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One of the most influential and important figures in Jewish Mysticism ( commonly referred to as Kabalah, with a 'K' ), is the "Holy Ari", the Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי , OMB.
Almost all that is known of the Arizal's teachings come from the writing of his protege, Rabbi Chaim Vital, because, it is assumed, The Holy Ari never wrote a book himself. That's not true. The Holy Ari left us a nusach ( a formulation of ritual ) which he practiced daily. Because of this, one can learn directly from the master, if they choose. The way to do this is to render the nusach into its essence, like rendering oil from olives in one's palm. Turning, and turning, tighter, and tighter.
Several months ago, this idea of rendering the essence of the Holy Ari's teachings from his nusach came up in conversation with a dear friend when they asked me what I do while I'm praying. I've never taken the time to type out how I do, what I do, when I pray. It happens naturally. I recite these words daily, often multiple times a day. I've been doing so for 20+ years. It's reflexive. Autonomous. I've never been asked to teach anyone this technique, because, my students are young bar-mitzvah boys. 11,12, 13 year old kids. They just recite the words, and aren't paying attention to much else beyond that. But, as I explained to my friend what I do, and how I do it, I realized that what I was describing might be welcome or at least interesting to others here who appreciate devotional prayer from the Hebrew traditions and theology.
The technique I intend to employ to render the essence from the nusach is called "Te'Vunah". TeVunah is the imperfect, future-progressive, conjugation of Binah, Her Majesty, the "Secret of Understanding". It's a technique taught by the 2nd Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Mittler Rebbe. It's not complicated, but it can be time consuming at first. With practice, it's remarkable how quickly one can derive the energetic principles and their correspondence, among each other, and from realm to realm. These principles, correspondence, and transitions as they manifest in the heart-and-mind are the layers which when brought together are the functional components which are producing the profound effects, above and below.
Layering. Quite possibly the most important foundational concept for any ritual magician.
Over the next several days. I hope to show the first two or three "passes" of TeVunah over the Nusach Ari, for Birkas-Shema, in the morning daily ritual service among ultra-orthodox Jews. After that, I'll look to see what is rendered, and decide what to do next.
It could be, this will completely flop. But, the only way to find out, is to try.
Day 2: Necessary preliminary information
Hello, Thanks for stopping by. This post will be technical. I intend to lay out some foundation concepts. The word choices are deliberate. Because of this, I would like to offer at this time to answer questions as time permits. Readers are welcome to ask here in the thread, or, to send me a PM.
The following are necessary concepts and information for following along with this set of journal entries:
What is Tevunah?
Who is the Holy Ari? What made him unique among the others?
Ritual Prayer Service Overview
What is Tevunah?
Tevunah, as I mentioned previously is a technique employed for a deep-dive into a concept, subject, or text. It's a necessary method for studying ancient texts where there are no others available to teach what the author had intended to bring to the reader. Like all "magical" techniques, this too is a method comprised of layers of other methods. Here, there are 2 layers which are folded onto themselves through repeated iterations. In this case, it's oil. We're rendering oil from olives. With our bare hand. 1 handed. Very important.
The word for oil in Hebrew is : שמן
Shin-Mem-Nun. <--- Note: Shim-Mem Very important.
Here, again, are the layers. This is what produces the profound effects coming from the Jewish mystical practice. Whomever/whatever constructed this language was beyond what I consider normal human intellect.
The iconography. The Shin is a hand. Palm up. The 3 fingers, spread. Now. Imagine putting two olives. Nice ones. Healthy. In the upward facing palm. This twirl them in your mind's eye. Gentle, but firm, around they go. The pit in the center helps it flow....
The mem is the vessel pouring. And so it goes. Tighter and tighter, the fingers draw inward. The oil collects, is rendered, and drips.
Then comes the final nun, bringing the essence all the way down.
That's the "kabalah of שמן, oil".
Furthermore: Tevunah is a conjugation of Binah, the "2nd" of the sephirot ( from downward gazing outward ). It's at one end of a continuum, whose partner, at the other extreme, is Chochmah. These two, Chochmah and Binah are cognitive functions. They manifest as "intellects", or "mochin" as a confluence of Kesser ( will ). Binah is unique, because this cognition requires no knowledge of the target of inquiry. It's a loophole that can be exploited in the divine-all-knowing, assuming such a thing exists.
Ancient people weren't "smart" like we are today. But they were certainly clever. Some were very clever. This cleverness comes from Tevunah. Everyone does it. It's not complicated or difficult as a method. It's perfectly natural. Since the renaissance it's become less fashionable. Fact, falsifiable evidence, "Knowing", and "Gnosis", became the currency of the academic domain. Her Majesty and her secrets were set aside. But, she's making a bit of a come-back.
"Black-Boxing" - a technique used by computer programmers and emergency responders where the underlying mechanics of any cause >>> effect relationship are completely ignored in favor of pattern recognition.
The ancient philosophers and mystics were "Black-Boxing", and, it seems some were quite talented. Tevunah, the "deep-dive", the individual does not probe into the subject matter. Instead they traverse the perimeter. Simple. Imagining it in the mind's eye. It's a circle. Nothing more, nothing less.
