Tag: arizal

All Torah Light Spreads…Chaim Vital

A long time ago Rabbi Akiva taught me that the number 9 is of paramount importance to us. I must confess that while early on I understood it to mean the 9 pillars, I have yet to really know why, but last night I got a glimpse of one way the number 9 plays into the grand panoramic of our universe.

Rabbi Chaim Vital of blessed memory, wrote that all Torah light was spread by squaring and he was principally talking about the squaring of the Name of G-d, which is the “retrogressive selling of the Tetragramaton (YHVH), in other words (Y, YH,YHV, YHVH).

Nevertheless, we’ve know for quite some time that many significant aspects of the Torah are perfect squares of numbers, or are quickly decoded when we examine the square roots of certain prominent Torah numbers.  For example, as fully illustrated in The Genesis Prayer, the total number of words, letters, and verses in the Torah is exactly 390,625, or 58, which is also 6252, a perfect square of a perfect square of a perfect square of the number 5, which is perfectly fitting, considering that we are talking about the 5 Books of Moses.

Then last Shabbat, while studying the explanations of the Arizal about how the red heifer purifies, and what it had to do with regressive iterations of the YHVH, I had one of those Aha! moments: “Know also that the red heifer purifies the defiled by means of the divine attribute of mercy, as well. Specifically, by means of the regressive iterations of the four Names Havayah.”

“The numerical values of the regressive iterations of these four names are 184, 166, 130, and 144, as follows:”

YVD,   YVD HY,   YVD HY VYV,   YVD HY VYV HY = 184

YVD,   YVD HY,   YVD HY VEV,   YVD HY VEV HY = 166

YVD,   YVD HE,   YVD HE VEV,   YVD HE VEV HE = 130

YVD,   YVD HH,   YVD HH VV,   YVD HH VV HH = 144

The total of these four numerical values is (184 + 166 + 130 + 144 = 624), or just 1 shy of 625. We already know how 625 is the gematria of H’keter, the crowning sefira (dimension) and what that means to the construction and purpose of the Ten Commandments, but now we can understanding the meaning of R’ Chaim Vital’s statement and have  a better picture of what’s behind the letters in the Torah and in its construction.

Given that the 3 main elements of the Torah collectively 625 squared and that there are 625 numerical aspects to the Name of G-d squared, it means that each letter, and word and verse has at its seed it’s own numerical aspect of the YHVH, which makes each of the Alefs in the Torah unique unto itself. The same with the Bets, Gimmels, Dalets, etc. It means that each time the name Israel is said or read it’s different in that both the source of the complete name is unique each time, but the source of each of the five letter in Ysrael (TShREL) are different each time as well.

Now what those sources are are very complex and involve the integration of different veils, worlds and dimensions for each one.  And this is only on the level with which we can contemplate them, not on their real true nature that is beyond our comprehension.

For most of us, though, the significance is that our awe of the Torah should be magnified exponentially. Instead of taking the Torah readings and portions as collective stories, we should see the face of G0d in every word, letter, and verse of the Torah, and hear His voice speaking through them directly to us.

And as we listen to G-d’s voice, we understand that in choosing 6252, which equals 58, He knew that .625 is also exactly 5/8. And in choosing 5778 as the year of the geula, He also knew oh so poetically that 5778 is only 22 (as in the 22 letters) years shy of 5800.

But what I just learned about the number 9 is that  5778/625 = 9.2448 with 2448 HC being the year of the Exodus from Egypt and the reception of the 10 Commandments and the Torah. The year 2448 HC was when we last stood at Keter, with the windows to the tree-of-life wide open, exactly 66.6 jubilee years (3330 years) before 5778. Funny how the 3 digits in 3330 years, 3+3+3 = 9.  And this brings us to the number 666 and the mythical beast, who we (the Tanakh) will reveal in our next post.

