Mysticism and Jewish Philosophy

Moses Maimonides depicted Abraham and Moses not as mystics but as intellectuals. Abraham expressed a prophetic interaction with the divine based on a philosophical worldview while Moses defined a way of life for the Children of Israel. Abraham did not only teach compassion for other humans, but condemnation to idolatrous practices such as child sacrifice and the worship of nature. Moses developed a cohesive system in opposition to the Babylonian, Canaanite, Hittite and Egyptian religions. He codifying G-d's commands for the Jewish people impacted not only communal practices, but also the daily lives of thousands.

Universalism in Judaism

Hasidei Umot Haolam, is the term used in Jewish tradition for the righteous among the peoples of the earth at the same time the monotheistic concept in the Torah is thoroughly universal. This as G-d creates prototype man who is the ancestor of all mankind, Adam. When the Bible deals with general moral questions it tends to do so via the involvement of non-Jews (for example, Sodom and Gommorah, the Flood story, the Books of Job and Jonah). The Prophets also are replete with universalistic references. At the same time in Jewish mystical sources there is an elemental conflict between good and evil, the pagan nations of the world are viewed in thoroughly negative terms; they are labeled Amalek, Esau or Edom. This of course does not contradict the concept elucidated above that individual non-Jews who were virtuous could rise to the heights. There is an important differentiation between pagan idol-worshipers who are by definition corrupt and wicked, and of non-Jews in general. One definition of virtuous non-Jews is those who observe the seven Noahide laws. (Segments of this post were taken from a Masorti Halakhic Responsa on Jewish Universalim)

Tehillim: The Gates of Repentance

For the saying of Psalms has a special power for repentance. But you should occupy yourself all the year with sayings Psalms with kavvanah so as to merit coming to repentance. Likkutei Ayzot, Tshuvah, #32

According to Rabbi Weintraub Psalm 90 is good for this purpose also.

Psalms Chapter 90 תְּהִלִּים
A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.

Thou turnest man to contrition; and sayest: 'Return, ye children of men.'

For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, {N}
and as a watch in the night.

Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep; in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

For we are consumed in Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we hurried away.

Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance.

For all our days are passed away in Thy wrath; we bring our years to an end as a tale that is told.

The days of our years are threescore years and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore years; yet is their pride but travail and vanity; {N}
for it is speedily gone, and we fly away.

Who knoweth the power of Thine anger, and Thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto Thee?

So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom.

Return, O LORD; how long? And let it repent Thee concerning Thy servants.

O satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Make us glad according to the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, according to the years wherein we have seen evil.

Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants, and Thy glory upon their children.

And let the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; {N}
establish Thou also upon us the work of our hands; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it.

Whomever wants to merit becoming worthy of doing tshuvah, should accustomed himself to saying psalms, for the Psalms have a special power to inspire repentance. Likkutei Aytzot, Tshuvah, #32

Elisha Ben Abuya's Depiction on As A Driven Leaf

One aspect of mysticism is how the mystic can drive himself mad or worse if he is not careful in his quest for divine awareness.

"Our Rabbis have taught, four entered into the Pardes. They were Ben Azai,
Ben Zoma, Aher, and Rabbi Akiba. Ben Azai gazed and died. Of him it is
written, "precious in the eyes of HaShem is the death of his pious ones"
(Tehilim 116, 15). Ben Zoma gazed, and went insane. Of him, it is written,
"have you found honey, eat your share lest you become full, and vomit it
up.” (Mishlei 25, 16). Aher became an apostate. Rabbi Akiba entered, and
exited in peace.” Hagigah 14B

The book "As A Driven Leaf" is a fictional depiction of what happened to Aher (ussually associated with Elisha Ben Abuya)in his quest for truth. Although
Elisha Ben Abuya's life account is portraited as heroic, where in the midst of great
forces of change and tradition a man has to choose conscience as a
sanctuary for independent thought and live the consequences of that
resolve. Elisha's journey into perdition takes places as he begins to feel that the doctrines of tradition were weak against the reality he was facing, making him ponder important existencial questions. His quest for truth led him to the dark waters of heresy as Elisha admits to his childhood teacher that "the old
truth has failed me, I must find another" (p. 201). He later admonished the necessity for any form of belief for humans to define themselves. "Faith is indispensable both as a base on which thought may stand, and as a check rein when logic goes astray" (p. 242). Milton Steinberg was wise to express the climax of Elisha's inner struggles during the traumatic event of the character seeing an innocent child die. The skepticism that he had kept inside bursts as he exclaims "There is no reward. There is no Judge. There is no Judgment. For there is no God" (p. 250). These words lead to his demise; for as he runs from being ostracized, he carelessly instructs others not to put their trust in fables. Although it is important to have "... a theology, a morality, a ritual, confirmed by logic"(p. 203). People should come to a place where they can be comfortable with uncertainty. As much as we need to know that what we believe is true, we must wrestle with issues incorporating both out a strong religious foundation and leaving some room for doubt and scientific knowledge. That is how we know that we are not fanatics but mystics, those seeking g-dliness.

