Showing posts with label Ger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ger. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
The Ger Movement 2000 Years Ago
Katz and Louis have gone to plaid! Tune - in to this groundbreaking broadcast!
What exactly happened 2000 years ago in a time where World Religion took off?
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
A Clear Language For Mankind
"...it's an [intimate] concept language."
...the language spoken from the depths of the 7 wisdoms as conceptions of Torah as a way of expressing Life.
...the true covenant, talking through common understanding.
...two mazal, seen as one.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Torah of Enlightenment For Mankind
**Bonus Track: Tehillim In-Depth 72:5 "Moshiach and Noahides"
- The Ger Code
- The Malbim & Sifra - Ger in Torah
- The Torah of Light
- Humanity in Torah
- Ger Tzedek In Refined Light
- Finding Unique Torah
Monday, April 7, 2014
I'm With Naaman
- Going Deep With Elijah!
- What is a Great Man?
- Who is This Naaman?!
- Innocence Defined
- The Great Ger
- In It With God
- etc.
...and in case you missed it, CLICK HERE FOR THE NEWEST TEHILLIM In-Depth CLASS!
[Moshiach and the Ger]
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The Pig Who Knew Not of its Cud
- King David's Relationship With God
- The Four Exiles
- The Miraculous Pig
- Making Gerim
- Famous Gerim Among The Exiles
- etc.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Secrets of The Book of Ezekiel's Priests
- Secrets of Script
- Nations and The Temple
- Working Together
- Ezekiel Uncoded
- The Priests of Tzadok
- The Kohen's Sash
- Revealing Torat Moshe
Monday, March 17, 2014
The Enlightenment of Man
Parashas Vayikra
Receiving the Call From God
Rabbi David Katz
In
our Parasha, we are immediately made aware of an odd little "alef"
that finalizes the word [and the Parasha's namesake] "Vayikra"
[meaning "and He called (to Moses)"] and we are told of endless
interpretations upon even a little bit of solid investigation. Examples range
anywhere from an expression of Moses' humility and onwards into the esoteric;
yet what may be the most interesting is the simple meaning itself! God is heard
here calling out to Moses, and as tradition states, only Moses was to hear this
special calling, one that would summon him to the Tent of Meeting. Thus the
"alef" hints to a special calling to Moses; the biggest revelation
however might not be this little alef that captures our imaginations, rather,
we should begin to pay attention to all of the other "callings" that
exist not only in our Parasha, but are scattered throughout the entire Torah!
Once one becomes sensitive to hear the call, the Torah [and its simple meaning]
is transformed into the Book of the Man-Angel [Kruv; examples are the Avot,
Moses, Noah, Shem, etc.], expressing an ability to hear the voice of God in
Torah, laced within an ultra-dynamic context, even in places that may have been
practically sealed from consciousness.
If
one were to be devoid of "the calling" – a keen awareness and sensitivity
to True Torah Vernacular, the Torah becomes a meandering and redundant – even meaningless
text. For this reason the Torah was given with the means to extrapolate its
innate depth, with such works and traditions such as Midrash, Zohar, Kabbalah,
etc.; essentially "Pardes" [the four levels of Torah exegesis] goes
hand and glove with the Written and Oral Torah. However proper context is
needed when delving into the mystical realm, and this discussion is not exempt
from any such attempt; if not to only lay out one clear purpose – to master the
Torah's text as a form of enlightenment. In a sense, this angle is the approach
to take a mute text, and learn to how to watch it come to life, and shine an
eternal light, such that this would define enlightenment. It goes without
saying, that this is at least one clear purpose of the esoteric realm, in that
it identifies proper [con]text, and in that sense, this is the essence of a
Tree of Life. The Torah text that is open, allows us to relate life with Torah;
in simple terms the Torah becomes Universal – Jews and Gerim, in simplified
terms.
Verse
1:2 of Vayikra is perhaps one of the Torah's most profound examples of where
"hearing" the Torah speaking changes one's understanding completely,
and for that reason this verse is used as a case example of where in-depth
vernacular can reveal the Torah's dynamic core. The verse says, "speak to
the Children of Israel and say to them: when a man among you brings an offering
to Hashem: from animals - from the cattle or from the flock shall you bring
your offspring." The first and relatively most obvious revelation in the
verse is one that draws admiration from most if not all of the major
commentators, as we are told "when a man…" If the Torah were speaking
to only Jews, the verse would not use the universal term "man" but
rather a distinctive term applicable only to Jews. Thus with the term
"adam" [man] the commentators all point out the subtleties in the law
as it applies to both Jews and non-Jews. To support the learning, notice how
the verse says, "speak to the Children of Israel" and is followed up
with "and say to them" – keeping in the perspective of the article,
one can easily hear a calling out to two people as opposed to a somewhat
draconian feeling from withholding depth in the text.
[
*
note, when making conclusions in text, a dynamic view is to be held; this is to
always allow for the inclusive when applicable, rather than an exclusive view;
the Torah is meant to have 70 faces and 50 gates of understanding]
Throughout
our Parasha [and the whole Torah for the most part] we find Universal terms
laced within a usually thought of text as exclusively Jewish. [later on the
mention of "nefesh" – soul, refers to humanity, another example of
inclusive with the normative Jewish angle] It should not then come to a
surprise that as these callings from Hashem are more frequent than we would
have thought, the Torah truly is a Book for humanity; this going back to the
original ink! Once we bring into light these concepts, the often viewed
enigmatic nature to such works like Midrash and Zohar all of a sudden begin to
resonate to a much more profound tune, as they are the hubs for this
enlightenment.
And
it doesn't stop here or there, for the Midrash points out that the Book of Chronicles
[a book mostly composed of names and lineage] is only meant to be understood
from this angle! Meaning that if one were to take it on a literal simple
meaning level, knowledge would be gained, however it would be of very little
authentic content or wisdom. The Midrash stamps yet another round of approval
in this subject, as it says, "cherished [to God] are names of Gerim."
To this light the Zohar points out [something obvious, yet not often thought
of] that the Torah is essentially a book about Gerim! – for its entire content
is written outside the Land of Israel, and is seen in Kabbalistic terms as
names, which on a deeper level exists as names of God. This leaves one to
wonder if there is or ever was a simple meaning to Torah – once it becomes universal.
The
Midrash ties all of these points together over its content to our parasha, as
we learn about Moses the Man-Angel who hears the calling from God, and is seen
to be angelic on many levels, through his prophecy and many names in particular
[he has 10 names]. In fact if one pieces all of the dots together from the
Midrash, especially with its opening associations to King David's Psalm 103
that also allude to "hearing Hashem's calling" – and has revealed
allusions to angelic men [as well as hints of Kruv; same letters as
"Baruch"], we end of up sensing just what attributes are to this Kruv
– man. However, more important than his makeup is his ability to hear Hashem. The
Kruv hears and learns a dynamic Torah from the Mouth of God [that we hear two].
Words like adam, nefesh, names, etc. all express their higher calling, a Torah
for humanity.
The
Jewish Torah is quite simple; we know the names [even when we really don't], we
know what adam means [even though we really don't], we don't mind the
meandering reiterations [even though we do], and we know the Torah is only
Jewish [even though it bothers us, yet words fail to express aloud what is
missing]. The goal is simple: Kruv – to be a man-angel who hears God in His Torah,
calls this enlightenment – one that can be identified and achieved, and walks
in light revealing universal light and truth, while learning that God speaks to
[all of] humanity.
The
Torah is given to man and not angels, yet it is incumbent upon man to overcome
his angelic self as represented through his evil inclination and progress until
he literally overcomes a divine encounter. This is the substance of a Kruv, and
as the Zohar points out, there are angelic men as prophets and there are
angelic men as priests, i.e. men of Torah. The Torah is the eternal substance that
flavors the prophetic word…and this word was given to the Kingdom of Priests,
and to those that learn her sacred script to be likened to the High Priest. Of
course this is a direct reference to Jews and Gerim, who both are blessed
without measure, to be able to rise to hear the call of Hashem through Torah,
and experience the true gift of authentic enlightenment.
