Rebbe Nachman taught that it's good for a person to have a non-structured conversation with God on a daily basis for about an hour - a time for personal prayer. I find, for myself, that one of the interesting affects of this practice is that it improves my communal prayer as well.
Why?
My soul seems to yearn for both kinds of prayer. And by allowing each it's own outlet, the other has breathing space to flourish on its own unique terms.
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God's revelation which fills the world is known as the "Shechinah", from the Hebrew word "Shochen" which alternatively means neighbor or to dwell. The idea is that God, so to speak, dwells in a sacred place. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe pointed out, during his inaugural address (upon accepting his role), the term "Shechinah" is a very relative term. Each level of reality has its own level indwelling divine presence. Even on our lowly earthly level the "Shechinah" is more powerfully present in certain places than others. There's an unequal distribution, leading to certain areas being holier than others. Generally speaking, the higher the level of reality the more intense is the revelation of God's presence, the "Shechinah".
Yet, during the address, the Rebbe hit his audience with a surprisingly new and astounding concept. He went on to explain that though there are many, many levels of "Shechinah", counterintuitively the highest level of "Shechinah" is destined to dwell in the lowest possible receptacle; namely, on our earthly level, within us and amongst us. He referred to this highest level as the "main Shechinah" and identified it with a yet to be manifest level of the Infinite Light.
Furthermore, he noted that earth-based consciousness shares something in common with God, an absolute sense of independence. In theory, one can look about the physical universe and never realize that it's existence depends on a higher source. Other than God Himself, no entity in all the other levels of reality exist with such a feeling. There are no atheists among the angels, even among the lowest of them. While it is true that the capacity for such a feeling is produced by an illusion, still its existence needs to be sourced somewhere above; following the mystical principle of, "As below, so above". By process of elimination, there is only one available source for this sensation, God Himself.
Diverging from the Rebbe's explanation to introduce a compatible principle I learned from the Ashlag school: In spiritual space, similarity affects closeness and dissimilarity affects distance. All spiritual levels of reality is dissimilar to God in a major way, as they all feel that their existence is dependent on an entity beyond. It's only earthly reality, with a blatant no strings attached sensation and attitude, who share a bond of similarity with God Himself, as expressed in the "Main Shechinah". Though this sensation and it's resulting attitude is the product of an illusion, it's still a manifestation of a truth existing in God Himself.
How does the highest revelation reaching the lowest receptacle possibly play out in the cosmic system of Lurianic Kabbalah?
What I am about to present is likely "too high for me". I will do my best and leave it to the great sages of Jewish mystical thought to determine whether what I present is the truth.
Going back to the cosmic beginnings as described in the work "Etz Chaim", at first there was only Infinite Light. Then the Infinite Light withdrew in uniform fashion, leaving a spherically shaped empty space; whose purpose was to house all subsequent levels of reality, spiritual and physical.
(Obviously, this description cannot be literal, as it suggests the development of a gap within the Infinite Light, which would undermine the whole notion of infinity. Jewish mystics have wrestled with this problem for centuries. Most have concluded that from the perspective of the Infinite Light, the withdrawal never really happened. Thus, the Infinite Light remains whole without any gaps. However, from the perspective of created beings the withdrawal of the Infinite Light feels real. It's like the relationship between a dream character and a dreamer. From the dream character's perspective, the dreamscape is real. From the dreamer's perspective, it never really even happened. In solving this paradox, the Jewish mystics came up with the original theory of relativity.)
After the withdrawal, a lingering trace of Infinite Light remained behind; an afterglow of what once was. There are two ways to view this afterglow. The usual view is that it's just the insignificant leftovers of the Infinite Light. The way one Kabbalist described it to me is to imagine the immense ocean. Within that vastness exists a tiny air bubble. Contained within that tiny air bubble is a slight wisp of moisture. That slight wisp of moisture in relation to the great ocean is a parable to the relationship between the afterglow and the Infinite Light.
