Creation's Obedience To Bereshit Bara Et...

Creation obeyed the commandment of God's word to come into existence out of nothing.  It did so immediately but did not do so fully immediately.  It had to do so immediately if it was to do so at all, yet it was not able to do so with absolute completion without the assistance of God's grace of listening as well as His grace of speaking.  Both the divine power of speaking and listening are inherent in the nature of the word of God.

God both communicates to Creation and receives and listens to the prayer of Creation in Genesis 1:1.  This is told to us through the Hebrew word, Et,  את.  The sages inform us that wherever the word Et is found it comes to add to the meaning of the predicate of the sentence.  Here we see that the heavens and the earth came to exist in order to express the will of God that they exist.

The word, Et,  את, tells us that something more than heaven and earth's coming forth to do the will of God by existing is added here.  Since they have obeyed and exist in obedience, what is added?  Their prayer is added that they should not only exist but should exist according to the exact purpose of God.  To this prayer, God listens through the listening power of His word, the power embedded in the word, Et,  את.

Everything that follows comes through the power of God to speak to and hear Creation.  Even before Creation knows how to form its prayers so as to express its needs, God hears and daily responds,  for seven days, to those needs, in order that Creation can not just barely exist but can come to exist perfectly in accordance with His purpose.

Therefore we have, "In the beginning created God the Et,  את, heavens and the Et,  את, earth."

How do we know that the first statement of Genesis, the statement just quoted, which is the Bereshit bara... Et... statement, is a commandment stated in a declarative form rather than in the usual imperative form?  We know this because when the first imperative comes, "Let there be light!" it is not an imperative that light should come to exist out of nothing but rather out of the dark waters of the heavens and earth, which have already obediently come to exist out of nothing.

We know that it is by His word that God created the world out of nothing.  We therefore may understand that when we hear the first statement of the Torah, this statement of Genesis 1:1, we are hearing the statement that created and is sustaining the Creation of God.  In our English language we call a statement like this a declaration of fact.  Although heaven and earth did not exist, God said that they did.  He stated that He created them as a declarative fact and they were immediately created through His word.

When the heavens and earth obeyed the declarative commandment of God's word, they did so with the memory, as it were, that they had begun to exist.  This is what it means that they were created Bereshit..., In the Beginning...  It is this that allowed them to be in process, even as they came into existence.  But God also said that they were created with something additional, that is to say, they were created, Et,  את.  And that meant that God could hear the heavens and the earth speaking to Him about what they needed.

The very first thing He heard them say was that they were unable to shine.  For clearly, in creating them God intended that they shine with light.  Therefore God assisted the heavens and the earth by adding to His declarative commandment, Bereshit..., which brought them into existence, the imperative commandment, "Let there be light!"  Then, in response to this imperative, the heavens and the earth were able to shine with light.

So we see that the word of God speaks and hears the need of that to which it speaks and then speaks again.  And from this full process came one day of Creation, the first day of Creation's impregnation with joy on account of its relationship with the word of God.

Continue with this theme here

Is Kabbalah UnBiblical?

Christians who have heard of the Kabbalah have often been taught that it is occult and unBiblical.  The term, Kabbalah, is used by many different people to refer to many different things.  Jewish Kabbalah is not Hermetic Kabbalah nor magic.  Standard Jewish Kabbalah is core Judaism.  Even if a religious Jew does not know much about Kabbalah in a formal way, its concepts and teachings permeates their religious life without their knowing it by name.  This fact is put very well by Adin Steinsaltz who is head of the present reconstituted Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.  He states that, "Jewish mysticism - or Kabbalah - is the official theology of the Jewish people."

Only when the nature of the theology of true Jewish Kabbalah is learned should one ever decide whether they believe it is Biblical or not.  When one listens to what is actually taught then it is possible to recognize that there are a few schools of Jewish Kabbalah that may have a tendency to put Kabbalah in a position that lessens the importance of the Bible and a few others that use it as a lens to read the Bible to speak of a universal utopia in this world, without the need for a new creation.  Such exceptions can be addressed only from a basis of actual knowledge of what Orthodox Jewish Kabbalah truly teaches.

From a place of understanding that true Jewish Kabbalah can be very helpful in learning about the plan of God in the creation and redemption of Israel and of the revelation, concealment and revelation to come of Messiah,  I am working on this blog site to introduce to other people of a similar faith orientation to my own the value of acquiring a true knowledge of true Jewish Kabbalah.

 If someone is looking for secular or non-Jewish forms of Kabbalah, or perhaps forms that begin from Judaism but diverge away from Orthodox Judaism this site is not the  site they are looking for.