 

The 70 Nations Are Going Down; The Battle Has Begun

In a brief continuation from Fish, Fowl, and Nuclear Radiation, Symptoms, Not Signs, we’d like to add a couple insights from this week’s short 67 verse Torah portion, Tazria, and the corresponding teachings of the Arizal enlightenment.

Binah, the sefira (dimension) of understanding, one of the upper 3, has the numerical value 67, which is the first clue that this portion contains some important hidden “understanding” for us.

Let’s first note that the portion begins with and is all about the uncleanliness (spiritual impurity) that resulted from the snake’s intimate relations with Eve, which created the separation of Jew and Gentile souls and the admixture of good and evil in Eve’s womb. That said, we once again are faced with the battle of good vs evil in the power of the Cohen (HCHN) vs the plague (h’negah, HNGA).

As we said in our ultimate article about the events playing out this year around the world, the symptoms all point to problems in the critical sefira of Yesod of Zeir Anpin.

On the side of good we have the Cohen(HCHN), of standard numerical value 80, the same as Yesod (YSVD) gematria, and of complete gematria sofit value of 777, as in 5777 (2017 CE).

On the side of evil we have the plague (NGY) of numerical value 123 and ordinal value 33 for a complete value of 156, the same as Joseph whose energy is associated with Yesod.

Now, according to the Arizal this battle is played out by the dark angel Samael, who we showed to be connected to the current events, and who is in charge of the supernal princes of the 70 nations, and by Michael, who is guardian of Israel and who presides over the 70 sages of the Great Assembly, corresponding to the 70 souls of Jacob.

The good news is that the word for the Cohen(HCHN) is found 57 times in this portion, up to and including the 107th times this word is used in the Torah, and as we’ve written about extensively, the sum of all the positive integers through 107 is 5778. And note that HaCohen is the only word in the Torah tied to the word Moshiach, the Messiah.

The word for plague (negah, NGA) is found 13 times in this portion, and 13 is the numerical value of love, ahava. Together the occurrences in this portion of the Cohen(HCHN) and plague (negah, NGA) are found 70 times, connecting this battle to the epic one that has already begun.

If we look at the word for plague in this portion with all its prefixes, such “the plague (HNGA)” and “and the plague (VHNGA), there are 31 more, making 44 in total, as in Dam, blood, the first of the 10 Plagues in Egypt.

However, 44 occurrence of “plagues” and 57 of “the Cohen” total 101 together, as in the numerical value of the archangel Michael, the angelic personification of chesed, all that is good.

What is this plague? The Torah was referring to a condition that existed only while the Tabernacle and Holy Temple existed. Today it might refer to any number of afflictions.  The only thing we know is that Fukushima Daiichi continually spewing toxic radiation into the atmosphere cant be good, and that the fish and bird kills are both symptoms of what ails us and signs that our environment is not healthy.

The Arizal explains that 70 years is the maximum number of The Divine Calendaryears of suffering that an individual can be decreed.  If we extrapolate that to a Nation we see that the Babylonian exile of the Jewish nation lasted exactly 70 years and that the year 5778 (2017-18  ce) will be the 70th year of the Israeli nation, formed in 5708 (1948 CE).

The upheaval throughout the Mid-East and the dethroning of their rulers is because the 70 supernal princes are falling one by one.  As above, so goes below.

The spiritual concept of time is a more spatial one and therefore 7 days, 7 years and 70 years are all cut from the same cloth, so when this portion also speaks about the baby boy transcending the 7 days and being circumcised on the 8th, the tzaddikim understood this to mean the 7 years of the birth pangs of the Moshiach and the fulfillment of his brit (Covenant) in the 8th year.

7 years from 2011, when the nations started falling, is 2018, and ironically, it was in 2018 HC that G-d made His Covenant with Abraham, 70 years after he was born.

Shavua tov

Fish and Fowl Kills, Signs or Symptoms, and of What?

