{"id":1404,"date":"2017-06-02T03:41:07","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T03:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2018\/10\/21\/1401-revision-v1\/"},"modified":"2019-09-02T03:45:18","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T03:45:18","slug":"shavuot-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/06\/02\/shavuot-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Shavuot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nThis essay offers a meditation on the meaning of the festivals, and especially of course Shavuot. Since Shai merely alludes in passing to Rashi\u2019s interpretations, Midrashic accounts, and Kabbalistic teachings, any fuller explanation even of some of his allusions must be longer than his account [EZ*]. <\/span>\n*Many thanks to Dr. Evan Zuesse for providing the commentary for this essay.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"{Part 1 – 17\/05\/2017}<\/p>\n

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nPart 1 – Exodus 19 tells of when Israel came to Mt. Sinai, 7 weeks after leaving Egypt, celebrated ever after as the festival of Shavuot. This involved almost two months of travel, and Israel arrived on the third new moon (counting as the first new moon the Pesach period which commenced the Exodus). The arrival at Sinai, and therefore Shavuot, signals the coming together of Israel and God, and culminates a process that Shai notes first began with Moses\u2019s personal encounter with the Burning Bush at the foot of Mt. Sinai, which first set him on his mission to bring out Israel from Egypt. So fire, condensed light, is a crucial symbolism in this Burning Bush-Sinai revelation process, moving from personal revelation to communal covenantal redemption. As the Burning Bush indicates, fire is contained in all things, sustaining them, but when realized as coming from God it does not destroy but instead opens a way to illumination and transcendence. Through suffering comes elevation. The sacrificial offering is consumed by fire, and the half-shekel coin that is taken from each person in the census is according to a Midrash of the Rabbis fiery on one side. Citing Kabbalistic accounts Shai links this to the process that began the universe, in which the primal expansive fiery energies of HaShem were so powerful they burst their first material forms, producing a preliminary chaos, termed \u201cthe death of kings\u201d in the mystical texts. This era of shattered vessels was the first stage of the further creation of the universe. Its \u201cshells\u201d remain with us as the material form of things, which separate each thing and being from connection with others and block harmony. According to the Kabbalah, God intended from the start to create humanity so that it would join with him in healing the material world\u2019s brokenness, releasing the light residing in the shattered vessels, i.e., in this material world of separation and conflict, at last connecting everything together and making the world holy and whole again. We do this by performing sanctifications that rejoin material things and situations to their source in God. This is holiness, Israel\u2019s task. However, the development of the world and of humanity to that ultimate fulfilment can only proceed step by step, takes a very long time and involves many mistakes, sins and suffering. The history of humanity commences with brokenness and alienation (the sin of Adam and Eve and their Expulsion from Eden; Cain\u2019s murder of his brother Abel, etc.), and the promise of healing reconciliation rises level by level as the cycles recur, bringing the world step by step closer to the Messianic Era and beyond. So Israel\u2019s arrival at Mt. Sinai and entry into the explicitly laid-out Covenant there marks a major turning point in the whole history of the universe. It culminates its own specific cycle that began with Moses personally discovering the fire within the Burning Bush, the divine light hidden in the things of this material world, and draws to a conclusion when Moses leads the entire people to Mt. Sinai so that they too will enter that world of divine light through accepting and understanding the Ten Commandments, the Tablets of the Torah, the condensed wisdom of God. When they do this, we are told in Exodus 19, they fulfil their destiny. They become a \u201ctreasured people\u201d who as \u201ca Kingdom of Priests and a holy nation\u201d will now begin the process of raising up all of humanity through constant sanctifications of the world. That is why Shavuot provides, along with all the other festivals, a healing of time and of humanity.<\/span>\nShai mentions the analogy of the connection of Israel to God at Mt. Sinai to the stages of engagement and marriage specified in Jewish law – there must be a period of separation between the engaged fiancees before they are brought together in marriage. The Covenant at Sinai joining God and Israel is often likened to the marriage contract of Kiddushin, Sanctification, by the prophets, implicitly in the Song of Songs, in Halakhah, and in the Kabbalistic literature. [EZ].
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Rashi Shemot.19.1<\/p>\n