As well, Orthodox Jews who are not interested in any dialogue with non-Jews who are seeking Torah and Kabbalah so long as there may be some link to Christian thought will also want to pass this site by.  One reason for this site is to develop a better appreciation for Jewish Kabbalah among people who are beginning from just that exact  Christian or Messianic background.  As well, this site will offer thoughts about the Scriptures, especially in Genesis, that Jewish Kabbalah makes possible but which might not be found in other places than on this site.  It is my hope that such thoughts will prove helpful in understanding the Bible.

On the Issue of The Virgin Birth

Matthew 1:22-23 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall 
be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

We read in Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin 
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. That is the King James Version.  
In the Jewish Publication Society translation we have: Therefore the Lord Himself 
shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call 
his name Immanuel.  
The Hebrew is: לכן יתן אדני הוא לכם--אות  הנה העלמה הרה וילדת בן וקראתשמו עמנו אל ...  We are led to the following considerations:

Continue reading from the Mellow Wolf Matthew Files:

Link > Chapter 1 ˙Commentary and Notes on vs. 22-23

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Chapter 1 Text

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The Tribe of Benjamin - Key to Redemption

From the Notes On The One Eternal Covenant blog site

It Took Seven Days

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It took seven days to make the days of truth and establish them.  It took one day to falsify and destroy the truth in Adam.  "For in the day you eat thereof you will surely die."  Why only one day to destroy when it took seven to make?  Why not also seven to destroy?  Because it is not simply seven days of truth and seven days of lies over against them on the other side. 


The one day of the lie takes hold of the seven days of truth for its substance and falsifies each day.  Where the side of truth and creation has 7 days, to begin its way of destruction, the side of the lie has 14 days - the seven days of truth which it steals by falsely claiming for its substance and then these seven days which it replicates falsely in giving them to itself.  For having imagined ownership of them by a false claim, the lie imagines that it is able to use them as it wills and to give them to itself to consume what it can of them as its substance.  But these two acts of the lie, theft and immorality, do not satisfy the insecurity of the lie, for they are to begin with merely acts of imagination.  Therefore the day of the lie is a day wherein the lie takes action with regard to the particulars of every day of the week of creation and truth, so as to make its imagination real. 


The lie first denies its theft of the seven days of creation with the act of blaspheme, claiming that the truth of the seven days and the truth of who created them is only relative and therefore it is no theft to claim them for itself.  Then it denies its immorality claiming that what it owns it surely has a right to give to itself for sustenance.   This boast it makes as an act of idolatry, worshiping itself.  Therefore the lie has 28 days, 7 of claiming by way of its imagination the 7 days of truth as its own, 7 of giving them then by way of its imagination to itself for sustenance, and 14 more of acting on these imaginations to prove to itself that they are real.  But even so the lie remains empty and is not satisfied. 


Therefore the lie sets forth to coerce all the creatures of the seven days of truth to act on its imaginations as it acts, subjecting them to the torture and abuse of its force until they appear to be in agreement with it.  Thus the lie is not satisfied until it has violated every principle of the sustaining power of love in the truth of creation.  And with this the lie has 35 days.  But whereas with this abomination of consuming the living blood of creation the lie has satisfied its need to deafen itself entirely to the crying voice of the seven days of truth which it consumes for its sustenance, it only wets the appetite of its lust for blood. 


Having nothing left to murder except the Adam who was created to be the caretaker and the governor of each of the seven days of truth but who is the one who nevertheless gave voice to the lie, the lie sets out to murder that very Adam, lest the truth should every redeem them and set them free.  In this enterprise the lie has added another 7 days to its 35 and now has expanded the 7 days of truth to 42 false days.  And still, even with its certainty of success in its endeavour to murder Adam the lie is not able to rest from its fear.  For what if the truth should bring about a resurrection of the dead wherein the lie would be able to find no place to exist? 


Out of this final state of fear, the lie marshals all its imaginations and actions and unifies them as one in order to establish a rule and an empire over all the six days of truth and to make them and all the creatures in them, especially the Adam as its agent, to bow down and worship the lie and to serve it in everything that it imagines and in everything that it does.   In this its kingdom, the lie seeks to finally rest.  And in this the lie has multiplied the seven true days of creation to 49 days of abomination and desolation.  Even so, an end must come to these days, and in the time of their end the rest of the lie is shown to be a false rest. 


For a remnant of the children of Adam are preserved by the truth and mature in the discipline of repentance from having given voice to the lie and from having served the lie, and they are assembled together by the truth and do not serve or obey the lie.  Therefore the lie is greatly disturbed in its kingdom and is moved to great anger through great fear, for it is continually reminded by these children how its days are numbered.  Therefore the lie abandons its pretext of rest and orderly rule over the world and sets out with all its cunning to attempt to accomplish its final assassination.

