SACRIFICE
By Ariel Bar Tzadok
Copyright © 2010 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
“If you strike me down now I will become more powerful than
you can possibly imagine.”
These words were spoken by the character ObiWan Kenobi in the
movie Star Wars just before he was killed by his nemesis Darth Vader. Yet,
after Vader administered the death blow, Kenobi's body vanished into thin air,
leaving behind his empty cloak and a very surprised Vader.
As is known from the film, Kenobi became absorbed into what
the film calls The Force, the movie's pseudo-mystical version of what for many
others might be an expression of G-d. Yet, the nature of the fictitious Force
is irrelevant. Kenobi's statement however fictitious, nevertheless does relate
an actual spiritual reality. The righteous are far more powerful untethered
from their physical bodies than when stuck within them, limited by natural
forces.
Religious
literature of all kinds is full of lessons about our true human essence, which
we call our immortal soul. Our true soul self comes to Earth, inhabits a body for a while and then
returns to the domain from which it came. This domain is said to be the domain
of true reality, a dimension very much unlike our own. This higher reality is
said to surround us and penetrate us, it is said to be everywhere and yet
invisible and unmeasurable by physical standards. While it is not physical as
we understand it, it nevertheless exists and this domain is very much populated
with all types of non-human entities, religiously referred to as angels, demons
and souls. In religion, we refer to this domain as the spiritual world. Just
what this means and what it really is we may never know as long as we sojourn
here on Earth in physical bodies. Yet, once untethered, we are reabsorbed into
our source, we essentially return home.
The spiritual
domain is not out there somewhere, it is right here, next to us and surrounding
us. Although we physical
entities cannot see those whom we call the spiritual entities of that domain,
they nevertheless can see us at any time and interact with us at will. We do
not see, but they do! We cannot interact with them, but they do interact with
us. They watch us. They speak to us, inside our minds and inside our dreams.
They can influence our choices and our behavior without our ever knowing or
becoming aware of their influence.
In the movie
Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi insinuated to his nemesis Vader that if he did strike
him down, he would immediately be absorbed back into “The Force.” In real life, when the righteous pass
away, either through natural causes or through violent means, they in turn are absorbed
into the spiritual domain and acquire spiritual powers in that domain that far
surpass the fictitious account portrayed in Star Wars.
In real life,
G-d knows human souls. He
knows them while they are in the physical body and He knows them while they are
in the spiritual body. In G-d's eyes, there is not much of a difference between
the two. Both are His creations. Both serve the purpose of His Divine Will.
When G-d allows the righteous to be martyred, to be killed without
justification or cause. He is not doing so as some nebulous form of punishment.
On the contrary, He is doing the righteous a favor. Gd is taking the righteous
souls out of the corruptible physical body and restoring them to the
incorruptible spiritual body. In this form, the righteous become far more
powerful and can easily maneuver and manipulate their enemies in ways that
physical limitations could never allow them.
This is why we often see that once great physical powers in
this world martyr smaller and lesser ones, the greater one itself somehow
always becomes corrupted from within and eventually implodes and collapses
under its own weight. While some might call this a natural course of events,
others recognize the supernatural invisible undercurrent underlying all natural
phenomena.
A great
question asked in religious circles is why does G-d allow the righteous to
suffer? Why do those who
stand up for G-d and what is right always seem to get hammered down. Why does
not G-d come to the defense of His righteous and smite the evil doers who seek
their harm? The answer to these question can be found in scripture itself. It
is written in Isaiah (55:8-9), “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways My ways," says the L-rd. As the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts [higher] than your
thoughts.” With this Isaiah is revealing to us how G-d views our questions. For
while in our eyes it appears that G-d is abandoning His righteous into the
hands of evildoers, in G-d's eyes nothing could be further from the truth.
G-d is His
great wisdom knows how to strengthen and refine the souls of the righteous. He knows how best to protect them and
He knows how best to remove from them any and all forms of weakness. These
weaknesses include attachment to physical, corruptible bodies. Sufferings
refine the soul. Sufferings make the soul realize beyond any shadow of doubt
that physical living in this corporeal world is not the end-all pleasurable
experience some have deluded themselves into believing.
Physical
suffering enables the soul to remember that there is more to life than just the
physical body. Suffering
enables the soul to remember itself and recognize itself as an independent
entity, free from and removed from the sufferings of the flesh. As such,
sufferings are a blessing to the soul that enable it to refocus on the
spiritual higher reality that is ever present but blinded from our eyes due to
attachment to the flesh.
Remove the desire for fleshly focus and one can develop
spiritual awareness and insight. One can even begin to grasp glimpses of the
spiritual domain all the while in the flesh as long as the flesh does not act
as an impediment. Therefore, in His mercy, G-d sends to His beloved righteous
sufferings to help them separate their attention from the illusions of the
physical world and to attach their minds, their focus, on their true soul
selves and the reality of the higher domain. One with such insight experiences
and knows for sure that death is not a door that closes, but rather a door that
opens. Death is not a curse for the righteous but rather a blessing. Death is a
doorway home to the higher domain of righteous souls.
Thus when close
to death the righteous say, “strike me down now and I will become more powerful
than you can possibly imagine.” Not that death enables one to act in the physical world, but
rather one acts in the soul world and even the smallest action in the soul
world is far more powerful than anything in the physical world. In the physical
world all one can do is destroy the mortal flesh. In the spiritual world, one
can destroy both body and soul. In the physical world all one can do is kill
the body and send it to the grave. In the spiritual world one can kill the soul
and send it to Hell. Death of the body means nothing to the soul. Death of the
soul means everything.
The righteous
come to view death as does G-d Himself, as a door that opens to a greater
world. The righteous do
not fear torture and sacrifice, for both prepare them for the ultimate passage
and make such passage easier and quicker. The righteous therefore seek to die
as they have lived, for righteousness sake. The righteous do not fear to push
upon the blades of the enemy or to block gunfire with their own bodies. For the
righteous, all that matters is the cause of righteousness. Whatever the cost,
it is G-d who is paying the price and our souls are His currency. The righteous
are proud to live and die in the service of Heaven. For the righteous, there is
no other reality.
Bad times
come to refine the righteous and to train the faithful. This is why sufferings are considered
a blessing in disguise. This is why even the prophet Isaiah refers to the righteous
as G-d's suffering servant. This is why apparently bad things happen to good
people. It is all a matter of perspective. What looks to us as something bad
may very well be in the Eyes of G-d something good. All we can do is put our
trust in Higher Hands and know that whatever transpires does so to serve a
Higher Good. That should should comfort us as we suffer through the trials and
tribulations of our daily lives. G-d is most certainly with us, the question
is, are we with Him?
Copyright © 2010 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
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KOSHERTORAH SCHOOL OF RABBI ARIEL BAR TZADOK
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