(PARSHA TOOLS # 34) [BHAALOTCHA] 'THE GRAVES OF LUST'
*****AND A MESSAGE
*****AND A MESSAGE
By: Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz
Dear friends,
***For those who are interested, I will be traveling to NYC from this Sunday June 8-till June 24th ….I did send previously my itinerary…One important update , it looks as is if I will NOT be doing a gig next wed. eve. at MJE West….
Shalom and Blessings
THE TEST OF PURE UNADULTERATED SPIRITUALITY
1. Before we examine what the lesson is that Hashem is teaching in this message to the people, let's first pull back a step, and try to understand the bigger picture. Here we have an entire nation, 3-4 million people strong, literally out in the middle of the desert. They are being groomed towards spiritual perfection----to living a miraculous, above nature existence. If they would have stood up to their trials, they would have been the world's vanguard, leading all humanity then and there to global enlightenment and Tikun. The entire 4th book of the '5 BOOKS OF MOSES'--'BAMIDBAR' [literally meaning --'in the desert'], is a study of the trials, failures AND successes of a people whose lessons apply to all generations including our own.
This nation was driven to rise up to whole new level of pure unadulterated spirituality. They were given Heavenly food, called Manna. The effect of the Manna was to fill them up with pure spirituality, so much so that it even spiritualized their bodies; they no longer needed to relieve themselves---nor launder their clothes-- nor shower themselves. The spiritual effect was unlike normal food intake which often causes negative psychological heaviness..etc. The Manna caused them to be internally motivated to study Torah and to get close to Hashem. To top it all off, the Manna provided them with the taste of any food in the world that they desired, yet left them totally free of any lower level desires! However, this gift of packaged spirituality that G-d granted them, was exactly their point of greatest difficulty. The weakest elements of the nation, referred to as the Eiruv Rav or mixed multitude, dragged down the stronger factions of the people, into a 'lusting'. It was a lusting for the good old days when they were able to pamper their lower animalistic selves with meat, sexual lust and all other standard forms of bodily desires that Hashem was trying to wean them from. The battle lines were drawn; pure higher soul spiritually pitted against lower animal-soul lust.
Dear friends,
***For those who are interested, I will be traveling to NYC from this Sunday June 8-till June 24th ….I did send previously my itinerary…One important update , it looks as is if I will NOT be doing a gig next wed. eve. at MJE West….
Shalom and Blessings
THE TEST OF PURE UNADULTERATED SPIRITUALITY
1. Before we examine what the lesson is that Hashem is teaching in this message to the people, let's first pull back a step, and try to understand the bigger picture. Here we have an entire nation, 3-4 million people strong, literally out in the middle of the desert. They are being groomed towards spiritual perfection----to living a miraculous, above nature existence. If they would have stood up to their trials, they would have been the world's vanguard, leading all humanity then and there to global enlightenment and Tikun. The entire 4th book of the '5 BOOKS OF MOSES'--'BAMIDBAR' [literally meaning --'in the desert'], is a study of the trials, failures AND successes of a people whose lessons apply to all generations including our own.
This nation was driven to rise up to whole new level of pure unadulterated spirituality. They were given Heavenly food, called Manna. The effect of the Manna was to fill them up with pure spirituality, so much so that it even spiritualized their bodies; they no longer needed to relieve themselves---nor launder their clothes-- nor shower themselves. The spiritual effect was unlike normal food intake which often causes negative psychological heaviness..etc. The Manna caused them to be internally motivated to study Torah and to get close to Hashem. To top it all off, the Manna provided them with the taste of any food in the world that they desired, yet left them totally free of any lower level desires! However, this gift of packaged spirituality that G-d granted them, was exactly their point of greatest difficulty. The weakest elements of the nation, referred to as the Eiruv Rav or mixed multitude, dragged down the stronger factions of the people, into a 'lusting'. It was a lusting for the good old days when they were able to pamper their lower animalistic selves with meat, sexual lust and all other standard forms of bodily desires that Hashem was trying to wean them from. The battle lines were drawn; pure higher soul spiritually pitted against lower animal-soul lust.