Shavuot<\/em> is a rectification of time* which unites the burning bush and the 10 commandments (and Yitro<\/em> and Moshe<\/em>, cf. Hevel<\/em> and Cain<\/em> [cf. the shattering of the vessel of the 10th commandment which broke all the others]). Rashi<\/em> reveals (by contraction of sod<\/em> into pshat<\/em>) that when this verse is read on Shavuot<\/em>, particular\/expanded personal rectifications are possible. This is why it is 7*7, because Moshe<\/em> is like shin<\/em>, and Yitro like reish<\/em>, but ayin<\/em> times zayin<\/em> brings about the 8th king of Edom<\/em> which was escaped on Purim<\/em> by transcending identity\/gender [btw samech<\/em> looks like s’in<\/em>]. Thus from rectification at Bryia<\/em>, is the tzitzum of<\/em> the rectification of Atzilut<\/em>.<\/p>\n

* The biblical festivals are like the fire half the coin of Teruma, whereas mortally evoked (although actually divine as well, per mystery of Bereishit<\/em> in Mishkan<\/em>) festivals are mortal rectifications of time, and this is like Shabat which is trans-eternal.**<\/p>\n

** Re. half-coin fire, this is also seen at 19.9, cf. comments below at 19.5-8, since here is half of mishna<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[Rashi on 19.3, Ben tchelet lelavan<\/em>.]\n

[Rashi on 19.4 AND YOU HAVE SEEN: Cf. Jesus, cf. Jew’s dying (sanctification of the name, shema<\/em>) to avoid the world suffering more]\n

[\u05e2\u05dc \u05db\u05e0\u05e4\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd – the Nora of theodicy: God rescues us by our power to survive suffering, we should not be able nor allowed to suffer so much, nb. the nun<\/em> in nesharim<\/em>]\n

[19.5-8 – contracts the Mishna Shema\u00a0 <\/em>– nb. Rashi at A TREASURE does not contradict since this is the tzimtzum<\/em> of Israel, which is alone only by way of mystery, cf. Mishna Brachot<\/em> all, which contains this explanation<\/p>\n

[19.12 – alludes to the Kabbalah<\/em> of Ein Sof<\/em><\/p>\n

[Rashi on 19.15 DO NOT GO NEAR – can see Har Sinai<\/em> as the wedding, but it is also an expansion of the time between the contract and the yichud, which is while the groom waits for the wife to be purified (mesha’a shehakohaim<\/em>), and thus warns her with kina<\/em>. Also Rashi on 19.17\u00a0 TOWARDS GOD\u00a0 one reason he explained, because of this weaving of time.<\/p>\n

[19.16 – we see time at the third day of creation, and our gilgulim<\/em> are within that single day<\/p>\n

Rashi 19.19 – cf. the unfolding of time, and also cf. Ramban on Emor<\/em> that it is a saying re kol<\/em><\/p>\n

Rashi on 19.20 cf. a “finger” of the miracle of the split sea<\/p>\n

(( 19.21 e.g. religions that devolved the Ein Sof<\/em> into idol worship, yet per 19.22 there is revelation through the contract of Sinai, the Jews, to allow the Ein Sof to occur despite man’s tendency to idol worship (aka think they know anything)<\/p>\n

-> Rashi on\u00a0 19.24 GO DESCEND – this is due to the iterative nature of idol worship; each time we think we understand something we stop “seeking to understand that which is beyond us” and idol worship<\/p>\n

20.1 another place to see the story of “creation”, to see this for eg. see the 5\/(6 – oops)-letter name as the same; and also to see the building of the Mishkan<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"{Part 2 – 17\/05\/2017}<\/p>\n

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nPart 2 reflects on the status of our desires, expressing our life-force, or vital soul, nefesh. Although the source of selfish evil acts harming others, it is also the source of life-affirmation and wholesomeness when directed to good. So it should not be utterly suppressed nor viewed as evil in itself, even if Christianity tended to do this [EZ<\/sub>].<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.chabad.org\/parshah\/article_cdo\/aid\/3671013\/jewish\/Behar-Bechukotai-Haftarah-Companion.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