However, the Lubavitch school prefers a different way to view the afterglow. It's a survivor! It survived the withdrawal, indicating that it was much too powerful for the withdrawal to have any affect on it. Thus, it must derive from the highest aspect of the Infinite Light. In effect, the whole process of the withdrawal acts a distillation of the Infinite Light to bring forth the afterglow - a distilled essence!
Combining the view of the Lubavitch school with the notion that the withdrawal of the Infinite Light repeated another nine times, it might be possible to say that the level of afterglow present in our physical universe is a distillation of a distillation of a distillation... or an afterglow of an afterglow of an afterglow... Here's how.
Reb Shlomo Antebi taught me that the withdrawal repeated another nine times. As with a trunk of a tree, each expansion outward left a ring in its wake, which delineates the previous outer boundary. However, unlike a tree where the rings are cylindrical, here the rings are entirely spherical; roughly like the layers of an onion. This demonstrates that the previous outer boundaries never entirely disappear (and indeed they play a role later on in the cosmic process serving as channels to guide the lights of the "circular sefirot" in a circular/spherical manner).
From the outside, what motivated another nine withdrawals of the Infinite Light or from the inside, nine outward expansions of the afterglow? I cannot say for sure. However, with God's help I tentatively posit is that just like so much else in the cosmic process what first appears on scene requires further refinement to remove what does not entirely belong. Thus, it's possible that the afterglow came mixed in with strains of divine light which did not entirely feel capable of carrying on without a dependency on, a connection with, their origin beyond the outer membrane of the emptied space.
In response, these strains of light pulled away from the center and congregated along the inner wall of the membrane, pushing outward to their source - just like one banging on the wall of a trap hoping that someone outside will respond. In response, the Infinite Light on the outside withdrew again. In the wake of its withdrawal, new kinds of afterglow lights were introduced into the emptied space, which unified with some of the strains who yearned to return back to the Infinite Light; pacifying them.
However, not every strain was paired off. Accordingly, the processing repeated itself again and again. Each time, some level of internal afterglow was matched up with a newly introduced level of afterglow and thus, pacified. The process that I imagine in my mind at this moment could be even more dynamic than this. It could be that some of what was "introduced and matched" soon lose their state of satisfaction and push outward for something more. Pretty soon what was a single sphere of emptied space, filled with one generic grade of afterglow, expanded into series of ten concentric spheres, each filled with its own unique grade of afterglow. Thus, the afterglow redistributed with only the strain bearing the greatest sense of independence nestled in the center of all the surrounding spheres; for it has not moved from its place to seek connection. Such is the nature of being independent.
Perhaps, there was a limit to how many times the membrane around the empty space could stretch outward. Accordingly, the Infinite Light's efforts to satisfy any further needs for connection required a new approach. Thus, a thin tenuous channel of light was introduced into the empty space. Still, centermost sphere where the afterglow is strongest resisted the inflow of this channel of light. Feeling highly independent, she did not yearn for even a connection flowing downward into her zone. Rather than passively receive it, she actively resisted it by enclosing herself in a protective husk. Who is she holding out for? Whose her true match?
She loyally awaits an aspect of the Infinite Light which reflects God's own sense of independence, what the Lubavitcher Rebbe referred to as the Main "Shechinah". It's what she's uniquely a vessel for. When that unique aspect flows down the channel, she opens up. Thus, at that time God's own sense of independence will be manifest down here.
What's our contribution to the process? Holy folly!
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In the Garden of Eden, all food was fruit. One would eat fruit and instantly enlighten with new knowledge. The two acts, eating and learning, parted ways only afterwards.
~Rebbe Tzodok HaCohen
The other week's Torah portion begins with God telling Moses, "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with the name א-ל ש-די (literally, "Almighty Power"), but by name י-ה-ו-ה (the "Essential Name") I did not become known to them." (Exodus 6:3)
I have a few questions on this:
1) The name י-ה-ו-ה denotes God as He chooses to act beyond the constraints of nature. Can we truly say that the supernatural miracles which our Patriarchs benefited from were not considered "above nature"?