And in contrast: Chochmah is closed, narrow, sharp and penetrating.
Two very different cognitions. They Pop against each other in the mind. It's like testing keys to see which will fit in the door. The door is Binah. Knowing which key? Is Chochmah, the "Power of What?", "Wisdom" of the highest order.
Here are the mechanics of the Tevunah method. It's very simple, actually. There are two textual witnesses in each and every document. Each of these can be imagined as two "spotters" in a two person search party. Follow me on this, if you can, in your mind's eye.
You're a search party. A collective. A team. You're in "god-mode" of an iso-metric, top-down, computer game. ( Shouldn't be too difficult, right? ). There's two members of the team. Over-watch. And A field agent. The over-watch is fixed. The field agent roams. The target of inquiry is known to be within a cube of space. Are you with me?
The field agent simply closes in on the target first taking a wide arc, then sweeping in, little by little in a spiral pattern. The over-watch is patient, waiting for the little rabbit to bolt. When it does?!? Over watch calls the field agent to chase it.
Simple right? But, there's a problem. The rabbit's fast. It'll run and hide. But, if the agent is smart, and the over-watch is vigilent. With teamwork, and consistent slow, patient, drawing inward, around the perimeter, slowly, consistently, little my little, that little bunny, will be visible from the border of it's domain.
And there it can be observed, and might even become accustomed to your presence and reveal its treasures. You can tell a lot about its treasures by the way its guarding them and the manner in which it is concealed.
This two-vantage ( fixed + sentry ) model of inquiry is necessary for any concept which cannot be described in words: the "Ineffable". There is no other way to pass the data from one mind to the other. That's why it's taught in my community. Collected wisdom is precious.
As I said, in any text there are 2 textual witnesses. The Over-watch, and the Sentry ( the field agent ). When reading the text, the "Over-watch" using technical jargon, is called "Klal". The "Sentry" is called "Prat". As one is reading any text, there's a mood. A theme. A feeling of relative significance. There's also the particulars. The details. The events. The conflicts. The reconciliations. In particular. The sequence of words, and their meaning, in context, are the "Sentry" floating along the stream of the authors consciousness. The Over-watch, is the general feeling and mood produced in the heart as it witnesses the general landscape of the text.
As the reader is following the sentry, following the text, word for word, and the heart is engaged, perhaps it gets a little bored, or not. Suddenly! There's a fluttering ( Genesis 1:2, the spirit of God flutters over the waters ). It's like a rabbit, taking off after the Sentry startled it.
You, the god of this imaginary domain, you see all. You see the mood, not just feel it. You comprehend its coming, its going, and why. You also see the Sentry as it moves. You also witness the idea, fleeing. You see where it started, and where it's heading.
But. You accept, that this "event" will always outrun your awareness as a natural consequence of what it is, and your own limitations. Therefore, a lot can be understood about this "event" whatever it is. In spite of the rapid onset of activity, the "jack-rabbit" feeling, that one senses while reading, and also the rapid concealment of its essence, as it finds new little hidey-holes as refuge.
If you think about, and zoom in, more, much more, with the mind's eye. This enter "triggered" event can be modeled as oil spreading. The viscosity of oil, is like a little rabbit seeking shelter in any nook and any cranny that is proximal and available.
This is half of Tevunah. The other half is below. As I mentioned. This method has 2 layers. One involves comparing and contrasting the Klal with the Prat at moments of "twitter-pating" of the heart-and-mind when it encounters significance which is beyond ordinary awareness.
The other half, is absolutely critical. Without it, the accuracy of the endeavor is compromised. This other half, It's the pits. Literally. The pits of the olives. ~chuckles~
In order to accomplish this, one needs to know the author to a degree. Not perfect knowledge. But enough, just enough, to be able to establish a valence. That's the 3rd vantage. It's highly inaccurate. Like looking at smoke signals. But it gives enough, a very direction. The Klal of a Klal of a Klal, etc... It's not much, but it's enough to prohibit going in the opposite direction that the author intended.
These two layers, ( which are actually 3 ~wink~ ) are then folded, over and over, like cheese cloth in an olive press.
But, we don't have an olive press, and wouldn't want one. For this very subtle rendering, On needs to feel the inner pit of the olive as it is being squeezed, Not to hard, and it must adapt tot he seed within. Very important. Otherwise, what's rendered will be bitter. And a little bit of bitter, goes a long way.
Knowing the author, to a degree, is like "knowing the pit" in the analogy above. We're rendering oil, friends. Precious, pure, to the best of our ability, from an ancient text. To do so, naturally, we need to know about the author. At least a little bit. And that leads to the next post, where I'll share some information about, The Holy Ar. Why he is unique? And how that, itself, resonates with the Tevunah, method.
Day 3: Necessary preliminary information Continued
Hello, Thanks for stopping by. This post will be a summary of the significance of the Holy Ari's contribution to Kabalah, Jewish mysticism. This is necessary information, because it presents the 3rd vantage, albeit, little more that a highly generalized polarity. This is the key for maintaining accuracy while making passes against the text rendering it to its essence without polluting it. That's why we need the 3rd textual witness. It prevents "bitterness" from the metaphorical pit of the olives which are being pressed.