“They said: \u201cSince this is a time of [Divine] grace, let us pray for mercy that the tempter towards sin3 [be given to our hands].\u201d They prayed for mercy, and he was handed over to them. He [the temptation] said to them: \u201cRealize that if you kill me, the world goes down.\u201d They imprisoned him for three days, then looked in the whole land of Israel for a fresh egg and could not find it.”<\/p>\n

Broken rectification that led (through e.g. Judeo-Christian, but also further abreast in non-derived cultures) to sexuality become an alien fire because they tried to rectify too far. For although the purpose of life can be called “love your creator” this does not abolish or overrule or suffice for “love your other (zot)”. Cf. rectifying idol worship whilst committing idol worship (aka thinking that we know what it is, ever, anything). Thus still needs to be fixed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n{Part 3 – 17\/05\/2017}<\/p>\n

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nPart 3 suggests that Reform or non-Orthodox congregations might reorganize the sanctuary space so that the bema is in the middle, and flowering plants be part of the surrounding rows of seats.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

An idea for liberal\/reform Mishkan: re-modularize service, placing Torah reading on a pedestal as the “voodo part”, then concentric circles (and vines and flowers) outwards of personal well being and (matters regarding the journeying towards) infinite transcendence.<\/p>\n

\"\"{Part 4 – 17\/05\/2017}<\/p>\n

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nPart 4 refers to halachic discussions of why we begin the Omer counting only after the second day of Pesach, and why we continue to number the days that have passed even after Lag B\u2019Omer when some Sages argued we should start counting by the number of days remaining for our arrival at Sinai [EZ<\/sub>].<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Tet vav bet, 9 + 6 + 2 = 17, 17+33=50<\/span>, would start counting down after lag ba’omer<\/em>, but don’t change styles. Whereas the second day was not good[1]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"{Part 5 – 25\/5\/2017}<\/p>\n

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nPart 5 discusses the festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Purim as reflections on the imperfections of the self and how we should nevertheless press on with self-improvement. Even in the bad, there can be good hidden (e.g., Esther marries out, to King Ahashaverus, but this ends up saving the Jews from genocide), so we should go out from Egypt as quickly as possible, even accepting half-baked bread [EZ<\/sub>].<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Shavuot<\/em> is like the fulfilment of Purim<\/em> and Pesach<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In Purim<\/em>, we realize that anything could be discovered to be good, and anything good could later in history be said to be bad.<\/p>\n

On Pesach<\/em>, we acknowledge that we have an imperfect perspective, but say, “So what! Now I am free! I’ll work out the details later. I’m in a hurry I’ll eat matza”. This is the model of freedom we begin with.<\/p>\n

Through the counting of the Omer<\/em>, we languish as we feel how much work we would have to invest if ever we were to transform our pathetic faking self into our true blossoming eternity.<\/p>\n

After 33 we can see the end. We were so hateful to each other because we hated ourselves. When we can imagine that we are more than half-way, then we can imagine that other’s could become so too, and more, as well.<\/p>\n

Technical:<\/p>\n

Purim<\/em> is like the woman becoming free, which is the Malchut<\/em>. But it occurs hester<\/em>\/Esther, in a hidden way. Thus it is a window (that is our landscape and perspectives) which becomes a hinge of hinges (a doorway of a doorway of doors). This is a Bina<\/em>, which relates to the word Pesach<\/em>, which is also full of Bina<\/em>. Thus we awaken within ourselves our own intellectual genius, it is not a genius of facts or figures, but of flexible construction within our sphere of thinking.<\/p>\n

How does this happen?<\/p>\n

We discover that more and more things we thought we knew, were false idols.<\/p>\n

And didn’t we always know that everyone was doing everything wrong?<\/p>\n

When combined with Torah, this hinges of hinges burns into an archer that is also the fire from which it was lit.<\/p>\n

This is like the metaphor of the childbirth, which arrives after the wedding at Matan<\/em> Torah<\/em> when Shema Yisrael<\/em> says ed and that recreates the crossing of the red sea behind them<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Thus we make all of history a gift to all of the future. Which is ourselves to be, forever and more.<\/p>\n

\"\"{Part 6 – 1\/6\/2017}<\/p>\n

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nPart 6 is a further meditation on the same thing, but the references are too elusive to follow the full chain of reasoning [EZ<\/sub>].<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n