In the Garden

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

י-ה-ו-ה (the ‎"Essential Name") ‏

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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A Golden Mountain and Pearl Castle

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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