| Kabbalah
and Education A Kabbalistic Approach to Spiritual Growth |
|||||||
| Kabbalah and Jewish Meditation |
Part
55 The
fifth skill of formulating a detailed plan of instruction takes place at the
level of the sefirah of netzach ("victory") and of
hod ("thanksgiving"). These two sefirot, which
represent the two halves of the body (particularly the two legs), always
appear as a pair. While the arms and hands can (and generally do) operate
independently of each other, the legs cannot, for walking is necessarily a
cooperative venture. For this reason, the metaphors for netzach and
hod always depict two mutually dependent halves of a pair as in the two
arms of the scale of justice. Interestingly,
the Hebrew word for "scales" (moznanim) has the same
numerical value as netzach. Just as in a scale, when the balance
tips, there is a winner and a loser, so in the relationship of netzach
and hod. On the one side is victory, decision-making, ability to make
correct, practical life
decisions on the spot. On the other is thanksgiving, agreement, and the
ability to concede to another's decision, surrender resistance, eliminate
doubts and put full energy behind its actualization. This is the source of
strength in the fulfillment of the decision. The sefirot of netzach and hod also relate to the kidneys, which are called the "seat of practical advice." The ability to weigh information, diagnose the problem, and design a strategy of rectification requires analysis, but of a more pragmatic sort than that performed by the sefirah of binah ("understanding"). Analysis of practical life situations (obstacles and the way to overcome them) involves careful contemplation, much more so than that which takes place at the level of mind. Yet often the entire complexity of the matter must be instantaneously processed in reaction to an immediate event and a final decision delivered on the spot. From the narrative of the Torah, we see that Moses was the decision-maker, the prophet, the transmitter of God's instruction, while Aaron was the peacemaker. It was Moses' task to relay the word of God exactly as he had received it. But it was Aaron's task to demonstrate that human words can be altered for the sake of peace. Together, Moses and Aaron brought into reality the vision of the Patriarchs who preceded them. They led the metamorphosis of the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob from a collection of individuals into the nation of Israel. They led the redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt to their encounter with God at Mt. Sinai; they built the Tabernacle; they brought the nation to the boundaries of the Holy Land. Their roles were equally essential. Moses
is called "good" (tov) in the Book of Exodus: "she
[his mother] saw him, that he was good." 'Good’ is the essential
property of 'light' as we read in the Book of Genesis: "And God saw the light, that it was good."
Based on this equation, the sages teach that when Moses was born, the
whole house was filled with light. Another opinion suggests that the
description of Moses as "good" means that he was born circumcised;
he was born good in that no further rectification was necessary, there was
no physical impurity to block the light of his soul. This is another way of
connecting him with the role of decision-maker. To be born circumcised is
also a metaphorical way of saying that his first and spontaneous impulse was
always reliably good, correct and constructive. It did not need fixing or
removal of impurities.
This
is also the idea of "the good oil" referred to in the Book of
Psalms--an oil that was used for anointing the head. The "good" is
Moses; the "oil" is Aaron: Behold how good (Moses) and how pleasant (Aaron) it is for brothers (Moses and Aaron) to dwell together in unity! It is like the good oil upon the head (Moses), running down the beard, the beard of Aaron
|
A new chapter of Kabbalah and Education is both: uploaded to the web every week and also sent out via the Inner Dimension (free) weekly Torah message email list.
|