A lot of people think the 9.0 Earthquake, Tsunami, and escalating radiation levels emanating from the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan are signs of the end of days. Many more see it as just part of life in the 21st century as our technology and spreading populations struggle to coexist with our planet and universe–growing pains if you will.  But there is another way of looking at them, the way doctors do; they view signs as symptoms; and that’s the way real kabbalists view them as well.  G-d doesn’t need to put a Post-It Note next to the light switch before flicking the switch, but if we are to help ourselves, we need to see our world, lives, and universe as the patient, and be willing to make the necessary changes.

The same can be said of the catastrophic fish and fowl kills.  Though these “signs” are less relevant to all but a small minority, as people in general get more emotional about a beached whale than 10 million fish dying one dawn, and the birds falling out of the sky are only meaningful to those whose heads they land on. Yet, it is the fish and fowl symptom that give us the clue to what ails the patient.

According to the Arizal, fish and fowl both belong to the sefira (dimension) of Yesod of Zeir Anpin, through which all the life-force and sustenance flows on its way into our world, Malchut.  He explains that the word for fowl in Hebrew is Oaf (AVP) of numerical value 156, which he points out is the same as Joseph “the righteous,” who is associated and whose energy is aligned with the sefira of Yesod, in particular, Yesod of Zeir Anpin.

And it’s not coincidental that 156 = 26 x 6 or 6 times the gematria value of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), since each of the 6 levels of Zeir Anpin are associated with the YHVH, and collectively gather in Yesod.

Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine that’s utilized to determine whether the air is safe to breath, we have the fish and fowl to help us determine whether Yesod of Anpin is functioning properly or not, whether it’s being choked off by negativity or not.

This is very significant because Yesod of Anpin is like a funnel through which flows all our life-force (shefa) or ch’i, and any problems there greatly affects our world, malchut, hence earthquakes of9.0 with their resultant havoc.

Now, 9.0 is telling in itself in that, as we explained in a previous article about how to count the sefirot according to the Arizal,  Yesod is the 9th dimension and malchut the “0” dimension, thus 9.0 represents the bottommost point of Yesod, or Malchut of Yesod of Zeir Anpin.

That’s a little esoteric, but what’s not is what’s happening at the unfortunately named damaged 6 reactor plant Fuk u shima Daii chi that is spewing out radioactive cesium-137 and iodine-131 at levels much higher than is being told to the public. And like a large volcanic eruption, its destructive forces are encircling the earth and spewing forth unabated.

There is nothing about these symptoms that should be ignored: It’s highly uncommon for there to be 6 reactors together with 6 being the number of bundled dimensions in Zeir Anpin, of which Yesod is the 6th.  The number 137, as in cesium-137, is the numerical value of the Hebrew word meaning “to receive” and the number 131, as in iodine-131, is the numerical value of the dark angel samael, thus together: “to receiving samael.” Not a positive message, but no one could mistake these burning cancer inducing radio-isotopes as as positive anyway.

If the tree-of-life were a human body, Yesod would be the reproductive organs and the lower spine. So what can we expect to occur if we don’t get to the root of the patient’s illness?

1. Worldwide financial troubles, as the sustenance get squeezed further and the type of agony associated with lower back pain and sciatica.

2. Reproductive issues. And we won’t even mention what these might be.

But let’s look at this another way. If you went to a kabbalist complaining of lower back pain and problems conceiving, he might tell you to look into your financial and sexual excesses, as there would be an obvious imbalance going on there.

It’s 2011 and, as we learned about the verses of the 10 Commandments, the verse that governs this years events is Exodus 20:11 In which we are told that in the six(6) days, God made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on Saturday (Shabbat). God blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.

The darkness, samael (SMEL) strikes at our weakest point, the only place it can, the tiny junction point between Yesod (YSVD)and Malchut (MLCVT), and when it does, the numerical value of the letters that are left over equal 446, that of Mot MVT, death.

