yom: From a siha of my father (Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Shneerson): Hasidut demands that one “...wash their flesh (et b’saro) with water, and clothe oneself in them (the priestly robes).” The power of the mind is the element of Hasidut that “washes” the body and rinses away the impulses coming from the body. These impulses are alluded to by the word et in the quoted verse, signifying that which is comes from the body, meaning: the impulses that emanate from the body. Only then can one “clothe” oneself in the “sacred garments.” Contemplating Hasidut, discussing Hasidut, and the practice of hasidim to meditate (hitbonenut) before davening – these are the “sacred garments,” that are given to us from the heights of holiness. But it is we who must “wash their flesh with water...” Meaning: the “garments of the soul” are given to us from Above. But “washing away” distracting and destructive impulses and making the body itself holy – this is achieved by one’s own efforts. This is what Hasidut demands; it is for this ideal that our great teacher (the Alter Rebbe) devoted himself totally and selflessly. He opened the channel of total devotion, sacrifice, for serving Hashem through prayer, to be bound up with the Essence of the Ayn Sof, the Infinite Divine. Hasidut places a hasid face to face with the Essence of the Ayn Sof. On the surface, the above quoted verse is merely a description of how a kohen (priest) must prepare for service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle), or later, the Beit Hamikdash (Temple): before putting on the sacred garments, he must first wash himself in water. But on a deeper level, both “washing” and “donning sacred garments” are metaphors for particular practices, which we might call the two stages of meditation. וּלְבֵשָֽׁם – …and don the sacred garments. The “garments” consist of hitbonenut – the contemplative practice of bringing into awareness that there is only Hashem, and that everything is part of the Divine. This is the recognition we must cultivate before “entering the temple” – that is, engaging in prayer. But there is a problem – this level of consciousness is easily blocked by the ordinary concerns, stresses, and pains of life. That’s why we first need to “wash with water.” וְרָחַ֥ץ בַּמַּ֛יִם אֶת־בְּשָׂר֖וֹ – v’rahatz bamayim et b’saro – he shall wash his body in water… To “wash the body” means not the physical body, but the inner world of impulses, thoughts, and emotions that arise from it. Here Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak does an interpretive play on אֶת et. The word אֶת et doesn’t translate into English; it simply indicates the direct object of the sentence. But the two letters alef and tav are the first and last letters of the alphabet, representing the whole world. And so “washing et the body” means cleaning out our inner world. But how do we do that? On this the text is silent. However, the simplest way to approach this is through the breath. When you bring your attention to the sensation of breathing—just noticing it, not trying to change it—something begins to shift. All the mental noise, the emotional turbulence, the background tension—it begins to clear. It’s like when the air is full of dust or smog, and then it rains. The rain pulls out all the impurities, and the air becomes fresh, clean and cool; awareness of breathing can function in the same way. In the morning, before doing anything, notice what’s going on in your mind; notice what you’re feeling. Then, bring your attention to the sensation of breathing; this is the first stage of meditation: “washing.” From here, see how your consciousness shifts, how a deeper contemplation of the Reality becomes possible. “What is this Reality I am now meeting? What is this Reality that I Am? Is it not the One Reality present in all things?” This deeper contemplation of the Divine Oneness is the second stage, hitbonenut: “Donning the Sacred Garments.” From here, we are ready to “enter the temple” – prayer becomes authentic, real, and transformative – not mere words and ritual obligations: Modeh/Modah Ani Lefanekha – I give thanks before You for returning my soul…
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The festival of Pesakh is a remembrance and celebration of the Exodus from Egypt. But in Kabbalah and Hasidic teaching, this is not only the Exodus that happened on the physical level 3,300+ years ago, but rather, it is a symbol for spiritual liberation, which is also the goal of many different esoteric traditions.