At the time the Arizal was preaching and teaching, there were two competing notions of Jewish cosmology. The one most are familiar with is a set of 3 parallel lines and 22 linkages separated by 10 circles. The 32 Paths of Wisdom which most refer to as the "Tree of Life". The other competing construct involved 10 concentric circles with a line penetrating them all granting access from each to all the others. There's a somewhat famous diagram, floating around of this one too. It's a but more obscure. The words Ohr-Ain-Soph are above and outside the largest of the 10 concentric circles. Most interpret this image in a way that is lifting up Ain, as the highest principle. I mention this only to aid recollection of this particular diagram for those who have seen it somewhere.
The Ari, asserted, he had realized: "this and that are both true, simultaneously." And, as proof, it's rumored he started doing some amazing things. These unifications of harmonious pairings , correspondences of energetic principles, syzigigs, etc... are woven all through the nusach. It's why once a person starts using it, no other siddur ( prayer book ) will do. There's no turning back.. It's exquisite.
While I'm praying, even after all these years, reciting the same words, I find new little nuances here and there that inspire me, and nourish me. It's the way he brings the energetic principles together. It's glorious. There's no other word for it.
As I'm doing my passes, this theme will be hovering over me, and in me, a desire, like the Ari's desire, to bring together like opposing wings of a bird fluttering.
The last bit of data needed for readers is a brief primer on the Jewish prayer service. The part I'm focused on, for this rendering is in the early middle section of the service. Zooming out, the prayer service has 4 major sections. Each section is associated with a particular realm, with the intention to expand one's awareness to include, very important, include the other realms in a orderly methodological manner. And then, come back to earth, without crashing.
In Jewish mysticism, depending on who's counting, there are 4 mystical realms of reality. Assiyah ( the realm of action ), Yetzirah ( the realm of formation also archetypical heavens ), B'riyah ( the realm of creation, also the footstool of God ), Atzilus ( the realm of emanations, the face of God ).
The section I'm rendering of the nusach ari, comes in the transition between Yetzirah and B'riyah. My friend who prompted this project is deeply inspired by a verse from the Prophet Isaiah. That verse is included in the nusach. Right here. It makes perfect sense too, that my friend felt so much energy while they brought the letters and their articulation forward in mind, heart, and speech. This is a transitional section. Shuttling between realms on their way to the footstool of the Almighty. Hey. If that's what's happening, that's a pretty exciting experience. And it needs something vigorous to propel one across the nearly infinite realms of nothingness which separate the two other realms on the expansion of awareness.
So, if I bring that into focus, in my mind's eye, I have a general inclination. A valence. A polarity. I'm looking for energetic fluttering and strong sweeping energetic transitions. That's the third textual witness, a Klal of a Klal of a Klal. But, it'll do.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Tomorrow I'll show you the first couple of passes. It's tevunah. I'm drawing in, traversing the perimeter, but never probing. It's sentry work, with an over watch, and an over-over-watch. All simultaneously. Taking into account , the pits in the center. I'm watching and listening for fluttering in the "brush" of my mind and heart. Those bright flashing points of significance are the drops of oil dripping down from the even gradually increasing pressure of my metaphorical intellectual gripping.
OK. I got to play with it a little. Maybe. I think this might have some potential.
To recap, very briefly: I have a valence. A polarity. A compass bearing. That comes from some very simple facts about what makes the Arizal significant. I'm looking for hopping, popping, fluttering. Pairings. Buzzwords. I keep going back to the same analogy. This pass is a wide net. Wide. It's the sentry closing in. It's the traveler. The hunter force. Picking up "spore": Little sparkles of light, as they are trying to pickup the trail of that pesky rabbit. The over-watch, ( which comes next ) filters out the noise. It's just like what would happen in real life. The sentry scoops up anything that piques their interest. Then over-watch filters it: "Nope, not it. Keep Going."
These 3 ( polarity/bearing, general/fixed, particular/in-motion ) is like the three fingers on my hand, and the three flames rising from the shin. The metaphorical oil is rendered. Then I'll take what's "congealed", and run it through the same set of 3 fingers, pressing more firmly. And then I'll take the result, and bring it down, 1 more time, through those 3. That's 9, whose universal energetic principle is: Truth. That's what I want. Pure, essence of this passage. No bitterness. As the author intended.
Here's the first pass. The traveler. Wide net. As stated above: hopping, popping, fluttering, buzzwords which are consistent with the overall bearing are flagged. Nothing more. All the rest fades into the background. It starts to look a little bit "beautiful mind", if you know what I mean. And, it is. But it gets filtered. It's not skrying. It's closer to channeling.
OK. That took maybe 10 minutes to do in my head, but it took a really long time to do on screen with the formatting. A couple of notes: As I was typing and formatting, I had to restrain from adding more and more to the rendering. I kept seeing more examples of the same pattern. That's good, but, if I keep adding more and more, I'm just making my work more difficult. Conversely, while I was formatting, I saw outliers that maybe don't belong. I left those in. I'm trusting the process. This is the first pass. It doesn't need to be perfect. I'll be filtering out a lot any way. And if at the end, I need to add something back. That's fine too.