Therefore this is the promise.  Because the day of the lie required a multiplication of the 7 days of truth in creation to 49 false days, the days of forgiveness and redemption and rectification also are measured out to 49 days.  For every false imagination and every false action of the lie will be rectified.  But the 49 days of the lie and therefore the 49 days of rectification are not simple like the days of creation when they were created as the days of truth. For the lie was one lie on the tongue of the woman and another lie on the tongue of the man.


For on the sixth day of the days of truth Adam was created as one, and as one in truth they were commanded to be fruitful and multiply.  But having given voice to the lie, Adam lost the unifying power of the truth, and having become divided as two, they became many, without the power of unification as one in the truth. 


The man stole the 7 days of truth and falsely claimed them in his own name; the woman also stole the seven days of creation in her own name.  When the man, through the lie, immorally gave the 7 days, which were not his to give, to himself for sustenance, he also gave them to his wife for sustenance.  And she, having stole them as if in her own right, also immorally gave them to herself and to her husband.  They also immorally gave them to their children.  And the lie taught each of their children its ways. 


Therefore for each of the children to be rectified there is a measure of 49 days of rectification which are not days in their lives but days wherein their souls must be converted during the time of the world from the way of the lie of stealing and immorality and blaspheme and idolatry and cruelty and murder and falsified peace to the way of the truth of creation.  As such there are many years and many generations represented in these days according to the number of souls which shall be rectified and restored to one, which Heaven alone can measure.  But all of these things the Creator of the 7 days of truth revealed in private to the children of Israel, to be known in their house alone, by them and by their guests.

The Suffering Messiah of Israel

Image by Minamie's Photo via Flickr

"The following is the lead post from my new site:
Scent Essence of Jerusalem

Jesus/Yeshua/Yehoshua did not separate himself from Israel. For the sake of the world learning the nature of his faithfulness he has endured for a long time all efforts to separate him from Israel. He will not allow these efforts to continue forever. Soon he will make all the world to know that no one can call him Christ/Messiah/Mashiach before the Father who seeks to separate him from Israel. But anyone who has done so who has not known what they were doing will be forgiven.""

 
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"I Will Guarantee Him"

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We will look at BT Bava Basra 173b through 174a where B'reshit 43:9ff. is discussed, and from this we will come to certain revelations and observations about the nature of the Exile/Galut and the Redemption/Ge'ullah.

From the story of Reuben and Judah seeking for their father to allow Benjamin to return with them to Egypt to buy grain the category of a kablan gaurantee is known.

"When Jacob balked at allowing Benjamin to accompany his brothers down to Egypt, Judah declared: I will guarantee him, from my hand you can demand him." See ArtScroll Schottenstein ed. of BT.

"The fact that Judah said, אערבנו I will guarantee him, presumes that there is an institution of ערבות, guarantorship, upon which Judah modeled his commitment to Jacob." ibid.

It would appear from the language of the Talmud that it is this very "institution of guarantorship" to which Judah made reference in his appeal to Jacob that forms the basis of a קבלנות, a kablan guarantee.  Such a guarantee is essentially without condition, where the person who guarantees a loan puts himself entirely in the position of the borrower.

Now the word, קבלנות, a kablan guarantee, is clearly related to the word, קבלה, kabbalah, meaning received tradition, which can also be said to be the meaning of the word, "institution", as used by ArtScroll in the notes quoted above.  That is to say, we can understand that it was to the kabbalah or received tradition of the kablan guarantee that Judah appealed in pleading with his father, Jacob, to allow Benjamin to be taken down into Egypt for the buying of grain.

It is most important, then, to clarify that Rueben was the actual "borrower" of Benjamin from Jacob, on behalf of all the brothers, but that Jacob would not "loan" Benjamin until Judah promised to guarantee the "loan" as a kablan guarantor.  This is the explanation of Ritva.  See ArtScroll ibid.

Let's put what we have found here into the context of the whole of the story of these occurrences as given in B'reshit:

First, G-d sends famine (prefiguring famine of the word of G-d in the last days, Amos 8:11) and Israel suffers from this along with all the world.

Joseph, in the authority of the office of Pharaoh, requires Benjamin to be brought down to him before he will sell Israel grain.  (The mystery of the famine is the mystery of "Joseph" being hidden in Egypt already, seeming to be a gentile.  The aspect of the word of G-d that Israel needs in order to survive will not be given to them until the mystery of "Joseph" is discovered and solved by the brothers.  The resolution of the mystery of "Joseph" depends on the resolution of the mystery of "Benjamin".  This is by design of "Joseph" himself.)

