The Days of Awe

We just celebrated the High Holidays, including what is known as the “Day of forgiveness.” This day is believed to be the day that Moses descended from mount Sinai bearing the second set of tablets, following the Jewish nation’s penitential prayer and fasting over the sin of the Golden Calf.

It is a time of reflection, penitence and reconciliation.

According to the Sacks Koren Siddur, ET, p.294:

“I hereby forgive anyone who has angered or provoked me or sinned against me, physically or financially or by failing to give me due respect, or in any other matter relating to me, involuntarily or willingly, inadvertently or deliberately, whether in word or deed: let no one incur punishment because of me.”

We make Teshuvah by isolating any behavior in the past year that we would like not to repeat in the future. We start this process by naming factors that led to this behavior, then we seek to redirect our behavior. We also look for ways to repair relationships that we have strained through our actions. By realizing how we have disappointed others we participate in Teshuvah, one important aspect is acknowledging the power of our words and deeds, learning to change for the better. We should  acknowledge what mitzvoth we have neglected, if we have been self-righteous instead of self critical, as well as which destructive patterns and behaviors are persistent in our lives.

Judaism teaches that through repentance we avoid a harsh decree from G-d. What does that mean? That there are consequences for our actions and that teshuvah, tefillah, tzadakah create a yearning to turn from our transgressions.

In Sephardi communities, the recitation of selichot, a series of penitential prayers and liturgy, begins on Rosh Chodesh Elul. This commemorates the appearance of the new moon, which was first celebrated in Exodus 12:2 “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” In the times of the Temple, the day began with the sound of the shofar, and special sacrifices were offered.

The selichot focus on the "Thirteen Attributes of God" (Exodus 34:5-7). The Talmud in Rosh Hashanah 17b describes G-d as appearing as a prayer leader in a tallit instructing Moshe Rabenu to tell the Children of Israel to recite the following to receive forgiveness:

Adonai: He is merciful (to one before he/she sins).
Adonai: He is merciful (to the sinner who repents).
Ayl: He is powerful.
Rachum: He is compassionate.
V'chanum: He grants even underserved favors.

Erech Apayim: He is slow to anger, allowing the sinner time to repent by not exacting immediate punishment.

V'rav Chesed: He abounds in lovingkindness and leniency.

V'emet: He abounds in truth and keeps His promises.

Notzer Chesed La'alafim: He maintains lovingkindness for thousands of generations.

Nosav Avon: He forgives sins that result from temptation.

Va'fesha: He forgives sins of rebellion against Him.

V'chata'ah: He forgives sins committed carelessly or unknowingly.

V'nakay: He completely forgives the sinner who returns to Him in sincere repentance.

(The Companion Guide to the Yom Kippur Prayer Service by Moshe Sorscher, printed by Judaica Press.)

I end this short introduction to the concepts and traditions for the "Days of Awe" (Yamim Noraim also known as Aseret Yemei Teshuva), with the lyrics of the modern version of the Avinu Malkenu song:

“Hear our prayer
We have sinned before Thee
Have compassion upon us and upon our children
Help us bring an end to pestilence, war, and famine
Cause all hate and oppression to vanish from the earth
Inscribe us for blessing in the Book Of Life.”

Torah Min Ha Shamayim: The Heavenly Torah

Judaism teaches that we should follow the commandments, ordinances and instructions presented in the Torah of Moses. The Kabbalah teaches that there is a "Heavenly Torah" which  is involved with spiritual concepts that connect us with our true human nature that is connected to God. There are those who when they read the Hebrew Bible on a surface level assume that the Torah is all about violence, genealogies and tribal history. However, in Jewish tradition there are ways to interpret and understand these concepts and there is always a tension between mystical and rational understandings of Holy Scripture. The Heavenly Torah introduced to modern audiences by Abraham Joshua Heschel was written in the first set of the Ten Commandments which was smashed by Moses due to the sin of the Golden Calf. Humans missed out on the heavenly commandments which instead of dealing with human nature, death and war deal with spiritual concepts such as vegetarianism, eternal life, peaceful resolution of conflict and religious bliss.

