tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73681084363831401642024-03-07T22:42:04.366-08:00Pathways of KabbalahDovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-53577037798394301912012-02-26T22:55:00.000-08:002012-02-26T22:55:29.057-08:00Truth ii: On the pursuit of truth<div style="text-align: center;"> <b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span></b><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">‘</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Truth, Truth shall you pursue’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Targum Onkeles on Deuteronomy 18:20<b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">People commonly speak about the ‘pursuit of truth’; an expression suggesting that truth is a limited quality or amount of information discoverable through a combination of time and effort. Indeed, many philosophers and scientists venture to discover ‘the truth’: the hidden universalities that make life intelligible and clear, reconciling all contradictions and solving all mysteries. However, though some [misguided] scholars have professed to have found it, the vast majority discovered that the further they pursued truth, the more elusive it became. Like chasing one’s own shadow, the faster one runs after it, the faster it runs away. Is their common experience at odds with the idiom ‘pursuit of truth’? Perhaps truth cannot be pursued; maybe it is not out there waiting to be found? </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">On the verse, “If you will listen, listen to the voice of the L-rd your G-d,”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a> the Midrash comments, “Happy is the one whose ‘listenings’ are to Me, hovering always at My doorways; door within door...”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a> Rabbi <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yehuda Leib Alter of Ger</i>, the author of ‘Sefat Emet’, in commenting on this Midrash explains how one must never feel he has conclusively grasped a Torah teaching, for its depth is limitless. This, he adds, is implied by the repetition of the word listen in the original verse cited above; that is, even if you have already listened and understood, listen again... and again - for a higher grasp forever awaits you.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a> The Midrash’s metaphor of a door within a door is apt. The Hebrew word for doorway is delet, denoting emptiness, for a doorway is merely an empty space.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a> Yet, it is precisely this emptiness that allows movement from one room to the next. In respect to Torah study, this is interpreted to mean that one who feels ignorant and empty of a teaching’s true meaning is open to advance to a new level of understanding, but one who feels he has grasped the truth, closes the passage before him.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a> Herein lays one explanation for the mitzvah of fixing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mezuzot</i> on our doorposts. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mezuzah</i>, a section of Torah written on parchment, represents Torah study in general, while the doorway on which it is affixed signifies the sense of emptiness which is a prerequisite for entering that Torah study.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This elucidation of the Midrash may appear to support the notion that truth is undiscoverable; that a higher truth is forever beyond. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ben Ish Chai,</i> a 19<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> Century Sephardic mystic from Bagdad <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">defines </span>truth as reality beyond human grasp, completely unreachable. Following the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haftarah</i> reading, a blessing is recited which concludes, “And all His words are true and righteous”. The Ben Ish Chai, distinguishes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>between the terms ‘true’ and ‘righteous’ as applied to G-d, pointing out that the first and last letters of the Hebrew for righteous, </span></span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">צדק</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> are neighbours in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aleph-bet</i>, while the first and last letters of truth, </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">אמת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> are at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aleph-Bet</i>’s opposite ends.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a> This, he explains, signifies two ways that G-d governs our lives. Sometimes G-d reveals to us how the puzzle pieces of life fit neatly together; series of events appear straightforward, and Divine providence becomes evident. At these times we refer to G-d’s conduct as ‘righteous’. At other times, however, G-d distances the puzzle pieces from each other, rendering us incapable of connecting them together; events appear to make little sense and leave us asking ‘Why?’ For instance, ‘how can evil happen to a good person?’ or ‘why was I granted success when I was clearly undeserving?’ In such experiences we refer to G-d’s conduct as ‘true’. The term ‘true’ in this context is used to mean that though the pieces of life’s puzzle appear to human beings as disjointed, random, and mismatched, from G-d’s perspective everything is cohesive, precise, and orderly. G-d can connect the Aleph and the Tav, whereas we cannot; </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Truth </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">is with G-d alone.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[8]</span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This image of truth as reality beyond human grasp certainly reinforces our difficulty with the expression ‘pursuit of truth’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only are continuously higher levels of truth always available to strive towards, but also truth is categorically beyond human comprehension - that is, comprehension of truth proves it is not the truth! Is this a grim end for the idiom ‘pursuit of truth’? Not necessarily. A simple qualification of the expression may help us resuscitate it. As mentioned, the word ‘pursuit’ in this expression seems to suggest that truth is attainable. Although this may apply to ‘minor’ truths such as finding out who spilled juice on the kitchen floor, even ‘minor’ truths have many facets or perspectives. For instance, there may be several valid and effective ways to go about improving a marriage and all approaches may be true. Or imagine someone interpreting a piece of art, generating several alternate perspectives. Are not all of them ‘true’ interpretations? Perhaps, in such cases, ‘pursuit of truth’ can be modified to ‘pursuit of truth<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">s</span></b>’- after all, we need only add one measly letter!<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Alternatively, we may only need to re-frame our interpretation of the phrase ‘pursuit of truth’ in order to realise the expression’s validity to even Divine Truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can reinterpret ‘pursuit of truth’ as implying a never-ending quest. Although the infinite ‘Truth’ cannot be grasped in a finite number of steps, the process of seeking Truth can <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">still be</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>attempted. After all, does anyone seriously believe there will come a point in his learning when there will be no more knowledge to attain? Or that in actualising his potential he will reach the zenith of perfection beyond which progress is impossible? On the ladder to truth, regardless how high one climbs there will always be more rungs above him; Truth charms us into an endless journey.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a> The closest one comes to finding Truth is realizing its endlessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although before Truth one stands empty and ignorant, from within this sense of emptiness may spring a childlike curiosity to explore and discover reality.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[10]</span></span></span></span></a> And the stronger the curiosity, the more openly does infinite Truth glow within. Put in other words, the extent to which one is motivated to ‘pursue Truth’ reveals the degree to which one has found it; one who genuinely feels he has an infinite journey of discovery ahead of him, has indeed grasped Truth. The Kotzker put it elegantly: “the pursuing is itself the finding!”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[11]</span></span></span></span></a> </span></div><br />
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<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Devarim, 28:1 </span></div></div><div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Midrash Rabbah, Devarim 7:2</span></div></div><div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[3]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Sefat Emet, Sefer Devarim, Parshat Tavo, 5632</span></div></div><div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[4]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Wisdom of the Hebrew Alphabet, p.78, citing the Maharal</span></div></div><div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[5]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> For a similar concept see Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Likutei Sichot, Vol.1, p.129<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[6]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Sefat Emet, ibid </span></div></div><div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[7]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ben Ish chai, ‘Od Yoseph Chai’, Parshat Nosso</span></div></div><div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[8]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Ibid<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[9]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, The Thirteen Petalled Rose, Basic Books, 1980, p.133<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[10]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence man’s Good Inclination is referred to as a child, Kohelet 4:13</span></div></div><div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[11]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbi Abraham J.Twerski, Rebbes and Chassidim, p.91</span></div></div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-23065897031654768632012-02-26T22:52:00.000-08:002012-02-26T22:52:13.093-08:00Pathway Twelve. Truth: Definitions of truth<div style="text-align: center;"> <b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">CONGRUENCE </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“Any Torah scholar whose inside does not match his outside is not a scholar”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Babylonian Talmud Yuma 72b</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">When instructing the creation of the Holy Ark to house the Ten Commandments, the Torah instructs, ‘You shall make the ark of wood...and you shall coat it with pure gold outside and inside.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The ark represents the Torah scholar who contains Torah within himself. It was coated with gold on the inside and out to emphasise that “any Torah scholar whose inside does not match his outside is not a genuine Torah scholar”.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><sup> </sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A scholar’s external behaviour should reflect his internal knowledge; a code given so much weight by the eminent Talmudic sage, Rabban Gamliel, that he barred students lacking such integrity from his academy.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[3]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In the first book of the Torah, Jacob’s sons exemplified such truth in their interactions with their brother Joseph. Concerning the resentment they felt toward him the verse states, “they could not speak any words of peace toward him.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[4]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Although this verse does not appear complimentary to the brothers, it actually demonstrates their virtue. Despite their ill-feelings toward Josef, they did not hide the truth through facade or pretence but transparently expressed what they harboured within.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[5]</span></span></span></span></span></a> This mode of being is called ‘tamim’ - wholeness or sincerity; no masks and no complexity; what you see is what you get.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[6]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">A biblical character epitomizing the antithesis of this virtue is Jacob’s father-in- law, Laban. When Jacob arrived at Laban’s home, Laban, “ran to greet him, embraced him, and kissed him.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[7]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Commenting on this verse, Rashi<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[8]</span></span></span></span></span></a> explains that Laban ran to welcome Jacob under the assumption that he brought money and gifts. Noticing Jacob came empty-handed, Laban embraced him to check if he was carrying gold in his pockets. Finding no gold, he kissed him to see whether he was hiding jewels in his mouth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[9]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Laban’s warm welcome was merely a guise for his greed. It is no irony that the name of this con-artist was Laban, connoting whiteness and purity, for it was on account of his deceptive nature that he bore such a misleading title.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[10]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">King David distinguished between ordinary wrongdoing and deception when he exhorted, “Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from deception”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[11]</span></span></span></span></span></a>; associating evil with the tongue and deception with the lips. Ordinary evil behaviour reveals the wrongdoer’s intentions; thus, one who deliberately injures another reveals his ill-feelings toward him. Evil is therefore identified with the tongue, a single entity. Deceit, however, involves a split between presentation and intention; it is therefore aptly associated with the lips which are divided in two.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[12]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Torah’s abhorrence of deception also explains why the pig is considered the height of non-kosher. There are two basic characteristics that render an animal kosher: split hooves, an external sign, and re-chewing cud, an internal sign.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[13]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The camel, for instance, is not kosher because, though chewing its cud, its hooves are not fully split. It lacks the external sign but possesses the internal one. The pig, however, is the opposite: it bears split hooves, the external sign, but does not chew its cud, the internal one. The pig thus signifies one who presents himself well but hides an evil agenda within.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[14]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The absence of the congruence dimension of truth also finds expression in subtle ways. After the passing of the saintly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rebbe</i> of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chabad</i> movement, Shneur Zalman of Liadi, controversy ignited amongst his disciples concerning the identity of his successor. The two candidates were the Rebbe’s son, Rabbi DovBer, and the Rebbe’s pre-eminent disciple, Reb Aharon Strosheler. Some of the disciples decided to visit the court of Reb Aharon to assess his suitability as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rebbe</i>. At a Chassidic gathering, Reb Aharon delivered a mystical discourse during which he leapt onto a table in ecstatic dance. One discerning disciple observed that Reb Aharon continued dancing after he lost his original inspiration. He commented, “Reb Aharon is certainly holy, but a Rebbe he is not!” Holy because of his acute sensitivity to G-dliness; but not a Rebbe, who bares the seal of truth, whose every action perfectly reflects his inner feelings and beliefs.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[15]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In Chabad Chassidism this aspect of truth is highly regarded, especially during prayer. While other Chassidic groups encourage prayer with a raised voice, song, and visible fervour, Chabad mysticism emphasizes prolonged contemplation on the nature of G-d and His relationship with the world.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[16]</span></span></span></span></span></a> A silent, motionless exterior, indicative of deep mental preoccupation, is greatly admired, while external expressions such as song and dance are only respected if they are spontaneous by-products of profuse contemplation. An affected display of enthusiasm or emotion is frowned upon.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[17]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Indeed, in the Chabad Chassidic past, the label <i>Chitzon, </i>external or artificial, was a most incisive insult, while <i>pnimi, </i>internal and real, a coveted accolade. The centrality of truth in Chabad philosophy is further underscored by the sentiment expressed by a Chabad <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chassid</i> during a private audience with Rabbi Sholom DovBer, the fifth Chabad Rebbe. The chassid complained that his Divine service is artificial and lacks truth. He then added, “And my complaint about lacking truth, it too is empty of truth!” “Furthermore”, he exclaimed even louder, “My complaint about the way that I am complaining is also devoid of truth!” And so he continued until he worked himself into frenzy, fainted, and fell to the floor. The Rebbe then commented to someone present, “This, however, he meant truthfully!” <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Aramaic translation of the verse, “[r]ighteousness, righteousness you should pursue”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[18]</span></span></span></span></span></a> is ‘[t]ruth, truth should you pursue.’<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[19]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Commenting on the translation, Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa is said to have quipped, “With truth, truth should be pursued, and not with falsehood!” But how can one pursue truth falsely? Well, not everyone manages to serve G-d with truth, and at times, this can be quite comical. For example, a story is told about a young man from Peshischa who was granted a study in the home of his in-laws shortly after marriage. Attempting to impress them with his diligent Torah study he would start learning loudly whenever he heard movement outside his door. In actuality, the footsteps he heard were only those of a restless cat. Thus instead of learning Torah for the sake of Heaven, he ended up learning for the sake of a cat! However, explains the Kotzker Rebbe, one should not be disheartened if their service of G-d lacks truth. For the verse states, “And these words that I command you today shall be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">upon</i> your heart,”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[20]</span></span></span></span></span></a> and not be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in</i> one’s heart. This is because G-d does not expect us to maintain congruence of mind and heart all the time, and instructs us to continue learning Torah even if our heart is not with us. For eventually the heart will open and the words placed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">upon</i> it will enter inside.’<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[21]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This aspect of truth is intimated by the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Hebrew word for truth, </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡמת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, which consists of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The first letter is aid to represent a person’s mind; the middle letter, feelings, and the last letter, behaviour.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[22]</span></span></span></span></span></a> This implies that truth is attained when one’s entire being is aligned and consistent. Furthermore, when rearranged, the letters of the word Emet spell ‘Etam’- I shall become sincere or whole.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[23]</span></span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /> </span></b> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">CONTINUITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“The lip of truth is established for eternity; but momentary is a false tongue”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Proverbs 12:19<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> A second meaning of truth in the Torah is continuity. This definition of truth may be inferred from a section of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talmud </i>discussing<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>whether<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>the branch waived during the festival of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sukkot</i> may be taken from the “Hirdoff” plant.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[24]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talmud</i> rejects this possibility by citing the verse, “You shall love truth and peace.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[25]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Rashi explains that Hirdoff is poisonous, and thus represents neither truth nor peace.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[26]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Poison obviously contradicts peace, but how is it at variance with truth? Since truth connotes continuity, poison, which ends life, is aptly considered to be its opposite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, in his classic work, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tanya</i>, employs this connotation of truth when distinguishing between the love of G-d that the enlightened <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tzaddik</i> arouses during contemplative prayer and the love aroused by one of lower spiritual stature. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tzaddik</i>, he explains, is capable of maintaining love for G-d beyond formal prayer, when re-entering daily life, the other, however, cannot.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn27" name="_ftnref27" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn27;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[27]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The former, he comments, possesses the attribute of truth via continuity while the latter lacks it.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[28]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The transience of falsehood is beautifully illustrated by the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Midrash </i>which relates how falsehood sought refuge from the Great Flood by entering Noah’s Ark. Noah, however, refused it entry because it lacked a mate. Falsehood subsequently approached <i>loss,</i> requesting they become mates and enter the ark together. <i>Loss</i> asked, “What will you give me?” To which falsehood replied, “Whatever is acquired through me will be given to you.” With that, <i>loss </i>agreed.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn29" name="_ftnref29" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn29;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[29]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The 17<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> Century mystic, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maharal </i>of Prague, explains that Noah only accepted male and female pairs into his ark because they have continuity. This principle, he adds, also applies to spiritual qualities. For instance, the concept of giving is meaningless without that of receiving, for there is no one to give to; and the concept of receiving is senseless without that of giving, for from whom does one receive? Accordingly, since falsehood lacked a mate and could not survive, it turned to loss for partnership. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Since falsehood is masculine/active, and loss, feminine/<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">passive, they are complimentary qualities. People actively lie to achieve something, but no-one one actively loses something; rather, loss happens to them. In real life their union implies</span> that whatever is actively achieved via falsehood is lost passively.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn30" name="_ftnref30" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn30;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[30]</span></span></span></span></span></a> All falsehood eventually loses its existence. Herein rests the paradoxical existence of falsehood: for continuity’s sake falsehood has a partner; but its partner is <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">loss - a form of </span>discontinuity. In other words: discontinuity allows falsehood to continue! <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Note that the concept that truth is eternal does not imply that truth is continually apparent to humanity. In a Talmudic dialogue between a Roman governor and the Sage Rabbi Eliezer, the governor cites the passage, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The lip of truth is established for eternity; but momentary is a false tongue.”</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn31" name="_ftnref31" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn31;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[31]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The Governor argued that since the Roman Empire had already maintained its rule for centuries while the reign of Jewish Monarchy was short-lived, Rome exemplifies the first phrase of the verse, while Jewish sovereignty, the second phrase. Rabbi Eliezer retorted, “If the verse read, ‘The lip of truth <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> established forever’, in the present tense, your claim would be valid. However, it states, ‘The lip of truth <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shall</i> be established forever’, in future tense. Presently, falsehood reigns; only in the future will the ultimate truth become apparent.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn32" name="_ftnref32" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn32;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[32]</span></span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The continuity aspect of truth is alluded to in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gematriya</i>, numerology, of the Hebrew word for truth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn33" name="_ftnref33" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn33;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[33]</span></span></span></span></span></a> One method of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gematriya</i>, called ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mispar Katan’,</i> reduced value, involves reducing numbers to their root in the 1-9 integers. Accordingly, 40 becomes 4+0 = 4, 135 becomes 1+3+5= 9, etc. Applying the ‘mispar katan’ method to the word, </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ<b>מת</b></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, truth, yields 9: <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> = 1, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>= 40, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">ת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> = 4; thus, 1+ 4 + 4 = 9.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn34" name="_ftnref34" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn34;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[34]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">What is the connection between truth and the number 9? The digits of all its multiples always add up to nine, reflecting the unchanging, continuous nature of truth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn35" name="_ftnref35" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn35;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[35]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance: 9x<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2</b>=18; 1+8=9, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>9x<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3</b>=27; 2+7=9,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>9x<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4</b>=36; 3+6=9..., etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Building on this idea, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Midrash</i> asks why the Torah begins with the letter Bet, the second letter of the Aleph-Bet, rather than the Aleph, the first letter.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn36" name="_ftnref36" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn36;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[36]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The first three words of the Torah emphasize the concept of truth, to impress that the foundation of the Torah is truth.This is intimated by combining the last letters of the first three words together: ‘Bereshit bara Elokim’- </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">בראשי<span style="mso-ansi-font-weight: bold;">ת</span> בר<span style="mso-ansi-font-weight: bold;">א</span> אלקים </span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">which spells Emet, truth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn37" name="_ftnref37" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn37;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[37]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The letter Bet is consistent with this theme since adding every corresponding group of three letters in the Aleph-Bet starting with the letter Bet consistently yields 9, the reduced numerical value of Emet - </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">אמת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn38" name="_ftnref38" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn38;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[38]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">For instance:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Bet (2) + Gimmel (3) + Dalet (4) = 2+3+4 = 9 <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Chet (8) + Tet (9) + Yud (10) = 8+9+10 = 27, 2+7 = 9<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Chaf (20) + Lamed (30) + Mem (40) = 20 + 30 + 40 = 2+3+4 = 9<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">However, when starting with the letter Aleph, adding the corresponding groups of three letters consistently yields six, the reduced numerical value of the word sheker, falsehood – </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">שקר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn39" name="_ftnref39" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn39;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[39]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> For instance: <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Alef (1) + Beit (2) + Gimmel (3) = 1+2+3 = 6 <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Zayin (7) + Chet (8) + Tet (9) = 7+8+9 = 24; 2+4 = 6<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Yud (10) + Chaf (20) + Lamed (30) = 10 + 20 + 30 = 1+2+3 = 6 <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Furthermore, continuity is also implied by the letters of Emet which span across the entire Aleph-Bet.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn40" name="_ftnref40" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn40;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[40]</span></span></span></span></span></a> This reflects how truth endures through time; from its beginning to its end. In contrast, the letters of the word Sheker are bunched together side by side toward the very end of the Aleph-Bet, indicating the transience of falsehood.