{"id":1602,"date":"2017-06-03T21:53:21","date_gmt":"2017-06-03T21:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/?p=1602"},"modified":"2019-09-02T03:37:29","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T03:37:29","slug":"naso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/06\/03\/naso\/","title":{"rendered":"Naso"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editorial notes<\/strong>:
\nThe worldly focus of Torah teaches that daily life on earth, with all its trivialities, trials and difficulties, is the realm that is given to us to sanctify and raise up. So, the path to the sublime leads through things we mistakenly take to be ordinary and even obstacles. Suffering really can elevate one to deeper wisdom. Each situation is actually a gateway to God, when seen to be a \u201csynecdoche\u201d or part that stands for the whole. In this way everything becomes symbolic, \u201cThe world is a dream within a dream, and all lights mask greater darknesses, which when uncovered reveal greater lights.\u201d <\/span>\nShai gives as examples of blessings and illumination emerging through hurdles, suffering and confusion, several Biblical accounts. For example, there was Jacob\u2019s dream of wrestling with Esau\u2019s angel the night before he meets his brother whom he knows may attempt to kill him (in this encounter, Esau\u2019s angel ends up giving him a divine blessing that reveals him to be \u201cIsrael\u201d – one who strives heroically with and for God, and triumphs). Then there was Rivka the little girl who left home and safety to marry an unknown man, in the process getting a blessing from her brother Laban that foreshadows the whole of Jewish history to the end of time (Gen. 24:60: \u201cOur sister, may you come to be the mother of thousands of myriads, and may your offspring inherit the gate of its foes\u201d). There is the Mishnah and Gemara account of the Sotah ordeal of a woman accused of adultery (see Num. 5:11-31 and B.T., Tractate Sotah), in which she must drink the dissolved ink of the written indictment, which includes the blessings and curses that relate to innocence or guilt; she proves her purity by not being poisoned by the drink. <\/span>\nSo, we learn from these examples that precisely the things that test and pain us and seem so dark, can become the source of great blessings, the gates of enlightenment and joy, and even ways to God. The reference at the end of this essay to \u201cThe Leper\u2019s Gate\u201d relates to another such instance, the account in 2 Kings 7:3ff., in which four starving lepers at the gate of a besieged city in Samaria, where there was literally no food for anyone, despairingly decide that since they are close to death anyway they have nothing to lose if they go off to the enemy\u2019s camp to beg for food. So they walk to the enemy\u2019s ramparts that night, and discover that the entire army has fled, leaving all behind. Food, gold, and every other valuable thing are there for the taking. They eat and then gather gold and other riches for themselves, but finally decide to alert the city, and the starving people of the city now have far more than enough food, they plunder the enemy camp and Israel rejoices. [EZ*]. <\/span>\n*Many thanks to Dr. Evan Zuesse for providing the commentary for this essay.
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Just notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Appendix “Stuff thought”<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The cities are won by seeking paths which are synecdoches to what is sought\n
      \n
    1. [In case I forget why this was hard to see before: E.g. Let’s say I wanted a meaningful friendship, e.g. lamed-zayin<\/em>-ish, but there were no ways to seek any improvements here, instead it is enough to seek lamed and zayin (e.g. tell someone directions, appreciate compliment), this is like 6 days work followed by Shabat<\/em> which is like Noah’s flood, or Asher’s treasury which Solomon built. Nb. The world is a dream within a dream, and all lights mask greater darknesses, which when uncovered reveal greater lights.<\/li>\n
    2. That sounds mundane, which it also is. But this is the only way to make the Yosef-prison + Merkavah + Yissaschar work at once that I could find.\n
        \n
      1. This dual holy\/mundane is seen in bechol levavcha & me’odecha<\/em>, furthermore, regarding Shavuot<\/em> as a culmination of promise to be rescued from Egypt, [[?thus purifying the mixed multitudes, which are the Esav<\/em> within the person who has not subdued their lower soul utterly.]<\/li>\n
      2. I argue (re this being right), but with doubts, that Rivka<\/em>‘s blessing from uncle (?father), is fulfilled by Yaakov<\/em> receiving Esav<\/em>‘s gates, which Yosef<\/em> receives too. And (2) that erasing name for a\u00a0sota<\/em>, is like reducing “impression of name’s perfect appearance”, which is like Moshe<\/em> confusing the length of the exile, because he didn’t know which name was broken for Yosef<\/em>.<\/li>\n
      3. I think v significant that there are many gates, and many ways of counting them, and that their internal mechanisms can be frames of each other. [I saw this elsewhere] [I think the key to their unity is the Torah<\/em>, cf. Aica<\/em>, cf. commentary on aleph<\/em> representing singularity of Torah<\/em> and Israel]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
      4. Thus allows getting to anything (real, not anything illusory)<\/li>\n
      5. Shavuot<\/em> connects Yitro<\/em>, which is all that is the not-burning bush, is like Yitro arriving at Har Sinai<\/li>\n