Nowadays, this idea is not unusual – it is common to see the Exodus as a symbol for some kind of spiritual or psychological freedom, as well as political freedom for people around the world. And part of the life of a Passover seder is the sharing of different views and opinions around the table on what it all means. And while that’s all wonderful, it leaves us with a question: What is spiritual freedom really? Is it just whatever you want it to be or think that it might be? And if we turn to different contemporary spiritual teachers about this question, it gets even more confusing. There’s a story that was told by the infamous guru Osho, that a student came to his master by a river and asked, “How do I achieve Liberation?” The master grabbed his head, pushed it down under the water, held him there for a few moments and then let him to come up for air. He said to the disciple, “When you want Liberation as much as you wanted to come up for air, that’s when you’ll achieve it.” Contrast that with the often-repeated instruction of the well-known enlightenment teacher Adyashanti, who often instructs his students to simply “let everything be as it is.” It’s hard to imagine two teachings being more opposite of each other. Which is it? Fight for your life? Or let everything be as it is? The answer is hidden within the haftarah reading for Shabbat Pesakh – an amazing passage from the Book of Ezekiel, which describes a scene that sounds like it’s directly out of zombie movie. Ezekiel says (in chapter 37) Hashem’s hand came upon me. I was taken out by the Divine Spirit (Ruakh Hashem) and set down in the valley. It was full of bones. I was led all around them; there were very many of them spread over the valley, and they were very dry. I was asked, “Son of Adam, can these bones live again?” I replied, “O my Sovereign Divine, only You know.” And I was told, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of Hashem! Thus says the Sovereign Divine to these bones: ‘I will cause breath (ruakh) to enter you and you shall live again. I will lay sinews upon you, and cover you with flesh, and form skin over you. And I will put breath (ruakh) into you, and you shall live again. And you shall know that I am Hashem!’” I prophesied as I had been instructed. And while I was prophesying, suddenly there was a sound of rattling, and the bones came together, bone to matching bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had grown, and skin had formed over them; but there was no breath (ruakh) in them. Then [Hashem] said to me, “Prophesy to the breath (ruakh), prophesy, O son of Adam! Say to the breath (ruakh): Thus said the Sovereign Divine: ‘Come, O breath (ruakh) from the four winds (rukhot), and breathe into these slain, that they may live again.’” I prophesied as I was commanded. The breath (ruakh) entered them, and they came to life and stood up on their feet, a vast multitude. And I was told, “O son of Adam, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.’ Prophesy, therefore, and say to them: Thus said the Sovereign Divine: ‘I am going to open your graves and lift you out of the graves, O My people, and bring you to the earth (Admat) of Israel. You shall know, O My people, that I am Hashem, when I have opened your graves and lifted you out of your graves. I will put My breath (rukhi) into you and you shall live again, and I will set you upon your own earth (admatkhem). Then you shall know that I, Hashem, have spoken and have acted’”—the Word of Hashem. There’s so much going on here, but I want to look at something in the underlying structure that’s easy to miss. When the bones are about to be resurrected, God says to Ezekiel, “I will put My Ruakh (breath) into them.” But then, God tells Ezekiel to call upon the four winds, and we get the sense that the Divine breath is the four winds. Why four winds? Because as we look through the whole narrative, there are actually four different kinds of Ruakh that are mentioned. Let’s look at each of them. The first is called a Ruakh Hashem – understood in context as the “Divine Spirit,” so ruakh here has the meaning not of breath or wind, but of inspiration, which in English can mean “motivation” or “insight,” but is also related to breathing. This Ruakh Hashem is the initial impulse that Ezekiel feels to be the Divine conduit