The Happiness Stream

Today I realized that happiness is simply the default state of the soul. If you have a soul, you are naturally happy. If you aren't feeling that way then there's something blocking the psycho-spiritual flow between your higher self and your conscious mind. Getting rid of such blockages restores the flow. Essentially, celebrations and spiritual experiences don't "create" happiness. Rather, they temporarily remove the blockages, allowing the happiness stream to flow.

Step by Step

I've waited a while for an opportunity to make a lentil soup, like I used to. Finally, the opportunity came last night. I threw in sufficient lentils into a pot of water followed by a heaping spoon of red miso paste. Then I chopped in onion and garlic cloves. Finally, I sprinkled in cumin and curry to complete the taste.

While my soup was boiling, I realized that if I threw in the right amount of rice, it would absorb the flavor rich soup making a wonderful rice and lentil dish. So I did it. Thank God, it worked!  I had the most wonderful, delicious and nutritious dinner these last two nights. 

In fact it worked so well that I was too full to finish my dinner tonight. So thank God another idea arose. I mashed up the remaining rice and lentils in my bowl with a spoon and made a delicious spread, which I smeared across spelt cakes, making little sandwiches for breakfast tomorrow. God willing, I'm looking forward to a delicious and healthy breakfast tomorrow.

You see God sends some nice and helpful ideas step by step. You never know what He will teach you, if you are only patient. What a delicious way to learn such a lesson.

Ultimately Only Oneness

Yesterday, I was asked, “What's Judaism's idea of Satan?”

I answered that in Judaism, he's simply another angel. He's a good angel with a dirty job. The proof is that if one looks at the beginning of Job, one sees that the Creator orders him around and sends him on errands.

Then I was asked, whether the presence of such an angel sets up a kind of cosmic duality between good and evil, Zoroastrian style. I responded that in Judaism cosmic duality exists as part of the creation, not as part of the Creator.

Then I was asked whether the presence of angels deliberating in a heavenly court before a soul being judged possibly allude to the presence of multiple forces controlling destiny, a possible multiplicity. I responded that when the Creator deliberates within His Oneness, the various points of view under consideration are experienced on the soul's more fragmented level as angels deliberating in a cosmic court. However, in the ultimate sense, there's only Oneness.

A Parable About a Parable

Last Saturday night I heard an interesting teaching from Rabbi Yoel Kahn about one difference between our perspectives and the Creator's. 

He explained that when a teacher uses a parable to teach a lesson, initially the student does not see the lesson in it's purity. He only sees the lesson by way of the parable. The parable is one thing and the lesson is another thing. Let's say a physics teacher wants to express an overarching principle of physics. He'll likely begin with a practical example and then work his way up to the underlying abstract principle. Initially, the students are only able to relate to the abstract principle by way of the parable (i.e. the practical example). For the students, grasping the abstraction is a "two step" approach, first the parable and then the lesson - a real "bottom/up" view.

However, the teacher primarily sees the lesson (i.e. the abstraction). For him, the parable he taught is only one of many possible expressions of this core idea. These parables barely arise in his mind, unless he needs them for teaching or for other practical applications. He sees the core lesson in it's purity. For him, grasping the lesson is a "one step" approach - a real "up/down" view.

Similarly, the Creator gives us the Torah and the world as parable material about Him.  We have a "bottom/up" view. First, there's the parable material, which we live with, and then there's the lesson - the Creator Himself. This is a "two step" approach, giving us a fragmented view. In contrast, the Creator's view is "top/down". There's only the lesson - only Him! Fragmentation never even begins. All's Oneness!

In Touch with Personal Truth

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I thank the Creator for allowing me conversations with others about higher matters. This way, higher levels of beingness are brought into my conversations, forming a union of sorts among the souls participating in the “give and take” of the discussion.

While it’s true that no matter what ideas I express from whatever soul level, there are always even higher levels of truth. The truth about truth is that truth is layered. Humans don’t experience Absolute Truth. The only Absolute Truth is the Creator Himself. To know this kind of Truth is to be Him. One can’t know Him without being Him. To be Him is not to be human or any other kind of creation. That’s why all other levels in existence present only “relative truths”.

Still, I don’t think anyone has ever spiritually advanced by ignoring his/her personal take on truth. The Creator seems to like it when people are in touch with their personal truths; however “relative” these truths may be. Baal Shem Tov stories are replete with such episodes. It’s likely that the reason for this is because those people are truly doing the best they can. Since they’ve done their best, the Creator does the rest. He carries their efforts to an appropriate destination. It’s only just and fair. One can’t expect people to behave outside the box of their awareness and guidance.  

