TEXTURES IN TIME 5782 TZAV – CONNECTING

TIFERET IN NETZAH, BALANCE IN SUSTAINIBILITY

Adapted from Meta Parshiyot by R David Wolfe-Blank, Living Torah R Aryeh Kaplan, and Kol D’mama Dakah by Bilvavi Mishkon Evneh

This time of year, mischief and joy is cultivated. 

ADAR1 AND ADAR 2

Is it Spring or Winter? The weather can shift from one extreme to the other in a wink of the eye.

Mischief and pranks fill the air. The lunar cycle of Adar invites the festivities of Purim. This is a leap year in the Jewish calendar and so, there is an extra month. Adar 2 is like Adar 1 energetically, and amplified greatly. Adar 2 holds within it a sense of time out of time. It is the 13th month and as a result, holds the secret of 13 within it. Thirteen points to love (אהבה) and oneness (אחד), which both have a gematria of 13. (See below for more on gematria. )

Purim is celebrated in Adar 2 and remembered in Adar 1. Costumes and festivities amplify joy. While it can be ok to enjoy a drink here and there to celebrate, over the years deeper meanings have come forward.

YOM KIPPURIM AND PURIM

Yom Kippurim translates as “The day like Purim”. How can that be?

מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי

It is the duty of a person to be so intoxicated on Purim, the difference between ‘cursed be Haman’ and ‘blessed be Mordecai’ is not known.

Megillah 7:2

Some, get a little shicker (drunk) on Purim.  Others, enjoy bosomim (herb, also slang for pot). We will consider alternate means of elevation and higher states, with God’s help.

Gematria offers hints on how it is possible to not know a difference between Mordecai, the hero and Haman, the villain in the Purim story. Below, you will find a short review on concepts used in this D’var Torah. If you are familiar with them, skip on ahead.

ON GEMATRIA

Numerical relationship in gematria give hints to inner meanings and relationship. They often reveal new aspects and/or confirm established ones. There is a precision and accuracy held in the numbers.

Gematria assigns every letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet a distinct numerical value. First, The number for each letter in a word are added together, and resultant number is calculated . A lot can be gleaned from that. Next, for another layer the digits of the resultant number are added together for contemplation and mediation.

Click here for more on Gematria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gematria

ON THE “UNKNOWN INITIAL CONDITION”

RADLA”H (Rayshah D’lo Aetyahada רישא דלא אתיידע רדל”א), literally, ‘The Unknown Initial Condition’ is the root of all doubt. It is the highest aspect of the Divine, the innerness of Atika Kadisha, The Ancient Holy. This highest aspect of the Divine.

 (click here for more on this http://chabadpedia.co.il/index.php/%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%90_%D7%93%D7%9C%D7%90_%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%99%D7%93%D7%A )

AMALEK, IS ROOTED  IN HOLINESS

Amalek is the lineage of adversaries in Torah that bring forward evil and suffering since the Exodus from Mitzrayim and eventually Haman in the Megillah. For more on Amalek – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalek

Let’s consider gematria for clues.

עמלק = 70+40+30+100 = 240
ספק 60+80+100 = 240

This is a big opening. Amalek (עמלק) shares gematria with Sapek (ספק), doubt.   If, Amalek is equated with evil, the this gematria reveals that doubt is the root of evil.

MAKING CHOICES

In RADLA”H, no decisions are necessary, everything can coexist and all is possible. However, when the light descends below the level of RADLA”H, into a more dense vessel for manifestation, it is no longer possible for all to coexist.

The reason is that the vessel (that the light descends into) can illuminate only one light at a time.

It is important to recognize that both these lights are true and come from The Creator. The difference is that in the high place, RADLA”H beyond space time known they coexist.  Not every thing sits together comfortably in the earthly vessel. Sometimes an action will cause disturbances and dissonance. Situations uncomfortable because there is no vessel available to comfortably contain that reality on Earth.  

People, especially under stress, may question and play out a variety of possible scenarios in their minds, “If I do this, then that is likely to happen”. This mind pattern can become obsessive and consume consciousness. It is an evil mind game that can be self-debilitating. It draws consciousness away from service, mitzvot, and all things good. Sadly, The brain can get accustomed to this negative pattern of thinking. This pattern draws joy away what could be an otherwise happy situation. This is evil.

