Messianic
Consciousness
After Gimel Tamuz
Part
2
"Concealed"
Consciousness
When
our identification with Mashiach becomes so strong that it
moves us to act on our own, our concern with Mashiach's
identity takes on a new dimension. The awareness that it is necessary
to identify Mashiach must flow out of the awakening of the
spark of Mashiach within each individual. By identifying the Mashiach
within, we will be able to identify and reveal the Mashiach
without.
The
Torah assures us that if someone says "I have toiled and I have found,
he may be believed." The inner effort required of every Jew is to
uncover his personal spark of Mashiach, his own power to boldly
and powerfully act messianically. Of course, a chassid draws
his inspiration to do this from the Rebbe, but in such a way
that he "internalizes" the Rebbe within him, so that the Rebbe's
spirit--which is the spirit of Mashiach--will appear in him.
Our sages said that Mashiach, like any true "find," comes
unexpectedly, which means that the individual must first direct his
attention away from seeking the collective Mashiach outside
himself, and try to uncover the personal Mashiach within him.
And further, in seeking his personal spark of Mashiach, he must
direct his attention away from the attempt to identify this
spark within himself, but rather focus entirely on doing Mashiach's
work and spreading his teachings faithfully. The unanticipated "find"
that results from this effort is the collective Mashiach, the
redeemer of Israel, outside of the individual.
The
two concepts of Mashiach's work and Mashiach's identity
as they were before Gimel Tamuz (the 3rd of Tamuz), must now take on a new
dimension. The Torah tells us that "the concealed things are the
province of God, but the revealed things are ours and our childrens'...."
Before Gimel Tamuz, Mashiach's work and identity were "revealed
things"; the Rebbe gave explicit instructions and directions,
producing in his followers a relative state of itkafia, in
which he was simply obeyed. (Complete mental clarity about an issue
also implies itkafia, since "the mind rules the heart";
if the mind is clear and strong, it forces the heart to submit
to it.) In the terminology of Kabbalah and Chassidut, this
level of "Mashiach's work" corresponds to the final hei
of God's essential Name Havayah, and this level of "Mashiach's
identity" corresponds to the letter vav of God's Name.
After
Gimel Tamuz, however, these two concepts must manifest the
level of the "concealed things." This is the level of ithapcha,
where the soul in its deepest state of consciousness identifies
naturally with Mashiach. (At this level the inner dimension of
the heart rules the mind.) In the terminology of Kabbalah and Chassidut,
this, higher level of "Mashiach's work" corresponds to the
first hei of God's Name, and the higher level of "Mashiach's
identity" corresponds to the yud of His Name.
|
yud
|
Mashiach's
identity |
the
hidden things;
ithapcha
|
|
hei
|
Mashiach's
work |
|
vav
|
Mashiach's
identity |
the
revealed things;
itkafia
|
|
hei
|
Mashiach's
work
|
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