While I certainly believe in this notion and celebrate it, I still think there’s something more to the value of following a personal truth than a person doing his/her very best. I think that a personal truth is the piece of Absolute Truth which is appropriate for this person at this time to latch onto. It’s the piece of Absolute Truth which has been spiritually parceled out to this person. This piece is the seed by which the person will grow and extend his region of personal truth into new territory; taking in more of the surrounding body of truth.

On the other hand, if a person jumps and skips over this step in favor of an imposed position presented by someone else, the person has effectively abandoned his/her piece of Absolute Truth. The parcel has been forsaken. A real spiritual master works to bridge a disciple with the broader surrounding truth from the spot where s/he already is holding. It appears to me that this is the way the late Lubavitcher Rebbe worked with people. Whatever life role a person was playing, the Rebbe found a way to “widen scope”, leaving the core role intact, yet enlightened. He understood that a person’s role and perspective that came with it was his/her healthiest foundation for continued spiritual growth.

In addition to being a person’s point of contact with Absolute Truth, bearing one’s personal truth while acknowledging that there are more levels of truth to grow into, can be very humbling. Since the Creator favors humility, this might be an additional reason why actions which express personal truths seem to carry Divine favor.  

Based on this awareness, I pray to the Creator to please help me come more in touch with my own personal truths. At the same time I beg Him to continually expand the scope of my personal handle on truth. I implore Him to help me proceed with a constant awareness that there are always truths which are truly beyond my awareness at any given moment. If I knew these truths, they may fill the gaps, widen my scope of understanding or reach for greater depths. Yet, I beg Him to please prevent me, based on such considerations, from being too timid to stand up for my own personal truths, as valid positions continuous with His Absolute Truth.

I further pray to live in connection and harmonious cooperation with people who can help my perspective grow and expand.

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Partzuf !

This morning I was particularly inspired by what I reviewed in “Otzrot Chaim” regarding the development of “partzufim”, i.e. the divine attributes, “sefirahs”, expanded into fully developed structures. These attributes have lights and vessels, which serve as their souls and bodies.

Rav Chaim Vital explains that the lights don’t need to develop, only the vessels do. This parallels what I have learned in Chabad teachings that the soul is already holy and pure. She did not descend so much for herself as much as to refine her body and by extension the portion of the world assigned to her.

In the process of the development of divine attributes into “partzufim”, the vessels develop capacity to express more and more of the soul, i.e. the light. The light has huge potential. However, this potential can only be expressed on a lower (less energetic) realm if there’s a vessel present to do so.

For example, an embryo already has a soul assigned to it. However, until the embryo develops eyes and ears, the soul’s capacity for sight and hearing cannot be expressed on the earthly realm. These potentials would simply remain latent within the soul. Once the body or vessel develops eyes and ears, these potentials can be expressed.

I would presume that if the body could be genetically or medically enhanced, even more potentials of the soul than are typically expressed today can be expressed. For example, let’s say the wavelength ranges which the eyes and ears can perceive are expanded. Or let’s say mental functioning is enhanced. Maybe, these are developments for tomorrow.

It seems to me that a person’s possessions are also part of his/her personal “partzuf”. By means of possessions a person has the ability to express more and more of his/her soul on the earthly realm. For example, If one has more wealth, one can give to more causes and to the needy. Or in a nice home, one can perfect the kindness of hosting guests. Or with a car one can travel to do deeds of kindness. The list goes on and on... Basically, the totality of one’s “partzuf” includes his/her possessions. In a sense, they are tools which extend what one can do with one’s bodily organs even further.

The path of Torah and Mitzvahs is the path by which the soul uses her earthly vessels to express herself. Additionally, through Torah guidance and refinement, the body and/or possessions continue to develop into an even more enhanced “partzuf” - leading to even further soul expression or download down the road.

As part of one’s possessions, technology also fits into this picture. The fact remains that technology manifoldly increased what the soul can express. For example, today we can reach further with kindness, conversation and Torah. One can publish a Torah thought which will instantly be seen around the world.

Since the soul is layered, it is best to use technology to express the highest level of soul one can access. Then we’ve truly used technology properly in the self of being a cohesive “partzuf”. If a person uses technology to express his/her animal soul only, then it’s a wasted opportunity. However, if one distills messages from the highest accessible reaches of the divine soul and shares those messages with the world, it is so worth it.

Continuity with Oneness

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Rabbi Bachya Ibn Pequda taught me about the Creator's Oneness, while Rabbi Shneur Zalman taught me about the universe's continuity with His Oneness.

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