for what is about to happen. The second type of ruakh is God’s own breath that will enter the bones to bring them back to life. The third type of ruakh describes actual wind, the four winds of the earth, and these are somehow equated with God’s breath Lastly, we have a very strange anomaly. Flesh and skin miraculously grow over the bones and everyone is resurrected. They all stand up, alive and able to speak. But what do they say? Do they thank God for bringing them back to life? Do they sing hymns and prayers for the miracle of coming back from the dead? No! Instead they complain: “Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.” How can this be? Of course, if they were really dead, they wouldn’t be saying anything. Now that they’re alive, they’re kvetching that they’re dead! But God give them a promise: “My breath will enter and you will live again.” Live again? But they are already alive; it seems to not make any sense. But this is the whole point: we are given physical life, but we’re so distracted that we don’t even notice it! We don’t even appreciate it! We are “enslaved by Egypt,” the Mitzrayim of our thoughts and feelings, of our lives in time. And so, the only way we can be truly alive spiritually is to want it more than anything. More than all our cares and worries, more than all our aspirations, our fears, our regrets, our goals, we need to want Liberation. Why? Because letting go of your distractions and preoccupations takes tremendous will and focus. Fortunately, we have a wonderful tool: I will put My breath into you and you shall live. In other words, bring your awareness into your breathing, feel the Divine gift of each breath, allowing everything to be just as it is, and you become spiritually alive, resurrected from the deadening inertia of unconsciousness, and reborn into Presence. And this is the paradox: we need tremendous will and commitment; we need to want it like we would want air with our heads held under water. But the practice itself is the exact opposite – it is a letting go, an allowing of things to be as they are, a resting of awareness moment to moment on the simple act of breathing. And in this simple synthesis of letting go and focus, of will and surrender in one, is the true Exodus – the “going out” from the burdens and dramas of life in time, “coming in” to Life in Presence, Barukh Hashem.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Hashem calling to Moses, hence the name of the parshah – וַיִּקְרָא Vayikra, which means “called.” This call comes to Moses from the Ohel Mo’ed, the Tent of Meeting, which is one of the terms used for the tent-like structure that serves as the portable temple for the Israelites in the wilderness, also called the Mishkan or Mikdash, the “Sanctuary” or “Tabernacle” in English. Hashem then instructs Moses in the laws of the korbanot, that is, the order of offerings that are to be brought to the Ohel Mo’ed, and much later to the Temple in Jerusalem. These instructions list the Olah, the “Elevation Offering” that is burned completely on the altar; the different types of Minkhah, or “Meal Offerings” prepared with fine flour, olive oil and frankincense; the Shlamim, or “Peace Offerings,” which were eaten by the ones who brought it, after some of parts were first burned on the altar and others were given to the kohanim, the priests; the different types of Hatat, or “Sin Offerings” brought to atone for transgressions committed by the either the kohen gadol – the high priest, or any individual within the community, or the entire community as a whole, or the king – though there was no king at that time; and the Asham, or “Guilt Offering” brought by one who is in doubt as to whether they did they did something wrong, or who has lied in order to defraud someone, or who has mis-used some aspect of the Sanctuary.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְ–הֹ–וָ–ה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃ The Divine called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying… - Vayikra (Leviticus) 1:1, 2 Parshat Vayikra
On the surface, this verse is the opening to a revelation about how to perform the sacrifices. But on a deeper level, the “Tent of Meeting” and the “Divine call” that emanates from there hints at something we can find in our own experience, right now.