Should
one find it odd that reality emanates from a book – Adam received a book too;
coincidence in word usage this is not, for any man may bring an offering to the
House of God, as the book mandates, and has been kept since the beginning of
time, and will continue to be kept, through the promise of an enlightened
Messiah.
God Willing class covering the Parasha [video/audio] will take place tomorrow Tuesday at 11 P.M. Tzfat time [we did not change our clocks yet]
Click Here For New Link!
Notice that we are now broadcasting from the campus of the original Yeshiva of Shem and Ever in Tzfat!
Notice that we are now broadcasting from the campus of the original Yeshiva of Shem and Ever in Tzfat!
Saturday, March 8, 2014
The March Towards Zion! [Video HD]
- Secrets of Noah's Ark
- Shem the Craftsman
- Book of Raziel
- Zohar and Sefer Yetzira
- One Big Picture
- Primordial Torah
- From Adam Until Moshiach
- etc.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Building (a) Third Temple
Click Here For Article!
- The Breastplate
- Urim V' Tumim
- Ezekiel Revealed
- Building The Temple
- Chavruta Emet
- etc.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Chronicles of a Chasid in Exile
Parashas Tetzaveh
The Third Temple and The
Urim V' Tumim: Traditions of The Ger
Rabbi David Katz
Parashas
Trumah laid the down the eternal blueprint design of the Third Temple, by
following in the footsteps of King Solomon who by upon meditating on the
Mishkan, was able to reach the Messianic level of greatness necessary to
construct a proper House of God. The Third Temple is existentially different
from however from King Solomon's Temple; this being achieved by its destiny of
being an eternal structure, and of course, in that the very DNA is straight
from Olam HaBah – Wisdom from the [Torah
of] Ger. The Torah concludes that the story of six thousand years of Creation
can quite simply be told over as a tale of the Jew and the Ger – encapsulated
by twenty-four books of scripture along with the entire era of Oral Torah;
essentially, this all boils down to into a recipe that not only explains our
reality, but actually constructs the Third Temple to its completion. Yet what remains
a mystery to this elaborate scheme, is the proverbial, "how does this ever
get achieved"; and to that tune, one would need to get well acquainted to
the ancient fringe of authentic Torah's past. I welcome you all, to meet Ezekiel;
he is the star of the Haftorah [very apropos to the Parsha and its proximity] and
the father of [proverbial] time as it plays out – by
turning heads throughout the ages! In my best Sean Connery introduction that
could narrate a documentary film to the Temple [stay tuned for the audio
shiur], "This is the Temple. It is built by the Divine Ger Code in the
Torah. Let us take a journey into Ezekiel's mysterious Prophecy, and [finally] appropriately
LEARN [hint] about the Temple."
In
all seriousness, the Temple is no light matter, and it truly is built by the
Ger – Jewish cooperation in shared Torah endeavors. This partnership is one in
acute Torah study, covering every element and facet of the Torah and Torah
history that spans the spectrum of time. We have mentioned that the union
produces a sublime Ger / Messianic code that explains the deepest secrets of
the Torah; now in the very next Parasha [Tetzaveh] and Haftorah [Ezekiel] the
program that we must "run" is there staring us in the eye, once we
find the sensation to appreciate the task at hand and recognize it. The premise
is brought down in two distinct ways in the Parasha and Haftorah: a) How the
partnership works, rallying around a mutual priestly aspect b) and the learning
from the mouth that commences. King David describes in Psalms that this is the
prescription of building the spiritual foundation for the Temple, one that is
sure to quickly inspire and manifest a physical counterpart. The implication
from the Prophet is that once achieved and the people have locked down the
initial task, Temple – fever will erupt with supreme Hedva [profound joy] and
an awakening on Earth will take place. This is the proverbial arena for Gog
Magog [to contend these matters through false religion and immorality] in the
future; the victory is to gain excitement in a tangible new light coming to the
World. This is NOT the Tower of Babylon…for this is the game plan for God's Eternal
Temple, and it will succeed. All that is needed to do is to follow the golden
recipe, and the path to Zion will illuminate before our dreamy eyes.
The
Parasha [28:29-30] covers the High Priest's Breastplate that he wears on his
chest as remembrance for the Children of Israel in times of Judgment. This
formula appears quite simple: Priest, of the Nation of Priests [Jews] names of
the twelve tribes on his chest…this is a nice and simple Jewish story. The only
problem is, is that the story doesn't stop here, quite the contrary really. He
is to add a piece into the Breastplate, the mysterious "Urim V'
Tumim" – a sacred set of holy names [of God and such]; altogether this
produces the desired effect for the High Priest when he is to inquire of the
Breastplate what the nation should do in times of distress. It should be noted
that this dimension was missing in the Second Temple, due to Israel's lower
spiritual state, thus there was no Urim V' Tumim nor the Shechinah. There was
however one other BIG piece missing from the Second Temple and it ties all of
these factors together quite well; this is none other than the Ger. If one pays
attention to the language of the Parasha, noticing the difference in language
and context between the Breastplate and the Urim V' Tumim, we have yet again an
exquisite example of Ger Tzedek code, as elaborated in the previous article.
[Children of Israel compared to a general "they"…shall be on his
heart, as if to say in contrast – Jews and Gerim.] The Talmud makes clear
mention of the Ger who learns Torah is compared to the High Priest, and perhaps
now, more than ever there is light shed on this enigmatic statement.
The
Sforno in various places makes mention that the desire of God was not to have a
Temple, Mishkan, or even vessels in these structures [such as the Ark; sorry Sean
Connery], but that Mankind would become the Chariot to which God interfaces in
the World. The template to such a concept was Malki Tzedek, a Priest to God
Above; Man would be prophetic by nature, and Earth would serve God in the
highest order. Yet in the end it did not work out this way, and the Torah we
have is Absolute Truth; however we can still emulate these very concepts in our
service to God [aside from the fact that there is a strong belief that the Ark
still will NOT come back, and that we are to function as the receiver of God's
prophetic word in the times to come. A Temple, we are promised though, will
stand, and has served to this day as the ultimate sign of redemption.], and
even allegorically transform spiritually into spiritual technology. This is
called [as rabbi Nachman puts it in Likutei Moharan] the Torah of Faith, and is
the quintessential level of Chasidut Torah; it should be noted for this reason
the Gerim are often called "Chisidei Umot Ha-Olam" from their innate
spiritual abilities, along with their ability to break the laws of [their]
nature to become [reveal] something new.
At
this point we have a very simple program to work with: The task of the Jewish
"Priest" is to know the Torah – in Hebrew, and be prepared to
decipher code, as the traditional Breastplate operates by the same disciplines
of Pardes as the Ger Code in Torah. The job of the Ger is to function as the
Urim V' Tumim [help with names of God goes a long way, for the Urim V' Tumim
is composed of this, much like Shem's
task as the Priest to God Above; even in the Torah, the initial letters of the
words in the location of the Urim, is a cloaked – code name of God [the name
that is of value 17, same as the code in the first verse of the Torah by
"Heavens and Earth."] and be a vessel – priest that works in tandem with
his priest in partnership. Should they be of proper intent, their harmony in
Torah will produce an ability to draw down Torah revelation, and with the
pre-requisite knowledge and ability, they can decode the secrets of the Torah.