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn41" name="_ftnref41" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn41;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[41]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">INDEPENDENCE</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 41.95pt;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Truth has legs; falsehood has no legs”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tikunei Zohar 425</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">A Rabbi once approached Rabbi<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Nachman from Breslov for advice. He was offered the position of communal Rabbi but was unsure whether to accept the role. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rabbi Nachman responded, “If you accept the post, your ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grace After Meals’ </i>will suffer considerably!”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn42" name="_ftnref42" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn42;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[42]</span></span></span></span></span></a> What did Rabbi Nachman mean? Some people pray intently in private, where there is minimal distraction, but become distracted in public. Others, however, focus better in group prayer, perhaps uplifted by the communal energy. However, they fail to generate the same level of devotion when alone. Neither type prays with independence, for their concentration level during prayer depends on their surroundings. One definition of truth is independence, in this sense to seal one’s prayer with truth one must be able to pray independently; that is, equally well in private and public.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">We may now interpret Rabbi Nachman’s reply to the Rabbi. Rabbi Nachman cautioned him that as community Rabbi, he would be constantly in the public eye, and his ability to serve G-d with sincere devotion would suffer on account of his increased self awareness. In essence, Rabbi Nachman was intimating that this individual’s Divine service lacked the quality of truth and would thus deteriorate significantly under these new conditions.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn43" name="_ftnref43" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn43;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[43]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Vilna Gaon once asked the Maggid of Dubno to rebuke him. However, the Gaon was so righteous that it was difficult to do. The Maggid reflected and finally reproached: “It is easy to be righteous within the halls of torah study. Let me see you go out among the people, will you still remain righteous then?!” This rebuke challenges the independence of the Gaon’s spiritual level; does it hinge on an environment conducive to spirituality or would it survive the sensually tempting atmosphere of the outside world? Essentially, the Maggid’s rebuke questions the <i>truth</i> of the Gaon’s spiritual level.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn44" name="_ftnref44" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn44;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[44]</span></span></span></span></span></a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The concept of independence as an essential characteristic of truth can be seen at the burning bush, where G-d instructed Moses to liberate the Jews from Egypt. Moses asked the enigmatic heavenly voice, “Who should I tell them is sending me?”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn45" name="_ftnref45" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn45;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[45]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Why did Moses seek the name of the being charging him with the mission? After all, a name appears to be a superficial aspect of an entity. In fact, a Hebrew name reveals an entity’s essential being and purpose.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn46" name="_ftnref46" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn46;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[46]</span></span></span></span></span></a> As an example, observe the names of the three angels who visited Abraham after he circumcised: Michael, meaning ‘like the divine quality of kindness,’<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn47" name="_ftnref47" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn47;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[47]</span></span></span></span></span></a> shared good tidings; Gabriel, meaning ‘strength of G-d’, destroyed the depraved cities of Sodom; and Rafael, meaning ‘healing power of G-d, came to heal Abraham.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn48" name="_ftnref48" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn48;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[48]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The names clearly reflect the nature and deeds of the angels. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Aware of this, Moses wished to discover the nature of the being sending him on the mission. In particular, he wanted to know whether the being was dependent upon some higher force, or whether it is supreme and independent. This was important to Moses on two counts: firstly, he was only prepared to serve the Supreme Being, and secondly, he understood that if the being was dependent on other forces for its existence, it may cease existing during his rescue efforts, resulting in him losing support and failing.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn49" name="_ftnref49" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn49;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[49]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">G-d’s response was the famous </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">‘</span></b><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">היה</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">שר</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">היה</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>’</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> - “I am that I am”.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn50" name="_ftnref50" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn50;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[50]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Meaning, I am whatever I choose to be, nothing influences Me; I am completely independent. Rabbi Albo explains that the numerical value of the word </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">‘</span></b><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">היה</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>’</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">, ‘I Am’ is 21 while the term </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">שר</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">- ‘that’- serves as a multiplication sign. The full phrase, ‘I am that I am’ thus translates into 21 x 21, which equals 441; the same numerical value as </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> - truth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn51" name="_ftnref51" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn51;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[51]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But one may puzzle as to why G-d chose to reveal the truth of Himself and Torah </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">through Moses, who suffered from a severe speech impediment. Unlike falsehood which is often disguised in eloquent or sophisticated terms, or provided with other flash packaging to have impact, truth stands independently, its power stemming from within itself. The fact that the Torah was communicated by one lacking oratory eloquence and charm serves to highlight its truth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn52" name="_ftnref52" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn52;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[52]</span></span></span></span></span></a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> The value of independence in divine service is illustrated in Lot’s rescue from Sodom. We are taught that Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was saved from the destruction of Sodom on account of a particular merit. When Abraham and his wife Sarah were crossing the Egyptian border, Abraham prudently told the Egyptian authorities that Sarah was his sister.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn53" name="_ftnref53" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn53;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[53]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Lot, also present, remained silent, notwithstanding his knowledge that the Egyptians would reward him immensely for such disclosure. However, Lot performed a seemingly more impressive deed when he risked his own life to provide visitors to Sodom with hospitality and protection from the Sodomites.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn54" name="_ftnref54" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn54;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[54]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Why would restraint from treachery grant Lot greater merit than a self-sacrificing act of hospitality? <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The importance of hosting guests was Lot’s second nature, inculcated in him while he grew up living with Abraham; it was not his own moral achievement. However, to curb his strong proclivity toward greed, Lot had to apply much conscious effort and control; he had to struggle with his nature.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn55" name="_ftnref55" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn55;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[55]</span></span></span></span></span></a> In his silence, he displayed moral independence; in his hospitality, he did not. It was his expression of ethical independence, of self standing truth, that prolonged his life; that commensurately kept him standing when everything was collapsing around him.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn56" name="_ftnref56" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn56;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[56]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This definition of truth also explains why Maimonides says, “Receive the truth regardless of its source.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn57" name="_ftnref57" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn57;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[57]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Since truth is independent, it stands separate from the human mind. Therefore, even if an unethical, dishonest, or foolish person states the truth, you should accept it from him, for he did not produce it, but merely channels it. And, though our Sages forbid learning Torah from immoral people, this is primarily because one can be influenced by their disrespectful attitude and coarse behaviour.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn58" name="_ftnref58" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn58;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[58]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Torah</b> they teach, however, remains true and untainted. Therefore, Torah scholars of great piety and wisdom, impervious to negative influence, would accept truth from such people.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn59" name="_ftnref59" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn59;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[59]</span></span></span></span></span></a> However, ideas and philosophies of mere mortals cannot be received from merely anyone since the fool is likely to produce foolish ideas, the unethical person, immorality, while the ignorant offers conjecture and guesswork with the confidence of omniscience. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson stressed this distinction in his response to a letter from a young man doubting the veracity of Torah because of the inappropriate behaviour of various people in his Torah academy. Rabbi Schneerson said: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“If a teacher whom you respect will say two times two equals five, it is incorrect; and if a teacher whom you do not respect says that two times two equals four, it is nevertheless correct; for truth is <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">independent </span>of the one who states it.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn60" name="_ftnref60" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn60;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[60]</span></span></b></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Perhaps the most extreme example of truth being acknowledged despite its source is the case of Bilaam and his donkey. While riding his donkey to curse the Jews, the donkey deviated off the road, mildly injuring Bilaam. Enraged, he began beating his donkey. Suddenly, the donkey spoke up and assertively reminded Bilaam of all the benefit it had provided him over the years.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn61" name="_ftnref61" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn61;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[61]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Upon hearing the rebuke, Bilaam fell silent; the donkey’s words were distinctly and incontestably true.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn62" name="_ftnref62" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn62;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[62]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Observing the forms of the three letters comprising the word </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> we find that each letter has two ‘legs’. This signifies that truth can stand on its own [without external support.] In contrast, the letters of the word sheker - </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">שקר</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, meaning falsehood, have only one ‘leg’ each; reflecting the instability and dependence of falsehood.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn63" name="_ftnref63" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn63;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[63]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 42pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 42pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">ACCURACY</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Truth is the dot in the centre of a circle”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abraham Ibn Ezra</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In Sefer HaIkarim, Rabbi Albo defines truth as the alignment between three factors: the external world, the perception of the world, and the communication of one’s perception. If one perceives an object accurately but fails to communicate it with precision, or accurately communicates it but errs in his initial construal, he deviates from Emet. Only one who correctly perceives an object and relays it faithfully is in sync with Emet. This chapter explores three dimensions of accurate perception, breadth, depth, and length, as well as the importance of accurate communication.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn64" name="_ftnref64" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn64;" title=""><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[64]</span></span></span></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 42pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Breadth perception:</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Imbalanced perception blinds the mind’s eye from the truth, detaching a person from reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">An inclination toward kindness, for example, brings one to view the positive features of an object while ignoring the negative. Conversely, a tendency to criticise causes one to caricature the negative aspects while overlooking or downplaying the positive. However, if a person remains centred and neutral, one can gain awareness of both the positive and negative elements of an issue and perceive it accurately.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson articulates this definition of truth in the context of spiritual self appraisal: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“Truth is the middle path. An inclination to the left [to be] overly stringent with one’s self and find faults or sins not in accord with the truth, or an inclination to the right, [to be] overly indulgent, covering one’s faults or being lenient in demands of divine service out of self love – both of these ways are false.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn65" name="_ftnref65" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn65;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[65]</span></span></b></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">When Moses discovered that a fellow Jew had informed on him to Pharoah, he exclaimed, “In truth, the matter has been discovered.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn66" name="_ftnref66" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn66;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[66]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Rashi explains that at this point Moses realized that G-d had answered his bafflement why Israel deserved Egyption oppression. The Kotzker Rebbe asked why the messanger hand picked by G-d to redeem the Jewish people from Egypt, was made to see the Jews in such a negative light. The Sefat Emet answered that it was specifically because he was sent to help the people that he needed to recognise their negative traits so that he can know the obstacles that he faces and how to help the people correct themselves.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn67" name="_ftnref67" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn67;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[67]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The quality of kindness, associated with the right, and sternness, identified with the left, are signified by the first and last letters of the word </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, truth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn68" name="_ftnref68" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn68;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[68]</span></span></span></span></span></a> </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, the rightmost letter of the Aleph-Bet represents kindness, while </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">ת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, the leftmost letter, signifies sternness. Meanwhile, the middle letter of Emet, </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מ</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, is the centremost letter of the Aleph-Bet, representing the ability to remain neutral and combine the two opposing qualities in alignment with reality.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn69" name="_ftnref69" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn69;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[69]</span></span></span></span></span></a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Note that the letters of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Emet</i> are equally distributed across the Aleph-Bet, signifying a balanced perspective, whereas the letters of the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sheker, falsehood,</i> are grouped together toward the far left of the Aleph-Bet, signifying a lopsided or distorted vantage point.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn70" name="_ftnref70" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn70;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[70]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The fact that the first and last letters of the word Emet form the outer limits of the Aleph-Bet also demonstrates another lesson concerning accuracy of perception. Although an accurate perspective does not overstep the boundaries of reality - as do exaggeration, distortion, or pure fabrication - accuracy requires one to extend to its outermost limits to perceive an issue fully, as opposed to selectivity, understatement, or sugar coating. Discernment of truth requires going to the outer boundaries of an issue, to perceive it fully, but not to cross the boundary through any additions.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn71" name="_ftnref71" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn71;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[71]</span></span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Depth perception:</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“Do not look at the barrel, but at what is in it; there is a new barrel filled with old wine, and an old barrel that does not even contain new wine.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Pirkei Avot 4:27<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Everything in existence consists of inner and outer dimensions; the fruit and the peel. An individual capable of removing the peel to behold the fruit may perceive the truth of a matter.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn72" name="_ftnref72" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn72;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[72]</span></span></span></span></span></a> At a superficial level, this principle can be applied to the appraisal of products up for sale. One needs to distinguish between the true value and function of a product from the hype, colourful marketing strategies, and brand names which embellish it. Advertising usually exaggerates a product’s worth while minimizing its drawbacks. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">A poignant and morally significant example of depth perception involves the perception of a person. Composite of a body exterior and a soul interior; his essence is his soul. True perception of a person involves viewing him as predominantly his soul, with his body serving as a medium that affords the soul expression in the material world.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn73" name="_ftnref73" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn73;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[73]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The famous 20<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> Century psychiatrist and philosopher, Victor Frankel, articulated the dramatic implications of how one views a human being.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn74" name="_ftnref74" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn74;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[74]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Emphasising the value of the body a person’s worth becomes commensurate with his ability to contribute to society, especially economically. Consequently, the elderly, disabled, and mentally ill are deemed less valuable and inferior to the healthy and capable. However, by emphasizing the soul, the divine element within a person, every individual, regardless of his instrumental value, is intrinsically priceless; possessing dignity by virtue of his existence and not on account of what his body can achieve.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn75" name="_ftnref75" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn75;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[75]</span></span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Frankl’s view of valuing a person’s soul helps one keep optimistic in the case of mental illness and age. While the body may age or suffer ill-health, the soul remains eternally whole and perfect. During physical or mental illness the soul is merely incapable of expressing itself effectively through the body. Healing, then, is essentially an optimistic attempt to help the perfect and vibrant soul express itself through the body again, be it by restoring coherence and clarity to a person’s thinking, or by dressing his physical wounds. In contrast, when only the body is valued, one who is ill appears to have become disfigured and imperfect in his essential core, and the healing process becomes a relatively pessimistic or incomplete one.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn76" name="_ftnref76" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn76;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[76]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">The Zohar states that there are three layers to the Torah: the garment, the body, and the soul.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn77" name="_ftnref77" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn77;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[77]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The <i>‘garment’</i> refers to the narrative, the stories about Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden tree, Noah surviving the devastating flood, Abraham’s interactions with G-d, and the journeys of the Children of Israel through the wilderness. Garments are the most external and visible aspect of a person, as Torah narrative is the most accessible layer of the Torah. The <i>‘body’</i> refers to the mitzvot of the Torah. The mitzvot consist of 248 positive precepts, corresponding to the 248 limbs of the human body, and 365 prohibitions, corresponding to 365 primary sinews.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn78" name="_ftnref78" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn78;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[78]</span></span></span></span></span></a> When a Jew fulfils a mitzvah, he sanctifies the corresponding limb utilized to perform that mitzvah.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn79" name="_ftnref79" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn79;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[79]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The mitzvot are thus seen as a metaphysical body, or more specifically, the limbs of G-d.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn80" name="_ftnref80" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn80;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[80]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The <i>‘soul’</i> refers to Kabbalah, the mystical secrets. Unlike the garments and the body which are apparent to the naked eye, a person’s soul is invisible; glimpsed only through the body which it animates. Similarly, while Torah narrative and law are apparent, the Kabbalah mystical dimension is concealed. Thus, though every episode and law, and indeed, every nuance of a single letter in the Torah,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn81" name="_ftnref81" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn81;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[81]</span></span></span></span></span></a> signify the deepest truths about reality, they are imperceptible to the uninitiated eye. It is the soul of the Torah that the Zohar refers to as the ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">True</i> Torah.’<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn82" name="_ftnref82" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn82;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[82]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Ultimately, the entire natural world is a mask veiling the Divine creative energy which brings it into being.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn83" name="_ftnref83" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn83;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[83]</span></span></span></span></span></a> A concise <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Midrashic</i> parable relates this theme to the nature of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shabbat </i>observance: <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">‘To what can [the function of Shabbat] be compared? A king had an elegant ring made for him but found it lacking something: his insignia. Similarly, [after G-d created the world He noticed] it was lacking something: Shabbat‘.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn84" name="_ftnref84" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn84;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[84]</span></span></b></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The ring alludes to the natural world, which in Hebrew, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Teva</i>, is cognate with the word Taba’at, a ring.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn85" name="_ftnref85" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn85;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[85]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The obvious parallel is that nature functions in repetitive ring-like cycles; of which the orbiting planets, the water cycle, reproduction, the seasonal cycle, and the rhythmic circulation of blood, are examples. Furthermore, like a ring, nature appears to have no beginning or end, giving the impression that it always existed. Finally, because the natural world was created in six days, it is associated with that number. According to the idea that numbers have geometric parallels, six corresponds to a circle<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn86" name="_ftnref86" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn86;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[86]</span></span></span></span></span></a> - a two-dimensional ring:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">1 = point</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">• <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4 = square</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">2 = line</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>6 = circle</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">3= triangle </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">After the six days of creation, nature concealed the Creator; the ring was missing the King’s signature. Therefore, at the conclusion of creation God bestowed the world with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shabbat </i>rest during which people withdraw from a preoccupation with the natural world and focus their attention on its Creator. Hence the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shabbat is related to </i>both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rest (Shev)</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">return (Shuv) </i>since<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> rest </i>from work affords people the ability to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">return </i>their attention to the Creator. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shabbat</i> is thus the Creator’s signature on His cosmic ring. Note that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Mispar Katan’</i> of the word Sheker, falsehood, is 6, the number related to nature; while the ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mispar Katan’</i> of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shabbat</i> is 9, the same as that of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Emet,</i> truth. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shabbat</i>, which allows one to pierce the appearance level of our world, is associated with truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The definition of truth as depth perception is expressed by the passage, <i>"Rosh devarcha emet -</i> The beginning of Your utterance is <i>truth</i>."<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn87" name="_ftnref87" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn87;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[87]</span></span></span></span></span></a> What is meant by the beginning of an utterance? There are two basic elements to human speech - the non-verbal thought that one wishes to communicate, and the translation of that thought into the symbols of language which allow the thought to be communicated. The above passage refers to the non-verbal thought which precedes speech and inspires it; the core of the speaker’s communication.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn88" name="_ftnref88" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn88;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[88]</span></span></span></span></span></a> However, listeners commonly fixate on particular peripheral phrases or points<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>made by the speaker – especially when a phrase is emotive, vivid, or carries personal meaning for the listener – and lose sight of the main idea being shared, the ‘truth’ of the speech. This is a profound metaphor for our experience of the world which is created by Divine ‘speech’; a fact explicit in the biblical account of creation where the expression “And G-d <i>said” </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">precedes almost every act of creation.