Several years ago, I saw a video piece about the daily routine of a very old man – nearly one hundred years old. I don’t know who the man was or even what I was watching; I must have been in an airport or doctor’s office, somewhere that had a television on. It showed the old man’s daily routine, from the moment he woke up in the morning. He could hardly do anything for himself, but he had an attendant who helped him sit up, helped him use the bathroom, gave him a sponge bath, dressed him up in nice clothes, helped him to the kitchen, gave him coffee and breakfast, then took him out into the world. That’s about all I saw, but it filled me with a feeling of deep joy to watch. I asked myself, why am I so happy seeing this old man that can hardly do anything? Then I realized – it’s because even though he wasn’t able to do much for himself, he didn’t let that stop him. He could have been resigned to just lie in front of the television all day; he could have had his attendant bring him breakfast in bed. But no! He dressed up real nice, real snazzy. He ate at the kitchen table, he went out into the world and did things. He had a routine, a practice, and through that practice he enjoyed his life. There is such a crucial lesson here for our spiritual lives as well. It is so common for people go through their days taking care of physical things, without much attention to the spirit. But your inner life needs attention too, just like your outer life – only it’s not as obvious. If we don’t eat and breath, we die. But if we don’t have any spiritual practice, especially meditation in some form, we might be alive, but we’ll probably miss out on appreciating the miracle of aliveness. And even on the physical level, meditation slows our aging, sharpens the mind, and brings forth a sense of happiness and well-being. But, in order to have the motivation it takes to make meditation part of our lives, we need to hear the call. There is a hint in our opening verse: וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה - And called to Moses… There is an unusual phrasing in this first pasuk: God is calling to Moses, but unlike other times when God speaks, it doesn’t mention God’s Name; it is as if to say that this Divine Call is beyond all names, beyond words, beyond thought. Put another way, it is the call of silence, beckoning to practice, represented by the various offerings. Furthermore, the letter א alef in the opening word Vayikra is written smaller than the other letters. Alef is a silent letter, and it has the numerical value of one, hinting: through the practice of silence, we can come to know the experience of Oneness directly. It’s written small in a Torah scroll as if to say that the Oneness is hidden within all things, calling to us from the Ohel Mo’ed of this moment. The problem is, it’s much easier to hear all the other calls – the call of our mundane responsibilities, and innumerable other distractions. But if you want to hear the Call of the Divine, you’ve got to get up in the morning with the Divine in mind, even if you can barely move – “Modeh/modah ani lifanekha – I give thanks before you for this gift of being.” Like that old man, you’ve got to put on your special clothes – your tallit, your tefillin, or whatever signifies to you that you are coming into the Ohel Mo’ed of this moment to meet the Divine. And then, give yourself the gift of the nourishment you need from the deepest level of your being – the level of consciousness. This nourishment happens spontaneously when you let go of the ordinary activities of consciousness – the activities of dividing reality into different parts – aiming toward this and away from that, wanting this and judging that – and instead, say Yes to the call of the present moment, resisting nothing, feeling everything, even feelings of resistance. Because when you feel all feelings, when you don’t resist even the feelings of resistance, the Oneness of your own being can blossom. And in this inner Oneness is not separate from the One, all-embracing Reality we call the Divine. This opening to the fullness of feeling is the essence of meditation, represented by that tiny, silent letter aleph, the Oneness hidden within this moment.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Moses taking a census of the Children of Israel. Each person who is counted must contribute a makhazit hashekel – a half shekel of silver to the Sanctuary. Instructions are also given regarding the making of the Sanctuary’s water basin, anointing oil and incense. The “wise-hearted” artisans Betzalel and Aholiav are singled out as possessing hokhmat halev – “wisdom of the heart” – and are placed in charge of the Sanctuary’s construction.
