No subject
Mon Apr 12 10:43:21 EDT 2010
l, human beings were then split, as it were, into beings consisting o=
f a corporeal, physical element and a spiritual element. The spiritual, re=
presented by the garment of light, still exists but it is covered by the g=
arment of skin only to "shine through" at specific moments.<br />
<br />
That is why, according to the </span> <span style=3D"font-size: small;"><i>=
Sefat Emet</i>, 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." <i>Sefat</i> <i>Emet</i> believes that all of Israel=
was ready to achieve that state at Sinai, but that they (read: we) did no=
t remain on that high rung of the spiritual ladder for very long.<br />
<br />
Due to human nature, we all experience various degrees of spiritual afflic=
tion. What happens when we are afflicted spiritually is that the lig=
ht is unable to shine through. Normally this spiritual light is able to shi=
ne through the skin through the pores. However, </span> <span style=3D"fon=
t-size: small;"><i>Sefat Emet</i><i>tzara'at</i> is translated in Aramaic (=
the ancient vernacular of the Jewish people) as '<i>segiru</i>/closing.' T=
he <i>tzara'at </i>represents a closing of the pores and a closing off of =
the inner spiritual nature of the human being due<br />
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.</span> believed that "sin clogs up those pores=
, so that 'darkness covers the earth' (Isaiah 60:2)" and that is why the s=
kin affliction of <span style=3D"font-size: small;"><br />
Though this text still maintains the duality of the spiritual and the physi=
cal realms, it still has a profound message for us today. For the tex=
t reminds us that we all possess an inner spiritual core. It is an essenti=
al 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 somethin=
g that we must seek to discover within ourselves. The skin hides this spir=
itual self, but it also serves to protect it. The spirit, being of Divine =
origin, is powerful and yet fragile. <br />
The power of its light can blind us, as well as others, which is why we Mo=
ses wore a veil over his face after the Sinai encounter. Yet, when used pr=
operly 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<br />
not all be able to have our spiritual light shine through until the Messia=
nic Era arrives. That is when, metaphorically, the whole world will be pre=
pared to accept God's "sovereignty."<br />
<br />
Until that time arrives, we must do our best to maintain a sense of spirit=
ual 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 wor=
ld. We can in some way radiate a modified light of God from within by acti=
ng, thinking, and speaking in a holy way. However, in the times when we fin=
d it is difficult to act in a holy way, in the moments when we instead all=
ow our ego, our desires and our petty jealousies take control, and then we=
become closed off to the divine spirit within.</span> <span style=3D"font=
-size: small;"><br />
<br />
Judaism provides us many ways for us to re-open ourselves so that we can f=
ind balance, bring holiness into the world and allow our light to shine fo=
rth. Through prayer, meditation, study, acts of </span> <span style=
=3D"font-size: small;"><i>gemilut</i> <i>hasadim</i>/loving kindness and<i=
> tzedakah</i>/righteousness we can regain that inner balance, return to ou=
r divine source and allow the inner light of the soul to shine through. Th=
at is how we "purify" ourselves, in contemporary terms.<br />
<br />
Doing the spiritual work needed to open ourselves up to God begins b=
y simply paying attention to where we are in the moment. It requires nothi=
ng 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 a=
nd 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.<=
/span> <span style=3D"font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
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 e=
ventually will, (even if they do try to come back a few times) we can be i=
n the present and allow ourselves to act with intention and in a holy way.=
</span> <span style=3D"font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
If this doesn't work, and we allow ourselves to be drawn in by our ego, an=
d 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 f=
eelings pass and know that at each moment we have the ability to open ours=
elves up to God and our inner Divine light. That is the beauty of acknowle=
dging 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 our=
selves up to God. Patience is the key to unlocking our souls and opening o=
ur hearts so that the inner light will shine forth.</span> <span style=3D"f=
ont-size: small;"><br />
<br />
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. I=
n that way we can bring healing and purification to ourselves and to the w=
orld. May we use this Shabbat - and every day - to work on opening ourselv=
es up so that the light of the spirit can shine through, bringing peace, s=
alvation and wholeness to our</span> <span style=3D"font-size: small;"><br=
/>
lives and to our fractured world.</span></div><div style=3D"font-family: Ge=
orgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style=3D"font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;=
"><span style=3D"font-size: small;">Shabbat Shalom,</span></div><div style=
=3D"font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style=3D=
"font-size: small;">Steven</span></div>
<br><br>--<br>
Posted By Rabbi Steven Nathan to <a href=3D"http://mindfultorah.blogspot=
.com/2010/04/light-within-commentary-on-parshat.html">Mindful Torah</a> at=
4/16/2010 06:53:00 AM
------=_Part_1906_117007243.1271415184548--
More information about the Jewish
mailing list