Seudat Meshiach: The Meal of Messiah, Seder of the Last Day of Passover

The traditional seder celebrates Jewish redemption from slavery. According to mystical sources the power of redemption is the greatest the last days of Passover. The Hasidim celebrate an event called the meal of Messiah as they believe that evil will be completely extinguished when the Messiah arrives, this includes slavery and religious persecution. The ultimate goal of Judaism is for individual to get out of spiritual or physical exile. There are many concepts related to the last day of Passover Seder or meal of messiah. This simple celebration includes a small meal of Matzah and wine or juice. The Talmudic rabbis or sages instituted the traditional seder which includes drinking a cup of wine, for each section of the seder. We recite the Kiddush over the first cup, we read the Exodus story from the Haggadah over the second cup, we recite the Grace after Meals over the third cup, and we sing the "big Hallel" (Psalms and hymns of praises to G-d) over the fourth cup.

The history of this meal goes back to the Baal Shem Tov (1700, died 22 May 1760), called the Bescht started the meal.  Other sages like The Tzemach Tzedek said that the Meshiach prepares a chamber for the lowly in the world to come or the kingdom of Heaven.

The meal of messiah comes from the haftorah passage in which includes Isaiah 10 and 11 which discusses a time of freedom and no more oppression:

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:9 

In contemporary thought the idea of the sea of reeds being split open seems farfetched, however the concept of a Jewish messiah or Meshiach or a time of complete redemption seems unbelievable as well. We hope for a messianic time when we will dance with Messiah as Hashem was depicted dancing in the mountains as the Hebrews were coming out of Egypt. 

Orthodox Jews ask themselves questions related to Eschatological redemption including why is Meshiach not mentioned in the Torah, what is the “Or Meshiach” or Light of Messiah. This concept relates to the end of the exile of all Jews, we have been given a foretaste of the Torah's secrets, which will be fully revealed only in time to come. This serves as a preparation for the Days of Meshiach when the knowledge of G-d will increase. As Moses Maimonides, also known as the Rambam " The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d..., and the Jews...will again an understanding of their Creator..." all this will take place during the times of the Messiah. 

Introduction to Kabbalah

The following is my research on Kabalistic thought. It comes from many sources and is only a summary. Kabbalah means to receive. According to the "Sayings of our Fathers" the oral law was a sacred tradition handed down throughout the generations:

“Moses received Torah from God at Sinai. He transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, the elders to the prophets, the prophets to the members of the Great Assembly (1:1Pirket Avot).”

Kabbalah is often associated with the Jewish spiritualists of the Middle Ages, who claim to have a hidden tradition. However, since divine truth is eternal they are only exposing what has always been there.

There are many schools of Kabbalah including: Hasidei Ashkenaz of Germany, Sephardic from Provence and Languedoc, Catalonia/Girona and Castile, Lurianic and Cordoverian of Safed Galilee in Northern Israel, the school of Central Europe, of Italy, the Mizrachi of Morocco and Yemen, the Eastern European of the Baal Shem/Nistarim and other mystical circles, and the Mitnagdic/Lithuanian Kabbalah.

Some people have mislabel kabbalah as magic, philosophy, science or psychology. These individuals have made it into a universal principle which is part of all human thought not just Judaism.

There are many concepts which are important to Kabbalah such as the Maaseh Bereshit- Work of Beginnings, the Helakhot-Palaces, Maaseh Merkavah-the work of the Chariot described in in Ezekiel Chapter 1 & 10. Pardes-Paradise and the 4 rabbis which visited this realm. It is said that Ben Azai-gazed and died, Ben Zomah  gazed and went insane, Aher became apostate and Rabbi Akiba entered and exited in peace. 