This is not only an amazing truth, but like the proverbial axiom states, "this
is what you [they] were created to do"; this is called "Building the
Temple" and serves as the perfect illustration of not only God's
intentions of creating them both, but just how holy their partnership is, and
precious to God. Remember, God Loves the Ger, and how could anyone not
"just Love" when this is the program were created to run. The
definition of true spirituality [and as we said in the original intent of Man]
is "The power of God in Man through the agency of Divine Providence";
enlightenment is the merit to see this as it happens, and is the purpose of
being Created – to know Him [Zohar].
Now
that we have the tools to harness God's Sanctuary of Light, Ezekiel gives first
shape to our destined Third Temple.
As
it says [43:10-11] "You, son of Man! Tell the House of Israel about the
Temple, and let them be ashamed of their iniquities and calculate the Temple's
design. If they become ashamed of all that they have done, then make known the
form of the Temple and its design, its exits and its entrances, and all its
buildings' forms, all its laws, all its designs and all its teachings, and
write all this down before their eyes, so that they may safeguard its entire
form and all its rules and MAKE/DO THEM!" It is not enough that this
powerful message gives tremendous inspiration and sense of command, yet when we
read Rashi on this verse it is as if the voice of God becomes thunder in our
hearts to run up and build his sacred Temple! Rashi simply explains the verse
to the end; but there at the end is where the profound nature of Rashi shines
brightest and all revealing, "and they will learn/teach the matters of the
design from your mouth – [by doing] THAT [you will gain, hear, understand,
realize the] EXPERTISE to make/do them [the building; by connecting to the
Torah inside, and speaking it, this causes revelation to come out of the mouths
of those involved, and subsequently this is the only way one can know how to
build the Temple – if we all are involved, share, etc. – Jews and Gerim. Like
the Sforno wanted to say, the Temple IS in all of us, and it is the task and
correction of Man to extract from our hearts/souls by Love of God/one
another/Torah and engaging in Tikkun Olam in this fashion prescribed and
inspired by the Torah.] to [awaken, make it] a Time of the End [stamped by the
actions of Man through his accomplishment of fulfilling God's will].
That
is why we are here. That is why we Love the Ger. That is why we are all
Priests. That is why God is awesome. As Sean Connery would say, in his documentary
voice, "This is the Temple. It was built by Jews and Gerim who loved God,
His Torah, and each other. Come with us on a journey, to the Temple Mount…"
for it says in Parashas Jethro, if we go up looking for God in the place that
He has chosen [the Priests] to say His name, he will come to us and bless us.
Amen, and so it is, and thus it shall always be, for God Loves the Ger, and
every second the High Priest dons the garments, it could not be any more
apparent to God what He created; Glorious it is to those with an awakened Heart
to experience the Power of God.
Note the New Schedule:
Tues [of this week] 11 P.M. Parasha In-Depth
Wed 11 P.M. Psalms In-Depth #72
****Starting Next Week****
Psalms In-Depth will be SUNDAY NIGHTS 11 PM
and
Parasha In-Depth will be WEDNESDAY NIGHTS 11 PM
please note the changes, and God Willing this will be the order of events for this current cycle of affairs.
Also, God Willing, our classes will available as an MP3 download [as always] along with a new Video option [posted with link on YouTube]
The Mishkan Code
- Ger Tzedek HD
- Ramban Code
- The Cruvim, Two People
- Secrets of Mishkan
- Inspiration of Solomon
- etc.
Notice New Class Times To Begin Next Week!
Psalms In-Depth / Thinking Shabbat
[classes to infrequently alternate; focus will be Psalms]
11 P.M. Sunday Tzfat Time and Place
Parasha In-Depth [Noahide Focus]
11 P.M. Wed.
[Thurs. 11 P.M. is the default time change should there be need]
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
God's Love Story, A Tragedy - Non
Parashas Trumah
Searching For Rest on Zion
Rabbi David Katz
In
Parashas Trumah we are introduced to the first order of the Mishkan
[Tabernacle] following the Sinai revelation, and soon we shall learn of the
apparent core reason; that being the fall and sin of the infamous Golden Calf
incident. Yet according to Kabbalah the most paramount aspect of creation is
knowledge of Hashem [as the Zohar claims this is our whole existence in this
World], and as it turns out, we know with whole and complete faith that God is
truly and absolutely Good. With that said, the Golden Calf perforce must
produce a positive outcome, and it does, for the Ramban reveals that it is the
platform to take on board the Gerim. In essence, the Mishkan contains sacred
knowledge not only as a dwelling for God below, but the actual blueprint of
Creation [through God's Creating process towards Olam HaBah]. The Zohar says
that this blueprint extends as the basis of the First and Third Temples; the
first having been constructed by King Solomon and his wisdom taken from the
Mishkan's design, and is fully expressed in Song of Songs, King Solomon's
"Holy of Holies." It is said that the Moshiach will build the Third
Temple, and that it will be inspired by the Mishkan as well, producing similar
Torah to Song of Songs. This level of Revelation hints at the essential Divine
Story being told in the Temple [and Mishkan, Creation, etc.], expressed through
a heartfelt account of the Love affair with God that takes place between Jews
and Gerim.
The
Ramban opens the gateway to the discovery of the relationship that exists
between Jews and Gerim, by revealing the inner elements of the Mishkan. The
Ramban says the following: "Just as Hashem spoke with Israel face to face
through Ten Statements [10 Commandments] and commanded them through the hand of
Moses as 'some of the commandments' functioning as a primary system [avot] to
the commandments of the Torah. In a similar way the rabbis guide the Gerim that
come to become friendly with Judaism, and Israel accepted upon themselves to do…as
you shall be a Nation of Priests….and Israel is fit to be soaked with the
Shechinah among them. And thus the first command is to have a Mishkan among
them where Moses could command them…And behold the main desire of the Mishkan
is a place for the Shechinah to rest, and this is the Ark." To generalize
the Ramban, as explained in Kabbalistic works, and in absolute parallel within
kabbalah, the Ark contains two Cherubim [angelic entities] on the lid of the
Ark; for all intents and purposes, and within an ever micro – macro level, the
two Cherubim represent this desire of God, characterized as Jews and Gerim, as
evidenced by two partial systems of Law [Noahide – 7 and the 10 Commandments;
Noahides were given (devoid of command) a unique three in Marah to make an
equal measure; Shabbat, Red Heifer, and Statutes]. The Mishkan then came into
being through the Golden Calf, yet we see its very essence represents the Jews
and the Gerim working together in a perfect male-female [and thus Kabbalistic/micro-macro]
relationship and position.
If
the Mishkan indeed does represent the two peoples in our World, and provided
for a place of Service up and into the Land, it is only fitting to illuminate
the inherent pipeline that exists in the Mishkan, reaching as far as the
highest spiritual worlds. In kabbalah there are four practical and tangible
worlds that are related to the Mishkan[/Temple – for the Mishkan is a pre-Temple
infrastructure], and are the arena of Divine Service of God. The main service
is ultimately become righteous, gain pure faith, and know God; this is
epitomized as the defeat of one's personal evil inclination, a divine reality
that all of mankind partakes in. The evil inclination is the necessary evil
that God sends into the soul, inspiring one to achieve in this World, and thus
giving Creation substance, all as a disguise to the hand of God in His Creating
process. The ultimate goal then is to defeat evil, recognize God, and enter
inherit the Land of the Humble. That Land is inhabited by Jews and Gerim, and
they are working to build and serve the Third and final Temple for God to dwell
below. It is this Temple that will innately express the story of Creation,
while highlighting the Jewish/Ger "code" of Torah. Many are sure to
be surprised that this is essentially the story of the
final redemption and the ultimate Torah of the King Messiah. As Ezekiel the
prophet says, by learning "it" we merit the inspiration, like King
Solomon [in Song of Songs] to build the House of Prayer.