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn89" name="_ftnref89" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn89;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[89]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span> As human speech consists of the two aspects mentioned above, the non-verbal and the verbal, Divine speech consists of these elements as well. The ‘beginning’ of Divine speech’ refers to G-d’s ultimate purpose behind Creation, the fulfilment of the Torah, while the incomprehensibly complex combinations of letters and words of Divine speech, which serve to communicate the initial thought, is what creates the diversity of objects and events within our world, each being a different combination of the letters of Divine speech.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn90" name="_ftnref90" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn90;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[90]</span></span></span></span></span></a> An individual who focuses on the ‘beginning of the speech’, the Divine intention underlying creation, is connected to the deepest Truth of creation; but one overly attached to specific objects or experiences – cars, houses, honour, lust, etc - loses sight of the ‘beginning of the utterance’, in a sense distracted by particular words or phrases of G-d’s speech.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn91" name="_ftnref91" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn91;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[91]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This ability to distinguish inner and outer dimensions of objects or events is suggested by the word </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">which divides into two parts, the letter </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> and the word </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">– meaning death.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn92" name="_ftnref92" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn92;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[92]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> comprises three smaller letters: </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">י</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> (Yud) at its upper right, another </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">י</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> at its bottom left, and a tilted </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">ו</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">(Vav) linking the </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">י</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>’s together.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn93" name="_ftnref93" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn93;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[93]</span></span></span></span></span></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">י</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> is numerical value 10 and </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">ו</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">is 6. The total numerical value adding up to 26; the same as the ineffable divine name, the Tetragrammaton, which the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zohar</i> refers to as the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">soul</i> of existence.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn94" name="_ftnref94" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn94;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[94]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>, then, alludes to the divine inner essence, the soul of an entity, while the word </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> alludes to the exterior shell which loses its meaning or existence if the inner core is removed. When </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">is present, the word spells truth, but if removed, it spells </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> – death.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Accurate communication:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">‘If you add to truth, you subtract from it’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 29a<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">‘Half the truth is a whole lie’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Yiddish Proverb<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Accuracy of verbal communication is exemplified in the Torah by Abraham and Jacob who independently and ironically emphasized its importance while engaging in deception<i>. </i>As Abraham entered the land of the Philistines, he introduced his wife Sarah as his sister to avoid personal danger. Avimelech, the Philistine king, then brought her to his palace for sexual relations.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn95" name="_ftnref95" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn95;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[95]</span></span></span></span></span></a> G-d, however, appeared to Avimelech commanding him to return Sarah to her husband. After obeying G-d’s instructions Avimelech rebuked Abraham for having deceived him.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn96" name="_ftnref96" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn96;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[96]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Abraham responded by re-asserting that in actuality Sarah is his sister. Abraham’s father was Sarah’s grandfather, since Abraham married his brother’s daughter. To <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">some extent</i>, Torah considers grandchildren as children of the grandparent.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn97" name="_ftnref97" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn97;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[97]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Thus, both Abraham and Sarah are children of Abraham’s father; Abraham fully, and Sarah, the granddaughter, partially.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Jacob employed a similar type of fib. His mother, Rebecca, instructed him to deceive his father, Isaac, into bestowing him with the first born blessings intended for Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. In order for Jacob to accomplish this task, he needed to pretend to be Esau. When he came before his blind father, Isaac asked him, "Are you my first born Esau?" To which Jacob replied, "I am Esau your first born."<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn98" name="_ftnref98" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn98;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[98]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Our sages clarify that Jacob intended two distinct statements with his reply; the first being, “I am” [I am who I am], and the second, “Esau your first born" [Esau is your first born].<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn99" name="_ftnref99" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn99;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[99]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Jacob’s statement was thus true, albeit ambiguous. It was Isaac’s interpretation of the statement that was false. In both instances our patriarchs were in circumstances that permit lying: Abraham was protecting his own life, concerned the Philistines would kill him to deliver his wife to their king,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn100" name="_ftnref100" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn100;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[100]</span></span></span></span></span></a> and Jacob was instructed by his prophetess mother to act deceitfully.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn101" name="_ftnref101" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn101;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[101]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Nevertheless, both patriarchs were careful to make equivocal statements likely to be misinterpreted by the listeners, as opposed to direct falsehood. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Of course, ordinarily, accuracy of language alone is insufficient, one must be accurate concerning what one intends to convey through the language as well. The Talmud tells the case of a lender who brought a borrower before a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bet Din -</i> a Jewish court - and demanded the immediate repayment of his loan. The borrower, however, claimed he had already returned the sum, <br />
so the court obliged him to make an oath. Having hid the owed amount of money inside the hollow of his cane, the borrower asked the lender to hold it for him while he held the Torah scroll to make the oath. Holy scroll in hand, he proceeded to swear that he already placed the money into the lender’s hand. The lender, enraged by the audacity, snapped the borrower’s cane and the coins spilled onto the floor. It emerged that the borrower was technically correct: he had indeed placed the money owed into the lender’s hand!<br />
The borrower was clearly a scoundrel, but did he lie under oath?<br />
The Talmud concludes that he did. For not only must the literal meaning of one’s words be true, but the meaning one intends them to convey as well.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn102" name="_ftnref102" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn102;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[102]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Maharal of Prague explains how careful one must be when describing a situation. Even the slightest deviation from truth, he explains, is already classified as falsehood, a notion intimated by the word Emet. The first letter of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Emet</i>, the Aleph, has a numerical value of one, denoting the smallest amount. If the Aleph is removed from the word Emet, the remaining letters spell met - death. Death and falsehood are one and the same, for death involves existence deteriorating into non-existence, just as lying involves transforming an existence, something that really happened, into a non-existence, something that did not happen.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn103" name="_ftnref103" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn103;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[103]</span></span></span></span></span></a> The message is therefore clear: if even an iota of the truth is missing, it is no longer truth, but falsehood.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn104" name="_ftnref104" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn104;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[104]</span></span></span></span></span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Maharal further explains the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gemara</i> which associates truth with the letter Tav and falsehood with the letter Shin; Tav being the final letter of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Emet</i> while Shin, the first letter of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sheker</i>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn105" name="_ftnref105" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn105;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[105]</span></span></span></span></span></a> Why, he asks, is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gemara</i> inconsistent in the letters it uses to represent the above two concepts; using the first letter of one word and the last, of the other? Emet, he clarifies, is represented by Tav because truth is the ‘Divine seal’,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn106" name="_ftnref106" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn106;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[106]</span></span></span></span></span></a>and a seal is impressed at the completion of a document as the Tav completes the Aleph-Bet. Moreover, the name and shape of the Tav both signify a seal.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn107" name="_ftnref107" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn107;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[107]</span></span></span></span></span></a> However, the first letter of Sheker, the Shin, represents falsehood because in the Aleph-Bet it directly neighbours the Tav. This indicates that even the slightest deviation from truth – a movement from the Tav to the letter directly next to it, the Shin - brings one into falsehood.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn108" name="_ftnref108" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn108;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="color: blue;">[108]</span></span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Exodus 37:12</span></div></div><div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Babylonian Talmud Yoma 72b</span></div></div><div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[3]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Babylonian Talmud Berachot 27b; Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deiot 2:6<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[4]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Genesis 37:4</span></div></div><div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[5]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rashi on Genesis 37:4</span></div></div><div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[6]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbeinu Bachyeh on Genesis 17:1; Sheloh Hakadosh, Mesechta Pesachim, Perek Torah Ohr, Matzah Ashirah Derush 39</span></div></div><div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: right 466.65pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[7]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Genesis 29:15<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[8]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known by the acronym Rashi on Genesis 29:13 </span></div></div><div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[9]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid</span></div></div><div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[10]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Borenstein, Shmuel, Shem MiShmuel Bereshit Vol. 1,Yeshivat Avnei Nezer Sochotchov,1992, pp.228-230</span></div></div><div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[11]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Psalms 34:14</span></div></div><div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[12]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Vilna Gaon on Proverbs 2:2</span></div></div><div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[13]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Leviticus 11:3-8; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah ,79<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[14]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Midrash Rabbah Genesis 22:13, Leviticus 13:5 </span></div></div><div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[15]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heard directly from Rabbi Mattis Kantor, Author of ‘The Ten Keys’ and ‘The Jewish Timeline Encyclopedia’</span></div></div><div id="ftn16" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[16]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Mindel, Nissan, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi Vol. 2, Kehot Publication Society, 1973, pp.16-18</span></div></div><div id="ftn17" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[17]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Schneerson, Y.Y., Likutei Dibburim, Vol.5, Kehot Publication Society, pp.104-105 </span></div></div><div id="ftn18" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[18]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Numbers 16:20</span></div></div><div id="ftn19" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[19]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Targum Onkelus on Numbers 16:20</span></div></div><div id="ftn20" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[20]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Deuteronomy 6:6</span></div></div><div id="ftn21" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[21]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Oratz, Ephraim, ‘And Nothing But The Truth’ Judaica Press, New York, 1990, p.59</span></div></div><div id="ftn22" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn22;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[22]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, Meor Enaim, Netzavim</span></div></div><div id="ftn23" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn23;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[23]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbi Dovber of Lubavitch, Derech Chaim, Kehot Publication Society, pp.7a-7b</span></div></div><div id="ftn24" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn24;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[24]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Babylonian Talmud Sukkah 32b</span></div></div><div id="ftn25" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn25;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[25]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Zechariah 8:19</span></div></div><div id="ftn26" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn26;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[26]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rashi on Sukkah 32b</span></div></div><div id="ftn27" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn27;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[27]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Tanya, Ch.13</span></div></div><div id="ftn28" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn28;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[28]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn29" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn29;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[29]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Midrash Genesis Rabbah Sec.32</span></div></div><div id="ftn30" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref30" name="_ftn30" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn30;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[30]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Lowe, Yehuda, Netivot Olan, Netiv Haemet, Sec.2</span></div></div><div id="ftn31" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref31" name="_ftn31" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn31;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[31]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Proverbs 12:19</span></div></div><div id="ftn32" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref32" name="_ftn32" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn32;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[32]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Zohar Ki Sisa 188a</span></div></div><div id="ftn33" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref33" name="_ftn33" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn33;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[33]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In Torah numerology, the numerical values of letters and words are of main concern, yet there are many ways of calculating a word’s numerical equivalent, each pointing to a different aspect of a word. See Cordovero, Moshe, Pardes Rimonim 30:8 </span></div></div><div id="ftn34" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref34" name="_ftn34" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn34;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[34]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Horowitz, Yeshayah, Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Toldot Adam, Bet Israel, Sec.11 </span></div></div><div id="ftn35" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref35" name="_ftn35" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn35;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[35]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Yaarot Devash, Vol 1, Derush 13; Itzchak Isaac of Ziravitz, Otiot DeRebbi Yitzchak, Israel, 1965, p.20a </span></div></div><div id="ftn36" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref36" name="_ftn36" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn36;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[36]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Yalkut Shimoni, Bereshit, 1:1</span></div></div><div id="ftn37" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref37" name="_ftn37" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn37;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[37]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> DeVidas, Eliyahu, Reshit Chochmah, Shelach 163b</span></div></div><div id="ftn38" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref38" name="_ftn38" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn38;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[38]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Bogomilsky, Moshe, Vedibarta Bam, Vol. 1, Sichos in English, Bereshit 1:1</span></div></div><div id="ftn39" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref39" name="_ftn39" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn39;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[39]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">ש</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>= 300 =3;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">ק</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>=100=1;</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">ר </span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>= 200=2; thus: 3+1+2 = <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6</b></span></div></div><div id="ftn40" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref40" name="_ftn40" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn40;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[40]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 1:1, Midrash Deuteronomy Rabbah 1:10</span></div></div><div id="ftn41" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref41" name="_ftn41" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn41;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[41]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Lowe, Yehudah, Derech Chaim 5:7</span></div></div><div id="ftn42" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref42" name="_ftn42" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn42;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[42]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Kramer, Chaim, Crossing The Narrow Bridge, Breslov Research Institute, 1989, p.53</span></div></div><div id="ftn43" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref43" name="_ftn43" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn43;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[43]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn44" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref44" name="_ftn44" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn44;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[44]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Twersky, Abraham, Not Just Stories, Shaar Press, 2001, p.103</span></div></div><div id="ftn45" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref45" name="_ftn45" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn45;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[45]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Exodus 1:13</span></div></div><div id="ftn46" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref46" name="_ftn46" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn46;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[46]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Gikatilia, Joseph, Shaare Orah, Gate 7</span></div></div><div id="ftn47" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref47" name="_ftn47" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn47;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[47]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Tanya, Shaar HaYichud Ch.1, Likutei Torah, Behar, p.82</span></div></div><div id="ftn48" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref48" name="_ftn48" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn48;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[48]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Zohar I, p.99a</span></div></div><div id="ftn49" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref49" name="_ftn49" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn49;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[49]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Albo, Rabbi Joseph, Sefer HaIkarim, Maamre 2, Perek 27</span></div></div><div id="ftn50" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref50" name="_ftn50" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn50;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[50]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Exodus 3:14</span></div></div><div id="ftn51" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref51" name="_ftn51" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn51;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[51]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="RTL"></span>ﬡ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span> =1; </span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">מ</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>=40;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span><b><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">ת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span dir="LTR"></span>=400; 1+40+400 = 441</span></div></div><div id="ftn52" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref52" name="_ftn52" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn52;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[52]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbeinu Nissim, Deroshot Haran, Derush 3 </span></div></div><div id="ftn53" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref53" name="_ftn53" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn53;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[53]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Midrash Genesis Rabbah 51:8</span></div></div><div id="ftn54" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref54" name="_ftn54" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn54;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[54]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Genesis 19:1-10</span></div></div><div id="ftn55" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref55" name="_ftn55" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn55;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[55]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Lowe, Rabbi Yehuda, Derashot HaMaharal, Derush L’Shabbat Shuva </span></div></div><div id="ftn56" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref56" name="_ftn56" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn56;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: blue;">[56]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This idea casts some light on the tragic incident where Cain killed Abel. Both brothers, Cain and Abel, brought offerings to the Almighty; Cain from mediocre crop, and Abel from the choicest of his flock. G-d accepted Abel’s generous offering, but not Cain’s parsimonious one. Cain, burning with envy, murdered Abel.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[56]</span></span></span></span> As mentioned concerning Lot, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mitzvot</i> have the power to shield people from danger. Why then did Abel’s lavish offering not protect him from Cain's vengeance? Abel had merely imitated Cain when offering his flock to G-d; he did not independently arrive at the practice. His offering, lacking truth, was thus insufficient to protect him from death.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[56]</span></span></span></span> In fact, the name Abel is consistent with his character. Abel denotes vapour,<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">[56]</span></span></span></span> something that appears to have substance but in actuality does not; much like Abel imitated others but lacked the solidity of independence.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span></div></div><div id="ftn57" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref57" name="_ftn57" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn57;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[57]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Maimonides, Shemoneh Perakim, Introduction</span></div></div><div id="ftn58" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref58" name="_ftn58" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn58;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[58]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Lowe, Rabbi Yehuda, Netivat Olam, Netiv HaTorah Sec.8 </span></div></div><div id="ftn59" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref59" name="_ftn59" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn59;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[59]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid. Genesis 4:3-8</span></div></div><div id="ftn60" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref60" name="_ftn60" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn60;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[60]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Schneerson, M.M, Letters of the Rebbe Vol.II, Otzar Sifrei Lubavitch, 1997, p.194</span></div></div><div id="ftn61" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref61" name="_ftn61" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn61;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[61]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Numbers 22:21-30</span></div></div><div id="ftn62" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref62" name="_ftn62" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn62;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[62]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Midrash Numbers Rabbah 20:14</span></div></div><div id="ftn63" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref63" name="_ftn63" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn63;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[63]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 104a</span></div></div><div id="ftn64" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref64" name="_ftn64" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn64;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[64]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Albo, Rabbi Joseph, Sefer HaIkarim, Maamre 2, Perek 27</span></div></div><div id="ftn65" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref65" name="_ftn65" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn65;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[65]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Schneerson, Y.Y., HaYom Yom, Kehot Publication Society, Sec. 27 Adar I</span></div></div><div id="ftn66" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref66" name="_ftn66" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn66;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[66]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rashi on Exodus 2:14</span></div></div><div id="ftn67" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref67" name="_ftn67" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn67;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[67]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Oratz, Ephraim, ‘And Nothing But The Truth’ Judaica Press, New York, 1990, p.105</span></div></div><div id="ftn68" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref68" name="_ftn68" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn68;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[68]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Maamare Admeu HaZaken 5565, Kehot Publication Society, p.370</span></div></div><div id="ftn69" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref69" name="_ftn69" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn69;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[69]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Lowe, Yehuda, Derech Chaim 5:7</span></div></div><div id="ftn70" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref70" name="_ftn70" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn70;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[70]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn71" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref71" name="_ftn71" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn71;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[71]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn72" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref72" name="_ftn72" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn72;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[72]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Borenstein, Samuel, Shem MiShmuel, Bereshit I, pp.260 - 261</span></div></div><div id="ftn73" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref73" name="_ftn73" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn73;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[73]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Tanya, Likute Amarim, Ch.32</span></div></div><div id="ftn74" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref74" name="_ftn74" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn74;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[74]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Frankel, Victor, Ten Thesis concerning a Human, translated by Rabbi Dr S.D. Cowen, Monash University, Melbourne,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pp. </span></div></div><div id="ftn75" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref75" name="_ftn75" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn75;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[75]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn76" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref76" name="_ftn76" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn76;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[76]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn77" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref77" name="_ftn77" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn77;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[77]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Zohar </span>III:152a</span></div></div><div id="ftn78" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref78" name="_ftn78" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn78;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[78]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Zohar </span>I 170b, see also <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Sha’arei Kedusha</span>, Part One, Gate One.