Avatar and the Shaar haNun of the Holy Tree

The fiftieth gate of Kedusha, The Shaar HaNun, is the most comprehensive stage of initiation for a mekubal/kabbalist. It roughly corresponds to what the ancient Sanskrit language would call an avatar initiate. The staged drama fantasy in the theatres by this name, Avatar, reflects the global transition we are experiencing. The protagonist fully becomes conscious of the divine after mastering the supreme red dragon creature and saving the kingdom of the Holy Soul Tree. He prays to the Holy Shechinah/Divine mother- Aiwa(a way of “pronouncing” the Name!)and she answers him with help and protection. In fact she protects him from the beginning of his adventure in the land Pandora. The people of this land are called the Navi and indeed the Earth has entered a new period of prophecy called navi in Hebrew. We too pray to the Divine One that the calamities and woes of a healed world struggling to be truly born will cease as in the quote from the sepher of 2Baruch in the last post. The Tree, the Etz Chaiim is on the big screen folks so this is another miracle to celebrate. As a theme of this blog, this film is another reflection of the transition of Olam haZeh, this world, into a humanity holding a fully integrated five-continuum world view. This is a world conscious of our interrelationship with the fifth continuum as a vast and beautiful dimension of oceanic being/soul. We are here in the shanah/wheel of the year that honors the roots of the Holy Tree of TuB'Shevat and parsha Beshalach. Here is the heart of Torah with the song of the sea, the origin place of the 72 names and Mosheh Rabbeinu with his very hand on the sacred ceso/throne. Baruch haShem!

2Baruch/the keitz/ the end of the Times of Calamities/Woes

2 Baruch is a Jewish pseudepigraphical text thought to have been written in the late first century CE or early second century CE, after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. It is attributed to the Biblical Baruch and so is associated with the Old Testament, but not regarded as scripture by Jews or by most Christian groups. It is included in some editions of the Peshitta. It has 87 sections.(from wikipedia)
Below is a section from the scripture 2Baruch about the Keitz yomim, the consummation of times and it matches closely with the twelve years on Earth since the bright passage of the kochav/comet Hale-Bopp (and the 5757-birth of the red heifer in Judea)which left the inner solar system in 5758/1998 and had appeared last time during the life of Noach and the generation of the mabul/flood in 2200BCE.

From 2Baruch:
"25—26. Sign of the coming Judgment

25 1 And He answered and said unto me: 'You too shall be preserved till that time till that sign which the Most High will work for the inhabitants of the earth in the end of days. 2 This therefore shall be the sign. 3 When a stupor shall seize the inhabitants of the earth, and they shall fall into many tribulations, and again when they shall fall into great torments. And it will come to pass when they say in their thoughts by reason of their much tribulation: "The Mighty 'One doth no longer remember the earth"—yes, it will come to pass when they abandon hope, that the time will then awake.'

26 1 And I answered and said: 'Will that tribulation which is to be continue a long time, and will that necessity embrace many years?'


26-30. The Twelve Woes that are to Come upon the Earth:

27 1 And He answered and said unto me: 'Into twelve parts is that time divided, and each one of them is reserved for that which is appointed for it. 2 In the first part there shall be the begin­ning of commotions. 3 And in the second part (there shall be) slayings of the great ones. 4 And in the third part the fall of many by death. 5 And in the fourth part the sending of the sword. 6 And in the fifth part famine and the withholding of rain. 7 And in the sixth part earthquakes and terrors. 8 [Wanting.] 9 And in the eighth part a multitude of specters and attacks of the Shedim. 10 And in the ninth part the fall of fire. 11 And in the tenth part rapine and much oppression. 12 And in the eleventh part wickedness and unchastity. 13 And in the twelfth part confusion from the mingling together of all those things aforesaid. 14 For these parts of that time are reserved, and shall be mingled one with another and minister one to another. 15 For some shall leave out some of their own, and receive (in its stead) from others, and some complete their own and that of others, so that those may not understand who are upon the earth in those days that this is the consummation of the times."
Translation from the Syriac by R. H. Charles
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1913) 2: 481-524
Edited and adapted by George Lyons
for the
Wesley Center for Applied Theology
at Northwest Nazarene University
© Copyright 2000 by the Wesley Center for Applied Theology

If indeed the twelve part time of woes where various disasters ripple through the world are to last for twelve years and they began with the departing of one of the “swords” of Kerubim as comet Hale-Bopp then we are right now at the end of this transition period into the time of global awakening. Baruch haShem
Good Shabbos Bo!