Thus
as a perfected service of God, we find two key issues to secure the Will of
God: the defeat of the evil inclination and revelation of Torah; coincidentally
enough they go hand and glove. The defeat of one's evil happens simultaneously
with one's ability to reveal the Godliness of this World. As we grow in Torah
revelation and gain an ability to grasp absolute Truth and Faith, the evil
inclination loses its ability to deceive, and upon identification, one is ready
to take his part in the eternal Jewish – Ger saga that exists for all of time.
The
war with the evil inclination naturally takes place in our world, and while
unengaged in this indoctrination to evil, we appear utterly divorced from our
spiritual identity and reality that we are destined to inherit upon success
against evil. As the Zohar points out, through the struggle we endure in our
plight, God actually engineers a whirlwind for us to cling to the Divine roots
of Creation, even if unbeknownst to ourselves. By conquering the inclination,
we rise up, and go from World to World [from Asiah – to Yetzirah – to Briah –
and onwards towards a World without evil, Atzilus] by the angelic – Cherubim intervention,
occupied by the souls of Elijah and Hanoch. Together, they act as Priests whose
numerical value is the same as "voice"; it is as if they announce the
righteousness of the soul who conquers his evil, and these two priestly youths
project the soul upwards, through passage of "Heavenly tabernacles"
until the soul reaches its original home, or soul root. Along this journey,
many spiritual realities happen to the victor; from interacting with the
Archangel Michael, and gaining the most sublime Torah revelations, his life on
Earth is destined to transform itself from a dungeon of death into a Garden of Eden
flowing with fantastic and attainable true Joy of spirit.
The
nourishment of this journey [called Life] is the influx of profound Torah, and
what should not be surprising by this point, comes in the vessels of the Love
between God – Jews – and Gerim. As the revelation intensifies, our perceptions
change, and as we can begin to recognize the beauty of Humanity, God's Hand of
Providence [Mazal] becomes ever more pronounced in our lives. The Torah [even
in its original form and perception] serves as the discipline and language
[among all of its other infinite Divine cause and function] to decipher the
communion that God has with man, and with proper concentration and focus, a
harmonious language of God begins to manifest; for all intents and purposes,
one could say that the meaning and purpose of Life begins to show its colors. A
code exists on Earth, and as Kabbalah calls it, it is the "Voice of the
Turtledove" – the Torah of our Righteous Messiah. Several key themes
compose its content, and it profoundly takes up Song of Songs' cause, as the
mysterious Love affair becomes an audible display of the love between the Jew
and the Ger. This is where the Mishkan takes the stage as the sacred key to
this dynamic.
When
we look into the vernacular of the Mishkan [and all the more so Ezekiel's
temple prophecy] one need not stress his eyes too much to see that the language
is a bit peculiar in that seems as if every step is a double entendre; this
implies that multiple layers are ever present within the actual design of the
Mishkan. Indeed it is so, for from a spiritual angle, the words double as
vessels to God's Divine Code/Language. This is the same inspiration that
Betzalel [who actually constructed the Mishkan] drew in his design, followed by
King Solomon; the story of Creation and its Redemption is staring us right in
the eye, and has been for thousands of years.
The
Torah has been slightly concealed since its inception, and as the End draws
near, witnessed by unprecedented returnees to enjoy the Light of the Ger, the concealment
yields to unprecedented Light. The light is enveloped within a code that is
laced throughout the Torah that once revealed, it is the chronicles of the
episodes between Jews and Gerim. Jews are often depicted as "the Children
of Israel" while the Gerim are considered "the People." Although
not a perfect science, at least in revelation at this point, the Torah steadily
becomes a profound testimony between Jews and Gerim; this spans all of time,
and sheds particular light on the Torah's most righteous [and their saga's],
especially the exchange between Shem and Abraham. Thus when we have a mastery
of the "Entire Ger Tzedek / Messianic [Kol HaTor] Code" the Mishkan becomes
a huge magnifying glass and decoder to the ultimate revelation of God's
Blueprint to the Third Temple, and that is Ezekiel's Messianic Prophecy.
In
simple terms, the Torah has code, and the path to righteousness opens the code.
Righteousness is defined by the conquering of evil, and key to victory is held
in the unity that must exist between Jews and Gerim, thus their imprint is
stamped onto eternity's walls. Each side possesses the illumination that the
other one needs. For thousands of years each side continuously comes up short;
either too solely Jewish, or too unfamiliar with Torah discipline and Wisdom.
The Noahide Laws that can blossom into a life of a Ger, provide the bridge
between these Worlds, and contain enough firepower to vanquish evil forever,
even to the extent that King David promises that this is the way of defeat over
Gog V' Magog.
With
World-wide unity between Jews and Gerim, the Torah reveals that evil doesn't
stand a chance against the Brotherly image that is draped over the Jewish-Ger
bond. The Divine Code – Mazal is the universal language that these long lost
lovers mutually speak, for it is the language of the Torah itself. By learning in
this way, along with all types of communication [Prayer, Friendship, etc.], we
are on the way to open the treasure troves of inspiration within Ezekiel, the
Mishkan itself, and the pathways of the heavens, as all roads lead to our soul
root, in that we should better recognize our Creator. The Zohar says that this is the meaning of
Life itself, and we trust that this builds Zion soon in our day, as we pick up
where David, the King of Israel and Aravnah, the Ger Tzedek left off, and
represent so many before them – standing on Mt. Zion waiting for God's
Salvation over the Torah's secret issue. I guess it's kinda simple, Jews and
Gerim getting along, finally, and without the yetzer, standing together in the
Temple? I think someone said that that would be on Shabbos too, maybe. What do
you think?
Thursday, January 30, 2014
They're Everywhere!
- Light of The Ger
- History Revealed
- Marah and Mitzvot
- Love Thy Neighbor
- Shulchan Aruch for Noahides
- Ancient Ways
- etc.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
The Secret Ger
Parashas Mishpatim
Torat Shem – From The
Mouth of God We Heard T(w)o[o]
Rabbi
David Pesach ben Leib HaKohen [Katz]
Parashas
Mishpatim is for all intents and purposes an extension of the Torah from Sinai.
The order of recent events in an over generalized way would read – to Marah [the place of bitter waters], where
"Noahide Laws" were commanded [away from the earlier precedent of
Bnei Noah, now transferred through Sinai Covenant] along with four other
matters of law given, in Shabbat, Honoring Parents, Red Heifer, and Statutes,
and onwards towards Sinai and beyond. Thus the domain of Mishpatim is to teach
the "Dinim" [statutes] that accompany the Laws of Noah, which are now
taught through a Sinai lens. Moses was told on these Laws/Statutes to make them
as a "set table" [a Shulchan Aruch in Torah Lit.] and prepared before
man, as the words in the Parasha in many ways epitomize the classic Jewish
"Yeshivish/Talmudic" diet that has been chanted from study halls
around the globe, during a long and nearly 2,000 year exile from The Land. The
Torah thus must be a clear demonstration of King Solomon's words in Song of
Songs, "To Push with the left, while embracing with the right" – for all
that we have been told that the Torah is Jewish by nature, in Mishpatim we hear
a different tune, one that resonates an eternal Sinai echo…"From the Mouth
of God We Heard Two." Sinai stands eternally to capture the moment that
lasts forever – the Jew and the Ger, side by side [in Torah], a reality that
not only never fades away, but rather defines every aspect of life, and even
stands to usher in the Righteous Messiah Soon in Our Days.
If
we did in fact hear two, then question needs to be asked concerning who is this
"we" and why did "we" hear two? There is an old school way
of Torah thinking and association filled with cliché and stereotypes [yet not
original], especially when delving into Parashas Mishpatim, that without
compromise, one must believe the Torah is Jewish, only Jews are in the Torah,
if you want in – then convert [which Jews supposedly don't proselytize], and
the rest of the world is filled with idolaters who have no chance to exist in this
World or the World to Come. The sad part of this thinking is not only that it
is bigotry and small mindedness, but its greatest sin is that is reflects
absolutely poor scholarship and highlights lazy habits in study and an utter
dearth in Torah and Worldly Knowledge and Wisdom. Are these words harsh? – You Bet!