Also.
It's good to remind any readers: what works for me, may not work for you. As I wrote earlier. I played around with some of the energtic transitions. Particularly with Kavod-Ail-Ail-Kavod, for example. While doing a very minimal visualization, and a little body choreography, and I felt some ... stirrings in my forehead. I'll get more into that later.
Before I sign off, one last cautionary note. These meditative practices, ( resonating, vibrating names, etc ) do have an element of risk to them. Not much. but, it's worth mentioning. Mitigating the risk is simple. Don't over-heat. The mystics who developed these practices had access to a cold mikveh, ritual bath, in running water. Mountain fed, Snow melt. Before going too deep into any of these practices make sure you have access to a shower where you can cool off. It really works. I did this myself when I was first learning, 15 years ago. Lack a shower. Get yourself a towel. Wet it down, keep it close by. If you start to over-heat? The head is throbbing. The ears get hot. Vision gets hazy. Wrap the wet towel around your neck. You want the blood to cool down as it's traveling to and from the brain. OK?
Day 5: The English Translation courtesy of Kehot ( Chabad's Publishing House ) with very few minor adjustments:
This will be useful for the next step in the rendering. Also, in case anyone is curious. I'll put it in a spoiler for now:
( The Leader )
We Bless All That Is: “The-Eternal”: Out-Pouring-Our-Blessings.
( Congregation of more than 9 additional adult men, or, any adult female )
Bless The Eternal,
Out-Pouring-Our-Blessings, to the concealed-world’s-end.
( Individuals recite the following quietly, with or without a quorum, at their own pace )
Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the universe,
who forms light
and creates darkness,
who makes peace
and creates all things.
In mercy He gives light to the earth and to those who dwell thereon, and in His goodness He renews each day, continuously, the work of Creation. How manifold are Your works, O Lord! You have made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions.' King, who alone is elevated from aforetime, extolled, glorified and exalted from the time of Creation; God of the universe, in Your abounding mercies have compassion on us, Master of our strength, Rock of our stronghold, Shield of our deliverance, a Refuge for us. The blessed God, great in knowledge, prepared and made the radiance of the sun; the Beneficent One created glory for His Name; He set the luminaries around His majesty; the chiefs of His hosts are holy beings that exalt the Omnipotent, continually recounting the glory of God and His holiness. Be blessed, Lord our God, in the heavens above and on the earth below, for all Your praiseworthy handiwork, and for the light-giving luminaries which You have created; they shall glorify You forever.
Be eternally blessed, our Rock, our King and our Redeemer, who creates holy beings; praised be Your Name forever, our King, who creates ministering angels, and whose ministering angels all stand in the heights of the universe and proclaim in awe, aloud in unison, the words of the living God and Sovereign of the universe. All of them are beloved, all are pure, all are mighty, all are holy, and all perform the will of their Maker with fear and awe. And all of them open their mouths in holiness and purity, with song and melody, and bless and adore, glorify and revere, hallow and ascribe sovereignty to: The Name of the Almighty God, the great, powerful and awe-inspiring King; holy is He. They all take upon themselves the yoke of Heavenly kingship, one from the other, and with love grant permission to each other to sanctify their Maker with joyous spirit, with pure speech and sacred melody; all exclaiming in unison, with awe, and declaring in reverence:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.
And the Ophanim' and the holy Chayot, with a mighty sound, rise toward the Seraphim, and facing them, offer praise and say:
Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place.
They chant sweet melodies to the blessed God; they utter hymns and sing praises to the King, the living and eternal God. For He alone, exalted and holy, performs mighty deeds and makes new things; He is the master of battle, He sows righteousness, causes deliverance to sprout forth, creates healing; He is awesome in praise, master of wonders, who in His goodness renews each day, continuously, the work of Creation, as it is said: [Give thanks] to Him who makes the great lights, for His kindness is eternal.¹ Blessed are You Lord, who creates the luminaries. ( Cong. Amen. )
( Gather the two front tzitzit into the right hand, then bring the back left tzitzit forward, then the back right tzitzit. Hold all four tzitzit in the left hand near the heart. See illustration.)
( Hold all four tzitzit in the left hand, extending outward between the little and ring fingers, back in between the middle and index fingers, and out again between the thumb and index finger. )
Lord our God, You have loved us with everlasting love; You have bestowed upon us exceedingly abounding mercy. Our Father, our King, for the sake of Your great Name and for the sake of our [ literal and/or inspirational ] forefathers who trusted in You, and whom You taught the laws that bring eternal life, to carry out Your will with a perfect heart, be gracious also to us and teach us. Our Father, merciful Father who is compassionate, have mercy on us, and grant our heart understanding to comprehend and to discern, to perceive, to learn and to teach, to observe, to practice, and to fulfill all the teachings of Your Torah with love. Enlighten our eyes in Your Torah, cause our hearts to cleave to Your commandments, and unite our hearts to love and fear Your Name; and may we never be put to shame, disgrace or stumbling. Because we trust in Your holy, great, and awesome Name, may we rejoice and exult in Your salvation ( Yeshua ). Lord our God, may Your mercy and Your abounding kindness never, ever forsake us. Hasten and speedily bring upon us blessing and peace; bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth, break the yoke of the nations from our neck, and speedily lead us upright to our [ literal or inspirational ] land. For You are God who performs acts of deliverance, and You have chosen us from among all nations and tongues, and have, in love, brought us near, O our King, to Your great Name, that we may praise You, and proclaim Your Oneness and love Your Name. Blessed are You Lord, who chooses His people, Yisrael [ Yi’Sr’Ael: Eternal+Guardian+Divine ], with love.