Yedid Nefesh and Jewish Meditation

I have been studying Jewish Meditation and found a handout regarding Yedid Nefesh which Maggid Yitzhak Buxbaum introduced to me and others a couple of years back. He spoke about how it is related to the Shechinah and it thanks G-d for creation and our relationship with the Eternal.

Beloved of the soul, Compassionate Father, ידיד נפש אב הרחמן
draw Your servant to Your Will; משוך עבדך אל רצונך
then Your servant will hurry like a hart ירוץ עבדך כמו איל
to bow before Your majesty; ישתחוה אל מול הדרך
to him Your friendship will be sweeter יערב לו ידידותיך
than the dripping of the honeycomb and any taste. מנפת צוף וכל טעם


Majestic, Beautiful, Radiance of the universe, הדור נאה זיו העולם
my soul pines [lit: is sick for] for your love. נפשי חולת אהבתך
Please, O G-d, heal her now, אנא אל נא רפא נא לה
by showing her the pleasantness of Your radiance; בהראות לה נעם זיוך
then she will be strengthened and healed, אז תתחזק ותתרפא
and eternal gladness will be hers. והיתה לה שמחת עולם

Enduring One, may Your mercy be aroused ותיק יהמו נא רחמיך
and please take pity on the son of Your beloved, וחוסה נא על בן אהובך
because it is so very long that I have yearned intensely כי זה כמה נכסף נכספתי
to see speedily the splendour of Your strength; לראת מהרה בתפארת עזך
= only these my heart desired, אלה חמדה לבי
so please take pity and do not conceal Yourself וחוסה נא ואל תתעלם

Please, my Beloved, reveal Yourself and spread upon me הגלה נא ופרש חביבי עלי
the shelter of Your peace; את סכת שלומך
illuminate the Earth with Your glory, תאיר ארץ מכבודך
that we may rejoice and be glad with You; נגילה ונשמחה בך
hasten, show love, for the time has come, מהר אהוב כי בא מועד
and show us grace as in days of old. וחננו כימי עולם

Kiddushin, The Mystical Aspects of Jewish Marriage

“Like the rose maintaining its beauty among thorns, so is My faithful beloved among the nations.” Rashi's interpretation of Song of Songs 11:2

Many mystics have interpreted Leviticus 9 as a wedding between G-d and Israel. The Song of Songs is seen by them as an expounded version of the same events where G-d becomes Shlomo who brings about Schelemut, wholeness to the people of Israel. There is a also a masculanization of female characters in the text. A "Gender paradox occurs, (as) the Daughters of Tssiyyon are read as the circumcised men of Israel...The mystical experience is interpreted as a penetration by the divine word or spirit into the body and soul of the adept" (Boyarim, 46-47.) The mystic takes a female role in their experience of G-d. This aspect of our spiritual connection with G-d in Sinai can help us value and appreciate more our marriages. The importance of sexual, emotional and spiritual intimacy among spouses is compared to our relationship with G-d "The Song of Songs is… a song that was sung at a concrete historical moment of intimacy, at a moment in which God showed Himself to all the People." (Boyarim, 50). Sexuality in Jewish thought is elevated to the highest degree in many texts, especially the Song of Songs which is seen by the rabbis as a “desublimation of divine love, an understanding of that love thorough its metaphorical association with literal, human, corporeal sexuality." (Boyarim, 51)

Kiddushin is a covenant, an agreements between two contracting parties as the one given to Abraham and the one of Torah in Sinai, which is sealed with blood. At the same time the marriage covenant in Judaism, is called Kiddushin instead of "berit," which means a process of holiness, an ongoing sanctification or a distinct intimate relationship apart from others. Shalom bayit "marital wholeness" is the ongoing pursuit of peace in marriage, the covenantal relationship of two human beings. The "Dedication," that takes place during the kiddushin indicates that the couple now have an exclusive relationship, involving total dedication of the bride and groom to each other, to the extent of them becoming "one soul in two bodies."