2) In Judaism the prophetic experience is very tied in with the name י-ה-ו-ה. To the best of my knowledge, our Patriarchs were second only to Moses in prophecy. How could they not have had encounters with the name י-ה-ו-ה when they entered into prophecy?
3) It seems likely that what God was relating to Moses was not only for him, but for the entire Israelite nation. How can ordinary Israelites be treated to a spiritual experience which was denied to the Patriarchs, when the Patriarchs were much greater prophets than they were?
Perhaps, an answer could be that when God addressed Moses, He was not referring to the revelation of the name י-ה-ו-ה in the higher worlds, as experienced in prophecy. Rather, God was referring to the consistent revelation of His name י-ה-ו-ה down here on earth. The consistency of this name's earthly revelation did not happen for the Patriarchs, even with occasional miracles. It's a consistency which can only occur through the Torah.
The ability to access God as He acts "down here" by the name י-ה-ו-ה, began during the period of the Exodus from Egypt, when the Torah began to become a reality in every Israelite's life. Through the Torah, every Israelite was given the ability to access God as He is beyond nature even if His own response ends up clothed within nature.
This has nothing necessarily to do with being "spiritual". The name י-ה-ו-ה is about having a close relationship with God. It's about love! Often, what's "spiritual" is another version of the natural, which simply plays by a different set of rules and considerations. That kind of "spiritual" was the expertise of Pharaohs' sorcerers. Hence, it's not surprising that Pharaoh did not know God's name י-ה-ו-ה.
However, when someone is in a relationship with God and knows that nature is just Him presented differently, then it seems to me that such a person is experiencing the name י-ה-ו-ה. Even within nature, such a person has an active relationship with God's reality beyond nature.
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In the first of thirteen tales authored by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, there is an image of a golden mountain and a pearl castle. There, a lost princess awaits discovery by the King's, her father's, viceroy. After a couple of near misses, part of an exhaustive and adventurous search, a wind eventually carries the viceroy to the place of the golden mountain and pearl castle. There, Rebbe Nachman assures us that he finds her, though he does not explain how. My hunch is that he left that part of the story for the Messiah to fill in.
The imagery of the story is beautifully explained by successive generations of Rebbe Nachman’s followers. However, recently there dawned on me a new interpretation of the golden mountain and pearl castle; one which uniquely resonates for me and seems entirely consistent with Rebbe Nachman’s teachings.
The golden mountain might represent Torah and the pearl castle might represent prayer. Gold is a precious item which is produced by a process of continual refinement. It’s melted, melted again and again until reaching a state purity which utterly abandons any trace of impurity. Only then, is it considered suitably precious. Such is the nature of Torah. It’s a continuous discussion and debate, a purification process which abandons any trace of falsehood, to expose God’s truth for humanity.
In contrast, a pearl is created around a speck of impurity. It's creation is stimulated by an oyster protecting itself from being irritated by the impurity. Despite its exquisite beauty, at the heart of a pearl lay its impurity; entirely intact. Such is the nature of prayer. It builds around what irritates a person. Prayer does not wash or burn away the impurity which stimulated it. Quite the contrary, prayer incorporates it and builds layer upon layer around it.
Thus, the golden mountain and pearl castle, represent the twin forces of Torah and prayer; the unity of mind and the heart reaching out to God, each in their own style.
Though the story does not literally say it this way, I imagine that the pearl castle is perched on top of the golden mountain, the way the Holy Temple is perched on top of Mount Moriah. This would place what’s constructed of pearl above what’s solidified of gold, indicating in a certain sense, a supremacy of prayer over Torah. Perhaps, the supremacy comes from prayer’s ability to include impurities in a way which Torah can’t; thus, elevating what’s truly lowly.
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In Judaism,
Whether Kabbalist,
Or Philosopher,
The "Ceiling" above,
Evades the tongue.
All that's discussed is,
The nature and décor,
Of the walls and floor.
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