Some folks from my Monday night class asked for a write up of this, so here it is:

The most ancient (and still used) texts of the Kaballah is called the “Sefer Yetzirah” or the Book of Formation and it’s contents are generally attributed to the patriarch Abraham.  The book opens with a discussion of the “32 Mystical Paths of Wisdom”.  These paths are derived from the 10 digits on our hands which parallel numbers (quantity) and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet with which we are able to describe reality (quality).  They are also reflected in the 10 “sefirot”-spheres of energy that are the building blocks of physical reality yet also relate to character traits as well as states of consciousness:

These ten points are connected by 22 lines or pathways (not depicted in this picture).  This allows for a total of 32 states of consciousness with names like “Sekhel Mufla” Mystical Consciousness, “Sekhel Maz’hir” Radiant Consciousness and “Sekhel Kavua” Settled Consciousness.

The Sefer Yetzirah is a guidebook that explains the tools and techniques that are required to enter these states.  One important (and practical) distinction that we can all make and relate to concerns the states of Chochma (expansive subconsciousness) vs Binah (the conscious mind).  Long ago, the Kaballah knew that creativity was housed in the right brain and analytical thought in the left.  Freud, Jung and others were familiar with these Kabbalistic works and borrowed heavily from them (as did Newton and others).  Therefore, we are all familiar with these two states of being.  Chochma is what we experience when we are at our creative best-when we are in “the zone” and experiencing a natural, easy flow.  Artists, musicians and other creative people know it well and they also know that they are able to achieve, “channel” and create in that space in ways that would be impossible in normal “waking” life.  Binah is our analytical, practical, and down to earth state.  One that is useful for accounting, problem solving, computer programming and the like.

Sometimes people over-analyze, second guess and scrutinize-they are too heavily controlled by Binah and I’ve noticed it usually leads to negative results, ie: “well he texted me yesterday and told me he had a good time, but then I thought what does he mean by that?  Isn’t “good” kind of a generic word?  And if he really cared wouldn’t he have just called anyway…et al.  The Sefer Yetzirah strives to teach us the technique called “ratzo v’shov”-running and returning.  This is an oscillation between Chochma and Binah that allows one to mine the expansive depths of Chochma, yet to anchor them firmly in our conscious minds in a way that we are able to make good use of them.

For the most stunning, impactful and crystal clear distinction of what I’m describing, you must, MUST watch this video of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist describing the effects of a stroke that shut down her left brain.  What she describes in simply pure Chochma consciousness in it’s most distilled form.  It’s as beautiful as it is astounding.  You will really get it after watching, and it’s only 18 minutes long.  This is the state that the Sefer Yetzirah is teaching us to access.

There is a LOT to be said on this topic and this is just the most superficial of descriptions of a deep and profound set of teachings.  If anyone is interested in ways to explore these concepts further, please be in touch and I’ll point you in the right direction.

Last week began a period of time known as “Sefiras haOmer” (the counting of the grain offering).  It consists of 7 weeks of daily counting between the second day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot 49 days later.  Here’s what’s going on in a nutshell.  Kabbalah explains that there are 10 energy structures that the universe is based on and functions through which are known as the 10 “Sefirot” or spheres.  These spheres are usually broken down into an upper 3 and a lower 7 and there are many examples, ie: 7 of the 10 plagues are listed followed by a break and then 3 more, the Jewish people inherited 7 of the 10 Canaanite tribes territories, there are 7 items on the seder plate plus 3 matzot, et al.

Each sphere is a trait as well as an energy and by counting, we explore 7 facets of each of the lower 7 traits.  For instance, the first week is dedicated to the sphere/trait called “chesed” (loving-kindness).  Each day focuses on an aspect of chesed so that the first day will explore “chesed sh’b'chesed” or loving-kindness of loving-kindness-ie: totally selfless giving.  Day two explores “gevura she’b'chesed” or restraint of loving-kindness-when not giving is actually the better gift, and so on.

Today is “Tiferet of Gevura” and here is how the book “The Counting of the Omer” describes it:

Day 10 – Tiferet of Gevurah: Compassion in Discipline Underlying and driving discipline must not only be love, but also compassion. Compassion is unconditional love. It is love just for the sake of love. Tiferet is a result of total selflessness in the eyes of G-d. You love because you are a reflection of G-d.
Exercise for the day: Be compassionate to someone you have reproached.

For more great Omer info, check out http://www.aish.com/h/o/

Shabbat Shalom

Many people are familiar with the esoteric branch of Judaism called Kaballah at this point.  Some know that the word shares a root with the word “L’kabel” which means “to receive” and thus think of Kabbalah as a “reception”-something that we received from the sages of earlier generations.  But this week’s Torah portion “Vayahkel” (and he gathered) teaches otherwise.

In describing the loops that are made to hang the curtains of the Tabernacle the verse uses the word “makbilot”-that the loops should correspond to each other (Exodus 36:12)-indicating that the actual meaning of the word Kaballah (which shares the same root as “makbilot”) is to correspond.  What does that have to do with anything you might be tempted to ask.

So it’s like this-the way we learn anything is by gaining a foothold of understanding and then building out from there.  When a child learns to speak (which is an astounding process to watch) he first comes to the realization that sounds symbolize objects…a very big step.  Having thus achieved this level of cognition, he slowly builds correspondences-ie: he says “in the same way that the sound ‘mommy’ indicates this person who constantly attends to me, it must be that all of these objects have their own sound”.  So too in Kabbalistic thought and methodology.  The goal is to build a correspondence between what we understand in this world and apply it to the other one (the spiritual one that can not be perceived though the senses).  Like rungs in a ladder, we are able to connect two ideas and then climb step after step until we achieve a greatly expanded notion (like the child) of what the world is and how it operates.

Shabbat Shalom