Moses does not return when expected from Mount Sinai. The people lose faith, and make themselves a golden calf to worship. Hashem grows angry and proposes to destroy the errant nation, but Moses prays for them. Moses descends from the mountain carrying the edut – the “tablets of the testimony” engraved with the Ten Commandments. But when he sees the people dancing about their idol, he breaks the tablets, and destroys the golden calf. But then he pleads once again with God: “If You will not forgive them, blot me out from the book that You have written.” Hashem forgives them, but says that the effect will be felt for many generations, and as they continue their journey, Hashem will not be with them; only an angel will accompany them. But, Moses pleads that Hashem to continue to accompany them on their journey to the promised land. Moses then prepares a new set of tablets himself (as opposed the first set which were inscribed by God). On the mountain, Moses is also granted a vision of the “Thirteen Attributes of Compassion.” When Moses returns, his face is so radiant that he must cover it with a veil, which he removes only to speak with God and to teach Torah to the people.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
זֶ֣ה יִתְּנ֗וּ כׇּל־הָעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַפְּקֻדִ֔ים מַחֲצִ֥ית הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ עֶשְׂרִ֤ים גֵּרָה֙ הַשֶּׁ֔קֶל מַחֲצִ֣ית הַשֶּׁ֔קֶל תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַֽי–הֹ–וָֽ–ה׃ This shall be given by all who pass through the counting: a half-shekel by the sanctuary weight--twenty gerahs to the shekel—a half-shekel as an offering to the Divine. - Shemot (Exodus) 30:13, Parshat Ki Tisa
There is a teaching ascribed to the Hasidic master, the Maggid of Mezritch, in which he taught: “Today the holy spirit comes upon us more easily than when the Temple was standing. Once there was a king of a country that was conquered by a foreign power, and the king was driven into exile. In the course of his wanderings, he came upon the home of some poor people who recognized him as king. They took him in, offered him modest food and shelter, and treated him as honored royalty the best they could. The king deeply appreciated their hospitality and chatted intimately with his hosts, as he had once done in his court with those closest to him. Now that the Holy One is in exile from His Holy Temple, He does the same with us.”
This teaching gets at the open secret for communing with the Divine Presence – that is, to humbly and gratefully offer yourself to this moment as it is, in all its fullness, in its beauty and ugliness, in its orderliness and chaos, because this Presence is not something other than your own Essence, hearing these words right now. This Presence is a gift – you cannot manufacture It, you cannot generate It, but you can do your part to open to It, to reveal Its Reality through you; this is meditation. There is a hint in our verse: זֶ֣ה יִתְּנ֗וּ כָּל־הָעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַפְּקֻדִ֔ים מַחֲצִ֥ית הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל... תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַֽי–ה–וָֽ–ה This shall be given by all who pass through the counting – a half shekel, an offering to the Divine… - Exodus 30:13 The “half” that we bring into the sanctuary of this moment is ourselves; we, meaning our bodies, our feelings, our thoughts, are “half” – the other half is the Divine, the Reality behind all forms, and also our own Essence. Bring the half, that is your “self” to this moment, and the Other Half appears. How do we do it? וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר יְ–ה–וָ֥–ה עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְ–ה–וָ֣–ה יְ–ה–וָ֔–ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת: The Divine passed before his face and called out, “Hashem! Hashem! Compassionate and Gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in Lovingkindness and Truth!” - Exodus 34:6 These Divine qualities that God reveals to Moses are a practical instruction: Hashem! Hashem! The Divine Name that means “Being” or “Existence” is said twice, indicating the realization that whatever is before you is a form of the Divine, and your own consciousness is also the Divine; through the meeting, The Divine becomes One with Itself. This is the fundamental knowledge that brings the felt connection with the Divine Presence. El Rakhum V’Hanun – Compassionate and Gracious God… that is, make the qualities of compassion and grace “God” over all your other qualities…You may not feel like it, but you can bring forth these qualities if you decide that they are “God” to you – meaning, that