Posted inDeep Spirituality Festivals Torah Focus

A Kiss of Sinai 2

The Mystical Meanings of Immersion (Mikvah) and Divine Union

This is an outline of Thursday, Sivan 10, 5785, class on the kiss of Sinai. This class explores the concept of Dinner with the Divine Presence.

Links to the Class audio and class transcript below.

  1. Introduction: Elementary Principles and Preparation for Shavuot
  • Calendar Context and Shavuot‘s Significance
    • Emphasis on the imminent arrival of Shavuot.
    • Comparison to the spiritual work involved in counting the Omer.
    • Anticipation of deep spiritual preparation before reaching Mount Sinai.
  • Core Imperatives for Shavuot
    • Reception of the Torah
      • Reference to Exodus 18-19, leading to the mountain and the elders communing with G-d.
    • Communal Meal with G-d
      • The meal’s profound spiritual significance beyond mere physical sustenance.
      • Emphasis on discussing Torah during the meal, citing Shemot 24:9-11.
  • Distinction between Ashkenazi (primarily dairy) and Sephardi (potentially including meat, like lamb) customs for the Shavuot
  1. The Command for Purity and its Conundrum
  • Examination of Exodus 19:9-10
    • G-d’s instruction to Moshe for the people to “stay pure today and tomorrow” and “wash their clothes.”
    • Introduction of Kabbalistic and So’odic perspectives for deeper understanding.
  • The Paradox of Purity Without Torah
    • The command to “stay pure” (Kedusha) implies adherence to Torah laws of purity (mikvah, etc.).
    • The conundrum: How can they observe purity laws when they have not yet received the Torah?
    • Implication of a pre-existent knowledge or form of Torah.
  • The Problem of Washing Clothes
    • Reference to Deuteronomy (implied Deuteronomy 8:4) stating the Israelites’ clothes never wore out or got dirty in the wilderness.
    • The command to “wash their clothes” raises a second conundrum, suggesting a meaning beyond physical cleansing.

III. The Festival Meal: Feast of the Eyes

  • Importance of the Festival Table
    • The “table service” entails not just eating, but also Torah discussion, particularly the mitzvot (commandments).
    • Tradition of staying up all night to read Torah, with a preference for Sephardi tradition.
  • Analysis of Shemot 24:9-11
    • Moshe, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders ascend and “saw the G-d of Israel.”
    • The problem: The passage states they “ate and they drank” but does not specify what they consumed.
  • The Concept of the “Feast of the Eyes”
    • Interpretation that the feast was not physical food, but a vision of G-d and the divine realm (e.g., the “pavement,” “sapphire stones,” and “Shemayim” – heavens).
  • Contrast between “come and hear” (physical realm) and “come and see” (spiritual realm, indicative of moving beyond the finite).
  1. The Divine Kiss: A Metaphor for Passion and Revelation
  • Revisiting Exodus 19:10 and Shir HaShirim
    • G-d’s kiss upon the mountain metaphorically linked to the passion between lovers in Shir HaShirim (Song of Solomon).
    • The “fire” is not literal but symbolizes spiritual fervor and revelation.
    • This imagery anticipates the eating portion of the discourse.
  1. The Primordial Torah (Torah Kadomah)
  • Abraham’s Knowledge of Torah
    • Abraham observed G-d’s commandments even before the giving of the Torah at Sinai.
    • Introduction of the concept of Torah Kadomah (primordial Torah) as an unwritten, spiritual, and near-infinite form.
  • Connection to Adam Kadmon
    • Torah Kadomah‘s existence in the highest spiritual realms, near Ein Sof (the endless).
    • The human soul’s emanation from G-d and its inherent connection to the eternal.
    • This spiritual Torah provided the Israelites with the knowledge of purity before Sinai.
  1. The Paradox of Washing Spiritual Garments
  • Revisiting the Command to Wash Clothes
    • Confirmation from Deuteronomy 8:4 that Israel’s clothes did not wear out.
    • Hypothesis that the clothes are “spiritual garments” made of commandments, not terrestrial material.
    • The command to wash these spiritual garments is paradoxical.
  • The Spiritual Mikvah
    • The concept of ritual purity and mikvah (immersion) for purification.
    • The mikvah as a “dissolution of form” and spiritual reassembly to an elevated state.
    • The Israelites’ journey through the Sea of Reeds (Yam Suf) as a waterless, spiritual immersion.
    • Hakham Shaul’s (“Paul’s”) “waterless immersions” as parallels to spiritual immersion without physical water.
    • The ultimate “immersion” is in the Torah itself, as the mechanism for purity.