HaTesha The Nine turbulent rivers(5-770 Heh-tav-shin-ayin)

From the Sepher haZohar for this weeks Torah parsha Bo:
“The great dragon reposes between nine rivers, the waters of which are turbulent; and there is a tenth river whose waters are calm, and into the depth of which the blessings of the waters of Paradise descend three times a year. Into this river the dragon enters, making there his habitation; and thence he sallies forth and swims down to the sea, and devours there fish of all kinds, and then returns again to the river. The nine swift rivers are banked by trees and fringed with flowers. The parent river issued from the left side(desire) and from it three drops fell into a certain channel, and each of the three was divided again into three, and every drop became a river. These are the nine rivers which flow through all the firmaments. And from the final moisture that remained when all the drops had issued forth yet another drop was formed, which issued gently, and of this drop was formed the tenth river, which flows calmly. Into this river also flows a drop from the blessings poured forth from the right side by the “perennially flowing stream”, and it is greater than all the rest.”(Zohar II34b-trans after Sperling)
We ask that the blessings of the eternal river of life flow to all those suffering due to the turbulence of olam hazeh, and in need, and in need of refuah sheleimah/healing.

Where is the Geulah? Finding the Center of all that Is

This weeks Zohar commentary of the Torah parsha Vaera contains a profound mystery. The four winds(directions),elements and metals are discussed as if in a wheel that generates the entire physical creation. The picture above is from The Sepher Eshel Abraham. It shows the four corners of the wheel with the twelve qualities that the sepher haZohar equates to the twelve tribes of Yisrael. We can not help but being aware of the center of the wheel, the thirteenth, which is the gematria value of the word Echad=one. The physical universe however does not contain a perfect circle or sphere anywhere and so the four continuum worldview posits that there is no center to the physical universe. Because of this prevalent worldview of the space-time continuum many people have no center to orient to and are in an illusory exile. The five continuum worldview of the wisdom tradition which is stated clearly in the small Sepher Yetzirah has a center. When a person internalizes a worldview that has the center then they become a stone in the temple so to speak that brings this Center into visibility in our world.
‘The first four elements have a deep significance for the faithful: they are the progenitors of all worlds, and symbolize the supernal chariot of Holiness. Also the four elements of fire, air, earth, and water have a deep significance. From them come gold,silver,copper, and iron, and beneath these other metals of a like kind. Mark well this! Fire, air, Earth, and water are the sources and roots of all things above and below, and on them are all things grounded. And in each of the four winds these elements are found-fire in the North, air in the east, water in the South, earth in the West; and the four elements are united with the four winds-and all are one. Fire, water, air, and earth: gold, silver, copper, and iron; north, south, east, and west-these make together twelve; yet they are all one.” Zohar II-23b(trans after Sperling).
If we add the four letters of the sacred Name to each direction which we are told in Zohar correspond to the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting then our wheel has the sixteen faces and qualities as Ezekiel saw manifested by the four faced Chayoth of the Merkava/Chariot. The world is only in a crisis at this time as much as folks are moving from a flat earth(four continuums/dimensions) worldview to the full five continuum worldview of the Sepher Yetzirah which has a center of the Shalom Shalem/complete Peace. Those finding the center find their Geulah/redemption!
Shalom

Sefer Shemot and recovering the Temple vessels

This week we leyn the parsha Shemot of the book of the geulah, the beginning of the story of Moseh Rabbeinu. Below are two excerpts from the aggadah/legends as retold by Louis Ginzberg. They hold a mystery that explains part of the need to be in mitzrayim/Egypt for according to the second story about the Scepter of Moses it was brought into Egypt by Jacob and therefore needed to be recovered by Moses. This scepter however is actually just a different form of the original holy sapphire Book given to the first Adam by the angel Raziel as detailed in the first story below. Each of these sacred items is given a descent through special individuals according to the legend and this also parallels the sacred kabbalah herself. The Sepher haZohar fills us in in the connections where in the commentary on terumah as stated in previous posts is the connection between the jewels and gold on the Choshen/breatplate of Aaron and the tail of certain kochavim/comets.
"and precious stones and fine gold, which forms within the breast of high mountains(breastplate), and under shallow water-which are ruled by those comets by whose influence they grow and increase"(Zohar II-171b-trans after Sperling).
The scepter of Mosheh is also said in Zohar to have two uses. One was to call in the 72 sarim/angel governors(In parsha Beshalach) and part the red sea and the other use is only hinted at. This use is as an interface with the celestials/angels and the humans by way of sacred kochav/comet as we read about here in Zohar. We have two pictures above, one of a hieroglyph from ancient Egypt showing the helical(serpent spiral) form of the scepters held by the Egyptian guardian of wisdom-Thoth(from the book "Egyptian Mysteries" by Lamy,Crossroad Pub.). The other picture is of a real form of the scepter with a crystal knob of the same gem substance(olivine) now recently discovered to be found in comets themselves(and on the Choshen/breatplate)!

"The identification of crystalline olivine in cometary silicates
Campins, H.; Ryan, E. V. Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 341, June 15, 1989, p. 1059-1066. Research supported by NASA and NSF.
An intermediate-resolution spectrum of the 8-13 micron region in comet Halley is obtained which shows a prominent silicate emission feature with structure not observed before in other comets or in interstellar silicates. The presence of a strong 11.3 micron peak reported by Bregman and coworkers is confirmed, and evidence is found for additional structure in the band. By comparison with spectra of interplanetary dust particles and laboratory silicates, it is concluded that small crystalline olivine particles are a major component of the silicates in this comet; other silicates (e.g., amorphous or hydrated) must also be present. The identification of crystalline olivine in this part of the spectrum is supported by the observation of four peaks in 20-50 micron airborne spectra of this comet which have also been attributed to olivine."