you revere them: Erekh apayim v’rav hesed v’emet – Slow to Anger, and Abundant in Lovingkindness and Truth… You have the ability to not get caught by anger and bitterness. Instead, choose love. And then to make sure you get it, it also says Emet –Truth – because it is not about “faking” it; it is about holding these qualities as our highest ideal. Then, the prophesy of Purim will be fulfilled, as says in Megilat Ester: לַיְּהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשׁוֹן וִיקָר... For the Jews there was Light, Joy, Gladness and Essence… - Ester 8:16 And as we say every week at the close of Shabbat: כֵּן תִּהְיֶה לָנוּ – So may it be for us! In order for this Light, Joy, Gladness and Essence to blossom, we don’t need to micro manage it or manufacture it. We only need to recognize the inconceivable gift we are now being given, the gift of Being, the gifts of Light and Joy that are always our potential, and open to this potential with humility and gratitude. This is embodied by the sefirah of Hod on the Tree of Life.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Hashem calling upon the Children of Israel to contribute thirteen materials toward the building of the Sanctuary—gold, silver and copper; blue, purple and red-dyed wool; flax, goat hair, animal skins, wood, olive oil, spices and gems. On Mount Sinai, Moses is given detailed instructions on how to construct this Sanctuary so that it could be readily dismantled, transported and reassembled as the people journeyed through the desert. Within the Sanctuary’s innermost chamber, behind a woven curtain, the ark containing the tablets of the testimony engraved with the Ten Commandments would be housed. Upon the ark’s cover would be two winged cherubim hammered out of pure gold. In the outer chamber would be the seven-branched menorah, and the table upon which the “showbread” was arranged. The Sanctuary’s three walls would be fitted together from 48 upright wooden boards, each of which was overlaid with gold and held up by a pair of silver foundation sockets. The roof would be formed of three layers of coverings: tapestries of multicolored wool and linen; a covering made of goat hair; a covering of ram and “tachash” skins. Across the front of the Sanctuary would be an embroidered screen held up by five posts. Surrounding the Sanctuary and the copper-plated altar in front of it would be an enclosure of linen hangings, supported by 60 wooden posts with silver hooks and trimmings, and reinforced by copper stakes.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ Let them make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them… - Shemot (Exodus) 25:8, Parshat Terumah
Rabbi Moshe of Kobryn taught on these words that Hashem spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Shemot 3:5)
שַׁל־נְעָלֶ֙יךָ֙ – Remove your sandals… Rabbi Moshe said, “Remove the habitual which encloses your ‘foot’ – that which comes between you and your experience of the world – and then you will know: הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ עוֹמֵ֣ד עָלָ֔יו אַדְמַת־קֹ֖דֶשׁ הֽוּא – the Place upon which you stand is holy ground… That is, the place upon which you find yourself is holy; for there is no aspect of human life within which we cannot find the holiness of the Divine – everywhere, and at all times.” This is meditation. וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ – Let them make for Me a sanctuary… The Mikdash, “Sanctuary,” comes from the root קדש kadosh, which means “holy” or “sacred.” The actual meaning of קדש is “separate,” but not in the ordinary sense. In the case of a troubled relationship, the word “separate” connotes distance, disconnectedness, alienation. But kadosh is the opposite. In a Jewish wedding ceremony, we hear the words: אַתְּ מְקֻדֶּֽשֶׁת לִי At meKUDESHet li – “You are holy to me.” The betrothed couple becomes “separate” because they are each other’s most intimate, and therefore separate from all other less intimate relationships. So, the separateness of קדש kadosh points not to something that is distant, but most central. It points not to alienation, but to the deepest connection. וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם – and I will dwell among them… The Mikdash is the place that the Divine quality of קדש kadosh dwells and communes with the Israelites, as it says – שָׁכַנְתִּי shakhaniti – I will dwell. This root of shakhaniti, שכן, is also found in the other word for the Sanctuary, Mishkan, as well as the word for the Divine Presence itself, Shekhinah. And what is the main function of שכן– this communing with the sacred? The Israelites came to the mishkan, and later the Temple in Jerusalem, to heal their separation from the