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Day 5: The General Over-view of the Passage, the 2nd textual witness
Today I'm going to collect an over-view, a general impression of the energetic principles embedded in the passage. Yesterday's rendering is set aside. I'm still maintaining 3rd very general polarity, "hopping, popping, fluttering, etc..." which comes from the significance of the Ari as an individual, but this time, I'm maintaining a fixed point of view, but zooming out. This is the "bird's eye" perspective.
First. There's some stage direction given, choreography, which goes along with the nusach. That's very important. Those are the points of significant energetic transitions. Also, there's symmetry in the call and response from leader to congregation in comparison to the call and response of the angels. That's important.
From this, I get the following "bird's eye view" of the passage.
OK. There's 5 steps. 3 then 2. The human aspires to link up with the angelic processional already in progress. How? I'll show you:
Above, in blue, there's a leader, there's a congregation, and there's an individual. The leader begins, and invokes blessing from the congregation. This is can be envisioned as a bright point of light, shining downward. The congregation, of at least 9 other adult men, can be envisioned like a circle of light which is below the leader and is focused on their ascending station. Bring both of those images to the mind's eye? It's a cone, or a rudimentary capsule, space shuttle shape?
The individual when they begin reciting at their own pace, is the center point of light in the center of the circle of light which is the congregation.
From here, comes the "secret of feminine waters". It's mentioned in the Zohar, I think. Maybe the Bahir? I don't remember. But, it's a simple idea. According to the Hebrew bible, the female form was a vast improvement in comparison to the rough and gruff "pointy" man-form and in comparison to all the others creatures. According to the story, the female is the man's helper and he is commanded to cleave to her. ( not the other way around ). The Jewish mystics interpret these verses hyper-literally. "the cleaving was designed and intended, by Almighty God, to help me." So, the mystics who are always curious and always questioning, naturally, wonder: If this is literally true? How am I being helped by cleaving to her in that particular way? What is her immaculate form, and mysterious gate teaching me helping me be closer to the divine? ... ... Other than feeling compelled to shout out "oh-God, oh-God, oh-God... " when approaching climax.
The answer, in a word: gushing.
The arousal from below ( think missionary position ), if you're a good man, a tender lover, ( or with a partner who is otherwise compatible ) produces a "gushing" of sorts, and the pair of you, together rise up as one. That's the "secret of the feminine waters" that is referred to in Jewish mystical texts. But, it's not all religio-porn. It has a purpose.
Here, what you'll find, is the construction of a cone-shaped vessel. The vessel then "gushes" about God. This gushing spills over the top and falls down, causing the cone shaped vessel to rise. That's the idea. Then, the vessel needs to turn. The base of the cone, which is "open" turns to face the "realm, the intended destination, and the "souls" are now included in the angelic processional already in progress.
5 steps, 3, then 2, makes sense. If the capsule is expanding outward ( including more and more in its awareness ), valence is very important if because, here is a specific desired destination: "the foot stool of the Almighty" "B'ryah" The 3rd of the Heavens ( see Acts ). In order to hit the bullseye, with two wings, fluttering, you need left, right, and middle, to go forward in a straight line. Then. When you get there, hovering? That's left<<>>right, 's left<<>>right, 's left<<>>right, 's left<<>>right, like a humming bird.
Tomorrow, I'm going to take this idea and look at each of the 5 steps and try to assess and name a general energetic principle or general energetic transition for each step. And then look at all 7 pieces together, the 5 steps, and the pair of congregational blessings.
An important point: Malchus and Kesser ( Keter / Kether "Will" ) are linked. Landing on Malchus, is an opportunity to bounce, to the next higher realm. In addition to Malchus, Daas and Tiferet are also opportunities to skip to the next realm.
Our Father, our King, for the sake of Your great Name and for the sake of our [ literal and/or inspirational ] forefathers who trusted in You, and whom You taught the laws that bring eternal life, to carry out Your will
From the last paragraph which I've labeled step 6. Notice the invocation "our Father, or King"? That's malchus. Then it culminates in "... to carry out your will ... " That's Kesser. In this case, it's Kesser of Yetzirah ( which is malchus of Br'iyah ). That's the hop from Yetzirah to B'riyah.
So, if I were plotting this on a map, it looks like a descent, but, when it drops into malchus, it skips up to the next realm. It's a technique called "yordei merchava", descending-chariot. Naturally, it's easier to hop onto the Ferris wheel, if the carriage is heading down, not up.