In Sephardic circles the giving of Torah in Sinai event is seen as "the marriage between Jews and G-d… being solemnized symbolically between the Torah--the bride--and the people of Israel, the bridegroom. In these versions, God as the bride's father gives as dowry the 613 commandments, the Bible, Talmud , and other sacred writings. Moses presents as dowry to his son--the people of Israel--the prayer shawl and phylacteries, the Sabbath and festivals. The contracts are witnessed by God and His servant Moses." (Goodman). This powerful image portrays the relationship between G-d and Jews, in the book “Toward a Jewish Theology” other images connected to marriage are explored. The tabernacle is used by many mystics as a symbol of sexual encounters in marriage. "The Holy of Holies is depicted as a bedroom where the cherubs engage in the procreative act. Where does God dwell? Between the cherubs. Similarly, when a licit coupling occurs between sexual partners. God is present. " (Sherwin, 150)


Bibliography


Boyarim, Daniel People of the Book
Byron, Sherwin Toward a Jewish Theology
Goodman, Philip The Shavuot Anthology

The Mystical View of Brit Milah

"A man is not called by the name of a man except through the commandment of circumcision. Without it he is called a demon not a man. As long as the demonic forces have a hold on a man, through the foreskin and the uncleanliness of man, it is impossible for the higher soul (which distinguishes him as a Jew) to alight upon him and it is impossible for him to be called by the name of an Israelite. Thus it is customary not to give him a name until after circumcision, when the foreskin and uncleanliness have already gone. Then the secret of the higher soul rests on him and he may be called an Israelite man through the commandment of circumcision." Chesed Le-Avraham 2:52 by Abraham Azulai, published in Vilna, 1877

As circumcision has come under attack by those who consider it a mutilation of genitalia, Jewish responses have been the (typical assertions) that it is our rite for entering the community and an historically unbroken Jewish tradition. I would like to propose that according to Jewish sources, circumcision is not only part of our spiritual heritage but a way of reaching divine perfection. The kabbalistic view mentioned above is out of the ordinary in some ways, since it is extra halakhic "According to halakhah, a child born is to a Jewish mother is already an Israelite by the fact of birth." (Jean Holm, p.121)

Maimonides agrees with this stance in theory but feels that an Israelite does not become a Jew until he or she accepts G-d and his revelation to Sinai as real and the commandments as binding on their life. Gershom Scholem speaks of brit milah as part of the perfection of G-d "The eight day then represents a step above the physical, into the realm of the transcendental" (Scholem, p.217). The Hasidim see it as setting apart a Jewish child for a special calling" it gives the individual access to the highest spiritual realms, from which he can draw down the most lofty souls." (Kaplan, p.37)

Daniel Boyarim covers this subject extensively and speaks about how the brit milah can be seen by anti-Semites as form of Jewish alienation "As long as the participation in the religious community is tied to those rites that are special, performed by and marked in the body, the religion remains an affair of a particular tribal group, " (Boyarim, p. 41) To some this "strange practice" (circumcision) comes from an Israelite obsession with hygiene, as there are medically speaking some health benefits associated with this practice. Jews are also seen by others as the "saviors of this civilization, a salvation effected through the invention and transmission of the principles of health and hygiene." (Hart, 10 )

To Boyarim the midrashim on this subject are a denunciation of Christian lack of historical cohesiveness, over spiritualization, and lack of nationhood or ethnical unity (Boyarim, p. 43) The most important aspect of brit milah is how it makes an ordinary man an instrument of the divine "...for the Rabbis of the Midrash it is a sign of the sanctification of the physical body; the cut of the penis completes the inscription of G-d's name on the body. It speaks of circumcision as a transformation of the body into a holy object." (Ibid. 43)

Bibliography


Boyarim, Daniel People of the Book

Hart, Mitchell B. The Healthy Jew

Holm, Jean Rites of passage

Kaplan, Aryeh Sefer Yetzirah The Book of Creation

Schlohem, Gershom Ha Kabbalah shel Sefer Hetemunah VeSehl Abraham Abulafia Jerusalem