Monday, September 27, 2010

Supernal Mother - Understanding - Becomes King

After one says the first four words of a blessing, and the Kindness, Strength, and Beauty return to their source, the Supernal Mother, then she is called King. That happens because her children are now with her, and they are blessed to an extent where they can in turn bless the lower worlds.

For this is the quality of Kingship - it is manifest when the king is accompanied by nobles who are endowed with riches, when they have everything that they need, without anything lacking.

Since another name of the Supernal Mother is Understanding, then it is by Kindness, Strength, and Beauty being endowed with Understanding that they become rich with the Brains of the Supernal Mother, and can in turn perfect the lower spheres.

All that is the result of a properly pronounced blessing on food and other pleasures.

Art: Allan Ramsey - Queen Charlotte with her Two Children

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Secret Meaning of Blessings, the Result of Saying the First Four Words

After the first four words of the blessing have been said, Kindness, Strength, and Beauty are blessed. They take that blessing as a source of strength, unite themselves together, and return to their source, the Foundation of the Supernal Mother.

Without the blessing, they lack the strength to go back. However, with the blessing, they become cleansed of the external influences and receive additional blessings, true blessings, three blessings, since now the three of them are united. They then take these blessings back to the lower spheres. This is hinted to in the verse “You will not see My Face empty-handed.”

Art: Jozef Israels - Three Women Knitting By The Sea

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Haazinu – Secrets Are Not For Everyone

"Listen, heaven! I will speak! Earth! Hear the words of my mouth!"

Why should heaven "listen" while the earth should "hear?" Arizal asks fourteen more such questions about word usage before he begins his answer.

In the Torah, there are revealed and hidden parts, that is, straightforward meaning and secrets. The secret is not for everybody but only for people who are themselves like angels. The simple meaning, however, is for common people. It is about these secrets that the angels objected to when God wanted to give the Torah to Israel. They said, "What greatness will it be for Your Name?" - that is, for the Torah, which is all the names of God - "Why are its secrets given to men on earth?"

The paradox that the angels did not comprehend was that since the simple meaning of the Torah was not fitting for them, since they are not mortal, the Torah had to be given to men, to whom the simple meaning applies, and the secrets were given with it.

This is the meaning of "Listen, heaven!" Moses is talking to those special righteous people who, while on earth, are similar to angels in heaven. "Listen" implies that these things are not said out loud but from mouth to ear. And "I will speak" ("Adabeira,") implies things that are hard to understand. In contrast, the simple meaning can be heard by common people, that is why they can "hear the words." To the secrets, however, the following principles apply: "not every brain can sustain them," and "Not everyone who wants to occupy himself with the names of God should do so."

Art: Karl Witkowski - Secrets

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Secret Meaning of Blessings, fourth word, אלהינו

This word, אלהינו, represents the Strength, or strict judgment. However, when we say the blessing, the strictness of this word becomes mixed with יהוה, Mercy, and Mercy, in turn, is intertwined with Strictness, until they become one.

The influence of the blessing that we pronounce reaches down up to Mercy, Strictness, and Beauty of the Cosmic Man. Once it has reached here, the lower Sefirot – Victory, Splendor, and Righteousness, are blessed with them, and receive the flow of blessings that is due to them.

Art: Rembrandt Van Rijn - Jacob Blessing the Children of Joseph

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Nitzavim – The Revealed Things Belong to Us

Hidden things may pertain to God our Lord, but that which has been revealed applies to us and our children forever. [We must therefore] keep all the words of this Torah.

The hidden things are fear and love of God because these things are in the heart of man. The revealed things are Torah and mitzvot, which all can observe.

In addition, the hidden things hint at the five Strengths, represented by letters מנצפך, which are found in the spiritual entity called Supernal Mother, and, being that she is hidden and removed, they are also called hidden. The spiritual entities of Zeir Anpin (Cosmic Man, or Small Countenance) and his Female are related to the totality of all people and thus can be in some way observed in the world. But the Supernal Mother pretends she is not there and is therefore called hidden. However, there is yet a spiritual entity even more hidden than she.

There are also five other Strengths in the Cosmic Woman, a spiritual image closer to our world, thus called “revealed.”

Art: William Merritt Chase - Hide And Seek