Are we keeping the Sabbath? Are we working on the Sabbath, which means (on one level) does financial greed govern our world and is it the backbone of our economic models? Are we creating fire on Shabbat, or seeking out our warmth from spiritual oneness?

So this year, what we’ll see is events from space, the earth, the sea and all that is in them. It’s no wonder the birds fell from the sky and the fish died on 1/1/2011. Symptoms.

As with any patient, we must first recognize the symptoms, then correctly diagnose the illness, then while treating the symptoms to make the patient comfortable, we must get to the root cause of his disease and correct it.

We are the patient, collectively and individually.  And if we ignore the symptoms we will pay the price; that’s just science, not metaphysics or spiritual mumbo-jumbo.

Fortunately, we don’t have to ignore them. In this case health care is universally free, but we may have to make some lifestyle changes.  The Hebrew initials of Fukushima Daiichi, spell out Pad (PD), redemption, and if we treat this most unfortunate turn of events as a wake-up call, it can very well lead us to the final redemption, the tree-of-life reality. One candle is all it takes to pierce the darkness.

The Secret Behind the Prayer of Jabez

The Prayer of Jabez was popularized in a book by that name that came out about 8 years ago and sold millions of copies, promising prosperity, etc if you just recite it.  There probably weren’t millions of instant millionaires as a result, because the universe doesn’t work that way and neither does that specific prayer.

The prayer is useful in certain circumstances, which is why we’re explaining it today. Meanwhile, the most powerful prayer (meditation) we’ve been given for prosperity and for everything else for that matter is the Ana B’koach (42-Letter Name of God) and that one is designed to work with us, to help us when we are putting in the effort, not as a replacement for our effort.

“And Yaavetz called to the G-d of Israel, saying, ‘If You bless me and increase my border, and Your hand is with me that You save me from harm, so as not to sadden [eitzev] me…'” (1 Chronicles 4:10)

To understand how this prayer works, what it does and why, we need the help and explanations of the Arizal, who takes us through the various incarnations of Moses’ brother, Aaron, the only person the Torah associates with the term Moshiach (anointed one). We will only examine the relevant window on those important incarnations that stretch from Abel to Haran (Abraham’s brother) to Elijah, but please explore the rest on your own in the Gates of Reincarnation, Shaar HaPesukim; which was subsequently published in “Apples From the Orchard.”

Please note that prior to being reincarnated as Aaron, this illustrious soul was killed in the body as Haran, by the fires that spared Abraham, whose belief in God was unwavering. Please note further that it was Haran was the progenitor of all the Matriarchs from Sarah to Rebeca (Rivka) to Rachel and Leah and to Ruth, King David and Mashiach, the Messiah.

The following quote from the Arizal refers to the time just after the golden calf incident:

Therefore it is written (Deut. 9:20), “And G-d was angry at Aaron, and sought to wipe him out,” and death was decreed on his sons. As it is written, “And intended to wipe them out, were it not that Moses, His chosen, [stood before Him in the breech to return His wrath from destroying].” (Psalms 106:23) Nonetheless, “returning wrath” implies that the wrath had already had some effect, and this was indeed the case here.

Our sages state (Vayikra Rabba 10:5) that “‘wiping out’ implies destroying progeny,” and Moses’ prayers turned back half of the decree. Thus, of Aaron’s four sons, Elazar and Itamar remained, and only Nadav and Avihu died. Our sages point out that this is the meaning of the verse “And [Moses] became angry at Elazar and Itamar, [Aaron’s] remaining sons.” (Lev. 10:17)

The reason why specifically Nadav and Avihu died is that they, too, sinned with respect to foreign fire.