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Day 7: Brining together all 3 textual witnesses from the first pass.
בְטוּבוֹ תָּמִיד יְיָבְּחָכְמָה עוֹלָם <--- Kesser of B'riyah / Malchus of Atzilus
"In His Goodness, Overflowing-Perfection, { 4 letter name }, with/in Chochmah, concealed realm"
אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָםבְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים רַחֵם <--- Tiferet of Yetzirah
God of the concealed realm, in your mercy, the great-many Mercy
משגב <<< מגן <--- Netzach of Yetzirah
שגב <<< גן שב << ן <---- Turning
Hello Friends, If you've made it this far, hopefully, now, you know what I mean. It gets to be a lot to look at it. When I'm praying, I don't concentrate at all on the energetic principles or transitions, how they are being described as manifesting, nor in which order. I simply read the words, and articulate their syllables, earnestly. That's all. I'm aware of the dichotomies, the harmonious contrasts, the pairings, etc, but, I don;t dwell on them. Sometimes I have a profound experience, sometimes I don't. Sometimes a particular phrase resonates with me, sometimes, I'm like a robot reciting words due to obligation and gratitude, nothing more.
For these reasons, I expected to enjoy formally writing out what was happening at this stage of the nusach. I told my friend, "It's my pleasure, I plan to use it myself." Although, I admit, it's a lot of work.
In order to make "sense" of what probably appears to be a mess of non-sense to the casual observer, I've been color coding and formatting the text to make it easier for me to see the relationships. In the following posts, I'll offer some details on the signifance of these formatting choices, as well as explain why I flag a phrase "netzach" vs. "hod", how I determine the realm ( tiferet of b'ryah, for example ), etc. I'll also try to tie this in to the overall theme, the 3rd highly vague, yet vital, textual witness.
Also of note: It's Christmas Eve. And. Hannukah begins tomorrow. I very much want to have this wrapped up, with something tangible tomorrow evening at the very latest. A rendering of the nusach, culminating on the anniversary of the "miracle-of-the-Oil", on Christmas Day. Then, we all get to play with it, and see how it works. Maybe we'll share, and tweak it. Have some fun.
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Day 10: "Wrapping" it up... on Christmas Day. Pun intended.
This one is simple. The hebrew word here is G'doohlah. It is the Hebrew word meaning large in size conjugated feminine ( G'doohlah, as contrasted with Rabbah which is large in quantity ). Chesed, is called G'doolah as it is being emanated from the Source ( God ). This is in the realm of emanations ( atzilus ). See the picture below. In the right sphere ( vessel ), is the word "G'doolah" opposite from its partner, "Gevurah". Let's look at these two energetic principles: G'doolah ( Chesed ) and Gevurah.
The sephirot: What are they?
Most simply stated: they're vessels. Nothing more and nothing less.
Many people, I've noticed, when they learn any sort of Kabalah, they begin with learning "sephirot", but, they have no idea what they are or how to make sense of them. The most popular method for "making sense" of the sephirot comes from Tarot-card practitioners and enthusiasts. This comes from Qabalah, with a 'Q' which is not the original version and has a lot of problems particularly in regard to symmetry and balance. However, that's not the biggest problem.
The biggest problem with Qabalah with a Q is simply this: It's incomplete. In the eastern world, the world of Buddhism, Daosim, and Hinduism, Qabalah with a 'Q' would be considered a broken, stolen lineage. The "dharma transmission" was been severed. As a result, what individuals receive of the authentic original teachings are like little scraps of paper with a word or two in Hebrew. Then, the individual meditates on those words, and contemplates them. They talk to others who know a little more than they do, and eventually they develop an incomplete working knowledge of Kabalah with a 'K', but, they've also added a whole lot of other stuff to it in order to bulk up the scrips and scraps of Hebrew which they learned.
Because the individual is passionate and they've worked very hard to collect the needed information and experiences to say to themselves and others "I practice Kabalah", it becomes very difficult to accept that the majority of their "practice" and "experiences" are not Kabalah at all. It's a hodge-podge of ideas which produce a sort of confidence and excitement in their heart-and-mind. The emotions and thoughts which are produced DO enable the individual to do some interesting things, in the material realms, but it's not Kabalah, it's "spicy-psychology", role-play, putting on a costume, and transforming oneself. In a word, it's alchemy. Nothing wrong with it. Alchemy is included in Kabalah, just as all religious and spiritual practices are included. But when it is taught properly, the teachings are balanced and symmetrical, not messy and incomplete. I'll show you.
G'doolah <<< Aleph >>> Gevurah
In Jewish mysticism it's taught, there are 10 energetic principles and 22 energetic transitions which are the building-blocks, the DNA, of all of reality. Everything can be described in terms of these 32 attributes. They are the "beating heart" of reality. The Hebrew word for heart, "Leiv", Lamed-Vet ( לב ) is 32. Lamed = 30. Vet = 2. Full Gematria =32. Reduced Gematria = 5.