The point being, that aside from the falseness of these strange mantras, the Torah is overtly obvious – in that if we
would just look at what is right in front of us, "from the mouth of God we
did hear two" would be obvious! – The Ger and the Jew
both stood at Sinai, under the umbrella of one will of God, and thus the plot
thickens…oh does the plot thicken.
In previous
Parshiot we have pointed out that there is a framework for Torah code that
spans the entire Sinai tradition, to which extent the Ger is the tip of the
spear on this front. Two such examples of this are in the grammar of the Hebrew
usage of the Ger, which Chazal interpret anomalies to express the appropriate
observance level of the Ger [i.e. 7 laws ceiling vs. a Ger who desires to keep
more of the Torah's commandments], and in the same flavor, the Torah uses at
least two distinctly different words for "the people" that effects
the context and connotation of the text; "Bnei Yisrael" are seen to
be "Jews" while "the People" is a reference to
"Gerim" [as is with all codes, it is not a perfect science,
commentators argue these points of code, and often times it is not though to
formulate an exclusion principle, but rather an inclusive property, as to
particularly not exclude]. Based on this revelation in Chazal, one need not
think too far and fast into Mishpatim to realize that there are obviously per
force Noahide references going on here in the most literal sense; but one armed
with foresight of the Ger even on a novice level, will be shocked what a little
bit of investigation will bring to the set table – that we live in a World
filled with Gerim. This is a reality easily attained by simply learning the
Torah's ramifications based on the topics at hand; with that said, a thorough
investigation into what may be perhaps the Gerim's surprisingly biggest Parasha
that exists, will yield what King David says in Tehillim [72] – is the Light of
Messiah and a repair of the World…yes indeed, from the mouth of God, we did in
fact hear two.
The
formula is quite easy to equate, for once we have Emunah [faith to the point of
revelation; isolating a fresh outlook of spiritual reality even into the
physical] that we did in fact hear two together [based on the amount of data on
the subject matter showing conclusive evidence that code theory with the Ger is
in fact correct; from hypothesis to fact], and we have begun to see the pattern
with precision [to the exclusion of guessing; rather now one can target with
foresight, knowledge – wisdom, and discipline], every law in the Parasha comes
under the microscope of "just who is it here that we are talking about"
consciousness. All of a sudden the characters of Moses, Hashem, the people,
children of Israel, etc. take on different form and filled with exponentially
more content! The laws develop into a 3D model [where applicable obviously;
point being that the rate of appearance now is radically greater than the one
of two references at best – that the average scholar may notice on the fly from
parsha to parsha] and paint a dynamic picture of the fabric of society that not
only "was" in "Torah times" – but as an accurate model of
the Universe as it is even today!
Here
is a list of laws in the Parasha that most would identify as 100% Jewish, while
upon further investigation, it spans both the Jewish and Ger Worlds with common
impact upon its people: 1) the concept of a Shulchan Aruch 2) Sanhedrin 3)
Maidens 4) Laws of Marah – 7 Laws, along with the previously mentioned
commandments that were given -TO THE
GERIM 5) my Friend/Brother – who I have an equal command to help and love 6)
Unkosher meat (generally thought to give to a "goy" – now we see that
this can most likely be the meat given to the Ger Toshav and sold to the Nochri
as in parashas Re'eh) 7) Brit [Ger Tzedek] 8) Shabbat 9) Making Gerim 10) not
to lend with interest – a major revelation within the 7 Laws! 11) Don't taunt
the Ger 12) leftovers of the crops [Peah] 13) Judging [Noahide] laws to
perfection [and as King David said, Noahide Laws perfected brings Messiah and
defeats Gog Magog] 14) Three festivals in Jerusalem 15) dietary awareness 16) The
Land of Israel [and against its idolaters] 17) The Sinai Brit [not naasah v'
nishmah] 18) Torah AND 19) – BASED ON
THE MEAT REFERENCES, [the Ger who eats
non-kosher meat as a means of tzedaka] we are
sent to the Talmud Bava Kama:
Bava
Kama 38a is the source of the famous Noahide dictum, "A Nochri who is
involved with Torah is compared to the High Priest"; this is in accordance
with the precept of being on a path of "being commanded and doing as
opposed to not being commanded, for Hashem has placed the command at Sinai,
with the giving of the Torah. The simple underlying premise here is that Sinai
stripped the World of everything, and re-routed Torah and all monetary systems through
the Sinai Revelation; the World was now in potential for the Ger Toshav, and
Torah eschatology, as King David describes, is predicated on the World
realizing that potential, even as daunting and illogical as it may seem. In
essence, the entire Torah once thought to be a one man team – comprised of Jews
to the exclusion of idolaters, is in reality a Sinai Revelation that consists
of Jews and Gerim, and a promise that the World will become perfected and
filled with "The Knowledge of God."
To put
the Parasha into ultra-focus, once we have the Torah of Emunah [as Rebbe
Nachman prescribes predominantly in his works of faith and consequently
relationships; materializing the spiritual into the physical] and can
categorically relate to the Ger [and the Ger of the Jew, both in perfectly
accurate terms; hence an ability to form and act upon a relationship that
epitomizes a fractal of Messiah revelation], we become mandated upon every word
or breath of Torah uttered, to ascertain whether or not this refers to a Ger or
not. This is only an opening to an infinite arena, for through the Ger, Mankind
is duty bound to find Mankind [Adam] in every inch of the infinite Torah!
The
Torah was indeed given to Israel, yet is this same Torah, that is the makeup of
every Ger in his soul root, and thus is attached to the revelation of the Torah
given at Sinai. The beauty is, the entire World merited the Ger Toshav at
Sinai, whether in Israel or Worldwide – and for all and any time period; bound
through common law and common currency of involvement. The discovery of the
truth takes place in Talmud Bava Kama 38a, over a discussion of treif [un-kosher;
gored] meat. The Torah says that the damager is your Friend when carrying out
the mandated law. Coincidentally enough, the context is that he is a potential
Ger, and by definition of the Friend attribute IN TEXT, all are commanded to
Love him as thyself, and all that comes within the great Mitzvah of Love the
Ger. In case you missed it, Parashas Mishpatim told us to please refrain from
taunting the Ger, for you were Gerim in Egypt…and as the Zohar points out,
should you know what that means, well, then you have tasted of the Tree of
Life, that emanates from the mouth of God, and yes, of course, we heard too.
Audio Class On Parasha Tues 11 P.M. Tzfat
Audio Class On Parasha Tues 11 P.M. Tzfat
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Where's Moshiach? - Calling All Gerim!
Parashas Vaeira
The Hidden King and His Kingdom
Rabbi David Katz
Parashas
Vaeira can quite simply be the Torah's formal introduction to kings and
non-kings. In some ways this can appear as an overt operation, while some
implications can be extremely subtle; yet with the careful eye, they are all
here. Whether we are to discuss Pharaoh, Moshiach [and who he is], Egypt,
Moses, or the Kabbalistic slant in this domain, the evil kingdom is quite clear
in the passages that lay before us, while the secrets of the eventual ultimate
redemption and her king is one of the truly most blessed aspects in the whole
Torah – the truth of the final Moshiach – Moshiach son of David. Let's examine six distinct aspects of the
Kingdom in (1) Hashem and His name, (2) Egypt, (3) Pharaoh, (4) Moses, (5) Ger
Tzedek, (6) Messiah.