THE UNKNOWN INITIAL CONDITION AND ADAR

Rayshah D’lo Aetyahada – the first letter of each part of this Name, Raysh, Dalet, Aleph are the letters for Adar. Adar is spelled Alpeh, Dalet, Reysh. This shows us that Adar points to a level most high and potent; an aspect of Source preceding creation ‘The Unknown Initial Condition’. It can bring forward anything into manifestation. 

In Adar and especially Adar 2 ,the flipping  (הפוך) can be experienced. Purim and Adar are times when the flipping of reality is experienced. This is the time of year a glimmer of RADLA’H‘S movement may be experienced.  This is the secret of  flipping of reality referenced in Megilat Esther. It is referenced in Adar weather, and in what people do this time of year.

TIKKUN

 It is the duty of a person to be so intoxicated on Purim until the difference between ‘cursed be Haman’ and ‘blessed be Mordecai’ is not known.

Megillah 7:3

This alludes to a holistic and unifying state of mind.

מקוה ישראל יהוה

Yisrael’s Mikvah is Havayah (YHVH)

Yoma 8:9

Yom Kippur is an immersion into the Divine, or as Reb Zalman Schchter Shalomi said, “Yom Kippur is the day time becomes God”.  The whole day is the Divine Presence.

On Purim the flipping (Hepookh) is witnessed. We learn that this is an indication that highest level of God, RADLA”H, is near. Yom Kippur is a total immersion into the God field.

They are both holy days that bring us close to God. Divine Union is the ultimate goal of Yom Kippur and Purim. This is how they are alike.

COMPOSITES IN CREATION

The Kabbalah of R Yitzhak Luria teaches that it is necessary for creation to be a mixture in order for to sustain.   Kabbalah shows the world is built of composites. How? Each of the ten S’firot each contain the ten S’firot, each of these also contain the ten S’firot… This goes in infinitely.

There is good in all bad, and bad in all good. When something is wonderful, check it out and look for the shadow. When something is bad, practice seeking the goodness within. The highest level is the ability to hold meet both perspectives at the same time.

In this way joy is cultivated. We can feel joy and also know the shadow or see evil and seek the glimmer of good within it.

HIGHLIGHTS of TZ’AV

For 13 centuries the offering of sacrifices in the Mishkon and Temple was the Jewish way of worship. These laws are detailed in VaYi’kra and now Tzav, as well as instructions for the installation of the Kohanim. Torah mentions each of the five sacrifices types, the Olah, burnt offering; the Minhah (meal offering); the Shlomim (peace of thanksgiving offering); the Hatat (sin offering); abs Asham (guilt offering) again.

Why write the laws of sacrifice in two separate sections?

Perhaps, this is because Vakyik’ra deals with laws that everyone needs to know and Tzav deals with laws the mainly the Kohanim need to know. This continues a pattern started at the end of Exodus in which Torah portions twin together. For example, consider T’rumah and Tetzaveh, or Vayakhal and P’kuday, and now VaYik’ra and Tzav. In the first Torah portion we find more generally applicable laws and in the second of each pair are laws that are oriented more for priests, and spiritual leaders.

PARASHAH IN THE S’FIRAH CYCLE

TZ’AV IS TIFERET IN NETZAH, BALANCE IN SUSTAINIBILITY

Torah portions meets Tree of Life https://www.dropbox.com/s/j56pjkzo4ye8ewl/SfirotandParshiyot5782updated.xlsx?dl=0 About Counting the Parshiyot https://holisticjew.org/2021/09/textures-in-time-5782/

Tiferet is the center, the heart of the Tree. As a result, heart energy is introduced into the developing cycle of Netzah for this year.

Netzah is impatient. It is in a rush to get things done. The infusion of heart energy and the pause that come with it is welcome and needed at this juncture. Netzah needs to be reminded, why we started this journey in the first place. Where we going? Why?

The name of this week’s Torah portion is a reminder of what is important. Tzav shares a root with mitzvah. To some, a mitzvah means that they are directed by a higher power; to others that they are on a mission from God, and to others doing mitzvot (plural) is a journey of cultivating deeper and deeper connectivity with The Holy One of Blessing.

The essence of Mitzvah is an opportunity and means to unite Heaven and Earth. A little bit more with each Mitzvah. The intention is to make Earth more like Heaven and Heaven more like Earth.

May we be blessed to experience ongoing Tzav (connection) in our lives. May mitzvot be organically and easily weaved into our day to day lives. Me we be renewed by them and feel connected to and supported by the web of life moment by moment.

Amein