</span></div></div><div id="ftn79" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref79" name="_ftn79" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn79;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[79]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn80" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref80" name="_ftn80" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn80;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[80]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Tikunei Zohar</span>, Tikun 30 </span></div></div><div id="ftn81" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref81" name="_ftn81" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn81;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[81]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Eiruvin</span> 21b</span></div></div><div id="ftn82" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref82" name="_ftn82" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn82;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[82]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Zohar III:152a</span></div></div><div id="ftn83" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref83" name="_ftn83" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn83;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[83]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Tanya, Shaar HaYichud, Ch.4</span></div></div><div id="ftn84" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref84" name="_ftn84" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn84;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[84]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Midrash Genesis Rabbah 10:9</span></div></div><div id="ftn85" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref85" name="_ftn85" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn85;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[85]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Schneerson, M.M, Likutei Sichot, Vol.15, p.335<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn86" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref86" name="_ftn86" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn86;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[86]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ganz, Rabbi Dovid, Tzemach Dovid, Gross Bros. Co., pp.4-5</span></div></div><div id="ftn87" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref87" name="_ftn87" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn87;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[87]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Psalms 119:160</span></div></div><div id="ftn88" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref88" name="_ftn88" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn88;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[88]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, Bnei Yissaschar, Maamare Chodesh Tishrei, Maamre 1, Sec.10</span></div></div><div id="ftn89" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref89" name="_ftn89" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn89;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[89]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> For instance, “And G-d said, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">‘Let there be light’; and there was light...</span><span class="coversetext3"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place...” (Genesis 1:3 and 1:9)</span></span></div></div><div id="ftn90" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref90" name="_ftn90" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn90;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[90]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Tanya, Gate of Unity and faith, Ch.1<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn91" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref91" name="_ftn91" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn91;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[91]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Schneerson, M.M, In the Paths of Our Fathers, Ch.5 :1</span></div></div><div id="ftn92" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref92" name="_ftn92" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn92;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[92]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Schneerson, M.M, Likutei Sichot, Vol.2, p.616;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Munk, Eliyahu, The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, Mesorah Publications, 2001, p.44</span></div></div><div id="ftn93" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref93" name="_ftn93" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn93;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[93]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 40</span></div></div><div id="ftn94" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref94" name="_ftn94" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn94;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[94]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Tikuei Zohar Introduction II; Sefer Hamaamarim, Basi L’Gani, Vol.1 p.145<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div></div><div id="ftn95" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref95" name="_ftn95" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn95;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[95]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Genesis 20:1-12</span></div></div><div id="ftn96" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref96" name="_ftn96" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn96;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[96]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid. 20:12</span></div></div><div id="ftn97" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref97" name="_ftn97" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn97;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[97]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rashi on Genesis 20:12 citing Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Ch.36 </span></div></div><div id="ftn98" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref98" name="_ftn98" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn98;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[98]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Genesis 26:5-27</span></div></div><div id="ftn99" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref99" name="_ftn99" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn99;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[99]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Rashi on Ibid citing Midrash Tanchuma</span></div></div><div id="ftn100" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref100" name="_ftn100" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn100;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[100]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Genesis 20:11 </span></div></div><div id="ftn101" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref101" name="_ftn101" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn101;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[101]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Genesis 27:5-16</span></div></div><div id="ftn102" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref102" name="_ftn102" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn102;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[102]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 25a</span></div></div><div id="ftn103" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref103" name="_ftn103" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn103;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[103]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Lowe, Rabbi Yehudah, Netivot Olam, Netiv Ha’Emet, Sec. 1</span></div></div><div id="ftn104" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref104" name="_ftn104" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn104;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[104]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ibid.</span></div></div><div id="ftn105" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref105" name="_ftn105" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn105;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[105]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 104a</span></div></div><div id="ftn106" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref106" name="_ftn106" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn106;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[106]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;">Lowe, Rabbi Yehudah, Netivot Olam, Netiv HaEmet, Sec.1</span></div></div><div id="ftn107" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref107" name="_ftn107" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn107;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[107]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"> Ginzburgh, Rabbi Yitzchak, The Hebrew Letters, Gal Einai, pp. 326, 330 and 332</span></div></div><div id="ftn108" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref108" name="_ftn108" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn108;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="color: blue;">[108]</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See fn.143</span></div></div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-48887531730746364132012-02-26T22:37:00.000-08:002012-02-26T22:37:04.114-08:00Pathway Eleven. Life: life as dual movement<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Observing the functions that maintain a person’s life, we find that many of them are characterised by a dual movement of contraction and expansion. Take, for instance, the heart. It clearly functions in a rhythmic pattern of expansion and contraction. The inhalation and exhalation of the lungs also follows a similar rhythm of contraction and expansion. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">But there are other functions as well, though not as obvious, that work in a similar way. The brain, for instance, is constantly sending out and receiving messages along the body’s two main types of neurons, the motor and the sensory; receiving messages via the sensory, and sending them out via the motor. The inward bound messages are associated with contraction, and the outward bound, expansion. The sleep wake cycle is also necessary for living and it too behaves according to the above nature. When asleep, an individual’s conscious is relatively free from the limitations of the physical body, the rigorous laws of logic, and even the boundaries of time and space. Sleep is thus associated with expansion. Wakefulness, in contrast, involves the clothing of the consciousness within the confines of time and space via the physical body. Wakefulness is thus associated with contraction.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life in divine service is dependent upon a similar dual movement termed ‘running and returning’. A method learnt from the angels termed “chayot – living” which Eziekiel the prophet describes as “Running and returning” in their service of G-d. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Running involves spending time attaching to G-d through highly transcendental activities such as prayer or the study of Torah mysticism. It is associated with contraction. Returning, in contrast, involves returning into daily life to work, to socialize, to eat, and to fulfil practical mitzvot. It is associated with expansion. Just as physical life cannot continue without the dual movement of the above mentioned functions, a spiritual life cannot be sustained without the process of running and returning. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">If a person spends most of his time immersed in prayer or study, is he really alive in this world? For all intents and purposes he is in some higher spiritual reality contributing about as much to the world and society as one who sleeps all the time. Conversely, the person who spends his all his time involved in material affairs, socializing -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and fulfilling practical mitzvot - but without taking time to contemplate the divine or to connect to G-d emotionally through prayer, will be unable to sustain a high level of spirituality and connection to G-d, and will eventually become spiritually dry and lifeless.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Thus an alternation between the two is necessary. One spends time ‘running’ toward the divine through the study of Torah mysticism and prayer, and then ‘returns’ into daily life with fresh inspiration and engages in daily living in a meaningful way. Only then can a person sustain a spiritual life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The Torah lifestyle clearly follows this pattern. On a daily basis there are three prayers, Shacharit- the morning prayer, Mincha – the afternoon prayer, and Ma’ariv – the evening prayer. Each prayer offers a ‘running’ experience, where one can withdraw from one’s affairs and connect to G-d in an intimate way. Though after each prayer one ‘returns’ into daily living, until the next prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">As part of the weekly cycle we have six working days and the Shabbat –Sabbath. Shabbat is a day of transcendence, where one withdraws from mundane affairs and focuses on prayer, Torah study, and spending time with the family; Shabbat is associated with ‘Running’. In contrast, the six working days are associated with ‘return’ for one re-enters the world by engaging in business, travelling, doing the shopping, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The letter most connected with the idea of life is the Chet, for the very name means life. Furthermore, Chet is the first letter of the word Chaim. If we examine the shape of the letter Chet closely we find that it consists of three smaller parts: a letter Zayin on the right, a letter Vav on the left, and a line connecting the two letters at the very top. The Zayin has the numerical value seven, while the Vav, six. The Vav represents the ‘return’ characteristic of the six working days, while Zayin represents the ‘running’ of Shabbat. This alludes to the idea that Chet – life, is produced by harmonizing running and returning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The principle of running and returning is also related to the male and female. The female is associated with the desire to receive and is thus identified with ‘running’ while the male is associated with a desire to give, which is characteristic of ‘returning’. We see this idea reflected in the Hebrew names for a bride and groom. A bride is a Kallah – which has the connotation of yearning,as in the expression “kalot hanefesh”, while the groom is a Chatan which connotes descent, as in the expression “N’chot darga”. The bride is associated with the yearning characteristic of ‘running’, while the groom is associated with the giving that characterises ‘returning’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">During a Jewish wedding ceremony the bride and groom stand under a canopy called a Chupah. The word Chupah can be divided into two parts: Chet and Po (here) – ‘Chet is here.’ Based on the parallel between running and returning and the bride and groom, the significance of this word becomes apparent. The harmonization of a male and female is a concrete expression of the letter Chet. And, in this instance as well, the unity of running and returning generates life, in this case, children.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-66080954625817505162012-02-26T22:32:00.000-08:002012-02-26T22:32:55.249-08:00Pathway Ten. Imagination<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Defining imagination<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When people are asked to define imagination, they try to imagine what it is, but fail to clearly explain its nature and function. Let’s begin our discussion with an attempt, not only to imagine imagination, but to articulate what distinguishes it from other modes of thinking.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The first, and perhaps most obvious, characteristic of imagination is visual imagery. When a person imagines something the mind fills with visions of various objects. Of course, imagination is not limited to vision and can include sounds, fragrances, and tastes, as well, but clearly it is predominantly visual in nature.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Imagination also involves combining mental symbols of objects from the external world in ways that do not yet exist, may never exist, or are impossible to come into existence. For example, one can imagine the sun and moon with arms and legs, dancing a dynamic dance, while the stars are singing and clapping in a circle around them. Though each of the symbols used by the imagination are all borrowed from the real external world – for the sun, stars and moon,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>legs and arms, dancing, etc, all exist – they are combined in a manner which does not only not exist in the real world but is an impossibility.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This reveals something profound about the imagination. On the one hand it is dependent on the world for its symbols, but on the other hand it transcends the world and can manipulate it in whichever way one likes. Imagination reflects the dual nature of the human; he is both dependent upon and capable of transforming his surroundings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The imagination also allows a person to perceive or use objects in unconventional ways. For instance, in the imagination of a child, the underneath of a table easily becomes a little house which a child attempts to occupy; sticks become swords, and a simple tissue, an elegant bride’s veil. In the imagination of an artist a fence may represent isolation, a bird, transcendence, and a budding flower, renewal and hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Application in daily life<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Is imagination reserved for artists, children, people working in advertising and those that day dream, or does imagination play an important role in the daily life of the average person?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Imagination is an inescapable part of every moment of our existence. Whenever we perceive anything there are at least three components to our perception: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The vision of the object as it is provided by the sense organ, in this case the eye.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The imaginative interpretation of the object as it is presented to the mind via the eye,<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The conceptualization of the object, that conscious mental labelling of what it is.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, if a person is looking at a cup they physically see the cup from one limited angle; from above, from one side, etc. The rest of the cup however, remains invisible. However, when the image of the cup is perceived within the mind one tends to imagine the rest of the cup as well, so that the cup is has four sides, a bottom, an opening at the top, and an inside, even though one cannot see more than one external side of the cup and nothing more. Finally, the mind gives the mental perception- composite of both sensory and imaginative input – a name, a concept. In this case it identifies the object as a ‘cup’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">There is a difference between conceptualization and the other two parts of perception, sensation and imagination. The latter two change as a person views an object from different angles, while the former does not. Returning to our cup, as the cup is turned around the sensory input obviously changes and one has successively different aspects of the cup in view. One’s imaginative interpretation will also change as it tries to imagine the invisible features of the cup which too, are constantly changing. The concept of a cup, however, which the mind attributes to the object, does not change.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is because the sensory perception and the imaginative perception are both connected to the material world, while conceptualization is abstract and relatively speaking, transcends the world. Comparing all three, it becomes clear that sensory input is most connected to the material world, the imagination is less dependent for it enables a person to perceive aspects of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an object that are not visible to the eye, while conceptualization is least connected for unlike the imaginative perception which is effected by the spatial orientation of the physical object, one’s conceptualization is not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The distinction between the sensory experience and the input of the imagination can be difficult to disentangle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often when a person imagines something about an object he thinks that it is a part of his sensory experience. Take for example our perception of other people. The eye only provides us with perception of another’s physical body. Yet, when we perceive them they appear to have a distinct personality as well. Looking around a room at people that you are acquainted with, you find that everyone appears to have a different and distinct personality. The majority of people do not realize that they are not seeing another’s personality with their physical eyes but through the imagination, even though this is obvious, once brought to attention that this is indeed the case; the physical eyes cannot see another’s psyche.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In this process there are three distinct stages: imagining, pursuing, and reaching. In a psychologically healthy person these three stages are in relative harmony. The individual imagines goals which are realistic, pursues them and with effort and persistence often reaches them. When, however, the goals imagined are unrealistic, beyond a person’s ability to realize, a disharmony results between the stages. Such a person, chasing the unattainable, experiences frustration, disillusionment, and depression.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Imagination is also essential in empathizing with others. When we hear another expressing themselves we use our imagination to imagine what they are going through and how they must be feeling. Our own emotions then respond to the imagination and we feel emotions which are in sync with the other’s state. In this process, as in the former, the imagination can be misleading and incongruous reality. We may vividly imagine another person feeling sad and in a deeply compassionate voice offer them our assistance; only to discover that in reality they are quite cheerful. In the absence of imagination, however, we may not be able to identify with another person’s emotional state at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Sir Fredrick Bartlett, a 20<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> Century British experimental psychologist of great renown, identified three distinct types of imagination:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Reflective imagination:</span></i></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> When a person has an experience which stimulates an emotion the imagination reflects the emotional experience. Emotions can be compared to musical strings. When strings are plucked they vibrate; when an emotion is affected its resonance manifests in the activation of imagination. The person who is affected with fear starts to imagine harmful and threatening images, while the person aroused with gratitude may imagine the good that a particular person has done for them. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When the imagination becomes active, the individual tends to become passive, allowing him to be possessed by the imaginings. In such a state of surrender the individual’s emotions are further stimulated by the flow of internal images and he feels a sense of unity and resonance with the internal imagery. This reveals a two way relationship between emotion and imagination, as we shall discuss shortly <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></i><span dir="LTR"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Interpretive imagination: </span></i></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When one hears a song or teaching and attempts to convey it to others the imagination interprets the particular piece resulting in a unique and idiosyncratic depiction of the piece. Here, the individual enters into a partnership with his teacher or the original composer of the music, producing something which is a synthesis of the original piece and his own imaginative interpretation. However, his personal input is secondary to the original piece for his imaginative input remains within the framework of the original piece and submissive to it.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></i><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Constructive imagination: </i>An individual researching a topic or attempting to solve a problem spends much time and effort actively gathering information or contemplating a solution. At some point in the process, however, the imagination spontaneously unites the information into a novel and seamless whole; momentarily mesmerizing the person with a depth of perception that conscious effort could never provide. In the attainment of this type of imagination the individual is highly active and involved, and to some extent constructs the perception provided by the imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any such process there tends to be an oscillation between conscious input and imaginative illumination. At times he is putting in hard word, and then he experiences the imaginative illumination which carries him effortlessly to a completely new level. Perhaps this is similar to the surfer that must put effort into swimming out to sea, but who is then carried effortlessly back to shore by the powerful motion of an oncoming wave. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Observing these three types of imagination an interesting pattern emerges. In reflective imagination an individual is most passive and the imaginative input is not novel but a mere reflection of an emotion. In interpretive imagination, the individual is more active and the novelty of the imagination is also greater. However, as mentioned, the individual only channels a pre-established composition while gently allowing his imagination to infuse it with its own unique interpretation; he is a mere partner of the original composer. In contrast, constructive imagination involves the full effort of the researcher who actively attempts to construct an understanding of a topic; proportionately, the novelty in his imaginative flow is also significantly greater. Thus, it appears that the novelty of imaginative flow tends to be proportionate with the degree of active effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-73514071450336948462012-02-26T22:26:00.000-08:002012-02-26T22:26:44.633-08:00Pathway Nine. UNITY: Four types of gatherings<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span> <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The Talmud lists four types of gatherings central to Jewish life. Each type has a unique and valuable way of contributing to a Jewish community.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The first gathering is called Degulin – flags. It involves people coming together in celebration of their common purpose and ideology. For a Jew this is obviously Torah related. It is referred to as ‘flags’ because a flag is waved as a symbol of pride in one’s country or cause; exactly the nature of this gathering: a proud celebration of Torah. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">One of the main advantages of this gathering is that people feel a part of a movement much larger than themselves. Furthermore, because those present share a common dream and a common purpose they offer each other encouragement and mutual support. Each individual walks away with greater esteem, and a strengthening of commitment to Torah. Material and emotional security is also heightened because the individual feels part of a supportive community.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The second gathering, Makshivim – listening, entails a speaker addressing an audience. The size of the audience and the number of speakers may vary from an ordinary class with one teacher to a stadium full of people listening to a variety of speakers. As the name suggests, the main part of this gathering is that people listen attentively and absorb Torah teachings. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The advantages of this gathering are quite obvious. Firstly, people learn Torah law and are inspired by motivational speakers. Furthermore, by teaching Torah to others, the scholar stabilizes Torah teachings within the world. For if only a few people have a particular understanding of Torah and they pass away, their unique Torah tradition leaves the world with them. If, however, they teach the tradition to many others, they anchor it within the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The third gathering, Nochim – resting, involves discussion groups. Here rather than one person speaking to an audience, a subject or an issue is raised and the people present contribute ideas related to the subject. Each idea introduced is expanded upon by everybody present, with people providing examples and explanations, or discussing the implications of the ideas. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Through this process all of the input from the people present is pooled together to form a body of understanding which no individual present could have arrived at on his own. And yet, every member of the group benefits from the totality of that understanding. This process can be compared to three individuals who each have a candle. On their own each has weak light. However, if all three people decide to combine their candles together they produce a much stronger light which all three people benefit from.