Divine – separation in the ordinary sense of the word. They brought their fruit, their grain and their animals to be offered on the fiery altar in order to heal the disconnectedness and alienation caused by their own transgressions. The word for a sacrificial offering is korban, from the root קרב which means not sacrifice, but nearness, closeness, intimacy. Where was this Mikdash placed? Was it separate from the camp, off at a distance? No – it was in the very center of the camp. And within the very center of the Mikdash was the most holy – the kadosh kadoshim – the Holy of Holies – the Center of the Center. This representation of the sacred in space and architecture is not mere ritual magic from the past. It is a pointer to the true sanctuary of Presence within your own life. There can only be one center of your life, and that center is the one place that life is actually being lived – this moment. You are never separate from this moment, and yet – are you truly dwelling within it? וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ Asu li Mikdash v’shakhanit mitokham – Let them make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among/within them… There is a Divine call – It calls to us equally in pain and in joy, in excitement and in boredom. It says, “Come to the center. Build me a sanctuary.” How do we build it? The essence of the sanctuary is not the structure, but the space within the structure. The structure is already there as your body, your mind, your heart. They become a sanctuary the moment you allow there to be a space. The space completes the structure. Come into that space – come into your body, come into this moment. Bring your korban to the altar. Is there pain? Is there fear? Is there regret? Is there embarrassment? Bring it all. Let the fire upon the altar of the present moment burn away the separation; this is meditation. If it hurts, let it – the pain is temporary, and gives way to the Sacred. Because from within the space of allowing yourself to feel whatever needs to be felt, there is the possibility of transmutation – the energy of separation and pain becomes the energy of love. And from this love there is the possibility of external healing as well – the healing that happens between people through deeds of love. The sages taught that it is for the sake of love that the universe has come into being, that when we do acts of Hesed, of loving kindness toward one another, we make the world itself into a Sanctuary, into a home for the Divine. That is our tremendous potential: to uncover this fundamental quality of sacredness – first within ourselves, through Presence, and second toward others, through our words and deeds. This is the Path of ק Koof, “Sanctification.”
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah continues with the mitzvot given at Sinai, this time focusing on civil laws, including the laws of the indentured servant, the penalties for murder, kidnapping, assault and theft, redress of damages, the granting of loans, the responsibilities of the “Four Guardians” (unpaid guardian, paid guardian, renter and borrower), the rules gover governing the conduct of justice by courts, and laws warning against mistreatment of the ger, the stranger – “for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Also included are other ritual laws: the observance of the seasonal festivals, the agricultural gifts that are to be brought to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem; the prohibition against cooking meat with milk, and the mitzvah of prayer. The parshah also contains the special words we use in our meditation that the Children of Israel proclaim at Sinai: נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָֽע na-aseh v’nishmah – “We will do and we will hear.” The parshah concludes with Moses ascending the mountain and remaining there for forty days and forty nights to receive the rest of the Torah…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּשִׂ֖ים לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃ כִּ֤י תִקְנֶה֙ עֶ֣בֶד עִבְרִ֔י שֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים יַעֲבֹ֑ד וּבַ֨שְּׁבִעִ֔ת יֵצֵ֥א לַֽחׇפְשִׁ֖י חִנָּֽם׃ These are the judgements that you shall set before them: When you acquire a Hebrew slave, six years they shall serve— and in the seventh year they shall go free, without payment… - Shemot (Exodus) 21:1-2, Parshat Mishpatim
There is a Midrash in which the ministering angels challenge Hashem: “You have given Moses the task of writing down the Torah. What is to prevent him from saying that it is he who gives the Torah, and not You?” Hashem replied, “This he would not do. But, even if he did, he would still be keeping faith with me.”