There are important texts such as Sefer Razim, which is mystical book given to Noah by the angel Raziel, and passed down throughout Biblical history to Solomon, for whom it was a great source of his wisdom, and purported magical powers. There is also Shiur Komah, which is attributed to R. Akivah and Ishmael. It is believed to describe the foundational concepts of the sefirot. It teaches about the body of G-d based on Song of Songs 5:10-16

Sefer Yezira or Book of Creation, which is traditionally ascribed to the patriarch Abraham, although others attribute its writing to Rabbi Akiva. Its mystical ideas focus on how the universe came into existence

Other concepts are Adam Kadmon and Enoch as metatron, one a prototype of Meschiach the other of yoreh merkavah

Adam Kadmon Is primordial man which existed before the creation of the earthly Adam, but was preexistent to the whole of creation. It is associated with the Messiah or the Logos 

Ein Sof (unending) is understood as God prior to his self-manifestation in the production of any spiritual realm, This term is probably derived from Ibn Gabirol's idea of an "Endless One" 

The Sefirot are the Ten Emanations of G-d:

1. Kether

2. Chokma

3. Binah

4. Chesed

5. Geburah

6. Tiphareh

7. Netzach

8. Hod

9. Yesod

10. Malkuth

Tzimtzum means contraction/constriction/condensation, is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah to explain Isaac Luria's new doctrine that God began the process of creation by "contracting" his Ein Sof (infinite) light in order to allow for a "conceptual space" in which finite and seemingly independent realms could exist. 

Klipot are the "Husks" which can be described as a representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, the polar opposites of the holy Sefirot.^[3] The realm of evil is also termed Sitra Achra/Aḥra in Kabbalah texts.

According to Kabbalah there are 4 worlds

1. Atzilut-Emanation

2. Briyah-Creation

3. Yetzirah-Formation

4. Assiyah-Manifestation

Tree of Life  or Etz haChayim (עץהחיים) in Hebrew, is a classic descriptive term for the central mystical symbol used in the Kabbalah of esoteric Judaism, also known as the 10 Sephirot, and the 22 Paths. It is considered to depict a map of Creation.

Jewish Meditation involves Gerushin- Repetition – which is an anchor of meditation practice, repetition of sacred phrase as well as in everyday life. Method of mental focus, filtering out distractions. The Baal Shem Tov developed the idea of kavanah which means concentration, feeling or devotion.

One of the mantras is Ribono Shelolam “Lord of the Universe”. There were chants and music used by prophets according to Aryeh Kaplan’s book (p.41 of his book Jewish Meditation) He also sees the Amidah as eighteen meditations. The Chasidim rishonim would spend an hour reciting the Amidah according to the Talmud

Heylakhot Rabbatai-Greater book of the Divine Chambers, is another book which describes the discipline of the chariot. In the book The Hidden and Manifest God (p.28) it speaks of malakh panim, Metatron, Anafiel, Dumiel, the gatekeepers, intercessors of Israel, the prince of the Torah, angels of revelation as the many the heavenly beings part of the spiritual realm.

Jewish Messiah: A Historical and Mystical Perspective

Today we will be discussing the concept of Messiah or Meshiach as it developed in Jewish thought. There are some academics that describe this concept as coming from Zoroastrian or Babylonian influence (other near eastern religions), although this is possible I can show how historically this is an Israelite concept. One theory is that when the Jews were in exile in Babylon they developed the idea of the messiah as part of remembrance and romanticism of time of David and Solomon. Others say that the influence of the book of Daniel and the Maccabean Revolt brought Messianic expectations to the forefront. However, there are different ideas of the Messiah within various communities such as the Essenes who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, the writers of New Testament, and both the rabbis who compiled the Mishna, and the ones who developed the different versions of the Talmud, there are also Midrashic texts which interpret the Bible and the many Medieval treatises.

There are different figures who have claimed the title of Messiah throughout history, these figures arouse usually during time of Jewish persecution such as Bar Kochba (which Rabbi Akiba supported in 130s A.D. and Jesus who some people believe wanted overthrow the Romans either physically or spiritually. 

Some scholars would connect messianism to the many Jewish charismatic movements seeking the End of an Age or the redemption of humanity. One of my favorite scholar Geza Vermes sees Jesus as a leader of a charismatic group and there are other examples of leaders in Jewish history whose aspirations were to lead the world in a messianic kingdom such as Sebbatai Sevi and Jacob Frank. Some people would compare some groups with modern fundamentalists in the Middle East. Although I don’t see this as a fair comparison there are some similarities. One of the many issues regarding the Messiah are differences interpretations of the Bible between these various groups.

One important aspect of the biblical narrative is the “Day of the Lord" which conveys a difficult passage of time in the history of Israel followed by the ingathering of the scattered people and a recovery of independence in their land. Jews have tried to reconcile the lack of fulfillment of this prophetic idea throughout the centuries looking for different kingdoms to bring about this. 

Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, the compiler of the Mishnah in around 200 CE, was reluctant to encourage any mention of the Messiah, after the failure of the Bar Kochba revolt in 132-135 CE. A passage from Eicha Rabbah 1:51; Yer.Brachot 2:4 which says the following: "On the day that Jerusalem was destroyed the Redeemer was born." Many sources discuss how King Hezekiah was the messiah. The following passage is Talmud “Prepare a throne for King Hezekiah, who is coming" (Ber. 28b ARN 25:40). It is interesting to note that the idea of 2 Messiah's in Judaism come from the midrash called “revelations of Simon Ben Yohai”

The Mishna, the foundational source of the Talmud, only it speaks of a messianic age, in M. Sota 9:15 it says: With the footprints of the Messiah arrogance shall increase and dearth reach its height; the vine will yield its fruit but will be expensive: and the empire shall fall into heresy and there be none to utter rebuke. The council chamber shall be given to immoral practices.... children shall shame their elders, the son will dishonor the father, the daughter, the mother. The face of the generation is as the face of the dog... (M. Sota 9:15). There is another passage in Mishna Brachot 1:5 which is connected with the Exodus, in Deut. 16:3 says the following: An answer was that if Scripture had simply stated "the days of your life" this would mean only during the days, but since it stated "all the days of your life," this is taken to mean also during the nights one must remember the Exodus from Egypt. The sages further expanded on that first interpretation. Thus, "days of your life" would refer to this world only, but "all the days of your life" would also include the Days of the Messiah.

In his book “Messianic Speculations in Israel” Abba Hillel Silver quotes Moses Albeda who believes that the Messiah is tied to G-d’s mercy, that he should vindicate the Name of G-d, and that he is part of the promises G-d made to the Jewish people.

Teaching a Four Year Old Jewish Theological Concepts

Since my two daughters were born I have been trying to figure out how to teach the Bible (Tanak) to them. Not only do I have to teach them age appropriate information but it has to be from Jewish perspective since there are many biblical children books but very few are Jewish. One visual aid is the amazing film called " The Prince of Egypt."

Some humanist would say that everything in the Bible is violent and it teaches children retribution through physical conflict. This became apparent when my daughter started cheering for G-d to destroy the Egyptians with the waters of the Sea of Reeds. I saw that as an opportunity to teacher about the Midrash which teaches that we should not to rejoice on the death of our enemies since G-d told the angels they should not sing at sight of the death of the Egyptian soldiers since even evil people are G-d's children in Jewish thought (Talmud, Megillah 10b and Sanhedrin 39b).

I spoke to her about justice since the bad guys died because of their sins and the good people survived so they can enjoy freedom from slavery and abuse.

When the first born was killed by the angel of death I told her how there are different types of angels ones who bring you to life and ones that take you to heaven. Not sure if this is discussed in Jewish literature but it sounds like an appropriate thing to say to a child. 

The blood of the lamb on the lintel of the door was a little harder to explain, but it pointed to the concept of G-d’s protection.  What was very difficult to discuss with a child was the corporate punishment for the sins of a leader of a nation. 

The movie humanizes Moses and shows him grieving for the impact of the last plague. This is important to consider since God suffers too when human beings suffer in Jewish thought.

The burning bush is a strange symbol or theophany since G-d is non- corporeal. To me the bush represents G-d being among his people versus Egyptian hierarchical system and the majesty of their temples. I taught my daughter about how the miracle of the staff turning into a serpent is a symbol of power.  Just like the head decoration on Pharoh's crown is a cobra, the staff turns into a serpent as a challenge to Egyptian symbols of power. Moses speaks the language of the Egyptians through the miracle showing greater power from G-d over creation as compared to the Magicians, Jannes and Jambres, and their tricks.

One can tell that Jews wrote the movie when you see Pharaoh not dying at the end of the film. According to the Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer ( Exodus 14:28) he survives and eventually became the king of Nineveh repenting at a later time.

The DreamWorks film, which came out in 1998, had a great impact on me. I hope it is as significant to my children’s religious education.