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The name, Nochim, is suitable for this type of discussion because elaboration/expansion of a topic through discussion allows the topic to be thoroughly grasped and to settle within the minds of the participants. When, however, a concept is not thoroughly elaborated upon, even if understood, it remains highly abstract and obscure. A further reason for the title is the relaxed nature of the discussions. The intention behind them is not to debate issues, an exercise involving much tension and strain, but to calmly expand upon a given subject.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Mechadedin, sharpening, the final type of gathering, and by far the most dynamic, involves debating an issue. The title Mechadedin, is descriptive of the outcome of such energetic interaction. Our sages teach that when two Torah scholars debate the meaning of a teaching, or the application of a law, they sharpen their minds and their understanding of the teachings much like two pieces of iron are sharpened by being struck against each other. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this type of gathering is its conduciveness to creativity. The notion that opposition facilitates creativity is learned from the biblical verse, “And G-d made for him [Adam] a helpmate against him [Eve]”. Because she is against him, state the mystics, she helps him. Simply put, two people of the same gender are incapable of procreation, neither two men nor two women. Only when two people from opposite genders unite is procreation made possible.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The same principle applies in the spiritual sphere. If two people have the same or similar opinions about a matter then there is little more to be said. But if they disagree each has to bring support for his own view which results in many novel ideas. As our sages state, “when an olive is pressed it produces oil, and when a Jew is pressed he produces wisdom.” On account of the opposition each party discovers insight concerning his own perspective.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Furthermore, when both opposing parties appear to make sense, they attempt to work out how both opinions may be true when they appear to be contradictory. This often results in a third perspective which bridges both opinions and provides a resolve. This third opinion is a direct product of the creative tension characteristic of a debate.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Creativity brings people close to the divine because it offers an experience of the endless nature of Divine wisdom; for there is no limit to the number of insights that one can experience and the novelty that they offer. Furthermore, as mentioned, novel insight is what enables two apparently contradictory and mutually exclusive views to become united and harmonized. Through creativity the unity of G-d is thus revealed to all present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The creativity involved in this type of gathering helps us further understand the suitability of its name. The word Mechadedin also implies surprise, as in the verse, “Vyichad Yitro” and Yitro was surprised”. Surprise involves experiencing something unexpected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creative insight which is always unexpected typically evokes astonishment and surprise.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-31294138185823052372012-02-26T22:22:00.000-08:002012-02-26T22:22:05.288-08:00Pathway Eight:.MERCY: The various triggers of mercyT<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">he Hebrew term for mercy, Rachem, is strongly related to the Hebrew word for womb – Rechem. In fact, both words consist of the same three letters and in the same order. What is the deeper connection between the quality of mercy and a womb implied by their near identical names?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">According to Kabbalah, the three primary human emotions are kindness, sternness and mercy. Each of these respective emotions can be aroused through a particular type of thinking:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kindness toward another is aroused by contemplating the good qualities that the other possesses, as well as the good that they have done for others; sternness toward them is ignited by contemplating their negative traits, and the harm they have caused others; while mercy is evoked by imagining oneself in the position of a person who is suffering in some way.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">There is a major difference between mercy and the other two emotions in terms of the perspective of the other which evokes them. Both kindness and sternness stem from viewing the other as being entirely separate and distinct from the self, while mercy involves identifying with the other’s being, attempting to feel what it would be like to be in their shoes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And herein lays the inner connection between mercy and a womb. A womb enables a mother to accommodate another person within her own body. Similarly, mercy allows a person to accommodate another person within his own soul.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">However, mercy is not a simple quality; there are various types of mercy, each with a corresponding mode of thinking which triggers it. For instance, Mercy can be evoked through ascent or descent, and through closeness or distance. Let us explore each of these triggers of mercy individually.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In the Talmud a controversy exists over the nature of divine mercy. One Rabbi maintains that divine mercy is characterised by ascent, drawing support from the verse, “He lifts iniquity”. Another Rabbi maintains that it is characterised by descent, bringing proof from the verse, “he thwarts iniquity” How can we reconcile these two opinions/ verses? Furthermore, how can spatial directions apply to the spiritual quality of mercy?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev explains how divine mercy is evoked in one of two general ways. When G-d observes people sinning He either shifts the blame from the people onto their surroundings, holding it primarily responsible for negatively influencing the people and enticing them to transgress, or He shifts the blame onto Himself, where He states, If I wanted to I could have revealed Myself to them and prevented them from transgression, yet I did not. Thus I am partially responsible for there inappropriate behaviour.” In these two ways G-d extenuates the misbehaviour and tempers His harshness toward the people.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In the former case, where G-d shifts the blame onto the environment, He is considered to be lowering the sins from the people onto their surroundings and thereby feeling mercy – such mercy is thus associated with descent. In the latter case, where G-d shifts the blame onto Himself, He is considered to be lifting the Sins from the people onto His own shoulders, and thus arousing mercy upon them – such mercy is thus associated with ascent.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This explanation easily resolves the abovementioned Talmudic controversy. For it reveals that both types of mercy exist, and thus there is no real contradiction between the two mentioned Talmudic opinions; each Rabbi is merely emphasising one particular type of mercy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">These two modes of thinking can easily be used in our daily life to temper our bitter feelings toward others so that we can maintain peaceful relations with people.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">For example, imagine you are a manager of a lending library. Unfortunately, as every manager knows, people are often late at returning borrowed books, sometimes very late. It may be difficult for you to prevent yourself from becoming upset with borrowers, after all they are abusing the library’s facilities and deny other borrowers access to books for which they pay a membership to borrow. Furthermore the library is easily accessed and the books can be dropped off in a chute twenty four hours a day, what excuse could these people possibly have? If you think in this manner, you will probably explode with rage at the next late borrower you encounter; an approach bound to cause more harm than good to all the people involved. How can you temper your harsh feelings so that you can continue to view the borrowers favourably and allow yourself to deal with the situation more constructively and diplomatically?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">One way would be to deliberately draw upon the two modes of merciful thinking described above. You could either contemplate how many commitments the average person has in their life, commitments to a spouse, to children, work, personal health, parents, friends, etc, not to mention the various stressors that can cause a person to become disoriented or preoccupied with them. Through this one can come to realize how easy it can be for people to forget about returning books that they have borrowed, and thus to be merciful toward them. This is the descending approach where one partially shifts the blame from the person onto his circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Alternatively, one could contemplate how a more effective library system could minimize the late return of books. Perhaps if I sent reminder emails to borrowers reminding them of the overdue books, or if I placed the due date on the outside cover of the book rather than on the inside then people would notice it more, and possibly if I increased the fine for late returns, that would encourage people to return the books on time. I guess I am partly to blame for their lateness since I have not managed to implement these devices. This is the ascending approach, where one partially shifts the blame from the person onto oneself.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In some situations the descending approach is more effective because it is obvious that the person’s circumstances are truly difficult; while in other situations the ascending approach is more effective because it may be clear that you really may be partially at fault for another person’s errors or shortcomings.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Sometimes, it is difficult to find any extenuating circumstances and thus the ascending approach will be more effective, such as when the borrower, for instance, is known to have much time on his hands, few responsibilities, and lives in close proximity to the library; while at other times, especially when the library manager has gone to great lengths to ensure that books are returned on time, the descending approach will be more effective.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Of course, both approaches can be used in combination when necessary, especially when neither approach is strong enough on its own. Remember, these techniques do not entail a departure from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reality; on the contrary, they are intended to make a person aware of the true reality, a more balanced perspective of the other and the situation at hand. Thus one is not to fabricate far- fetched, illogical, extenuating circumstances for people. Rather one should be very realistic about the circumstances and only identify those extenuating factors that are really present. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The intention in this warning is not merely to prevent people from accustoming themselves to reality distortion, which can easily spill over into other areas of their lives, but also to make the mercy evoking contemplations more effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For if you try to trick yourself into believing that extenuating circumstances exist when clearly they do not – at least not the far- fetched ones that you have fabricated – then any mercy that is aroused will be superficial and largely pretend. If however, you can identify real extenuating factors, the mercy aroused will be deeper and real. We are not playing games with our minds in order to keep our blood pressure down; we are attempting to genuinely empathize with other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also essential to note that the arousal of mercy is not intended to preclude dealing with the situation, but merely precedes dealing with it. The library manager is not to completely ignore the late return of books because he feels merciful toward the borrowers; on the contrary, he would negligent and irresponsible if he was to do so. Rather, it is on account of his merciful attitude that he can deal with the situation in the most effective manner; with rationale, diplomacy, and the implementation of effective strategies. In other words: mercy should not prevent one from dealing with a situation; it should<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>prepare one to deal with it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Now that we have explored ascending and descending triggers of mercy let us focus on mercy aroused through closeness and distance.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When a person is empathetic, that is sensitive to, and capable of identifying with another person’s emotional state, he tends to be strongly affected by the other’s communications. When he is listening to another excitedly describing the wonderful trip that they recently returned from, he will himself feel excited and joyful. Similarly, when he hears another describing a predicament in which they find themselves or the pain that they are feeling, he will himself experience their sorrow and pain, and he will probably lose sleep over it. His own intimate sense of the other’s discomfort will trigger his mercy toward them. This is mercy aroused by ‘closeness’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">However, if a person lacks this ability to empathize with another, even if he fully understands the difficult situation that another is in, he will not feel mercy toward them. For his heart is not touched by his understanding of the situation; not stirred by its implications. The other’s suffering remains distant from him and he remains mostly untouched by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Mercy aroused by a sense of distance works differently. If a person derives immense pleasure or happiness from any given aspect of their life they can come to feel mercy upon one who lacks that particular<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">thing, and in particular toward one who is in the opposite state. For instance, a person naturally has immense pleasure in the ability to see. Though many people take it for granted, seeing offers the most stimulating experiences: colours, forms, familiar faces, books, films, and nature, and in the richest and most vivid ways. Therefore, when many people encounter a blind individual, who they imagine is lacking this particular capacity and all the immeasurable good that comes with it, they are automatically aroused with mercy toward him. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This latter type of mercy is not evoked by coming close and listening to the blind person tell of his difficulties being visually impaired, rather it is evoked on account of the sense that the blind person is in the opposite state from what makes you personally happy and greatly enhances to your quality of living. It is a sense of ‘distance’ between yourself and the other that serves to trigger the mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the differences between these two types of mercy are the specificity/generality, as well as the magnitude of the mercy aroused. In mercy triggered by closeness the flow of mercy is directed specifically toward the individual who one has come to spend time with, and flows in proportion to the suffering described by that individual. In contrast, mercy triggered by distance tends to flow toward all people who are perceived as ‘distant’, and often in much greater measure than the particular individual is suffering. For example, even though a particular blind person, perhaps one blind from birth, may not experience major suffering on account of his lack of sight, the flow of mercy aroused toward him on account of ‘distance’ may still be abound. This occurs because the mercy is not evoked by closely empathizing with the blind individual’s subjective experience, but by imagining the absence - and worse, the opposite – of what makes oneself truly happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Hence, each form of mercy has its advantage and disadvantage: Mercy based on closeness allows one to fine tune one’s care for the other since it offers one a close range and highly specific experience of the others angst and difficulties. However, closeness will note evoke feelings of mercy toward a person if they do not express any discomfort or distress on account of their predicament.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In contrast, mercy based on distance, allows one to feel mercy for people who don’t even realize that they are lacking something that would immeasurably enhance their quality of life, since the mercy flows on account of comparing another person’s state to one’s own rather than discerning their situation independently and directly. However, mercy on account of distance tends to produce a general feeling toward another that is not as tailored to the others true state and needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-63866967546147051132012-02-26T16:37:00.000-08:002012-02-26T16:37:35.646-08:00Beauty ii: Beauty and the body<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The human body was created as a reflection of the ten divine attributes termed <i>Sefirot</i>. </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is the deeper meaning of the biblical verse, “Let us make Adam in our image and after our likeness.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a> The commentators grapple with the verse’s usage of the plural in reference to G–d. The mystical explanation is that G–d was speaking to the <i>Sefirot</i>, the divine attributes, and instructing them to create Adam in their likeness.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a> </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">What this implies concerning the body is that every body part parallels a particular divine quality. The precise correspondence between the <i>Sefirot</i> and various body parts is shown in the diagram below.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Based on this correspondence we discover that the torso is associated with the <i>Sefirah</i> of Beauty (<i>Tiferet</i>), for the torso is located in the centre of the body, and thus grants it symmetry and balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, the torso unites all the body parts, for the head, arms, and legs all extend from it.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a> The torso enables the head to send instructions to the legs, and it enables the right and left arms or legs to unite, so that a person can walk or engage in various activities that require both hands. The torso connects the higher with the lower, and the right with the left. This conforms to the concept that beauty is the product of the blending and harmonization of diverse qualities.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Kabbalah ascribes beauty to other body parts as well. The first is the mouth, which (as the diagram shows) is identified with the quality of sovereignty (<i>Malchut</i>), the lowest <i>Sefirah</i>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a> The mouth performs the task of speech, the most complex form of human communication. Speech is a remarkable faculty, for it combines diverse sounds and vibrations. In order to utter even one word the mouth must combine many distinct sounds and blend them into a whole.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The mouth also possesses another unique (though related) quality. On its own, i.e., without the higher forces of intellect or emotion pouring into it, the mouth is silent and empty, for<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span></span></span></a> it can only communicate a concept or an emotion. Paradoxically, this emptiness is its virtue, for it is then receptive to receiving influence from any of the higher qualities.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="page-break-before: always;" /> </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> CORRELATION BETWEEN THE SEFIROT AND THE BODY<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Cranium<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Keter</span></i></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> (crown)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> Left hemisphere of brain<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right hemisphere of brain<o:p></o:p></span></div><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Binah</span></i></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> <i>(</i>understanding<i>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Chochmah</b></i>(creativity)<i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Left arm <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right arm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Gevurah</i></b> <i>(Judgement</i>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Chessed</i></b> (kindness)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Torso<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Tiferes</span></i></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> (beauty)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Left leg <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right leg<o:p></o:p></span></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hod </span></i></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">(<i>splendour</i>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Netzach</i></b> (victory)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Reproductive organ<o:p></o:p></span></div> <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Yesod</span></i></b><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> </span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">(foundation)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt 180pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; mso-para-margin-left: 180.0pt; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> Mouth<o:p></o:p></span></div> <b><i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Malchut</span></i></b><b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> </span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">(sovereignty)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When speech draws from the higher intellectual faculties of <i>Chochmah</i> and <i>Binah</i> it can express abstract and intricate concepts; when it draws from the lower <i>Sefirot</i> of <i>Chessed</i> or <i>Gevurah</i> it can express emotions of kindness and strictness, respectively. Thus, the mouth can draw from the higher or lower <i>Sefirot</i> and from the right or the left.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span></span></span></a> The mouth is a repository for all the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>spiritual energies that comprise the human spirit, combining them together in an unlimited number of ways. This combination is the hallmark of beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Another body part associated with beauty is the reproductive organ.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span></span></span></a> The Talmud teaches that a person is not considered complete <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[12]</span></span></span></span></a> until he marries. One reason is that until then the potential for procreation remains latent. A person may be whole in every other respect, possessing all limbs, organs, and faculties, but without a spouse his or her reproductive faculty finds no expression, and he is incomplete. Marriage enables the expression of this faculty, thereby bringing completeness to the person.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">How is this related to beauty? One of the characteristics of beauty is a sense of wholeness. The absence of a piece of an object evokes a certain sense of frustration and repulsion in the observer. Similarly, the inability to reproduce<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>constitutes a certain incompleteness, and marriage brings completeness and thus beauty.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Another explanation for this incompleteness is that a complete person is a male-female composite, as the verse states, “He created them male and female ... and He called their name Adam.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[13]</span></span></span></span></a> This implies that only when male and female unite are they termed Adam—a true person.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[14]</span></span></span></span></a> The Kabbalah states explicitly that prior to marriage a person is only “half a body.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[15]</span></span></span></span></a> It follows that a single person is only half a vessel and incomplete, lacking aesthetic appeal. Marriage makes the vessel whole and thus beautiful.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[16]</span></span></span></span></a> Since the genitals cause this state of completeness, they are associated with beauty.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Reproduction also expresses beauty as it produces an entirely new person, body and soul. Time constraints aside, there is no inherent limit to the number of children one can bear.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[17]</span></span></span></span></a> One can theoretically produce myriads of offspring, each with a distinct appearance and character. This combination of novelty and diversity that the reproductive organ produces identifies it with beauty. The connection between beauty and diversity is expressed in the aphorism, “a multitude of people is a king’s <i>glory</i>.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[18]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">A third explanation is based on the concept mentioned that beauty consists of the harmonious blending of different elements. In reproduction the genetic codes of the father and mother are merged such that often the contributions of both parents are distinctly noticeable, yet the contributions of both parents have seamlessly fused into a new whole. Here too the reproductive organ is associated with beauty, for it enables this blending process to occur.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Yet another body part identified with beauty is the nose.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[19]</span></span></span></span></a> Situated in the centre, it provides the face with symmetry and balance. Furthermore, the nose is the main organ involved in respiration. Although we breathe through the mouth as well, the mouth serves functions other than respiration, such as eating and talking. The nose, in contrast, is involved primarily in respiration. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Respiration is the principal means through which the soul remains connected to the body.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[20]</span></span></span></span></a> After several minutes without breathing, the soul departs the body. The soul is considered the infinite, expansive aspect of a person, and the body the finite and constricting. The soul is associated with the expansive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sefirah</i> of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chessed</i> and the body with the limiting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sefirah</i> of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gevurah</i>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[21]</span></span></span></span></a> Breathing, which maintains the body and soul connection, thus harmonizes the opposing qualities of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chessed</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gevurah</i>. This is precisely the nature of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tiferet</i>, beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span> <br />