In the story, Simeon is being held as "collateral" for Benjamin.  Judah becomes guarantor of Benjamin.  (Until Judah approaches Joseph as the kablan guarantor of Benjamin without recognizing Joseph but still thinking of him as a gentile who holds the power of life and death over Israel it does not become possible for Joseph to reveal himself to his brothers and therefore for Ephraim and Manasseh to "take hold of" Judah, as in Zechariah 8:23.)

Joseph reveals himself to his brothers.  (He reveals that he has served as the kablan guarantor of all Israel from the time that Jacob returned to the land after his servitude with Laban.)

Now we might expect that after this the famine would end and Israel would immediately dwell with affluence in the Land and even that Joseph, with Manasseh and Ephraim, would return to the Land.  But instead we see that Joseph's revealing himself to his brothers results in all Israel being exiled into Egypt, albeit into the area of Goshen.  Why?

We see that in Joseph's demanding that Benjamin be brought down into Egypt there was more than just a testing of his brothers.  When Judah and his brothers recognized Joseph there was a great repentance on the level of knowledge, but there would be a deeper and fuller repentance possible for them on the level of experience.  As Joseph experienced exile, so they also would experience exile.  Through this experience, ultimately, the cause of the disunity between the brothers in the first place would itself be rectified.

So we see that the famine (of the word of G-d) was the actual beginning of the Egyptian Captivity.  And now we can begin to understand the significance of this.  For in the last days the brothers will learn that the rectification of their unity is the rectification necessary for the rectification of the testimony of Abraham and Sarah, when they turned to Hagar and brought forth the brother of the promised seed, that is to say, Ishmael, the brother of Isaac.

Now these things were understood by Jacob in his End of Days blessing of the tribes of Israel.  From this study on the kablan guarantor we can ask, How is it that Joseph was "owed" Benjamin?  And how is it that the captivity of Egypt "repays" Joseph?  Asking these questions will lead us to look at the 400/210 years of the Egyptian Captivity in light of the 70 weeks spoken of in the Book of Daniel, which "are determined upon your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy."  Daniel 9:24.  This we will do in a latter study, G-d willing.

Here we can observe that from seeing the prophetic "death and resurrection" of Joseph, after the similitude of that of his father, Isaac, Jacob understood that Joseph had been given the (prophetic) position of the firstborn.  Furthermore, he saw that this did not take away from the twelve tribes, or Reuben's being the firstborn on the level of the unification of the twelve tribes, but added to (c.f. Yoseph), or saved, the twelve tribes, forming the position of a thirteenth tribe, as it were.  And to carry forth this very testimony, Jacob not only gave each of the tribes the appropriate prophetic blessing, he also chose Ephraim as his firstborn.  Understand this well.

Accordingly, when Israel came to sin with the golden calf, blemishing the testimony of the firstborn of Israel, it was possible for the tribe of Levi to be placed in the position of the thirteenth tribe of Israel and in the office of the tribe of the firstborn, as it were, for the sake of the rectification of this blemish.

Now in conclusion we may observe that the tradition to which Judah appealed to Jacob to allow him to take Benjamin down into Egypt was the tradition of the one who gave himself as a kablan guarantor for Adam before the creation of Adam, that is to say, Mashiach. 

When Adam Becomes Abraham

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The Zohar teaches that Abraham was the first convert.  To what was he converted?  He was converted to the word of G-d's blessing from the word of G-d's curse upon Adam.  Another way to say that he was the first convert is to say that he was or is the head convert.  As the head convert he is the head of Adam and Adam is no longer his head.  As the head convert to the blessing, he is the head convert to be joined to the one in whom the blessing is to be found.  Who is this one?  It is the one who crushes the head of the evil inclination, the serpent, and makes the the evil inclination the setting for the throne of goodness.  This is the Mashiach, the eternal Son of Adam, to whom as the Malkut, the Kingdom, Abraham the new head of Adam in the female role, is united.

Find background for this understanding at:
http://www.inner.org/audio/aid/E_038.htm
Find the crucial information primarily in the audio lesson there.

How long is the conversion process of Adam becoming Abraham?

Consider the following:

Parshat Emor: Bridging The Gap
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur on Chassidut by Rabbi Herschel Reichman

"Parshat Emor begins with a command to the kohanim not to become defiled with tumat meit. "Emor el hakohanim bnei Aharon v'amarta aleheim...." The midrash asks why the verse repeats the expression, "emor" and "v'amarta?" It answers by explaining a difference in the way Hashem interacts with angels and with people. When Hashem speaks to the angels in the upper worlds, he only needs to speak once. However, when He addresses people, who possess evil inclinations, He needs to repeat Himself twice.

