Shuvoo Newsletter

Issue 15 – May  4^th, 2006

 

Thoughts on Ancient Times & Current Events by Ashirah Yosefah

 

 

Revealing G-d’s Soul & Operating Ours

 

Torah is the Song of the Universe … we are each a note in that Divine symphony.  If we do not elevate ourselves to attain the note that is uniquely ours, then the Divine symphony does not resonate as it should.  Our lives are a process of tuning, playing, and tuning again, until we reach the fullness of the note that is ours alone. 

 

Torah is eternal.  It was there in the Beginning, an active vehicle of the process of Creation.  At the End of Days, we will finally be able to behold and understand the fullness of its majesty and wonder.  The Rabbis tell us that EVERYTHING can be found in Torah.  Just watch carefully the events in the world from week to week and begin to compare them to the weekly Torah and Haftorah portions.  You will be astounded at the parallels you will find.

 

What is Torah?  In its simplest sense, Torah means ‘teaching’, but it is so much more.  It is a Book of Laws, it is a Book of history, it is a Book of theory and philosophy.  It is a Book of science and medicine far more sophisticated and advanced than we had any idea.  Torah is the revealed Wisdom of the Creator, contracted and veiled in progressive layers of concealment, analogy, anthropomorphisms, parables, imagery and deeply embedded codes until it can be grasped by our finite and limited human minds and hearts.  (Anthropomorphisms are those expressions, frequently used in Torah, that attribute human characteristics to G-d, so that we can understand the characteristics and qualities that are encompassed within Him.  Examples would be “by a mighty and outstretched arm” (Devarim 4:34) and “I will take My hand away and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen” (Shemot 33:23).  G-d does not have a face, a back, hands or arms, but the use of these descriptions communicates qualities of strength and care, and attributes of concealment and revelation.)

 

Torah is the embodiment of the first commandment:  Anochi Hashem Elokeicha. 

 

In Gemara Shabbat, at the end of Perek HaBoneh, there is an interesting Machlochet on the Hebrew letters that spell Anochi:  Alef, Nun, Chaf, Yud.

 

Alef:     Ana –               I

Nun:     Nafshi –           My Soul

Chaf:  Ketivat –          wrote

Yud:     Yehavit –         gave it.

 

Anochi.  I wrote My Soul and gave it (in writing).  This is Torah.

 

G-d gave Himself to us in the Torah.  His Wisdom and Will are contained in Torah.  The Creator of the Universe, unseen and unfathomable, wrapped His infinite Essence in robes of Torah in order that we might comprehend that He Is.  He gave it as gift to teach us how to purify and elevate our bodies and souls in order that we might aspire to unity with our Maker.

 

There is a Midrash about a King who had a daughter.  Along came a Prince one day who desired to marry the daughter.  In the Midrash, the King represents Hashem, the daughter the Torah, and the Prince is Israel.  The King found Himself in a dilemma.  He thought to Himself, ‘I love my daughter so much I cannot bear to separate from her and yet I cannot not let her go.’  So the King instructed the young couple, ‘Wherever you go, build a room for Me that I might be with you.’  Wherever we go, we are to make room for Torah.  This Midrash illuminates the meaning of Hashem’s Words to Moshe in Shemot 25:8:  “Let them build Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.”  What was at the heart of that physical Sanctuary, in the Ark in the Aron haKodesh?  The two tablets inscribed with the Ten Words, the Ten Commandments.

 

The Prophet Yeshayahu was told by Hashem that the future Temple will be a House of Prayer for all peoples (Yeshayahu 56:7).  Zechariah echoed this when he spoke of many nations and peoples coming, from every tongue, to worship Hashem in Yerushalayim.  They will try to attach themselves to Jews because they will yearn to be taught about Hashem (Zechariah 8:20-23).  Both Yoel and Yeshayahu spoke of the day when the Torah would go forth from Zion and the Word of Hashem from Yerushalayim …we have seeing some of these prophecies coming to pass in our lifetime.  Never before in history has so much Torah gone forth to the nations of the world from Yerushalayim, and with every passing year, more and more people from the nations are turning to Jews, to the Rabbis, seeking to learn about Torah.

 

The Torah is comprised of three types of commandments:  Mishpatim (ordinances), Edot (precepts) and Chukim (statutes). 

 

Mishpatim, the ordinances, are commands we can understand.  Usually, their application is obvious:  Do not murder, do not steal, do not commit adultery. 

 

Edot, the precepts, are commandments for which the significance must be explained, such as the commands for Israel to observe Pesach and Shabbat, the first commemorating the Exodus from Egypt and the latter honoring Creation and being an eternal sign of the Covenant between G-d and Israel.

 

Chukim, the statutes, are deeply mysterious commands which we accept that we must obey even though we really cannot understand them.  Examples are the various laws of Kashrut (the dietary laws) and of Shaatnez (the laws of forbidden mixtures, such as the prohibition on wearing a garment made of wool and linen, or sowing your field with two types of seed).  The laws of Niddah, of family purity, also constitute Chukim.  These mysterious statues intrinsically hint to the inner essence of Hashem, the Infinite Creator Who cannot be grasped by our finite intelligence.

 

Human beings are composed of a body and a soul.  The soul is a spark of the Divine, part of the Creator who gave it.  The body is a finite creation formed of the dust of the earth.  It is the vehicle which enables the soul to complete its rectification and make its impression on the world around us.  It is a like a shoe worn by the soul that enables the soul to leave its footprints upon the sands of time and place.  In a future lesson, we will learn how the Ramchal views this relationship between body and soul.

 

The soul and the body are not exclusive of one another.  If they are not working in harmony, there are problems that are usually evident to both the individual and those around them.  Body and soul make up a sophisticated system that requires an operating manual, and that manual is Torah.  For those who desire to live righteously before their Creator, the seven Universal Laws are the basic manual to effectively operate this body/soul system.  As with most basic systems, there is the capacity to upgrade to a more enhanced level of functionality.  For Jews, who have been given the responsibility to be a nation of priests and Hashem’s witnesses to the world at large, the operating manual is more extensive. 

 

For both Jew and non-Jew, adherence to G-d’s commands for each elevates the soul and enhances its ability to transform the body into a vessel through which G-d is revealed, with the spark of the Divine in each of us radiating outward.  As with physical flame, one spark is all it takes to ignite another flame.  The Torah, with the seven Universal Laws contained within it, holds the instructions on how to keep our body from interfering with the intended function of our soul. 

 

Israel was commanded to build a sanctuary for G-d to dwell in our midst.  That Dwelling Place, during the Messianic Age, will be like Avraham’s tent … it will be open to all peoples.   When we are invited to someone’s home for a celebration, we usually abide by certain rules of proper conduct … the seven Universal Laws not only enable mankind to elevate their souls so that the Light of G-d may be revealed through them, but they are also the manual of etiquette for the Dwelling Place of Hashem, may its Presence be established on Har haBeit speedily in our days.