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i>Genesis</i>, 1:26.</span></div></div><div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zohar</i>, 1:34b; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sh’nei Luchos Habris</i>, ch. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beis Yisrael</i>, sec. 12-14. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tomer Devorah</i>, ch. 1.</span></div></div><div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[3]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tikkunei <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Zohar</span></i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intro II</i></span></div></div><div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[4]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pardes Rimonim, Sha’ar HaKinuyim</i>, sec. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">guf</i>.</span></div></div><div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[5]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> See <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tefillos Mikol Hashono</i>, 103b.</span></div></div><div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[6]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Admur Ho’Emtzo’i</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Biurei HaZohar</i>, 29b-30a.</span></div></div><div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[7]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Derech Mitvosecho</i>, pp. 249-252.</span></div></div><div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[8]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> “The moon (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Malchus</i>—speech) has no light of its own.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zohar</i>, 1:249b.)</span></div></div><div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[9]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tefillos Mikol Hashonah</i>, 14b-15a.</span></div></div><div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[10]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Admur Ho’Emtzo’i</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Biurei HaZohar</i>, 68a.</span></div></div><div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[11]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i>Zohar</i>, 2:186b.</span></div></div><div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[12]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talmud</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Yevamos</i>, 63a.</span></div></div><div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[13]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genesis</i>, 5:2.</span></div></div><div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[14]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> See also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maharal</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tiferes Yisrael</i>, ch. 36.</span></div></div><div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[15]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zohar</i>, 3:7b, 109b, 296a.</span></div></div><div id="ftn16" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[16]</span></span></span></span></span></a><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: navy;"> </span></i><i><span lang="EN-US">Sichos Kodesh </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">5714,<i> Tazria </i>and<i> Ki Setzei</i>.</span></div></div><div id="ftn17" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[17]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tiferes Yisrael</i>, ch. 16.</span></div></div><div id="ftn18" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[18]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span><i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Proverbs</span></i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">, </span><st1:time hour="14" minute="28"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">14:28</span></st1:time><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> (The Hebrew word for glory in this verse, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hadras</i>, is one of the synonyms for beauty.)<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Bracha" datetime="2007-06-08T11:52"> </ins></span></span></div></div><div id="ftn19" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn19;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[19]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talmud</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bechoros</i>, 7:3.</span></div></div><div id="ftn20" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn20;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[20]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> “And He blew into his nostrils a soul of life.” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genesis</i> 2:7)</span></div></div><div id="ftn21" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn21;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[21]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Derech Mitzvosecho</i>, pp. 10-11.</span></div></div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-10183975550880827372012-02-26T16:29:00.000-08:002012-02-26T16:29:36.459-08:00Pathway Seven. Beauty<div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">BEAUTY—A DOUBLE SIDED COIN<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Beauty is a valuable but dangerous quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of beauty can be illustrated by the following analogy.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a> Two people travelled to the palace to glimpse the king. The first was highly educated and cultured. Upon entering the palace’s magnificent hallway he was dazzled by the intricate beauty of the artwork and absorbed in the history of the relics. Time passed, and he lost the opportunity to glimpse the king. The second visitor was simple and uneducated. Knowing that he had arrived to see the king, he marched straight through the hallways, oblivious to their grandeur, until he arrived at the king’s throne room, where he succeeded to behold the king.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Each approach contains an advantage and a disadvantage. The first individual’s refinement enabled him to appreciate the magnificent palace, yet it distracted him from his goal. The second individual’s simplicity allowed him to reach his destination without delay, yet he entered the throne room lacking an essential element—awe of the king. The hallways serve a purpose; they are designed to be august and intimidating in order to prepare the subject to encounter the king with fitting reverence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Similarly, there are two aspects to <i>Mitzvah</i> observance: performing the <i>Mitzvah</i> itself, which connects one with the divine, and preparing for the <i>Mitzvah</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The preparation entails contemplating the mystical meaning behind the particular <i>Mitzvah</i>. This ensures that the <i>Mitzvah</i> is fulfilled with the appropriate reverence and joy. However, one can become so immersed in the meditative preparatory stage that he loses sight of the truth that performing the <i>Mitzvah</i> creates one’s main attachment to G–d.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Others fulfil <i>Mitzvot</i> with no preparation at all, failing to approach <i>Mitzvot</i> in the appropriate frame of mind. The message here vis-à-vis the theme of beauty is clear: perception of divine beauty is merely a means to an end, for it prepares the person to cleave to the simple and infinite Essence of G–d through <i>Mitzvot</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The verse states, “G–d made man straight (“<i>yashar</i>,” i.e., honest, upright), and they sought many devices (“<i>cheshbonot rabim</i>”; lit., calculations).”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a> The Chassidic masters interpret this to mean that G–d created man to serve Him with simplicity by relating directly to His infinite, yet simple Essence, and thereby gaining perception of His unity. It scolds those who become so preoccupied with the pursuit of the complexity of His manifestations that they are distracted from the underlying divine unity.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At the same time, Chasidic philosophy focuses on contemplating the complexities of creation and the infinite patterns contained within the <i>Sefirot</i>. Since delving into complex divine beauty can bring one to lose sight of divine unity, some mystics will prepare for prayer by consciously clearing their mind of thoughts of divine complexity. They are then able to pray to G–d with simplicity and childlike purity.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This theme is highlighted in the clothing of the <i>Kohen Gadol</i>, the High Priest. The High Priest wore two sets of garments, the gold vestments,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a> which were highly ornate and colourful, and the white vestments,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a> which were simple, made of linen, and worn under the other garments. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">There are two explanations for the requirement to wear the gold vestments over the white vestments:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt 21.3pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; mso-para-margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The gold vestments signify the splendour of the High Priest’s position as leader of the divine service in the </span></span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Holy</span></st1:placename><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Temple</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a> The white garments made from flax which grows from the earth remind the High Priest that as a human he comes from dust and returns to dust. The humbling white garments counterbalance the grand golden garments, reducing the danger of the High Priest becoming arrogant and abusing his position.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt 21.3pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; mso-para-margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-para-margin-right: 0cm; mso-para-margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At a mystical level, the golden garments represent the beauty of the physical and spiritual realms G–d created. The white garments, in contrast, represent the simple unity of G–d that underlies all existence.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a> As mentioned, the white garments were made from flax. Flax is a simple plant growing as individual stalks without any branches or offshoots. In Hebrew flax is called <i>bad</i>, alone, alluding to the plant’s unique character. The white garments’ place beneath the golden thus represents the concept that all complexity and beauty emanates from the simple, indivisible Essence of G–d.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[10]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, the High Priest would enter the </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Temple</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">’s holiest chamber, the Holy of Holies. He alone was permitted entry, and only on Yom Kippur. There he would offer incense before G–d in order to atone for the Jewish people. When entering he would wear the white vestments only.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[11]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Why indeed did he not wear the more grand golden vestments? At </span><st1:place><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Mount Sinai</span></st1:place><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> the Jewish people enjoyed a collective mystical experience.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[12]</span></span></span></span></a> The heavens opened and a glorious heavenly chariot with faces on each of its four sides was perceived. On the right side was the face of a lion, on the left an ox, on the front an eagle, and on the back, a man. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When the Jews later fashioned the Golden Calf, they sought to replicate the heavenly ox in physical dimensions and employ it as an intermediary between themselves and G–d. The sin, in essence, consisted of over-attachment to one of the divine emanations to the extent that the Essence of G–d became secondary.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is considered the source of all sin—substituting G–d with anything else. Thus, it was befitting for the High Priest to enter the Holy of Holies with his white vestments, which represent the singular Essence of G–d, for they reflect the process of repentance—re-attuning one’s consciousness to G–d’s Essence. Wearing the golden vestments would not have highlighted this principle.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Another teaching with a similar message: Prior to the Giving of the Torah at </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Mt.</span></st1:placetype><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Sinai</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">, a Shofar was sounded to prepare the Jews for the Torah’s reception.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[13]</span></span></span></span></a> Why did G–d prepare the Jews to receive the Torah with the primitive, aesthetically unpleasing sound of the Shofar? Surely a grand orchestra playing moving and inspirational melodies would have been more befitting.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[14]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[15]</span></span></span></span></a> human psyche consists of two general components: its essence, and the faculties of intellect and emotion that extend from that essence. A major difference between these two aspects is that the essence is utterly simple, while the lower faculties are complex. Intellect analyses concepts by fragmenting them into their components and seeks to perceive ideas from alternate angles. The heart consists of several primary emotions that combine to form numerous types of emotional expression.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The type of output produced by each faculty depends upon the nature of the faculty. Thus, the complex nature of the faculties of intellect and emotion leads their products to be similarly complex. This is also true in the realm of sound. A highly sophisticated musical pattern typically combines a rich mixture of emotional expression with the guidance of a mind educated in the art of music. The indivisible soul essence, in contrast, emanates a simple sound; this is captured in the blow of the Shofar.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The Torah, though complex and profound, stems from the utterly simple Essence of G–d. It thus addresses not the external faculties of intellect and emotion, but rather, the person’s essence. Thus we should expose our essence to Torah while studying it, so that it permeates the core of our being. The sound of the Shofar, reflecting our essence, reminds us that when we learn Torah we should not treat it as a textbook of elegant and useful constructs that relate only to our external faculties. The Torah emanates from divine Essence and should touch our soul’s essence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This principle also applies to human interaction and self-perception. The Torah stresses the importance of modesty in clothing.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[16]</span></span></span></span></a> Torah law enjoins the covering of almost all parts of the body beside the face and hands. These parts are excluded because they, incomparably more than other body parts, express the person’s inner self, the soul. Every subtle movement of the face reveals an emotion and inner experience. In fact, the Hebrew word for face, <i>ponim</i>, is related to the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">p’nim</i>, inside, for precisely this reason.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[17]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Furthermore, speech, the communicative faculty par excellence, which enables one to articulate thoughts and feelings with tremendous accuracy and detail, is located on the face. The hands too are used for gesture and communication as well as for fine motor skills that also express the soul’s advanced talents, such as writing, painting, or playing music. How much soul, in comparison, is expressed via the legs, shoulders, or other body parts?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.2pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; mso-para-margin-bottom: .6gd; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Often the physical body is so attractive that during interaction with that person one loses sight of the truer and deeper beauty that rests within. Similarly, some get so absorbed in their own external beauty and appearance that they lose sight of their inner selves. Thus, the Torah only permits exposure of the soul-expressive faculties in order to remind us where the emphasis should lie in our self-perception, and to enable others us to relate to others as soul-filled beings.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[18]</span></span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> The Lubavitcher Rebbe.</span></div></div><div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span><i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Ecclesiastes</span></i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">, </span><st1:time hour="19" minute="29"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">7:29</span></st1:time><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">.</span></div></div><div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[3]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Imrei Bino</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Preface</i>.</span></div></div><div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[4]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> cf. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Derech Mitzvosecha</i>, 118a—“I pray with the intention of a child.”</span></div></div><div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[5]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> These garments are made of gold or contain golden thread and are therefore referred to as the golden vestments. These were the <i>tzitz</i> (a thin gold band upon which the words “<i>Kodesh La’Shem</i>” are inscribed, worn upon the forehead), the <i>efod</i> (apron), the <i>choshen</i> (breastplate), and the <i>me’il</i> (robe).</span></div></div><div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[6]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> These were the <i>kutones</i> (long shirt), <i>michnasayim</i> (breeches), <i>avnet</i> (belt), and <i>migba’as</i> (hat).</span></div></div><div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[7]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rabbeinu Bechayei al HaTorah</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Exodus</i>, 28:2.</span></div></div><div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[8]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> ibid., <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Leviticus</i>, 16:4.</span></div></div><div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[9]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> ibid.,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Exodus</i>, 28:2.</span></div></div><div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[10]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ateres Rosh</i>, 31a-31b.</span></div></div><div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[11]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i>Leviticus</i>, </span><st1:time hour="18" minute="14"><span lang="EN-US">6:14</span></st1:time><span lang="EN-US">.</span></div></div><div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[12]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i>Exodus Rabba</i>, 3:2. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tanchuma</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ki Sisa</i>, 20.</span></div></div><div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[13]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i>Exodus</i>, </span><st1:time hour="19" minute="20"><span lang="EN-US">19:20</span></st1:time><span lang="EN-US">.</span></div></div><div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[14]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> cf. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Torah Ohr</i>, 73b.</span></div></div><div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[15]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> The following answer is based on a lecture given by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">Melbourne</span></st1:place></st1:city><span lang="EN-US">.</span></div></div><div id="ftn16" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn16;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[16]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>ch. 2, ch. 75. </span></div></div><div id="ftn17" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn17;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[17]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Torah Ohr, </i>84b.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Tefillos Mikol Hashonah</i>, 294b.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Sefer HaMa’amarim Melukat</i>, vol. 1, p. 223.</span></div></div><div id="ftn18" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7368108436383140164#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn18;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[18]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In Search of the Jewish Women</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Miller</i>, pp. 125-126 quoting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Minchas Shmuel.</i></span></div></div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-17392295088864138932012-02-26T16:26:00.000-08:002012-02-26T16:26:38.638-08:00Pathway Six. Kindness<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Giving and Taking<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">One much ignored yet fundamental way of breaking down human behaviour is in terms of giving and taking. Almost all human behaviour can be identified with these two actions, though admittedly, it is not always clear with which one. Considering the pervasive presence of giving and taking in our lives, it would be foolish to ignore a thorough exploration of the roles of these two capacities.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, knowledgeable in both Lithuanian and Chassidic Torah traditions, asserts: ‘taking is the source of all evil and giving is the source of all good.’ His statement needs clarification because, at first glance, it appears impossible to live by – how can one survive without ever taking?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Observe an evil act carefully and indeed you will find that without exception it involves taking, though not always conspicuously. Murder, for instance, involves taking a life; robbery involves taking by force; slander constitutes taking a reputation; fraud entails taking through deceit; and let us not forget bribery: taking by giving.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The taking aspect of an evil act may be difficult to identify for several reasons: <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The object taken for the self may not coincide with what is being taken away from the other. For example, though murder involves taking away another’s life, it does not involve the murderer gaining a life. Rather, the murderer gratifies his need to take revenge, eliminates a witness for another crime he committed, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The object being taken may be abstract in nature, as in the case of slander, where one is not taking jewellery or any other tangible object, but someone’s reputation. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Sometimes an act of giving is used to do the taking, thereby obscuring the true motivating drive, as in the case of bribery.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Taking is normally associated with drawing something toward the self whereas the opposite movement is often exhibited in evil acts. In the case of violence, for example, the act involves outwardly directed energy from the perpetrator toward the victim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In reference to the last reason bare in mind that whenever a person takes an ordinary physical object there are two movements: the outstretching of the arm toward the object, and the drawing of the object toward the self; the former being a means to the latter. Similarly, in the case of a violent act, the outward bound expression is merely a means for an individual to draw something toward himself, be it a sense of control over the other, a desire to diminish the other’s well being, or simply, the pleasure of fighting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In contrast, giving is behind all good. This is, in essence, because giving allows us to emulate, and in fact channel, G-dliness, the ultimate good. But to understand this we must preface with an esoteric truth concerning the creation of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">If G-d is absolutely perfect, lacking nothing, what motivates G-d to create the world? After all there is nothing that we can add to His perfect being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, G-d does not create the world for His own benefit, rather, the act of creation is one of pure altruism; G-d creates the world to benefit us. Thus, perpetually pulsating through the universe is divine loving kindness, creating and sustaining every single thing. King David makes reference to this in Psalms when he declares, “Kindness will build the world”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When a person exercises his capacity to give, he becomes a channel for divine kindness, manifesting it within the world. This is the meaning of the verse, “G-d created man in His image”: Just as G-d gives purely for the sake of benefiting a recipient, man is capable of doing so as well. And when he does, he reveals the divine within himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Giving and taking, based on the discussion until now, appear to be polar opposites - taking being evil and giving being good- and somewhat compartmentalized, in reality however, they function together. In fact, there exists an entire scale of interaction between the two capacities. At the left most of the scale we have pure taking, at the right most, pure giving. Moving toward the middle, the two capacities become increasingly intertwined and difficult to separate. Let us explore this scale in detail.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Close to the left extreme we have people who use giving to facilitate taking. Consider, for example, the delicatessen that has a stand on the street offering free samples of food. The owner is not attempting to feed the poor; he has profit in mind. He believes that through giving he will take much more than what he has given away, for the samples are a means of inviting people into the store to purchase items. Similarly, the individual who compliments people in order to win their friendship or approval is giving in order to take. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">To gauge whether a person is giving in order to take one has to determine whether they would still be motivated to give in the absence of the personal benefit involved. Would the delicatessen owner still hand out free samples if he was certain that no one would enter the store? Would the lonely person still compliment others if he secured their friendship and approval? If the answer to these questions is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">yes</i> then the act does not fall into the giving for the sake of taking category. But if the answer is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">no</i>, revealing that the giving is dependent upon the taking, then the act does fall into that category.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In the middle are the individuals who are confused as to whether they are giving or taking at any given moment. The two motivations both express themselves, and they are unsure which is driving their behaviour. When helping a friend he is unsure whether he is motivated by his giving capacity, in that he genuinely wants to benefit his friend, or whether he is motivated by the need to take something via the act of helping, such as a sense of greater closeness to the friend, the promise of reciprocation, etc. Such a person is confused as to what really drives him because he feels both his giving and taking tendencies quite strongly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Shifting to the near right, we have the individuals that have developed their capacity to give to the extent that it is clear to them that they are motivated by the capacity to give. However, the faculty of taking has not been subsumed within the faculty of giving and still expresses itself independently even when the person is performing an act of altruistic giving.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This means that while teaching, for example, though motivated strictly by the desire to enlighten the student, the teacher’s taking side may still seize the opportunity to derive a sense of self satisfaction, or worse arrogance from the act. However, not only is such taking not motivating the act of giving, but the taking is occurring automatically, without the individual’s consent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">On the middle left are the individuals who discern that they are motivated much of the time by taking. However even when they take, their giving side is expressive that they genuinely give during an act of taking. When, for instance, serving a customer - which he is involved in for the sake of personal gain - he may be genuinely polite to the customer, and throw in an<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">extra item, not because he wants to ensure the continued patronage of the customer but because he wants the customer to be happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The giving/taking continuum<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><strong>Taking</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Giving is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Giving is secondary<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confusion/ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking is Secondary<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>Giving<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Subsumed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to taking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alternation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to giving<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>subsumed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>within taking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>within giving<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><v:shapetype adj="4320,5400" coordsize="21600,21600" id="_x0000_t69" o:spt="69" path="m,10800l@0,21600@0@3@2@3@2,21600,21600,10800@2,0@2@1@0@1@0,xe"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:path o:connectangles="270,270,270,180,90,90,90,0" o:connectlocs="@2,0;10800,@1;@0,0;0,10800;@0,21600;10800,@3;@2,21600;21600,10800" o:connecttype="custom" textboxrect="@5,@1,@6,@3"> </v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">With this teaching in mind it becomes clear that taking is not only not necessarily evil, but an enhancer of the giving process; taking can be a facilitator of the ultimate good in a very direct way. If so, what does Rabbi Dessler mean when he states that taking is the root of all evil?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The idea is not that every act of taking is evil <em>per se</em> but that if taking is not subordinate to giving it can degenerate into evil behaviour, examples of which were given above. In other words, there is no potential for evil to develop out of pure giving, but in potential it can develop out of taking.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Thus his statement serves as a warning for people who start to get carried away with the act of taking in permitted matters such as eating, purchasing of furniture, holidaying, money making through legitimate means, etc, purely for the sake of the personal benefit that each activity provides. For through this the taking side strengthens, suppressing the giving side, then one may indeed come to behave immorally in order to increase<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wealth and comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It is crucial to qualify the definition of giving in this model. People frequently associated giving with the emotion of love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">, and as stated in the chapter on love, there is truth to this belief. However, giving is not dependent on the feeling of love; one can exercise giving regardless of how one feels. True giving stems from the conscious decision to do what is right, and to sacrifice selfish interests which stand in the way. Such behaviour certainly generates love, the highest forms of love, but is itself beyond love. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Giving is associated with the mind more than with the heart; it originates in the mind, in a mental decision to do what is right, but once activated is also felt in the heart. Giving thus allows us to continue benefiting others even when the love in our heart is to weak to motivate us to do so- if only if it is the right thing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Furthermore, giving does not necessarily involve a physical act of sharing an object with someone else. Rather, giving is the intention behind the action. One can ‘give’ by withholding an object from someone, or even by being harsh toward them - if one genuinely believes that doing so will benefit that person. Thus, the parent who refuses to allow his child to stay up late so that he should not be tired the next day at school is still giving to the child even though he is not giving the child what he wants. Similarly, one who declines giving money to a particular charity because he has already committed his money to another charity which he believes more worthwhile, is still giving, because he withholds from one charity in order to continue giving to the charity to which he has prior commitments. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Clearly, giving does not simply mean giving people what they want, for that can result in harm to the recipient, to oneself, or to a third party. Rather, giving must be guided by wisdom. Many people complain that they have been burnt on account of giving. Here are a few examples which I have personally heard: “I lent money to a friend who never repaid the loan. This<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>left me in a difficult situation and ruined our friendship. Since then I don’t lend money to people anymore.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another complained, “When I used to focus on giving, people would take advantage of me, always asking me for help knowing that I would be obliging – eventually I started to feel resentful toward these people”. “I would stay out of the house helping others to the extent that I neglected my own family.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet another told me, “My mother is so giving that she tries to do everything for me. Even though I’m a married woman my mother lovingly attempts to control my life. This has taken a terrible toll on my relationship with my husband.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In all of these instances the people held giving responsible for the various problems that ensued. In some of the cases, individuals even developed distaste for giving and shifted to a more selfish approach to life. The truth, however, is not with giving <em>per se</em> but with a lack of wisdom. In each case the ‘giver’ lacked wisdom and thus gave in an inappropriate way. In the case of the loan, for example, a true giving consciousness would have considered the risks involved in lending the particular individual money, and perhaps would have decided not to give for the long term good for everyone. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Furthermore, it is highly likely that many of these individuals were not giving but actually taking. For instance the mother who smothers her daughter with love may feel guilty if she doesn’t do so, so she gives excessively to avoid feeling guilty and to have a positive image of herself as a good mother – she is thus focusing more on her own needs than on her daughter’s which accounts for her inability to detect how much damage she is actually causing her daughter through her kindness. She is taking rather than giving. It is easy to confuse the two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This model also provides us with clear direction as to where we should be travelling on our spiritual journey, and how to monitor our progress. What has not been clarified, however, is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> to progress along the scale.