"My
Name Hashem"
Perhaps
the most obvious King in our Parasha is The Creator Himself. Yet it still must
be stated, for all too often we tend to stare at the trees while losing site of
the forest! This is and shall always remain Hashem's dynamic opening moves that
will eventually be realized as an eternal bombardment. Hashem was always
working His vision into our hearts, and now has come the time to fashion the Nation
of Israel in an absolutely revealed way, one that will see Him as head of this
new Nation, one containing Jews and Gerim. As much as this week's headlines detail
Hashem and Israel-proper, the rest of the Torah, starting next week [and from
where we left off in Bereishit] will intertwine the Children of Israel who
stood at Sinai, alongside in countless ways with the Gerim, who are also
inherently bound by a Sinai in a sublime way. Suffice it to say, Hashem has made his formal
introduction with His essential name, and the buildup will culminate with a
redemption [that leaves His distinct fingerprints all over it] and Sinai
revelation. For the rest of time, no idolatry will be able to stand before
Sinai and Moses as the Prophet of God; all others fall short, and with proper
guidance in the nature of this redemption that God orchestrates, the Path of
the Ger truly does represent Sinai and redemption, for their entire tradition
rightfully so begins right at the foot of Sinai.
"Egypt"
Egypt
was the empire of its day, and history teaches that it worked in tandem with
the Land of Canaan [the future "Holy Land"]. This is "Kingdom"
[lit.] / Malchut – "Rulership" [practical usage] at its best, and serves
as the paradigm for every exile – redemption scenario. At this point in the
narrative, we understand Egypt's roots through Bereishit, and onwards into
Shemot, we see that Joseph's enactments of circumcision was now a [problematic]
custom for the locals, along with ritual bathing for the women; this is a nice
way of saying, that the future Jews were successful in the early efforts of
"Making Gerim." Out of this scenario, a slew of issues will arise,
such as Erev Rav [a mixed assembly of future Jews, Gerim, and enemies to God],
this served as the basis of identity [through Batya – daughter of Pharaoh] for
Moses, and as a symbol of the World in every empire, culminating with a similar
setting towards the End of Days. Some of
the most potent prophesies that speak about sure signs of Redemption involve
the falling of Egypt. One need not look too far in today's settings to see a
possible Divine effort in fulfilling this symbol. To reiterate in simple terms,
"we all have an Egypt to fall into, and then flee from."
"Pharaoh"
Pharaoh
is a character that changes shape practically every time we see "him"
– from Abraham and Isaac, through Joseph, and finally at the present Exodus.
Thus to focus on the most essential attributes of Pharaoh would be to look upon
him as we see him in our Parasha. Pharaoh's name in Hebrew can be split into
the two words "Peh – Rah" or, Mouth of Evil. In Kabbalistic
literature Malchut / Rulership is depicted as the Divine Mouth, as illustrated
by the two most publicized kings in Torah History – Moses and David. The
Zohar's depiction of Pharaoh is one of a perversion of the Rulership in God's
image, even as an anti-messiah. If the Messiah extends his head upwards towards
God, Pharaoh claims to be God incarnate. If Joseph [a Messiah type figure, i.e.
Messiah son of Joseph] represents the river that flows from Eden
[kabbalistically], one need not think too far back to Pharaoh's claims to stand
on the river; this is the setting of which Moses is told to happen upon Pharaoh
in the morning, as Moses is commanded to talk to Pharaoh. It is Pharaoh that
goes against God, wishes to enslave the Nation of Israel / withhold the Gerim,
and he represents the power of perversion of Rulership – a distortion of what
redemption is supposed to look like. A great mystery can be said of Pharaoh,
for at the Exodus he did not die, and for every generation that delivers a
Moses in scholarship, the power of Pharaoh still manifests to attempt to block
the will and vision of heaven [this is synonymous with Erev Rav and their
leader].
"Moses"
Moses
the eventual first King of Israel is a sublime example of Rulership. Yet as we
focus from Hashem, and onwards into the evil sectors of Rulership – those that
oppose Hashem as King, we come upon Moses as he is at the time of redemption. The
Zohar illustrates that Moses' mouth is not totally operative [as evidenced by
his "uncircumcised lips"; the verse 6:12 hints through beginning and
end letters with a spelling of the words, "Circumcision", "and
bounty", and "crying out"] and explains that his mouth is still
in exile - EXCEPT FOR AT SINAI. Moses
has almost the whole package of redemption, even the Shechinah unites with his
mouth, however there is still an aspect missing from this redemption and Moses,
and that are his mouth and its Rulership that will manifest in the End of Days
through Messiah. King David in psalms expresses this final level of Rulership
[such that David is the promised Messiah] within the Mouth, and it is found in
the sanctification within one's own mind. He says that all day man makes vows
in the depths of his own mind, should he bring to light that higher voice, all
of God's enemies will cease to exist. Ironically Moses could hear the voice of
God, yet ironically his own voice went unrecognized…"From the mouth of God
I heard two, will become the salvation of Sinai.
"Ger
Tzedek"
The
Ger might be the most invisible character to our Parasha on a revealed level;
however the Zohar again illustrates that the manner of the redemption very much
so involves the Ger on an ultra-dynamic scale. The Ger Tzedek [here explained explicitly NOT
as a convert, but as a proper Ger] is involved at removing stern judgments on the
Creation, by working alongside Israel, and thus perforce can't be a Jew in this
sense [although at times a Ger Tzedek can be referred to a full convert]. The
task of the Ger is to return to his root of soul, and refine his character. The
Ger exists in a world of Derech Eretz [good character traits] and thus has a
natural tendency to gravitate towards his good inclination and to avoid any
negative animalistic pull [Which every human being obviously has; the nature of
Jews and Gerim are their functions of how to deal with good and bad. In their equality, we can look at this in
terms of right and left, male and female], or his evil inclination- to
accentuate his good. The Ger Tzedek is
unique [and thus a proper Chasid by definition – going beyond the letter of the
law; pursuing more than "7"] and wishes to purify and refine the
areas of his soul that he is not naturally expected to, and by doing so he
confronts his natural evil, and as he succeeds, this removes judgments from
Mankind. The Jewish people in general are involved with this task, and thus a
Jewish "Chasid" [in the literal sense] should then be one who
involves himself with the work of the Ger [non-Chasid], or more explicitly,
involving himself with the Noahide Laws. In the end, both the Jews and Gerim
will work both sides together, and this will constitute a repair of the
Rulership, and as King David prophesies, will bring in Redemption.
"Messiah"
…And
finally the Messiah's Rulership, otherwise known as Pinchas, he who came of the
"Daughters of Putiel." Pinchas the son of Elazer, came of the
mysterious Daughters of Putiel, to which the Midrash, Talmud, and Kabbalah,
have all identified as a double entendre representing Joseph and Jethro. To
make this easier to understand on the Joseph side, we need to recall that Jacob
told Joseph "Ephraim and Menasha are to Jacob" but any other progeny
afterwards would belong to Joseph himself. This fact coupled with Elazar's
Daughter of Putiel, reveals that likely Pinchas descended from one of Joseph's
future daughters! That
would make her a prototype Ger Tzedek [Messianic type] of woman. This is not
foreign to Pinchas, for he married a daughter of Rachav [and Joshua – he who
personifies Moshiach ben Joseph] the Ger Tzedek! The Messiah lineage seems to
travel alongside the Ger Tzedek and their women, to which the Torah says,
"Daughter of Putiel" rather than daughter in the singular. Jethro is
the other reference to Putiel [for this is a hint of his idolatrous days, as
opposed to the Joseph hint that he defeated his evil inclination – another Ger
Tzedek hint as we listed above], and Jethro is likened to a father of Ger
Tzedek women! Just as his daughter married Moses and was an exemplary Ger
Tzedek woman, and the Midrash calls Moses' Batyah her twin sister [in concept,
relating to Jethro as the consummate Ger Tzedek], we see that the Davidic line
flourishes with these women, from Tamar, to Ruth, and onwards until Moshiach is
revealed and performs the redemption of the Ger. It should be noted that
Pinchas is said to have received both roles of the Moshiach sons of Joseph and
David, through the Brit Shalom [with the slaying of Zimri and Cozbi] – which was
his own performance of the Redemption of the Ger, in keeping it in sanctity. Pinchas
and the Priesthood became bonded to the Ger Tzedek woman through the enigmatic
mitzvah known as the Yafa Toar – captured women of war, of which Pinchas is on
record of having been present at the time of the command. For support, our
Parasha has the same Gematria as Pinchas [208] and this is our first
introduction to his character.