When plotting out the entire construct on paper ( the archetypal Tree of life ), it's very important that all the constituents are balanced and symmetrical. Jewish philosophers and mystics reject the pagan notions which assert that Chaos and Nothingness ( Gen 1:2 ) are tantamount. Because of this, their system of esoteric practice will be in the form of "realizing the natural order which precedes chaos and precedes what appears to others as never-ending divine conflict between various Gods, spirits, forces, etc". If it's not balanced and symmetrical, then it's not authentic Kabalah ( with a 'K' ). And, if it's overly-complicated, messy, it's not Kabalah either.
Here's a great example: G'doolah (Chesed) and Gevurah. They're balanced, symmetrical, opposite, and opposing each other, yet, also in harmony with each other. These two exist on a spectrum linked by "aleph". They are most often, and most accurately, described in English as "love" and "might", but, that's not exactly what these two are. If we use the Hebrew, and apply the knowledge that these two MUST be balanced, symmetrical, corresponding, opposites, we can get a much clearer understanding of these two energetic principles. The clarity comes from considering them as a pair.
Using the Hebrew:
גדלה <<< א >>> גברה
Gevurah <<< aleph >>> G'doolah
Left <<< reflection >>> Right
Hopefully the above clearly shows the symmetry and balance. For those that cannot read Hebrew, the middle letter, "Aleph" is the first letter of the alphabet. It's form is a sort of "yin-yang" with a "mirror" reflecting the little flame from one side to the other. It's easier to see when its scribed, not typed on a screen.
The relationship between G'doolah and Gevurah is best analyzed and understood by looking at each Hebrew letter and comparing them.
They both begin with gimmel, the 3rd letter, ג.
The both end with hei, the 5th letter, ה.
The left-side, Gevurah, is Gimmel-Vet-Reish-Hei.
The right-side, G'doolah, is Gimmel-Dalet-Lamed-Hei.
The difference between them is in the 2 middle letters. This gives us two complimentary contrasting correspondences, energetically. ( not a spectrum )
ד|ב
ל|ר
Vet | Dalet
Reish | Lamed
left | right
OK. Good. So, what's the difference between these two energetic transitions? Vet+Reish as contrasted with Dalet-Lamed: inner expression vs. outer expression. ( a better, more accurate word choice here would be manifestation not expression, but, expression works well because the context is articulation ).
Now, for practice and to convince yourself that I'm not teaching made-up-nonsense, articulate the two contrasting energetic transitons: Vet+Reish, then, Dalet+Lamed and compare them?
Vet+Reish = VvvvvvvvvRRRRRRR
When I articulate this, I can feel the vibration inside the mouth, and along the palete. That's inner.
Dalet+Lamed - D'LLLLLLLLLLL
When I articulate this it's completely different. Arguably it's the opposite. The Dalet is articulated with the tongue collecting energy and pressure then releasing it outwards. The L, the vibration there, is external. You can feel it outside and below the jaw, as the tongue is lifting and pressing upwards. I can also feel it on the front of the side of the tongue. The vibration is being sent out and up. This contrasts with the Vet+Reish articulation which is bringing the vibration into the mouth.
This dichotomy is the classic left/right paradigm where the left-hand path is an inner-journey seeking a realization of one's own divinity, and the right-hand path which is devotion to divinity which is far beyond one's own divinity. Left = inner. Right = outer. Left = closed. Right = open. Left is the closed fist. Right is the open palm. Left is strict justice. Right is absolution. Left is hate. Right is love.
To be complete: what's the middle path between the two?
Left << Middle >> Right
Hate << Compassion >> Love
Strict Justice << Mercy >> Absolution ( grace / favor )
OK, good. Hopefully that helps to set the stage for how I am categorizing each of the Hebrew words and phrases into energetic categories. I'm going to bring a few more examples before moving on. But first, I need more tea. The steam helps me.
In re-reading the last post, I feel like I didn't do a good job answering this question: "The sephirot, what are they?"
Yes, they're vessels, nothing more, nothing less. But, they're special vessels. I've been describing them as "energetic principles". I use these words because, energetic conveys motion, action, or the potential for motion and action. Ultimately, and the scientific community agrees, everything that exists is in motion. There is no absolute ceasing of motion among the particles which constitute material "things". Objects at rest are not "sitting still", they are events which are happening in equal and opposite directions, which is producing "stasis".
First, typically, in discussion of Jewish mysticism, hate is not the the opposite of love in this continuum. Love is usually contrasted with fear or awe.
More important than that, is, if I am being most accurate in my word choices, the spectrum would be labeled as follows:
Hating << Being Compassionate >> Loving
The words should be conjugated as present-progressive verb-forms. They're events which are happening. They're not objects. They're emotions. E-motions. They are in motion. It's also true for the intellectual attributes:
... confluence ... like streams which are flowing ...
If it wasn't flowing, there wouldn't be a confluence.