So science has now confirmed the connection between a crystal gem in the breastplate of Aaron and certain comets.

From the legends/aggadah about the “Holy Book”:
“Upon the death of Adam, the holy book disappeared, but later the cave in which it was hidden was revealed to Enoch in a dream. It was from this book that Enoch drew his knowledge of nature, of the earth and of the heavens, and he became so wise through it that his wisdom exceeded the wisdom of Adam. Once he had committed it to memory, Enoch hid the book again.
Now, when God resolved upon bringing the flood on the earth, He sent the archangel Raphael to Noah, as the bearer of the following message: "I give thee herewith the holy book, that all the secrets and mysteries written therein may be made manifest unto thee, and that thou mayest know how to fulfil its injunction in holiness, purity, modesty, and humbleness. Thou wilt learn from it how to build an ark of the wood of the gopher tree, wherein thou, and thy sons, and thy wife shall find protection."
Noah took the book, and when he studied it, the holy spirit came upon him, and he knew all things needful for the building of the ark and the gathering together of the animals. The book, which was made of sapphires, he took with him into the ark, having first enclosed it in a golden casket. All the time he spent in the ark it served him as a time-piece, to distinguish night from day. Before his death, he entrusted it to Shem, and he in turn to Abraham. From Abraham it descended through Jacob, Levi, Moses, and Joshua to Solomon, who learnt all his wisdom from it, and his skill in the healing art, and also his mastery over the demons.
Second story from the legends about the Scepter of Moses:
“One of the seven maidens whom Moses saw at the well attracted his notice in particular on account of her modest demeanor, and he made her a proposal of marriage. But Zipporah repulsed him, saying, "My father has a tree in his garden with which he tests every man that expresses a desire to marry one of his daughters, and as soon as the suitor touches the tree, he is devoured by it."
Moses: "Whence has he the tree?"
Zipporah: "It is the rod that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in the twilight of the first Sabbath eve, and gave to Adam. He transmitted it to Enoch, from him it descended to Noah, then to Shem, and Abraham, and Isaac, and finally to Jacob, who brought it with him to Egypt, and gave it to his son Joseph. When Joseph died, the Egyptians pillaged his house, and the rod, which was in their booty, they brought to Pharaoh's palace. At that time my father was one of the most prominent of the king's sacred scribes, and as such he had the opportunity of seeing the rod. He felt a great desire to possess it, and he stole it and took it to his house. On this rod the Ineffable Name is graven, and also the ten plagues that God will cause to visit the Egyptians in a future day. For many years it lay in my father's house. One day he was walking in his garden carrying it, and he stuck it in the ground. When he attempted to draw it out again, he found that it had sprouted, and was putting forth blossoms. That is the rod with which he tries any that desire to marry his daughters. He insists that our suitors shall attempt to pull it out of the ground, but as soon as they touch it, it devours them."
Having given him this account of her father's rod, Zipporah went home, accompanied by her sisters, and Moses followed them.
Jethro was not a little amazed to see his daughters return so soon from the watering troughs. As a rule, the chicanery they had to suffer from the shepherds detained them until late. No sooner had he heard their report about the wonder-working Egyptian than he exclaimed, "Mayhap he is one of the descendants of Abraham, from whom issueth blessing for the whole world." He rebuked his daughters for not having invited the stranger that had done them so valuable a service to come into their house, and he ordered them to fetch him, in the hope that he would take one of his daughters to wife.
Moses had been standing without all this time, and had allowed Jethro's daughters to describe him as an Egyptian, without protesting and asserting his Hebrew birth. For this God punished him by causing him to die outside of the promised land. Joseph, who had proclaimed in public that he was a Hebrew, found his last resting-place in the land of the Hebrews, and Moses, who apparently had no objection to being considered an Egyptian, had to live and die outside of that land.
Zipporah hastened forth to execute her father's wish, and no sooner had she ushered him in than Moses requested her hand in marriage. Jethro replied, "If thou canst bring me the rod in my garden, I will give her to thee." Moses went out, found the sapphire rod that God had bestowed upon Adam when he was driven forth from Paradise, the rod that had reached Jethro after manifold vicissitudes, and which he had planted in the garden. Moses uprooted it and carried it to Jethro, who conceived the idea at once that he was the prophet in Israel concerning whom all the wise men of Egypt had foretold that he would destroy their land and its inhabitants.
The Legends of the Jews
By Louis Ginzberg
[1909]

The Rabbinic sages have told us in the Talmudic and other writings that the technology of the Temple would return with the third temple and the geulah/redemption, which all has begun simultaneously along with the kibbutz golios and the techiyas Hametim, the enlivening of the dead. Baruch HaShem
A Good Shabbos Geulah