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad – Lubavitch movement provides a profound analogy for spiritual growth. To purify gold one places it into a furnace at a high temperature. The impurities then surface and one can remove them. However, more subtle impurities may not have become visible, and to expose them one must return the gold into the furnace at an even higher temperature. And so the process continues, returning the gold to the furnace again and again at increasingly higher temperatures until the most subtle impurities are removed and the gold is completely purified.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In terms of spiritual growth, our soul is the gold that needs purification. We are tainted by selfish urges, negative feelings of envy, anger, arrogance, etc, which are all extensions of our taking side. When we practice acts of giving and thereby strengthen that capacity, a contrast is produced between the goodness of giving and the selfishness and ugliness of taking. We are then motivated to eliminate that ugliness from ourselves by limiting the amount, or the manner, in which our taking expresses itself. On account of this slight self refinement we are more open to sensing the goodness of giving. And through the continued practice of giving, more subtle negativity within our taking side becomes apparent. We are then motivated to eliminate that negativity as well. And so the cycle continues: we are then all the more sensitive to goodness, and subsequently, via contrast, also more aware of ever subtle forms of negativity within ourselves. The furnace is becoming hotter and hotter and ever subtle impurities are surfacing and being removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But let us glimpse what would result if, through this process, one reached the right extreme of the scale; has anybody ever reached such an enlightened state to describe it?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In reference to Chanoch who lived ten generations after Adam, the first man, the verse states, “Chanoch walked with G-d and was no more, for G-d had taken him”. </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This verse seems rather peculiar. Where is G-d walking to, that Chanoch was able to walk with Him. Does G-d not fill all space? It would be absurd to imagine Him moving from one place to another. Furthermore, why would G-d take Chanoch – an act which appears retributive - if Chanoch walked with Him – implying virtuous behaviour? And finally, where did Chanoch vanish to?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The commentators explain that Chanoch was a cobbler, and with every stitch that he would make in the shoes he would achieve mystical union between G-d and creation. How did Chanoch achieve this sublime fete through mere shoe repair? When Chanoch was making a pair of shoes for a customer, he focused on producing the highest quality shoe that would provide maximum benefit to the customer. He did not do this to win more clients or for an increase in pay, but purely to benefit the customer. Thus during his seemingly mundane work he exercised giving to the fullest extent. As mentioned earlier, it is giving that allows us to serve as a medium for divine love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and kindness manifesting it within the world. And this was the mystical union that he attained between G-d and creation: by giving, he channelled divine kindness openly to another human being, linking the human with G-d.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And this is the deeper meaning of Chanoch walking with G-d. G-d’s kindness is constantly flowing into the world and sustaining it. Through constant acts of giving Chanoch indeed travelled with G-d - with the flow of Divine Kindness that continually descend from the Infinite source into the finite world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Chanoch developed his giving capacity to such an extent that his taking side was subsumed within his giving side. The taking aspect is related to the human ego, the sense of rigidity and separateness from G-d. After all when we take something, we take it to ourselves. But since Chanoch was successful at absorbing his taking aspect into the giving aspect, his egotism disappeared – hence Chanoch was no more, for G-d had taken him.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Abraham was also known to have attained spiritual enlightenment. Our sages bring proof that he completely transcended evil from the fact that the verse states, “And G-d blessed Abraham ‘BaKol’ [with everything]”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">How does G-d blessing Abraham with ‘everything’ imply that Abraham transcended his inclination to do evil?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Evil can only attach itself to a person that feels lack, and desires things for himself. Because such a person expresses desire to gratify himself, if he encounters an illicit way of doing, he may be enticed to pursue it. The individual who feels content and satiated, however, has no desire to take things from the world to benefit himself, he is thus not susceptible to the influences of evil.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">If we were to interpret the verse, “G-d blessed Abraham with everything” literally, it would imply with that G-d provided him with everything in the world. This would be hard to conceive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, ‘everything’ means with a sense that he has everything - a feeling of serene contentment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">But how did Abraham attain this state? The sense of lack and deficiency stems from the physical body, for the body which constantly requires support for its continued existence and undergoes aging and atrophy. The Divine, however, is infinite and eternal, lacking nothing. Thus the more Divine kindness flows into a person, the more strongly they will feel wholeness themselves. Since Abraham spent his life exercising giving, he drew an abundance of Divine kindness into himself until he felt ‘everything’, and as a result, transcended his inclination toward evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-91496733867194786982012-02-26T16:18:00.000-08:002012-02-26T16:18:12.378-08:00Pathway Five: LOVE <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></i></b><span dir="LTR"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The interplay between love</span></i></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and kindness<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Two obviously related qualities are love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and kindness. But how exactly are they related? Does love motivate kindness, or do acts of kindness motivate love; are we kind to those that we love, or do we come to love those that we are kind to?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">That love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>motivates kindness is apparent. We give more to those we care about than to the stranger, in fact, much more. We spend huge amounts of time, money, and energy ensuring the welfare of our own children, yet we give only meagre amounts of these same resources to other children.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Equally true, however, is that kindness engenders love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">. When we genuinely share of ourselves with another, we come to feel increased affection toward him. What is the underlying mechanism at play here?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">To answer this question</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">, let us first answer another question: why does an artist feel a stronger connection to his own work than to the work produced by another artist? <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Every person has an innate self love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">. Therefore when a person invests of himself into something, such as expending time, talent, and energy on a painting, he perceives the painting as an extension of his own self, and the natural love<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he feels for himself naturally extends toward the painting as well. </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is also why one comes to feel an increase of affection toward those to whom he displays kindness; for genuine kindness entails planting a portion of one’s self into another which results in one viewing the other as an extension of one’s self; the love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>felt toward one’s self thus naturally embraces the other as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It follows that the relationship between love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and kindness is a cyclical one: love engenders kindness; kindness engenders love. If a person wanted to enter this cycle in a given relationship, what would be the best way for him to enter? Should he attempt to initiate the process by cultivating love for the other, or by being kind even though he hardly feels anything for him?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Love is a quality not easily controlled by human will. We do not, and cannot, make a decision to love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>another and then suddenly feel love strong for him, as though the flow of love is similar to the flow of water from a tap which one can open and close at will. Kindness, however, which is associated with action, is under our direct control; we can be kind to another whenever we choose to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Furthermore, even when we do manage to arouse feelings of love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and warmth toward another, the feelings may not last, love, then, when the love is strong our kindness will increase, but, when the love declines, so will the kindness. However, control to be kind, one can maintain a relative consistency in behaviour.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Thus, though the love</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">-kindness cycle can be entered via either quality, since kindness is under our control it is more practical to enter through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-91055305645393069122012-02-26T16:14:00.000-08:002012-02-26T16:14:32.808-08:00PATHWAY FOUR. BELIEF: The foundation of divine service<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">A musician was playing a sweet and enchanting melody causing all those listening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to be moved to dance; whoever was closer to the source of the music, the musician, was all the more moved captivated by the melody. In came a person with impaired hearing, who was unable to hear</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the melody. Observing the people dancing excitedly, he commented, “What are these meshugoyim doing?”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In the analogue, G-d is the musician; holiness and spirituality which emanates from G-d, is the sweet melody; belief in G-d provides one with the ability to be receptive to holiness, and the stronger one’s belief, the the more intensely one experiences G-d’s ‘melody’. The deaf person is the skeptical non believer, who is non receptive to holiness. He observes people involved in prayer, in the fulfillment of commandments, and in the study of Torah, and he wonders – what are these crazy people doing. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Of course, from the believers vantage point, it is the non believer who is deficient, in a sense ‘deaf’ to the ‘Divine melody’ on account of his lack of belief in G-d.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This wonderful analogy encapsulates the fundamental role of belief in spirituality. One’s sensitivity to holiness and spirituality is commensurate with one’s belief in G-d.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The two emotions of love</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and reverence toward G-d are considered to be the foundations of all the commandments in the Torah. For the commandments divide into 248 positive precepts, and 365 prohibitions. Love of G-d motivates the fulfilment of the positive precepts, for if one loves someone, he wants to connect with him, and the manner that one connects to G-d is through the fulfillment of His commandments. Reverence of G-d, motivates the restraint from transgressing any of the 365 prohibitions, for one does not want to behave in a manner that is disrespectful to G-d. Therefore all of the commandments essentially hinge upon the existence of these two emotions.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Yet, these emotions also have a foundation, and that foundation is belief. Without belief in G-d a person cannot come to feel any genuine feelings toward Him at all, after all, how do<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you develop feelings toward something that, to you, is not real.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">For example, a child may feel frightened by the ‘presence’ of a monster in his bedroom closet; so frightened in fact, he cannot fall asleep. His parent, however, casually walks into the room and opens the closet door despite the child’s earnest plea not to open it and avoid getting devoured. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Why is the child afraid, but not the parent? Simply, because the child<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>believes that there may be a monster in his closet, while the parent does not believe it. Belief being defined as the sense that something is true, or real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it is the belief in something that determines whether there is an emotional response to it or not, as well as the type of emotional response.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Therefore, only if a person has a solid belief in the existence of G-d will he come to develop the emotions which motivate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>divine service. This teaching is summarised by the words of our sages: “613 commandments were given at Sinai; came Chabakuk [the prophet] and stood them on one [internalization of belief]”; the commandments are contained within love</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and awe, and love and awe are contained within belief. </span>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-75094336982519397402012-02-26T16:07:00.001-08:002012-02-26T16:10:20.594-08:00PATHWAY THREE. HUMILITY<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 32.2pt; text-align: left; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Humility is considered to be the foundation of spiritual growth and development. Abraham said before G-d “I am but dust and ashes”, connecting a sense of smallness with the earth. The traditional reasons for the comparison is </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">that the humble person feels himself to be lowly much like the earth is lower than everything else. Furthermore, the humble person is tolerant of insult and suffering much like the earth ‘tolerates’ being trampled upon by everyone. Yet, there is another important connection: the earth, though the lowest level of existence, sustains all the higher levels of existence: the plant, the animal and the human. Similarly, though humility is a sense of smallness, it allows all levels of the human spirit to grow and flourish.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When The Kotzker was still a youth he approached two Torah scholars and asked them where is G-d. One replied, “Does the verse not say, ‘The whole world is filled with His Glory’?” The other quoted a similar statement from a mystical text, “There is no place empty of Him”. The Kotzker responded, “Fools, G-d is where you let Him in!”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">If a person is egotistical and ‘full of himself’, he leaves no ‘space’ for G-d’s holiness to reside within hm. If he is humble, however,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>empty of egotism, then, and only then, G-d enters inside. Whether G-d rests within a person or not is largely determined by a persons level of humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 32.2pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"> Three types of humility</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 32.2pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></i><span dir="LTR"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Busha – ‘a sense of smallness’:<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></strong></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Busha is experienced when a person compares himself to someone or something much larger or greater then himself. The contrast produced by such a comparison<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>causes the person to feel exceptionally small. Accompanying the feeling of smallness is a sense of shame and embarrassment at having initially felt oneself to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be something great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The following are examples of contemplations that can help evoke the feeling of busha:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Human procreation is one of the most awe inspiring phenomena in existence. It is considered to be a manifestation of divine infinity. Regardless how many humans are brought into existence, every human will be unique, with his or her own distinct personality and perspective of reality. Thus, theoretically, humanity could procreate trillions of trillions of times (an infinite number of times) and the very next child born will still be completely unique, unlike anyone else that had ever lived. We now have a new perspective on our own personality. We realize that we are merely one minuscule spark of the infinite number of potential personalities. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Knowledge is a limitless thing, and it does not take much thought to become aware of this. The number of subjects and disciplines in our world is overwhelming: </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Astronomy, astrology,art, biology,chemistry, computing, economics, engineering, geography, history, language, mathematics, politics,philosophy,physics,psychology, sociology, religion, etc. And each subject branches into numerous subdivisions. When one contemplates how little he knows relative to the amount of information available he will come to feel extremely ignorant.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Nature is an exceptionally powerful Divine instrument. Human strength relative to the power of nature is utterly insignificant. Here we are not only speaking about extraordinary natural catastrophes such as volcano eruptions, tornadoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, but more ordinary everyday experiences as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Merely observe the way we are constantly ‘bullied’ and controlled by natures conditions. If it is cold we are forced to dress warmly, and if it is hot we seek ways to cool ourselves down. How small and impotent we should feel before the mighty force of nature.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Imagine how small you are relative to your house, and then consider how small your house is relative to your block.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then imagine how small the block is relative to your suburb; how small the suburb is relative to your city; how small the city is relative to your country, the size of your country relative to your continent, your continent relative to the earth, the earth in relation to our solar system, our solar system relative to ten stars, ten stars relative to 100 stars, 100 relative to 1000 stars, 1000 relative to 100,000, 100,000 relative to 1,000,000, 1,000,000, relative to 100,000,000..relative to 100,000,000,000 stars, which is still not even close to the number of stars that fill the universe. Then progressively move backward through the levels until you return to imagining how small you are relative to your home. This contemplation should leave you feeling absolutely minuscule relative to the awesome vastness of the physical universe. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></i><span dir="LTR"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Anavah – ‘at one with the Creator’:<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></strong></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Imagine commenting to a parent how beautiful her infant is and hearing the response, “yes I made her myself!” Such a response would appear<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rather presumptuous. How can the parent attribute the creation of the child to herself when she does not understand the design of the human body, how the eye works, what causes the heart to beat, and how thoughts flow through the brain. The true Designer and Creator of the infant is G-d, and the parent’s role in the process is relatively minimal.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Though we may clearly see the absurdity of attributing the creation of another human being to ourselves, for some peculiar reason we do not feel the same way about attributing our own talents and capacities to ourselves. It is not uncommon for intelligent people to feel arrogant about their own superior intellect</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">, or for a strong person to glorify himself in his strength. In truth, however, just as one does not really create another human being, one does not create one’s self either. The intelligent person does not understand how his own intellect works, or what stuff a thought is composed of; nor does he know where his creative flashes emanate from. Therefore, how can he ascribe his intellect to himself. It may be true that he had some conscious input into the development of his intelligence, the actualization of latent potential through diligence and effort, however, even those capacities were granted to him by his own creator, as was the very possibility of actualizing potential. Thus, a person should be honest enough to acknowledge that all that he is is essentially a product of the Creator, and it is the Creator’s capacities and powers which he manifests.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Prior to eating bread the Jew places both his hands on the bread and recites the blessing, “Blessed are You, G-d, King of the universe Who brings bread forth from the earth”. Now we all know that G-d does not produce bread from the earth but only grain. It is the human that processes the grain through grinding, sifting, kneading, and baking in order to produce the bread. So how do we make sense of the blessing?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The answer is associated with why we place both hands on the bread prior to reciting the blessing. According to Kabbalah, G-d emanated ten creative powers from His essence through which He Creates and governs our universe. These ten powers, termed Sefirot, are will, creativity, understanding, kindness, strength, beauty, victory, splendour, foundation, and sovereignty.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Each of the ten human fingers corresponds to one of these respective Sefirot. The general parallel between the human hands and the Sefirot is quite straight forward: G-d creates through the medium of the ten Sefirot and the human creates through the medium of the ten fingers of his hands. What surfaces from this teaching is that our own hands – the channels for our own creative power – are really manifestations/extensions of the creative power of the Ten Sefirot. Thus, whenever we create, it is really G-d’s creative power that we are ultimately expressing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Now we can begin to make sense of the above mentioned blessing. The reason why we state that G-d brings bread from the earth, even though the human is largely involved in its production, is because the human’s input is an extension of G-d’s creative force and hence it is really G-d that produces the bread, beginning with the grain sprouting from the earth. By placing our ten fingers on the bread before reciting the blessing we indicate that it is the Ten Sefirot, channelling through our hands that have produced the bread.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The form of arrogance which can be seen as the opposite of the quality of Anavah is expressed in the verse, “the strength of my own hands has achieved for me this greatness.” Where the creative power within the human hands is separated from the Ten Sefirot and attributed to the human himself. Where the human arrogantly proclaims, “this is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my </i>product, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> am the creator!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The human did not always feel a sense of separateness from G-d that we currently experience. When Adam and Eve were first created they felt that everything was a manifestation of G-d. It was only after the ‘sin’ of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that a sense of separateness from G-d was felt.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">According to the mystical tradition, the fruit of the tree was grape, and the sin consisted of Eve squeezing the juice out of the grape. If we observe the Hebrew word for grape “anav” we find that it is phonetically identical with the term for a humble person - “anav’. What is the connection between a humble person and a grape? Just as juice is contained within the grape, the creative energy of the humble person is ‘contained’ within the Divine consciousness or creative force, for the humble person feels that his creativity is really just an extension of G-d’s creativity.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The symbolism of Eve squeezing the juice out of the grape was that she separated her own sense of self from G-d. Her consciousness was separated from the encasement of the divine much like the juice is squeezed out of the grape. She thus left the state of Anav – meaning both grape and humility. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The individual that epitomized the state of Anavah was Moses. Describing him the Torah states, “the man Moses was extremely Anav from all the people on the face of the earth”. The Midrash</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>describes the way Moses would think that was expressive of his Anavah:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">“Moses realized that all of his talents and abilities were endowed to him by G-d and were not his own doing. Furthermore, he would think to himself, “If someone else was given the same abilities that I have been given, they would probably use them more effectively than I am”. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">As a result of such thinking he was humble not only before G-d but also before other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 50.2pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span><strong><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></i><span dir="LTR"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Shiflut – ‘a sense of lowliness’<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></strong></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Shiflut is a state of self deprecation that results from an awareness of one’s own flaws and negative traits. The difference between Busha and Shiflut is that Busha involves awareness of something much greater than oneself whereas shiflut involves focusing directly on one’s own lowliness.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Shiflut involves a state of emotional discomfort often referred to as ‘merrirut’( lit. bitterness), contrition. This discomfort is analogous to pain. Do we conceive of pain as a good thing or a bad thing? On the one hand pain involves suffering and distracts an individual’s attention from his tasks and interests; on the other hand, pain serves to indicate that the body is damaged and requires treatment. Without pain a person would be oblivious to bodily injury which could result in fatality.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Similarly, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">merirut </i>may bring feelings of discomfort but without it we would remain unaware, or pay little attention to our faults, and we certainly would do nothing about improving or refining ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, if we do not feel any discomfort with the <em>status quo</em> why should we want to change? Thus the attainment of shiflut is an effective manner to bring about personal healing, growth and transformation. <o:p></o:p></span>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-14134187019270003092012-02-26T15:40:00.001-08:002012-02-26T15:42:02.248-08:00PATHWAY TWO. Balance: the choice quality<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the forefathers of Israel, were exceptionally saintly people; G-d rested upon them all. Yet, G-d refers to Jacob as the ‘choice of the forefathers’.Why is Jacob granted this additional accolade; what makes him greater than his saintly forebears?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Each of the forefathers personified a particular divine quality: Abraham personified Chessed-Kindness, Isaac, Gevurah – Self containment, and Jacob, Tiferet – Balance. Abraham’s connection to Chessed is evident in his establishing an inn in the wilderness to cater to the physical and spiritual needs of travelers, and his pleading with G-d to be compassionate toward the depraved citizens of Sodom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Isaac’s identification with Gevurah, the opposite quality to Abraham, is poignantly seen in the way Isaac allowed himself to be slaughtered and burnt as a sacrifice to G-d, containing his instinct to live. Furthermore, unlike Abraham who travelled teaching the word of G-d, Isaac contained himself to the Holy land of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Jacob, manifest extraordinary balance when his brother, Esau, was pursuing him with ill intent. Jacob sent him extravagant gifts in an attempt to mollify him, an act of Chessed, while also preparing for battle, an act of Gevurah, in case Esau’s hostility was not tempered by the gifts. Jacob also demonstrated balance when he received the firstborn blessings from his father Isaac. Though Jacob engaged in deceit, tricking his father into believing that he was Esau, he did so without a trace of selfish intent, and was morally unscathed by the act. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It was his identification with balance that distinguished Jacob from his predecessors. But why is balance so special that it rises above the noble traits of kindness and self-containment?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We can answer, simply, that since balance contains the other two qualities - for one balances Chessed and Gevurah - it is greater than each individual one. This, however, implies a mere quantitative advantage of two against one, is there a qualitative advantage as well?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Balance is not only the ability to <i>switch</i> between one quality and its opposite as required, but the accurate <i>blending</i> of opposing elements in an unlimited variety of ways. The product of such blending, as Gestalt psychologists elegantly put it, “is greater than the sum total of its parts.” For example, producing a pattern out of two colors is more aesthetically pleasing, not only than each color on its own, but even the merging of the two colors. But this too needs explanation, why is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When two colors are combined in a meaningful way, the sense is that a third force transcending both colors unites them together. For instance, in artwork, it is the artist’s imagination and purpose that harmonizes the colors, becoming the ‘soul’ of the artwork, the unifying force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is this third unifying element which makes the “whole greater than the sum total of its parts.