MOSHE'S REACTION
2. Moshe was more than just a leader of the people. He was the 'Tzadik Yesod Olam' [the righteous person who is the pivotal apex of all of his people and the entire world]. In the world of souls as well as in this world, Moshe was charged with the responsibility of the Tikun of all those who are connected to his soul root--------and this encompassed the entire nation. This takes place not only on a conscious level, but also on a super-conscious level. Moshe rises and falls with the people's risings and fallings. In Egypt, before the Hebrew slave nation could speak properly, Moshe also couldn't---he stammered and stuttered. And when the people arrived at Sinai in a united and elevated state, Moshe reached his highest personal levels, climbing up to the Heavens in a supernatural way to bring down the Word Of G-d to mankind.
Here in our Parsha's episode---the people had a fallout; their lower soul overpowered their higher soul. Moshe's reaction was to grow very weak---as he does time and time again in all the Parshas of 'Bamidbar'. He, in his weakness, informs Hashem, that he's not able to bear the burden of this people alone. The Slonimer Rebbe in his work, 'The Paths of Peace', teaches that when a person is under stress or is in the midst of a trial, crisis or breakdown----all the 'extras' disappear; the extra dose of expanded consciousness & the extra dose of clearly-felt help from On High...etc. Moshe's 'extras' disappeared with his people's fallout. [It nevertheless must be pointed out here, that the reason that we are often placed in an ordeal without the 'extras' is to force us to discover levels of inner strengths previously untapped and sometimes it's to force us to act in impossible situations and thereby draw down G-d's miraculous salvation].
HASHEM'S REPLY
3. The Divine response, at Moshe's request, was to provide collaborative help for Moshe. A small part of Moshe's level of prophecy was apportioned amongst the 'Elders of The People', as well as was a part of his burden. There were a number of rectifications that were dealt out to the people [some involving death ---thus the place-name of our Parsha--'The Graves of Lust']. Everyone received the dosage of rectification that was appropriate to their level of sunkenness. The rectifications were administered in a gradual way, allowing the people to continuously reassess their lot and choose to behave differently. The rectification that the Parsha seems to stress the most, is when they get so much of their lusted-after meat [quail] '...until it comes out of their noses'. They partake until they become thoroughly disgusted with it. This Tikun [like 1 or 2 others in the Chumash], recalls the principle of homeopathy----- which gives the sick person an additional dose of their sickness until they are healed.
THE FORMULA
4. We all have inside of us a Moshe and a mixed multitude and all the other levels in between. We are all faced with the constant battle between the higher and lower soul that our Parsha describes. In fact this [higher soul--lower soul battle and struggle for inner harmony, perhaps is the single most important factor involved in achieving wellbeing. A lot of careful study & expert strategizing is needed in order to be successful. We will focus only on one aspect---that which our Parsha focuses on. We'll bring the Parsha tool that you can use for your own personal struggle. Be wise as the maxim points out; 'Give to the wise, and they'll become even wiser'. Use this formula as it's presented, and then apply it to all other areas of your life, such as teaching, parenting, healing, relationships etc...etc;
a. Identify the lower soul aspect of yourself that demands immediate gratification in the areas of food and other types of lust-------the part that absolutely doesn't want anything to do with higher spirituality in all of its various forms. Whatever method you use to identify this part, energetically, meditatively or cognitively, the main thing is to tangibly feel this part as a very real independent personality....
b. Present this lower-soul part of yourself with the very real possibility of receiving the object of its desire here and now.....
c. Now present to it the 'payoff'---ie....the immediate gain involved, such as the sensation of filling of your stomach with delicious food...etc. Now present the 'price' it must pay. This is the crucial part----here, one must take the lower soul by the hand and show it all the negative impact it's lusting has cast upon you and your higher soul; the emotional breakdown, the spiritual and physical fallout, other people in your life who are affected negatively...etc.. The more you expand the list and the deeper you feel the impact, the more thorough will be the healing.
d. In order to re-create a conscientious harmony---choose at this point a whole new possibility, a win--win agreement between your lower and higher souls!!
Shabbat Shalom
Yitzchak
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