Energetic. Events which are happening, ( not limited to external manifestations, "restraining onself", "binding oneself in heart-and-mind", is an event which is happening )
An example of this "Reish | Lamed" dichotomy came up in a discussion with a friend online somewhat recently. We were discussing the law of Pesach, the famous pascal-lamb-offering which according to Christian doctrine Jesus adopts for himself replacing the need for the Pesach offering with belief in Christ-Jesus as one's personal savior. The law states the Pesach must be eaten with Matza and Maror. If so, naturally, one will wonder:
Per the Law, if salvation requires Lamb-roasted-over-fire+Matza+Maror ( The Pesach offering ), and Jesus corresponds to the lamb, what in Christian theology corresponds to the specific details "roasting" + "Unleaved-bread" + "bitter-herbs"?
My friend respects Rabbi Samson Hirsch, so, that's who I brought to the discussion to aid us. Embedded in the answer is this Reish | Lamed dichotomy. The Rabbi doesn't discuss it explicitly, because it's far off topic, but, I thought it would be nice to bring it as an example.
The following is an excerpt from the Rabbi's comments on Exodus 12:8. ֶEmphasis mine.
Now, if מצה and מרור symbolize two of the three aspects of the Egyptian גלות[ redemption ], it does not seem far-fetched to suggest that צלי אש symbolizes the third element, that of גרות. Without a foundation, without firm ground beneath its feet, suspended in midair --- not צלי קדר, roasted in pot, but תלי בשפוד, suspended on a spit ( Pesachim 41a and 74a ) - this is the manner in which the קרבן פסח must be prepared, until it is fit to eat. Without a foundation, without firm ground beneath one's feet --- this is a fitting description of the state of גרות in which this people, now rising to freedom and independence, was to mature for its destiny.
The Rabbi has identified the dichotomy:
גלות | גרות
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Hod << Reish >> Netzach
As portrayed in the final scene of the movie adaptation of Frank Miller's "The 300".
Nightfall is approaching. I'm going to forego any further explanations for now and share what I have so far. This is a hasty rendering. Only one pass of tevunah. It's like circumnavigating a small city one time, watching the people and their produce coming and going. One can draw some conclusions from it, but, it would certainly better to do 2 more circuits around the perimeter.
That said there's 7 parts total in this section of the nusach. The first part constructs a chariot, shaped like a cone, with the leader "on-point". Then the 2nd part stations the aspirant in "tiferet", the vessel, which connects to all the others, and, includes netzach. In the 3rd part, hod is included. In the 4th part Yesod is realized... אֶת בִּקְדֶשָׁה , לָאֵל בָּרוּךְ , אֵל חַי , אֶת שֵׁם הָאֵל, אֵל פּוֹעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת. Then, in the 5th part, the chariot turns, just as the angels are turning "aloud, in unison, granting each other permission, turning and accepting the yoke one from another..." In the 6th part, Yesod remains in focus. In the 7th part, Malchus is invoked as a gate to the proximal higher realm, B'riyah, the footstool of the Almighty.
For the first part: making the chariot: "Es Tahm"
For the 2nd part: tiferet to netzach: "Rachaim-Rachaim Baraich LaNetzach Ohmdeem Ohlahm"
For the 3rd part: netzach <<>> hod: "B'shirah, Oo'V'Zimrah"
For the 4th part: yesod: "Es Shaim Ha'Ail"
For the 5th part: turning in sacred word and melody: "Magain Yeeshainoo, Misgav Ba'adainoo"
For the 6th part: Yesod: "Es Beek'Doohsha"
For the 7th part: Malchus of Yetzirah >>> Kesser of Yetzirah >>> Malchus of B'riyah: "Baruch atah chai ha-olameem, es kohl deevraso b'ahavah"
Now is a good time to pause for questions. Tomorrow I'll do one final attempt to summarize and explain.
In the above, when I did the first pass, traveling and scanning the words of the passage, I color coded prefixes, Bet, Mem, Lamed, and Nun. This is intended to show the "motion", the "trajectory" of the word choices.
The mem is pouring down, "from this, and from that, and from this, and from that." It's a called a "substantive prefix". A somewhat awkward English translation would be, "from the vessel of this, and from the vessel of that, and from the vessel of this... " These words create a sort of pressure from below. It's the mystery of the feminine waters... rising tide waters....
Mem, btw, corresponds to water. Mayim. Also, Living waters, a mikveh, requires 40 units. Mem = 40.
The lamed is extending out, like a tower extending into the sky, up into the clouds, and stretching far beyond view. It's like Jacob's ladder. It's like a lightning bolt zapping upwards into the unknown.
The bet is the moderating principle between the other two. Mem is pouring downward ( technically inward ). Lamed is extending outward ( like a ladder into the clouds ). Bet is inclusive like a house, with/in four walls, or with/in the four chambers of the heart.
If these prefixes are color-coded, one can see there is an intentional pattern. It starts with a series of bets. Then a series of mems are brought creating the pressure from below, rising tides. Then bet comes next, settling, and softening, preparing for teshuvah ( the turning, technically re-turning ) of the metaphorical chariot. Then the aspirant(s) join the angelic processional. Then, preparing for "take-off" there's all three, but only one of each: Lamed ( looking outward to B'riyah ), then bet to settle in, and finally Mem to "launch". And in the final section, it's almost all lameds, as the chariot takes off and heads outward to the next proximal realm.
What you’re doing is remarkable—truly inspiring work! Can’t wait to see how it unfolds 