      6. This is like Torah<\/em> (house) inside doorway (world) inside a house (Torah<\/em>), and thus for Yosef<\/em> allows his blessings, but this is true in general, both mundane and holy\n
          \n
        1. Aka “How to ask for blessings”<\/li>\n
        2. Nb. Can incorporate (1) Letter to World\/Akeida<\/em>, (2) Merkavah<\/em>‘s 4 faces, and (3) Torah\/shabat<\/em> into dal\/poor-man, (4) draft for freeing Yosef<\/em> from prison.\n
            \n
          1. For “The Leper’s Gate”, this allows getting off the boat whilst remaining a faithful (i.e. an innocent Sota<\/em>) – the path of suffering, but in a holy causal timeline.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Editorial notes: The worldly focus of Torah teaches that daily life on earth, with all its trivialities, trials and difficulties, is the realm that is given to us to sanctify and raise up. So, the path to the sublime leads through things we mistakenly take to be ordinary and even obstacles. Suffering really can elevate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[159,164,167,160,168],"tags":[185,176],"metadata":[155,101,312],"class_list":["post-1602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","category-gmail-drafts","category-judaism","category-kabbalah","category-torah-commentary","tag-185","tag-176","metadata-brain-storming","metadata-editor_notes","metadata-evan-zuesse"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":563,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2016\/11\/04\/a-phenomenological-reading\/","url_meta":{"origin":1602,"position":0},"title":"A phenomenological reading","author":"Pala","date":"November 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial notes: This essay can be categorised as the first in a series of 18 expositions comprising Shai\u2019s Consolidation work. Shai commences his analysis by stipulating that the core ideas found in the \u201cIndus Canon\u201d \u2013 apparently referring to the wisdom of the East \u2013 provide a better philosophical reach\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A Bashful Hope"","block_context":{"text":"A Bashful Hope","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/blog-posts\/a-bashful-hope\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1479,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/05\/11\/letter-to-a-jewish-nation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1602,"position":1},"title":"Letter to a Jewish Nation","author":"Pala","date":"May 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I could never find an audience in my mind, and so I have invented the unborn child\u2019s face to address. Hello, child of Judah and Benjamin and Levi, sons of Israel, son of the one who was laughed at, son of the Nations. I don\u2019t know what your parents taught\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":764,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2015\/10\/16\/perceptions-of-wisdom-in-the-talmud-with-emmanuel-levinas\/","url_meta":{"origin":1602,"position":2},"title":"Perceptions of wisdom in the Talmud with Emmanuel Levinas","author":"Pala","date":"October 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial notes: On this day Shai publishes his\u00a0first post\u00a0dedicated specifically to Judaism. This is significant as it is the beginning of the fourth phase in Shai\u2019s intellectual journey. After having first devoted a substantial body of writing to scientific inquiry and to the study of ancient and classical Western philosophers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1","src":"https:\/\/travelleristhejourney.files.wordpress.com\/2015\/10\/1.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1639,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/06\/21\/korach\/","url_meta":{"origin":1602,"position":3},"title":"Korach","author":"Pala","date":"June 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In my heart, the real challenge awakened into quarrel\u2019s inner courtrooms by Korach is the essence of post-theodic[I] egalitarianism[II], i.e. if all are facets of the same diamond, and all the centre of the stage, then why arrange ourselves by systems that force us to interact with each other and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1474,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/03\/16\/tetzaveh\/","url_meta":{"origin":1602,"position":4},"title":"Tetzaveh","author":"Pala","date":"March 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"{Part 1 - 7\/3\/2017} Plan: Some ways of seeing Haazinu Segue into phenomenological vectorized matrix metaphor for Torah Segue into Moshe Midrash re negotiation after golden caf Segue into \"ve'atah\" analytic inverse of Moshe Segue into \"tezaveh\" Via linking Teruma \"vayikchu\" side-track otiyot to add depth to \"tetzaveh\" by \"ve'ata\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/kisspng-black-and-white-monochrome-grey-divider-5ab8b367372326.6136383115220539912259-300x15.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1404,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/06\/02\/shavuot-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1602,"position":5},"title":"Shavuot","author":"Pala","date":"June 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial notes: This 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*]. *Many thanks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/kisspng-black-and-white-monochrome-grey-divider-5ab8b367372326.6136383115220539912259-300x15.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/sadotI-naso","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1602"},{"taxonomy":"metadata","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/metadata?post=1602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}