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Similarly, the harmonization of Chessed and Gevurah requires a person tapping into a level of his being which is deeper than those two qualities; a level that can appreciate both qualities and perceive ways of combining them. This deeper aspect is conscious awareness which must be present for any behavior to be precise. Balance is thus superior to kindness and self-containment much like the soul is superior to the body.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">However, there is another advantage to balance. Any quality, expressed in excess, can degenerate into a negative form. For instance, in excess, kindness results in permissiveness and indulgence, while self-containment results in anger and violence. Balance, however, which involves expressing the right amount of any quality, is immune to such corruption. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This principle too, is reflected in the Torah narrative concerning the forefathers. The potential for permissiveness to extend from Chessed is alluded to in Abraham fathering Yishmael. Yishmael was an adulterer, and generally lacked moral boundaries, as the verse describes him, “His hand was on everything, and everyone’s hand was upon him.” Yishmael was of similar energy to Abraham, love and kindness, but a distorted, corrupted form.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Similarly, Isaac fathered Esau, a cruel murderer who even attempted to kill his own brother. Esau was of the same substance as Isaac but in an ugly degenerate form. Isaac used harsh self-containment toward disciplining himself in the service of G-d; Esau used it to inflict pain upon others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Regarding Jacob, however, the Torah attests, “His bed [progeny] was sound.” All twelve of his sons were righteous, reflecting the principle that balance is not prone to negative offshoots.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In summary, balance is superior to Chessed and Gevurah for three reasons: a) balance contains the other two qualities within it; b) the ability to balance opposing qualities requires the involvement of a deeper, overarching level of the psyche which can meaningfully combine the two together; c) whereas the other two qualities are vulnerable to excess and thus negative offshoots,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nothing negative extends from balance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div></div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-91949012273219905552012-02-26T02:55:00.000-08:002012-02-26T02:55:19.748-08:00Tips for receptivity iii: Open up<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">At Sinai, in response to the offer to receive the Torah, the Jews declared, “We will do and we will listen”. This commitment was considered so great that a voice was heard from heaven proclaiming, “Who taught my child [Israel] the secret which the ministering angels use?” The declaration, however, seems illogical, for it places action prior to listening. How does one act before hearing the instructions? It would make more sense to declare “we will listen and we will do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">To understand the true meaning of the declaration let us compare a person to a container consisting of three levels: intellect</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>being the top third, emotion, the middle third, and the body, the bottom third. When a person listens, his ‘container’ is filled with the spoken message according to his listening skills. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">If he manages to understand what is said, the top third of his container is filled. If he further empathizes with the other or is moved by their words, the middle third of his container is filled. And if the listener’s body is affected, where he acts in response to the message, the bottom third of the container is filled as well. Though we normally view empathic listening as the strongest form of listening, in this analogy the container is still only two-thirds full and still lacking true receptivity. Only when his body is moved by the message is the container completely full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">When the Jews declared “we will do” before“we will listen” they were showing their readiness to act in response to what they would hear G-d speak. In a sense, they opened their ‘containers’ fully, so that the divine messages of Torah should not only be heard by their minds, or even their hearts, but by their physical bodies; it should pervade their entire beings. This is the nature of true listening and it only exists within the person that has a pre-established committed to act on what he hears; living with declaration, “we will do and we will listen”.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When I taught this idea to a student, he offered me a personal anecdote which distinguishes the listening of ‘We will do and we will listen”, from ordinary listening. Once, stress ridden by serious financial trouble, he vented his frustrations to a friend. The friend listened attentively and compassionately, genuinely distressed by his predicament. Soon after, the student described his troubles to his Rabbi who also listened attentively and empathically - yet differently. The Rabbi asked him to wait in his office for a few minutes while he uncannily disappeared. Upon returning, he held $300 dollars in his hand which he gave my student as a gift. The student concluded,“My friend listened with his heart; my Rabbi listened with his body!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br clear="all" /><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;"><div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></span></div></div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-91849665457059558482012-02-26T02:53:00.001-08:002012-02-26T02:56:27.308-08:00Tips for receptivity ii: Reduce yourself<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span dir="LTR"><i><span lang="EN-US"></span></i></span><i><span lang="EN-US"></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the words of my mouth.”</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">In this verse G-d addresses both heaven and earth, requiring them to listen while He speaks. There is a significant difference, however, in the words for listening and speaking used in reference to the heavens as compared to those used in reference to the earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">The word describing the manner in which heaven hears</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is‘Haazinu’, related to the Hebrew word for ear – ‘ozen’. It represents a shallow form of listening, one that involves neither heart nor mind, but merely the ear- the external sense organ. The term for G-d’s speech when addressing heaven is‘v’adabero’, from the word ‘dibbur’ which connotes powerful and harsh speech.</span></div><br />
<span lang="EN-US">In reference to the earth, however, the expression for listen is ‘tishmah’ from the word ‘shemiah’ which signifies a deep form of listening involving the heart; as in the verse “halev shomeah – the heart hears”. The word for G-d’s speech when addressing the earth is “amira” which connotes a subtle, poetic form of speech.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Based on this analysis the verse seems contradictory: If G-d speaks powerfully toward heaven, why does it listen superficially? And if G-d speaks with subtlety toward the earth, why is it deeply affected? Seemingly, it should be the reverse. </span><span lang="EN-US">Heaven alludes to the arrogant person who holds himself high. When speaking to such a person, even if you speak powerfully, from the depth of your heart, he listens only with his ears. Indeed, why expect the arrogant person listen? He is so critical of others that he feels they have nothing to offer him. Furthermore he may think he already knows everything or is flawless, or more commonly, he is so certain about the correctness of his own opinion that he blocks out everyone else’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-US">The earth, in contrast, alludes to the humble person who is aware of his shortcomings and is open to influence; even if spoken to gently, he listens with his heart and is deeply affected.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">The central text of Kabbalah, the Zohar, makes reference to how arrogance diminishes receptivity to spirituality when it states, “Wood that cannot catch fire must be splintered; a body that cannot catch the fire of the soul, too must be crushed.” As a coarse piece of wood cannot catch fire unless it is broken down into smaller pieces, a heart which is harsh and egotistical, unaffected by contemplations of the divine or insensitive to the feelings of others must be brought to contrition and humility.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explains the nature of the spiritual axe needed to splinter a coarse heart: One contemplates the number of times one has served as a medium for negative energy to enter the world; how one cannot sustain noble feelings for prolonged periods of time; how inferior one is to various people in wisdom, stability, noble traits, and altruistic acts; and how in behaving indulgently one degrades himself lower than an animal which, unlike him, has no choice to act in a nobler and more spiritual manner. Such harsh self criticism softens the ego, making the heart more receptive to the soul, as well as to other people.</span></div><br />
<span lang="EN-US">This is similar to one reason people are encouraged to occasionally visit cemeteries and homes of mourners. They serve as vivid reminders of the inevitable fate of the body, the fragility of physical life, and the transience of this world. Furthermore, one confronts the mystery of where the spirits of those buried in the cemetery are wandering; bringing the heart to touch the gates of heaven which bar all but whose bodies deteriorate in the earth. It is remarkable how sensitive and receptive people attending a funeral become; how the death of one brings many others to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">The <i>etrog – </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Citron, a fruit used to perform a mitzvah during the festival of Sukkot </span>is identified with the ability to receive influence.<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span>The unique quality of the <i>etrog</i> is its ability to grow during any season, to use all the diverse climatic conditions to facilitate its growth. It receives from them all. This is the character of true receptivity, for as long as one is limited to drawing influence selectively, he is not fully open to receive.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm 6pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">This is the level of receptivity people are encouraged to attain, the ability to learn and spiritually grow from everyone –and everything - that one encounters. For instance, Rabbi Zushia of Anapoli famously learnt avoidance of attention, persistence, and the patience to wait for the right moments from a thief. Similarly, when Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch observed the front wagon of a steam train depart leaving the passenger<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>carriages behind, he remarked: ‘when the mind embarks in the study of Torah but does not draw with it a corresponding change in his behavior – it leaves the ‘passengers’behind.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">But what quality underlies such receptivity? Our sages point out that the letters of the word Etrog are an acronym for a verse in Psalms: ‘Al T’vueni Regel Gahva – Do not bring me to arrogance’. This implies that receptivity is an outcome of humility; sensing that one has yet an inestimable amount to learn and improve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">On the verse commanding Noah “Come into the ark (Teiva)”, the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, taught that the word teiva has a dual meaning. It can mean both ‘ark’ and ‘word’. The connection, he explained, is that those that entered the ark with Noah were saved from a flood of water, while those that enter the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">words</i>of Torah find refuge from the flood of immorality.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">After one Chassidic</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 54pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-62798131525678155982012-02-26T02:48:00.001-08:002012-02-26T02:57:43.201-08:00Tips for receptivity i: Slow Down<i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></i><span lang="EN-US">The connection between time and space is stronger than most people imagine. Time converts into space; space converts into time. For example, a piece of music is heard as a sequence of notes in the dimension of time. However, if the piece is recorded onto a CD it becomes a part of space and can be held in one’s hand all at once; time has been converted into space. Conversely, if a CD is played, the piece of music is once again heard as a sequence in time; space has been converted into time.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">The manner in which the mind listens to, stores, and repeats communications is very similar. When listening to a teaching we hear</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it as a sequence of words and ideas in the dimension of time. When we store it within our minds, however, it enters some sort of internal ‘space’. This is why, if we have memorized the information well, we can recall an entire teaching in a flash. However, when we share the teaching with others our mind converts it back into a sequence of words and ideas in the flow of time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">The message from this principle vis-a-vis effective listening is that speaking is strongly associated with time – not space - and therefore, if we wish to listen effectively we must practice patience – that is, remain passive for the duration of time that the speaker talks.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Another fascinating connection between time and space is that the faster one travels – speed is measured by time I.e. Km per hour - the smaller any given space appears to be. If one travelled past the Earth at super speed, the earth would appear tiny, perhaps like a seed. All of its particular objects, colors, shapes, etc. would be indistinguishable. As one slows down, however, the earth appears increasingly larger and larger until, at walking pace, it appears enormous with its countless detail gloriously displayed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">This too is relevant to listening. If a person is in a hurry when listening - whether to go somewhere, to make one’s own point, or to get to the speaker’s point - he will only hear</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the speaker’s message superficially. On the other hand, if he slows himself down and gives the speaker time, he becomes aware of the nuances in the message, understanding it more accurately, sensing it underlying emotion.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Imagine a string in an S shape. Now suppose you want to place beads along the entire length of this string. Large beads, though fitting neatly along the straighter sections of the string, would fit only roughly along the curves, with many protrusions. Small beads, however, would fit neatly around the entire string, conforming to its entire shape.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Now picture that every time someone talks they produce a similar string with their voice. Your role as a listener is to place mental ‘beads’ made of ideas along the string,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to interpret what the speaker is saying. If you use pre-established complex ideas and experiences to interpret the speaker – large beads – you would only get a rough sense of their message, or would misinterpret it altogether. However, if you listen to each word separately, interpreting it at face value – small beads – you attain a more tightly fitting and accurate understanding of their message. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Whether you use ‘small beads’ or ‘large beads’ largely depends on your level of patience; if impatient you may interpret the speakers ideas with similar pre-established ones of our own, while if patient you can interpret each of the speakers words separately, gradually building a picture out of the speaker’s words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">On the verse, “And the entire nation saw the voices”, in reference to the mystical revelation at Mt. Sinai, Rabbi Moshe of Kossov asks a question much repeated by Torah commentaries, “Voices are heard, not seen. So why does the verse state </span><span lang="EN-US">that the nation <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">saw</i> the voices?”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">In answer, he explains that there are two types of seeing: seeing with the physical eyes and seeing with the mind’s eye, as when a person says “I see what you mean”. A significant difference exists between these two forms of seeing. Seeing with our physical eyes requires no intermediary between the object and our ability to see the object; we can perceive the object directly. However, to see with the mind’s eye, one must first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">listen</i> to a message, understand it, and only with its crystallization does one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">see</i> it. Listening is an intermediary between the vision of the mind’s eye and the spiritual ‘object’ that it sees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">A miracle occurred at Sinai, people saw the spiritual realm - normally heard about - directly with their mind’s eye, without the usual intermediary of listening. Hence, the people ‘saw the voices’.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> </span> If we were to translate this supernatural form of perception into ordinary human interactions, it would involve a listener mentally perceiving a speaker’s thoughts and feelings before the speaker articulates them through his speech.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Based on this, if we ever interrupt a speaker mid-sentence claiming to already ‘see’ his point before he concludes, besides for being arrogant, impatient and inconsiderate, we presume ourselves able to “see voices” as the people experienced at Sinai! Remember: physical sight requires no intermediary, but spiritual sight does: listening.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-80253432171909055722012-02-26T02:39:00.000-08:002012-02-26T02:39:08.702-08:00Receptivity ii: On listening to people<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Besides for its centrality in our connection to G-d, listening plays a crucial role in the interpersonal sphere. This role can be understood by observing two basic differences between seeing other people and listening to them:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">When seeing people we primarily perceive their physical body; when listening to them, we experience their spirit. For through speech individuals articulate their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs for us to hear.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">When we see people they appear external to ourselves; we have a distinctive sense that they are ‘over there’- standing in front of us, or by our side. In contrast, when listening to others, the words they speak seem to enter inside us, becoming part and parcel of our own spirit, changing the way we think and feel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">To bring these differences to life, I want you to become aware of the two main ways that you are experiencing this book: seeing and hearing. Though the book is not audible, your mind still translates the letters into a voice heard within your head. Since these two senses are interconnected you may need to alternate between them a few times in order to discern the perspective provided by each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">You should notice how seeing the book allows you to perceive only the material paper and ink – the ‘body’ of the book- while listening to it allows you to experience the messages it contains<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– the ‘soul’ of the book. Furthermore, the dimension of the book that you see appears external to you – in your hand or on the table – while the dimension of the book that you hear enters inside your mind and heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">It follows that a relationship based primarily on sight offers a superficial physical connection, where the parties feel separate from each other; one based predominantly on listening, however, engenders an intimate spiritual bonding, where the parties feel themselves merging, becoming one.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Listening</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is important in interpersonal relations in other ways as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One such way is expressed in the advice a distinguished rabbi offered his son on how to properly study Talmud:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">“All your efforts in studying questions raised by ancient commentaries on the Talmud should be to ‘listen’ to the questions and to fully understand them. Discovering solutions is no reason to rejoice; on the contrary, it is usually a sign you misunderstood the full depth of the questions</span><span lang="EN-US">.”</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">Why was the rabbi so concerned about his son attempting to answer the commentaries questions? His logic was quite simple: if the commentators, who had a prodigiously deep and broad knowledge of the Talmud, failed to answer these questions, then his son surely cannot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if he apparently does, it is most likely that he misunderstood their questions</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and is answering his own shallow interpretation of them. His answers are thus not addressing the commentator’s questions at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">This teaching holds an important message concerning our interactions with others. We must listen carefully to what others say to ensure our response to them directly addresses the point they make. This is crucial when someone turns to us with a philosophical question</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or for advice. If we fail to accurately understand their question, our answer may not only be irrelevant but damaging and misleading. Furthermore, the recipient is less likely to take our advice seriously if he feels we haven’t fully understood his issue or empathized with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">The rule is as follows: If someone comes to you for advice and you have an immediate or simple solution for them, ask yourself the following questions: have I fully reflected on the details and implications of the issue? Have I attempted to imagine myself in the other’s position to get a sense of how difficult and complicated their predicament is? Have I asked them enough questions regarding their issue to get the full picture? If not, then you are probably not addressing their issue, but only your own rough interpretation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Another way good listening is important at the interpersonal level is in making a speaker feel important; poor listening, however, makes him feel redundant. Since people often associate listening with taking or receiving, they may feel that inattentiveness causes a speaker no harm. In truth, however, listening is possibly the noblest and deepest way of giving, and withholding it can cause immeasurable damage.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">This is based on the notion that people need to feel important and powerful, and that these feelings, or their absence, largely determine a person’s state of well being and ability to function in the world. When we are receptive to another, affected by their words or actions, they feel potent, capable of influencing their environment. Such empowerment motivates them to further influence the world, and as a result their life becomes meaningful and worthwhile.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">When, however, we are not receptive to another, ignoring them or being apathetic toward their efforts, we make them feel unimportant and weak. Repeated exposure to such non-receptivity can, in the extreme, cause one to feel like a phantom ghost; he feels his own existence, but is non-existent to everyone else. There is nothing more demoralizing; nothing more discouraging; nothing more depressing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Imagine teaching a class of disinterested students who repeatedly yawn and show no appreciation for your teachings. Surely you would have little incentive to continue teaching them. In contrast, if your audience is receptive, inspired and affected by your teaching, you feel accomplished and empowered, motivated to teach more and better classes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Our Sages emphasize the importance of feeling that the environment is receptive to us when they state, “Know what is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your actions are recorded in a book.” This teaching is commonly interpreted as a warning not to sin since one is constantly under G-d’s scrutiny. However, a deeper interpretation, one pertinent to our discussion exists:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Every person simultaneously exists in three worlds: his thought is in the world of Beriyah – Creation, his speech resides in the world of Yetzirah – Formation, while his actions are in the world of Asiyah – Action, our physical universe. A person’s every thought, speech and action alter – for better or worse - the corresponding worlds; a message underscored in the above teaching: ‘An eye that sees’ refers to the world of Beriyah, the realm of our thought. Since thoughts are chiefly visual in nature they are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">seen</i> by the world of Beriyah; ‘an ear that hears’ alludes to Yetzirah, the residence of our speech. Speech is audible, its affects are thus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">heard</i> by Yetzirah; finally, “the book” alludes to the world of Action, the realm of time and space. The pages of a book allude to space, while the text, which requires time to read and is in an orderly linear sequence is reminiscent of the sequence of time. Hence our ‘actions recorded in a book’ implies that they directly influence the physical universe - Asiyah.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">The message in our every action being recorded, every word being heard, and every thought being seen, is that we are important beings influencing higher and lower worlds with every minor self expression. The cosmos is fully receptive to us; forever changed by our behavior. This truth makes life meaningful; crowning man with power. The message is not: ‘there is no escape’; the message is: ‘we can move worlds!’ </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><span lang="EN-US">Receptivity is arguably the greatest form of giving for at least two reasons:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">When we give to people in ways other than being receptive to them, such as by teaching, lending money, offering advice, etc, we tend to benefit them in <i>specific</i> and localized areas. When we are receptive to them, in contrast, we endow them with an <i>all-pervasive</i> and general feeling of importance, one that can directly influence every aspect of their self and every activity they engage in.</span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">The ultimate purpose for receiving things is to use them to benefit the world. Hence, when we give to another, be it something material such as money, or spiritual such as wisdom and love</span></span><span lang="EN-US">, we are supply them with the <i>means</i> to influence the world; though not necessarily will they ever come to use them. When we are receptive to another, however, and thereby encourage him to further share his gifts and talents, we allow him to connect with the ultimate purpose of his life.</span></div><br />
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</div></div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7368108436383140164.post-22787970899972473012012-02-26T02:31:00.002-08:002012-02-26T03:14:50.452-08:00PATHWAY ONE. Receptivity i: Listening to God<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, an 18<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> Century Chassidic sage, is famous for his advocacy of Jewish people. Once, upon observing a group of Jews sinning, he raised his eyes heavenward and argued, “Master of the universe, You have placed spiritual truths into books for them to learn about, while You have placed temptation before their very eyes; Try the reverse: place temptation into books and spiritual truths before their eyes, then rest assured, their behavior will be impeccable!”</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">Indeed, imagine a world where promiscuity is learnt about in the abstract and only textual knowledge exists of tasty food, while heaven, angels, and the divine force constantly re-creating the world are visible to the naked eye. Surely in such a world we would naturally gravitate toward spirituality, while the very notion of sin would relegate to myth. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span lang="EN-US">To be sure, why would this be the case? The difference between seeing an object and hearing about it is enormous. The seen object appears vivid, close, and real, while one heard about </span><span lang="EN-US">offers only a vague, distant, and abstract impression. For example, hearing a description of Venice, even a highly elaborate and precise one, is incomparably inferior to actually seeing its canals and historical buildings with one’s own eyes. In the former case one’s conception of the city remains vague and doubtful; in the latter, it is vivid and definite. Since we chiefly see the physical world and only hear about the spiritual, the physical seems more real than the spiritual. Consequently, we are heavily drawn toward the physical. If however, the spiritual became visible and the physical was merely heard about, we would naturally gravitate toward the spiritual. The Jews experienced such a sensory reversal at Mt Sinai where “they heard what is normally seen and saw what is normally heard.”</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Unfortunately, we do not presently live in such a reality. In our world the physical is seen and the spiritual is heard about. Therefore, if we want to transcend the material realm and enter the spiritual, we must learn to listen.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">The traditional daily affirmation of the unity of existence, the ‘Shema Yisrael’ underscores this principle. When reading the Shema affirmation, we cover our eyes with the right hand and state, “Hear O’ Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is one”. We cover our eyes because the world we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">see</i> appears to contradict the affirmation. It is filled with innumerable, disparate things, and seems to exist independently from G-d. To perceive the underlying unity, we must close our eyes and, as the affirmation begins, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hear </i>the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By listening we come to experience the unity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">In highlighting the importance of listening, the Midrash</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>distinguishes the manner in which G-d heals the spirit from the way a physician heals the body:</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">“When a person falls and injures his body a physician treats each injured limb separately; bandaging one and applying ointment to another. However, when a person falls spiritually and ‘damages’ his limbs – I.e. by using his eyes to gaze at inappropriate things, his hands to steal, or his legs to walk to sin - G-d heals differently: He restores his entire spirit simultaneously through the Torah- if only he opens his ears to listen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US">If a person is receptive to the voice of G-d within the Torah, then all of his limbs are healed and restored to purity. But if his ears are closed, what hope does he have of repair? The ears are the gates to spiritual healing.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><br />
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</div></div>Dovid Tsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08009151282745442582noreply@blogger.com0