The disciples of Rabbi Yitzhak of Vorki once asked him what this story means. He answered with a parable: Once there was a merchant who wanted to go on a journey, so he trained an assistant to work in his shop. He spent most of his time in an adjoining room, from which he could hear everything that the assistant was saying next door. During the first year, he sometimes heard his assistant tell a customer, “The master cannot let this go for such a low price.” During this time, the merchant held back from his journey. Over the second year, he occasionally heard his assistant say, “We cannot let it go for such a low price.” The merchant still postponed his journey. But in the third year, he heard his assistant say, “I cannot let this go for such a low price.” It was then that he commenced his journey. The merchant’s assistant coming to identify with the merchant himself points to an inner transformation: that is, from thinking of the Divine as something separate, to knowing the Divine as the deepest dimension of your own being. This transformation is similar to going from having a boyfriend or girlfriend, to being married and fully committed. Before marriage, there may be some commitment, but at the end of the day, you are always free to go to your separate homes. In marriage, that “freedom” is over; there is only one home. Does that mean that “marriage” is a permanent state in which the relationship is constant and perfect? Of course not! Like all living things, it is in motion. It needs attention and nurturance. And yet, there is something that changes completely when two people decide to have one life together, to be one family. כִּ֤י תִקְנֶה֙ עֶ֣בֶד עִבְרִ֔י שֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים יַעֲבֹ֑ד – When you acquire a Hebrew slave, six years they shall serve… The word for slave, עֶבֶד eved, is the same root as יַעֲבֹ֑ד ya’avod, “serve.” אִם־אֲדֹנָיו֙ יִתֶּן־ל֣וֹ אִשָּׁ֔ה וְיָלְדָה־ל֥וֹ בָנִ֖ים – If his master gave him a wife, and she gave birth to children… The master of the slave is called an אֲדֹנ adon – “lord”. But these two words, עֶבֶד eved and אֲדֹנ adon, also have a completely different connotation: God is sometimes called Adon, and a holy person is called an Eved Hashem – a Servant of God. The ultimate spiritual goal is to become an Eved Hashem – meaning that your separate, egoic self-sense becomes subordinate to the Reality of the One. In this state, you no longer live for yourself, you live for God. In fact, “you” don’t really live at all; there is no separate “you” – there is only God. Seen metaphorically, then, the Hebrew eved who goes free is like someone who has a spiritual experience, but when the experience is over, s/he goes free from it; it is temporary. וְאִם־אָמֹ֤ר יֹאמַר֙ הָעֶ֔בֶד אָהַ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־אֲדֹנִ֔י אֶת־אִשְׁתִּ֖י וְאֶת־בָּנָ֑י לֹ֥א אֵצֵ֖א חׇפְשִֽׁי׃ – But if the slave declares, “I love my master, my wife and my children; I do not wish to go free…” When the eved does not want to go free, he is brought to a doorpost and declares that he loves his adon and his new family and that he wants remain an eved. His ear is then pierced against the doorpost and he becomes a slave forever. In a similar way, to become an Eved Hashem means that you commit to Reality as your Lord, your Master, your God. Reality also becomes like your family – your home base – the place you live, not the place you merely visit. Does that mean that you are now a perfect eved? Of course not! Just as in marriage, you can and must get better at it. There is risk – failure is possible. But you have stepped into marriage with the Beloved. All of the rituals of Judaism are really expressions of this basic commitment, this brit, this “covenant” with the Divine. How do you take this step? וְהִגִּישׁוֹ֙ אֶל־הַדֶּ֔לֶת א֖וֹ אֶל־הַמְּזוּזָ֑ה – He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost… The word for doorpost is מְּזוּזָה mezuzah – the same as the ritual scroll traditionally fastened to the doorposts of Jewish homes. And what is the first word of the text written on the mezuzah? Sh’ma – “Hear!” Hearing, unlike seeing and tasting, is the sense that we cannot shut down; our ears are always open; we cannot shut our ears to escape the sounds around us. Similarly, we cannot escape Reality. There is nothing but Reality, everywhere! To step into Reality, then, is actually the most simple thing. It means dropping the excess commentary of the mind and being with what is, as it is. It means being an open ear; this is meditation. וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים – These are the judgements… At the deepest level, there is only one spiritual מִּשְׁפָּט (judgment) to ever make: commit or don’t commit. Hear or refuse to hear. Awaken now from the dream of the mind-created self or live in the dream. Are you ready to commit to Reality as It steps up to you in this moment? Are you ready to give up the false dream of freedom from Reality and embrace the true freedom, which is to surrender as an Eved Hashem, attentive in the heart of stillness to the flow of life as it unfolds? This is Jewish meditation of the Path of צ Tzaddi, Devotion to God.
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