We
live in a World that has never beheld true Rulership, a King, or in other words
God revealed on Earth. The six listed archetypes of Kingdom listed in the
Parasha [there are sure to be more, the more one delves within the micro, and
perhaps can show there are less by illuminating the macro] show a range of the
issues that manifest in every society at every time. We all know a Pharaoh in
our Egypt, as we wish for God and a Messiah to end our problems, as we study
every year about Moses while ignoring the Righteous Ger as if he does not
exist. The irony is, every year we read about Pinchas, and overlook his future
commitment in ushering in the redemption; whether it is through his soul, or
the announcement that we have arrived through God's messenger Elijah, to whom
we say, "Pinchas is Elijah." Parashas Vaeira is special, for it
contains all of the necessary ingredients for a proper redemption; if we just
knew that it is the Ger who lurks behind every type of Rulership, perhaps the
shofar blast would erupt suddenly in our day. Only we do know, but if a tree
falls in a forest with nobody there to listen, did it make a noise? [Hint; a
word to the wise is sufficient]
Audio Class on Parasha Tuesday 11 P.M.
Wed 11 P.M. - We are introducing a new series along side the "Thinking Shabbos" classes;
Now launching "The Tehillim In-Depth - Universal Torah Series!"
Look for announcements each week for updates on schedule!
***Please Note Class Times and Their Amendments!
I have an erratic schedule with house guests until February; Please God February will arrive soon :)
Monday, December 23, 2013
The Sisterhood of Motherhood
Parashas Shemot
The Messiah's Women's Club
Rabbi David Katz
Parashas
Shemot is the formal introduction to Moses after a successful build up throughout
the entire Book of Genesis. Yet the most compelling part of Moses' character
and subsequent development, might strike one as the most elusive secret has
ever told –it may even begin to decipher as to why he in fact did hit the
infamous rock, on his way to Israeli – expulsion, keeping resonance with the
Torah's narrative and theme in repairing Adam, who suffered a similar fate. So
what is it that Adam and Moses share in a most profound way? If we look to
Adam's fateful day, we can remember that he looked to call Eve [his better
half] "The Mother of all Life" (חוה)
and that is just it – for as much as Eve defines Adam and all of Life, it is the
women within the Life of Moses, that shape his destiny as the paradigm
redeemer. Moses' greatness in historic proportion, and his ability to attain to
the highest heights of Understanding [symbolized his ascension of the Mt. to
gaze upon the Land, along with the rabbinic tradition that Moses gained the
elusive 50th Gate of Understanding, expressing that he actually
existed in the Land of Israel already, that which is on High] was a direct
result of his surroundings – that of the Joy [Hedva] of Torah, or in other
words, the "Mother of the Messiah [as the Zohar states] - "The Ger Tzedek [non-Jewish convert]
Women." There may not be a greater secret within the Torah as this, for as
much as the women ushered in the first Redemption from slavery, the Women of
the entire World [Gerim and Jewish] shall conspire again against tyranny in the
End of Days, and secure eternal Liberation and Salvation.
In
a short span of "page time" in Shemot, we quickly find ourselves
familiar with Moses, and his four most essential [Ger -] women in Miriam
[sister], Yocheved [mother], Batyah [daughter of Pharaoh – surrogate mother],
and Tzipporah [wife, daughter of Jethro, and as the Midrash states, a spiritual
twin sister to Batyah]. To make the linear progression clear, Moses was born to
Yocheved, and was hid and nursed with the help of his sister Miriam until three
months of age in seclusion had passed. The women of the House of Levi [Moses
was a Levite, and his father, mother, and sister each established a house, in
Priest, Levite, and Kingship] placed Moses in the Nile to see what would become
of him, due to the oppression of Pharaoh, which led to his discovery by Batyah
[Pharaoh's daughter]. Batyah desired to raise Moses in royalty, and commenced
as such with full cooperation with Moses' family. At this point Moses would
grow up under these terms, live a life of a Man discovering God, which properly
found him contemplating God's ways upon a well in Midian. From there Moses
arose to the challenge vested within his future wife and family in Tzippora,
the daughter of the Midianite Priest / Pharaoh's advisor – Jethro.
Jethro
and Moses would quickly become the best of mates, developing "Ger
Theory" [and Torah revelation, for Jethro was a great inspiration to Moses,
and vice versa] while at the same time Moses' love for Tzippora would erupt and
culminate with the birth of their two young men Eliezer and Gershom. From the
House of Jethro, Moses would be called to meet God at Sinai, and receive
command to redeem Israel from Egyptian bondage. All would go moderately well
[aside form Moses' shock to happen upon God, where he refused to gaze at the
intensity of God – for better or worse] for Moses and his new task; soon he
would find himself put into motion, and he sought to bring his wife and
children along for the Divine Mission that he was now in charge of. Yet before we meet up with Moses and his wife
Tzippora on their journey into exile's land, it is most appropriate to reveal
the first part of the saga of Moses, one dominated by women. Women will become
a sort of definition for Moses, and a key to the future final redemption, one
that his soul is heavily involved in, to which Messiah is called "Nishmat
Moshe / Moshe Moshiach." [The soul of Moses / Moses – Messiah]
If
Moses found God in the burning bush, then this was certainly a message for
Moses' soul!
Just as the fire burned yet did not consume the material, Moses'
life was the proverbial matter amidst the flames [Moses' allusion in the Torah (Genesis
6:3) suggests this point – Rashi]; the reality of this was seen that Moses
could handle the wrath of God and the wrath of Israel and Gerim. Moses was able
to withstand the pressures of Life and Torah through his upbringing and
association with women; more specifically Ger Tzedek women…and dare I say Ger
Tzedek, God Fearing – Levite women. [Levites are historically known to contain
the passion for God; and God Servant according to the Rambam is called a
Levite] Moses was destined to stand in the fire and not be consumed, and this
could easily define his entire existence. For that which is termed
"Nishmat Moshe" [soul of Moses] and is synonymous with the Tree of
Life above, we now have an idea how to envision the Cherubim of which take hold
of the flame of the sword that turns! …and when Moses was born, they saw that
he was Good; Moses was born circumcised, and was thus thought to be the
prophesied redeemer due to his radiance and apparent exalted stature.
Yocheved
gave birth to Moses after her husband Amram returned to his wife, no longer in
fear of Pharaoh's threat to slaughter new born males; this was a result of the
piercing wisdom of Miriam, sister of Moses, who was herself a keen prophetess.
The Hebrew women were different than the Egyptian women, for they performed
miraculous pregnancy and delivery, took the risk of ritual bath [which became a
custom in Egypt, to the dismay of the dignitaries of the land], and as we shall
see with Moses, the women were versed in the art of circumcision. [A practice
that was even among the Egyptians due to Joseph incorporating the act in his
day as a tool to ease the pending exile] Moses would ultimately spend three
sacred and holy months with his mother and sister in seclusion [for he was born
three months ahead of schedule], and although knowledge of exact details are
scant of the nature of his upbringing [even as a baby Moses had a profound
awareness that was likened to a youth], the Midrash [along with Torah
definition of the art of nursing, to which this was a mark of distinction by
Moses, for his mouth would speak with The Creator – that which was pure from
its inception] details that Moses' time with Yocheved was so profound on a soul
level, Moses never lost his identity. Yocheved, the Levite, successfully lit the
fire known as Moses, a fire that never found darkness; on the contrary, Moses'
face would eventually glow with the fire of his youth.
