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Mon Apr 12 10:43:21 EDT 2010

human beings were then split, as it were, into beings consisting of a
corporeal, physical element and a spiritual element. The spiritual,
represented by the garment of light, still exists but it is covered by
the garment of skin only to "shine through" at specific moments.

That is why, according to the Sefat Emet, Moses' face glowed upon
returning from Mt Sinai. For after encountering God "face to face, his
inner light was able to shine through his corporeal skin." Sefat Emet
believes that all of Israel was ready to achieve that state at Sinai,
but that they (read: we) did not remain on that high rung of the
spiritual ladder for very long.

Due to human nature, we all experience various degrees of spiritual
affliction. What happens when we are afflicted spiritually is that the
light is unable to shine through. Normally this spiritual light is able
to shine through the skin through the pores. However, Sefat
Emettzara'at is translated in Aramaic (the ancient vernacular of the
Jewish people) as 'segiru/closing.' The tzara'at represents a closing
of the pores and a closing off of the inner spiritual nature of the
human being due
to sin. And so, the Torah prescribes that the sufferer must be examined
and then purified by Aaron and his sons, who are the arbiters of
holiness and "purity" on behalf of God. believed that "sin clogs up
those pores, so that 'darkness covers the earth' (Isaiah 60:2)" and
that is why the skin affliction of
Though this text still maintains the duality of the spiritual and the
physical realms, it still has a profound message for us today. For the
text reminds us that we all possess an inner spiritual core. It is an
essential piece of being human. It is the divinity within and a
reminder that we are all one with divinity. It is not that the
spiritual piece is something that we must seek to find "out there in
the world." Rather, it is something that we must seek to discover
within ourselves. The skin hides this spiritual self, but it also
serves to protect it. The spirit, being of Divine origin, is powerful
and yet fragile.
The power of its light can blind us, as well as others, which is why we
Moses wore a veil over his face after the Sinai encounter. Yet, when
used properly our spirit, or soul, can warm and enlighten us. It is
something that must be treated with respect and kept in balance.
According to the Sefat Emet, we will
not all be able to have our spiritual light shine through until the
Messianic Era arrives. That is when, metaphorically, the whole world
will be prepared to accept God's "sovereignty."

Until that time arrives, we must do our best to maintain a sense of
spiritual balance that will allow the light to shine through. This is
not done by denying our corporeal nature, but by realizing that it is
through the use of body and mind that our inner divine spirit is made
manifest in the world. We can in some way radiate a modified light of
God from within by acting, thinking, and speaking in a holy way.
However, in the times when we find it is difficult to act in a holy
way, in the moments when we instead allow our ego, our desires and our
petty jealousies take control, and then we become closed off to the
divine spirit within.

Judaism provides us many ways for us to re-open ourselves so that we
can find balance, bring holiness into the world and allow our light to
shine forth. Through prayer, meditation, study, acts of gemilut
hasadim/loving kindness and tzedakah/righteousness we can regain that
inner balance, return to our divine source and allow the inner light of
the soul to shine through. That is how we "purify" ourselves, in
contemporary terms.

Doing the spiritual work needed to open ourselves up to God begins by
simply paying attention to where we are in the moment. It requires
nothing more than noticing our thoughts and feelings and accepting them
as part of who we are. That way, we can hopefully avoid reacting to the
thoughts and feelings we might normally label as "negative." For it is
the reactions to those thoughts that pull us away from the Divine and
get us caught up in our ego. This is what closes us off to the divine
light of the spirit.

Instead of reacting out of habit, we simply need to act with intention.
We need to notice those thoughts and feelings that we are tempted to
label as "negative" or "bad" and wait for them to dissipate. We don't
need to give them any more energy than that. Then, once they have
dissipated,as they eventually will, (even if they do try to come back a
few times) we can be in the present and allow ourselves to act with
intention and in a holy way.

If this doesn't work, and we allow ourselves to be drawn in by our ego,
and our tendency to judge our thoughts, ourselves, or others, then we
simply wait until we notice this. At that moment, we will recognize
that we have closed ourselves off to the inner light of the spirit.
Instead of berating ourselves for that, we need to do what I described
above. We simply need to acknowledge who and where we are at that
moment, let the thoughts and feelings pass and know that at each moment
we have the ability to open ourselves up to God and our inner Divine
light. That is the beauty of acknowledging that the light is always in
us, even when everything seems dark. It reminds us that the darkness
will not last forever and that we simply need to live our lives one
moment at a time. For if we do that then we cannot help but know that
the moment will arrive when we will once again open ourselves up to
God. Patience is the key to unlocking our souls and opening our hearts
so that the inner light will shine forth.

With the blessing of patience, and paying attention to all that unfolds
in each moment, each of us can eventually bring God's light into the
world. In that way we can bring healing and purification to ourselves
and to the world. May we use this Shabbat - and every day - to work on
opening ourselves up so that the light of the spirit can shine through,
bringing peace, salvation and wholeness to our
lives and to our fractured world.
Shabbat Shalom,Steven

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Posted By Rabbi Steven Nathan to Mindful Torah at 4/16/2010 06:53:00 AM
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