Still, they would not have been liable to death by burning on account of their sin alone, but [being Aaron’s sons] they were liable to be burnt on account of his sin in not submitting himself to be burnt

Aaron had to make amends (correct his tikun established in the life as Haran) for not submitting himself unwaveringly as had Abraham to the flames. During the incident of the golden calf Aaron could have done this by refusing to help the Erev Rav as his nephew Hur had.  Hur was killed because of said refusal. The lesson here is that regardless of what we think we know, we must belief that God knows more and has the best intentions for us and not to waver in those beliefs

The combination of both [their own sin and their father’s] caused their death, and thus G-d’s wrath found its place to rest. In the case of Elazar and Itamar, however, who did not sin, Moses’ prayer was effective.

Understand this, as well: Just as Haran was burnt and died during the lifetime of his father, Terah, so did Nadav and Avihu die during the lifetime of their father, Aaron, by fire.

After Aaron died he was reincarnated as Yaavetz, who is mentioned in the book of Chronicles (1 2:55). The reason why he was called this is because the curse of Eve was “in sadness shall you bear children,” (Gen. 3:16) and that of Adam was “in sadness shall you eat it.” (Gen.3:17) In the Zohar 2:219b it is said that the phrase “in sadness shall you bear children” is the mystical meaning of “sin crouches at the door,” (Gen. 4:7), referring to the shells [kelipot, negativity] of the world of Asiya, which are called “sadness” and “sin that crouches at the door.” And it is known that the kelipot have dominion only in the world of Asiya.

The Arizal is alluding to the fact that the name Yaavetz (yud-ayin-beit-tzadik) includes the letters that compose the word for “sadness” (eitzev, ayin-tzadik-beit).

As we have explained elsewhere, Nadav and Avihu were the aspect of nefesh of the soul of Adam. This sadness ruled over them, and they therefore died in the sin of their father, Aaron.

Therefore Yaavetz prayed: “And Yaavetz called to the G-d of Israel, saying, ‘If You bless me and increase my border, and Your hand is with me that You save me from harm, so as not to sadden [eitzev] me…'” (1 Chronicles 4:10) In other words, he prayed that his sons should no longer die in his lifetime, as they had when he had been incarnated as Aaron [and Haran]. [The verse continues:] “…and God fulfilled that which he had requested.” His children and students endured, as our sages have pointed out. For this reason he was called Yaavetz. (Mishnah Temurah 16a)

So what does the prayer of Yaavetz (Jabez) have to do with prosperity? Nothing. It is a powerful prayer to help your children. And when Aaron recited it incarnated as Yaavetz he was helping us and helping to bring about Moshiach for us.

When we can recite it, especially in Hebrew, we can do so as Yaavetz had: “he prayed that his sons should no longer die in his lifetime.”

(1 Chronicles 4:10)

ויקרא יעבץ לאלהי ישראל לאמר אם־ברך תברכני והרבית את־גבולי והיתה ידך עמי  ועשית מרעה לבלתי עצבי ויבא אלהים את אשר־שאל׃

With Vowels:

ַיִּקְרָא יַעְבֵּץ לֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אִם־בָּרֵךְ תְּבָרֲכֵנִי וְהִרְבִּיתָ אֶת־גְּבוּלִי וְהָיְתָה יָדְךָ עִמִּי וְעָשִׂיתָ מֵּרָעָה לְבִלְתִּי עָצְבִּי וַיָּבֵא אֱלֹהִים אֵת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁאָל׃

If you think your children are in danger, or are ill, please do everything you can physically to help them and also ask G-d’s help through this prayer (above). “…and God fulfilled that which he had requested.” His children and students endured”

Use this prayer to help protect your unborn children as well.  G-d has given us the tools.  Just as the Ana B’koach used properly can help you to conceive (as explained in The Genesis Prayer), this prayer can help you keep your children safe.

One caveat that the Ari explains happened to Yaavetz and in so doing warns us not to do, is to make vows. These will not help your situation–the steadfast belief in G-d’s knowing best and His ability to help you help yourself will.  Vows will just add to your tikun as you’ll eventually have to fulfill them.

B’H, May G-d bless all our children.