Yocheved
and Miriam kept their promise to Batyah, and after three months and Batyah's
finding of Moses which led to the hire of Yocheved to raise Moses further,
Batyah the Ger Tzedek [as evidenced by her Mikvah] received Moses, and brought
him into the fires of Egypt. The Zohar proclaims that Batyah [on of the
righteous who walked into the Garden of Eden while alive] represents harsh judgments
of soul. This is the DNA of a righteous woman, and Batyah not only named Moses
thus defining his existence and the Torah through her prophetic action, but she
shaped Moses into the man that he was destined to become, both to God, and to
his future wife; all the while sanctifying the opening efforts of the righteous
Yocheved, wife of Amram the Levite. Moses would soon be ready to meet his match
in his chance meeting with daughters of Jethro.
Moses
quickly fell in love with Tzippora, Jethro's daughter, and her remaining role
within the Torah comes across as largely irrelevant, and even to a point of
gross disrespect, for Moses eventually and suddenly divorces her, upon which we
will eventually meet Miriam in full detail over this matter, as she contests
Moses in a most compelling fashion. Once the Torah moves towards its end game
and Moses' exile / hitting the rock, the episodes known with Tzippora, his
righteous Ger Tzedek – Levite – like bride, will provide the inside track as to
who she was, and more importantly what he role was to Moses, the man who
withstood the fire.
Quickly
after Moses takes command of the journey ahead of him to Egypt to redeem
Israel, Moses saddles up his youth and wife, and thinks to commence on his way.
The Midrash informs us that he and Jethro had a Torah debate as to the nature
of the circumcision needed [or not needed] for his two young men; the point of
contention is what is perhaps the Torah's biggest conundrum that exists –
"the status of a child born of a Jewish man and a Ger Tzedek woman" –
for Moses was destined to stand at Sinai, while Tzippora sought to be strangely
absent. All throughout the Torah's Messianic characters, this theme plays out
accordingly with such luminaries as Moses, Joshua, Pinchas, David, etc. The
relationship between Gerim and Jews has always baffled the mind, enticed souls,
and even has served as the impetus of frustrated outburst of anti-Semitism [on
both sides]; The Ger Tzedek is simply the greatest riddle ever told, and any
offshoot of it has baffled every mind that has come upon it. This is the arena
of Jethro and Moses concerning circumcision, and now there is an audience –
Hashem Himself, and Moses was destined to meet up with his odd fate.
The
Torah states that God sought to kill Moses over his delaying to circumcise his
son; Moses was in doubt and confusion over the matter, and not surprisingly,
his blunder put his life in danger with an attack of the evil inclination who
overstepped his boundary as the angel of death by God's command. Moses and
Tzippora would commence to argue in an out of character expression of anger,
leading Moses halfway to his demise, before Tzippora would perform one of the
greatest actions in history. She blazed over Moses, reducing him to ashes of a
proverbial Red Heifer, for she understood the Mazal of her name: Tzippora
contains the two words within it "rock" and Mouth"; she know
knew her role of destiny, and acted as a savior to the soul of Moses.
Tzippora
understood that this was a matter of circumcision as an action of representing
the entire Torah, and that Hashem was judging Moses according to this principle.
By Tzippora circumcising her son while Moses was overcome by a state of
confused anger, she saved not only her son and Moses, but avoided a desecration
of God, thereby saving the whole Torah in a way that Eve did before Adam,
through the performance of tremendous "Binah" – the power of
understanding within the soul of every woman. As soon as she knew and saw, she
quickly grabbed a rock to perform not only the cut itself, for the salvation
came within the awareness that she had to perform an entire and complete mini
ritual to the Torah standard of the mitzvah as well.
One would think that this
also was enough to satisfy God, yet the most daring leg of the micro journey
was yet ahead, and due to the dangers of the action, the child [as with every
child] would need sterilization to survive. It is precisely here that the
mention of "mouth" within her name would manifest, and Tzippora
completed one of the most profound actions in history, by orally sanitizing the
young child, according to Torah law, and in accordance to the way the mitzvah
has been done from the days of Abraham until this very day. In victory and
salvation of Moses, Tzippora "reached the blood to his feet, and said, my
husband's blood was because of circumcision." Tzippora withstood God, Moses, and the baby's
blood, and sanctified herself in accordance with Yocheved and Batyah before
her, entering her into a proper sisterhood of Righteous Ger Women in the
Torah's illustrious motherhood.
Tzippora
may have saved Moses, and merited to bring him to that final level of fire
capacity to withstand the fire of Sinai, but it did not come without a paying a
price. Moses received the Torah and Tzippora was not there to see it; he would
achieve greatness and understanding, yet he would not merit containing the fire
that became of Tzippora and the imposed definition within him of the state of
the Ger tzedek. Later in the Torah, Moses divorced Tzippora, and he remained
exiled from Israel and building the Temple due to his shortcomings. A
opportunity arrived later to wed the daughters of Tzlafchad who had inherited
land in Israel, but Moses chose to reveal the Torah of the women, this time
from the side of the Get – the divorce contract. This is where Moses met the
Messiah within him in Miriam.
Miriam
and Aaron spoke poorly of Moses over the matter of the divorce, and although
Miriam would receive "the spit in the face by God" [showing the
severity of the matter, and reinforcing that Miriam was a prophet in her own
right] by rebuking Moses, she did ignite the final flame in Moses. Miriam was
right in that she knew that Moses wrong to divorce Tzippora over matters such as
the status of the Ger Tzeddek in Am Yisrael. Yet Moses could only go so far at
this time, he was reduced to ashes [even literally over the exile from the land]
and the fiery sting of Miriam was all that Moses could take. He achieved his
understanding, but he would have to wait for his prophetic return to enter the
land, as the Torah states in regards to the soul of Moses, "then Moses
will sing" [the Torah's hidden wisdom, i.e. Binah / understanding – Zohar]
Moses
is said to be a part of the Messiah team, one that is invested as Messiah sons
of Joseph and David, to which his soul is enjoyed within this task. It is on
this point, that the Zohar says that Messiah rests in the Birds Nest Above
[etymology is as Tzippora – Kan Tzippor] to which the Zohar says the souls of
the Righteous Ger Tzedek Women Above nurture the Messiah in the location of the
Soul of Moses, and this nurturing is called, "the mother of the
Messiah."
Suffice
it to say, the Temple and the Messianic redemption is slated to descend built from
Above amidst the great fire that will wipe away evil. It shall be the presence
of the "map" in place of the territory that held back the redemption;
but the cooperation of the World's righteous women culminating in the End of Days
that will provide the fire to destroy the way people thought in exile that led
to our proverbial exiles and even demise of Moses over matters of the heart.
When we begin to realize how the Torah thinks instead of
baselessly asking why and what does the Torah think of things, then and only
then will the territory of Hedvah – supreme joy "fun" of the Torah
reveal itself, invested within the hearts and smiles of the world's redeemed women.
The final showdown in history led by Moses Messiah and his song of wisdom,
shall finally express the Mother of all Living, Eve as she was, expressed among
the sacred Jewish women, …and with Gerim who hold with one hand, and like
Miriam, contain the drum in the other, who simply did what Adam and Moses
simply could not do: be themselves.
Like
the fire of Tamar and the passion of Ruth, were they out of line, or just
buring the fire of the Ger, "singing the song while understanding the
lyrics."
Class Thurs. Dec. 26th 11 P.M. Tzfat Time