VII. The Threefold Torah: Primordial, Written, and Oral

  • The Torah Kadmona and the Torah of Sinai
    • The Israelites are instructed to immerse in the pre-existent Torah Kadmona before receiving the written Torah of Sinai.
    • The written Torah is fixed and concrete, providing clear rules for purity.
    • The challenge is to avoid abandoning the Torah Kadmona after receiving the written Torah.
  • Introduction of the Torah Sheba Pei (Oral Torah)
    • The Oral Torah is a synthesis of the Torah Kadmona and the Torah of Sinai, revealed through the sages.
    • The ultimate goal is to integrate all three forms of Torah (Kadmona, Written, Oral) for a complete understanding and experience.

VIII. The Vastness of Torah and the Power of Revelation

  • Beyond Fixed Rules: The Torah‘s Infinite Potential
    • The four hermeneutic levels of Torah interpretation, with emphasis on the spiritual.
    • The Torah Kadmona is an untapped, near-infinite source of wisdom and revelation.
    • Jewish people’s disproportionate success in Nobel Prizes as evidence of tapping into this greater Torah.
  • The Blueprint of Creation and Hokhmah
    • G-d “looked into the Torah and created the world,” indicating its role as a blueprint.
    • Proverbs 8:22, depicting Hokhmah (wisdom) as G-d’s playmate and craftsman, is seen as a representation of Torah and Mashiakh.
    • The danger of limiting Torah to only its written form, neglecting ongoing revelation and personal insight.
  • The Unveiling of Revelation
    • Personal anecdote regarding AI’s inability to fully grasp Zohar connections to specific verses.
    • The importance of marrying written Torah with revelation knowledge to validate spiritual insights.
    • The metaphor of the “talking dog” illustrating how divine communication can manifest through unexpected vessels.
    • The Torah’s power to affirm spiritual experiences (e.g., Balaam’s talking donkey).
    • The imperative to merge the spiritual and physical worlds, not relying solely on one.
    • The Shavuot message: “Stay pure” by utilizing the Torah Kadmona and anticipating a refreshing reception of Torah.
  1. Q&A and Concluding Remarks
  • Discussion on the Three Forms of Torah
    • Adon Ezra’s summation: Washing, eating, drinking, and marrying Torah in its three forms.
    • Emphasis on Torah’s joy and the need to avoid limiting oneself to dry, superficial study.
  • Waterless Immersions and Pneumatic Revelation
    • Clarification that “baptism in the Holy Spirit” has roots in Jewish concepts of spiritual immersion (rukaniyit).
    • “Pneumatic revelation” describes Torah verses being “impregnated with many spiritual possibilities.”
    • Mention of scholars like Elliot Wolfson and Joel Hecker who delve into complex mystical interpretations, especially concerning the “kiss” metaphor and Zohar commentary.
    • The idea that spiritual clothes are made of commandments, explaining the paradox of washing them.
  • Abraham’s Torah and the Stars
    • Abraham’s knowledge of Torah derived not just from the stars but from deeper revelation and a connection to ancient wisdom, passed down through figures like Shem.
    • The ability of spiritual giants to transcend earthly limits and access higher spiritual realms.
  • “Come and See” vs. “Come and Hear”
    • Adon Shlomo’s observation that Exodus 19 shows people hearing G-d through Moshe, but at Sinai (Exodus 20:18), they both “saw the thunder” and “heard the sound.”
    • The speaker’s clarification that “seeing voices” in Hebrew (kol ot) signifies a spiritual plane beyond normal perception, where they literally saw the words of G-d.
    • Reference to Rabbi Akiva Tatz and Watchman Nee on the distinction: Hearing involves sequential assembly of information, while seeing (revelation knowledge) is like a photographic, instantaneous grasp of all details.
    • Note on differing verse numbering in Jewish and Christian Bibles for Exodus 20.
  1. Final Words

Chag Semach Shavuot.

Class Transcript [download]

Class Audio [download]

 

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