The Avnei Nezer explains that when a person hears Hashem once he is obviously hearing a truth that is important for him to know. He knows intellectually that this is Hashem's will, and he can accept it. However, integrating this concept from his mind into his heart and body is more complex. An angel's actions are completely controlled by his intellect. In contrast, man encounters tremendous resistance in converting his awareness of proper behavior into real action. He needs to work through a process to move from knowledge to emotion to action. Therefore, Hashem had to exhort the kohanim twice in order to shift the command from their mind to their heart and body.

Why can we know what is right and wrong in the moral sphere, but still have such a difficult time translating it to reality? The Shem MiShmuel traces this back to the first sin of Adam. Before the sin, Adam knew clearly what was correct and had no problem transferring it to action. When he sinned, evil entered his heart and body and created barriers that were not subservient to the dictates of his mind. They blocked his view of right and wrong and influenced the way he behaved. This remains one of the greatest challenges for man today. The Shem Mishmuel advises that the power of Torah study can clear the channel between our minds and our hearts and body. Indeed, Chazal say, "Barati yetzer hara, barati Torah tavlin." Hashem says, I created the evil inclination, but I created the Torah as its antidote.

The curse of death is another result of the sin of Adam. The body and mind that were disconnected during life become completely severed from each other in death. This is the idea of tumat meit. The body that refused to submit itself to the soul in life is now separated and becomes impure. Anyone who comes in contact with a corpse is sullied spiritually. Death manifests the calamity of sin and the breakdown of man.

The Shem MiShmuel notes that Aharon Hakohen epitomized harmony between people, and in turn shleimut between mind and body. He helped people find internal peace so they could open the channel between their spiritual-intellectual side and their physical side. This is the antithesis of death and that is why Aharon and the kohanim were forbidden to come in contact with tumat meit.

The Zohar says Shabbat is the secret of unity. On Shabbat, a Jew can reconnect to the state of Adam before the sin. In Lecha Dodi we sing, "Kumi tze'i mitoch hahafeicha - Arise, go out from amidst the turmoil". The six days of the week represent human frailty, inconsistency, and our lack of connection between what we know and do. On Shabbat, we leave this confused existence and reconnect to wholesome harmony. We can put Shabbat in our minds throughout the week too, opening the door to inner peace and shleimut.

The Shem MiShmuel notes that emuna peshuta is another way to achieve internal harmony. The yetzer hara creates complicating factors to prevent us from acting correctly. The greatness of the Jewish nation at Mt. Sinai was that they said "Naaseh v'nishma," a simple acceptance of G-d's will. They had simple faith and thereby merited to receive the Torah.

Let us work on strengthening our Torah study, Shabbat observance, and emuna peshuta and may this help bring Mashiach who will lead the world to ultimate perfection."

To listen to audio lesson:

Parshat Emor: Bridging the Gap
Teacher: Rabbi Hershel Reichman

Go to:

http://www.naaleh.com/viewclass/683/single/

Know this, when the nations are able to fully rest with Israel, in service of Israel, on Shabbat, then the conversion of Adam/Abram to Abraham will be complete and the word of blessing, which is consummated in Mashiach, will be consummated in Abraham: 'In you all the families of the earth will be blessed'.

Also, you may want to listen to Rabbi Gedaliah Kenig's radio talk on "Becoming Adam"

Isaiah 66

18	For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will  gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19	And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of  them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal,and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the  Gentiles.
20	And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out  of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as  the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of  the LORD.
21	And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
22	For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23	And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

Mark 1:1 Genesis 1:1

Mar_1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mar 1:1 adapted בראשׁית בשורת ישוע המשיח בן־האלהים׃

Gen 1:1 בראשׁית ברא אלהים את השׁמים ואת הארץ׃
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;


Here is the same mystery of the commandment of God for creation to obey and be as commanded, wherein there is a limitation inherent in the creation's obedience, which is a reflection, not of the word given as commandment but of creation itself according to its nature of limitedness.

Now then, as there was the necessity of the Word of God to enter into the roll of creation and assist the obedience by modifying the form of the declarative commandment into the imperative, Let there be light, for the heavens and earth ought to have shinned with light from the declarative commandment alone, so also in the re-creation the beginning has the need of further assistance from the Word of God before it will be fully obeyed.

For the assistance of God in creation entailed the condescension of God to an act of six days of work, so also the rectification of the world requires not only this condescension of God but more. This is the mystery of Bereshith, both in the creation and in the re-creation of the world, the good news of Yehoshua HaMashiach.

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