Shalom to one and all...
Thank you all who have been showing your
support for
KOSHERTORAH.
Our Hanuka 25%/$25.00 discount is in
place.
Save 25% on all approved online store items,
Torah makes the greatest holiday present and
is especially valuable to calm the nervous
soul in troubled times and to guide the
confused mind to see clearly.
Our online store sale ends in one week,
take advantage of the savings while they last
(through Mon. Dec. 30th).
HAG URIM (HANUKA) SAMEAH TO YOU ALL!
New MP3s - RaMBaM & Otzrot Hayim...
with more to come...
My latest edition to our RaMBaM series is
entitled: PROPHECY.
This
lesson discusses the
everything you wanted to know about how to
receive the spirit of prophecy but had no one
to ask. Well, now you have all the basics
rolled up into one single CD or MP3 lesson.
This is a lesson for every man and woman, Jew
and Benei Noah alike. PROPHECY, PART 2
will be available in a couple of days, watch
for it!
Other RaMBaM titles in this series are:
1.
What is G-d; 2. The Nature of the
Singularity; 3. G-d, The Experience; 4.
The Wonders in Creation; 5. All About
Angels; 6. Knowledge and Knowing; & 7.
Mechanics of the Mazal; 8 The Science of
Torah & the Torah of Science. . All
these titles are available in both CD and MP3
format. Click on the titles for more
information and to order either format....
-----------------------------------
I have also made available for you in MP3
format the first ten lessons in my OTZROT
HAYIM series. This is the standard
introductory text to the Kabbalah of the
Ari'zal. These lessons are not
available individually on CD. Here is your
chance to get the individual lessons you want
or to get the entire series in the
convenient, quick delivery of MP3.... Click
on the title for most information and
individual title topics.
Lessons 11 - 21 will be made available shortly.
-----------------------------------
In January, I will begin sign up for our
new online courses in the Tikunei Zohar, and
Etz Hayim. I will announce fees and the
class schedules at that time. I am still
considering teaching other texts, and if
anyone has any special ideas, please feel
free to drop me an email and share your
thoughts with me...
-----------------------------------
Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST I teach live
on www.virtualyeshiva.com.
This is my one
any only public open forum, free class.
Everyone is welcome to come online and join
me....
-----------------------------------
Messianic Speculations
By HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok. Copyright (C) 2008 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
With the regards to the messianic
speculations running so rampant today, the
old saying rings so loudly true; "we cannot
see the forest through the trees." So many
individuals are talking about Mashiah; they
are all saying so many things, most of which
contradict one another. There is so much
clutter and noise that even if there was any
true information it is being drowned out in a
cacophony of noise and misinformation.
Simply put, all the messianic speculations
are hindering the public from perceiving any
accurate messianic information.
In Biblical days when the prophets roamed our
land, they too faced a similar problem.
Numerous references throughout the Bible show
us that in those days the prophets were faced
with the debilitating problem of false
prophecies and false prophets. These false
prophets were not practicing other religions,
they were all religious Jews who spoke in
G-d's Name, yet they spoke things that G-d
never told them. So what was going on?
Clearly the false prophets were not
intentionally trying to deceive the public,
but deceive and mislead is what they did.
They thought that they were doing the right
thing, but they were way off the mark. How
did this happen? The answer is unfortunately
rather simple.
Prophets used to go to school to learn their
skills. The schools of the Benei Nviim were
a far cry from modern-day yeshivot where only
academic learning is practiced. Benei Nviim
did not learn their trade from books; they
learned it through meditative experience,
guided by a master prophet, who taught his
students on a one-to-one basis, similar as
the Law is described in the Mishna Hagigah
about the learning of Ma'aseh Merkava.
Needless to say, not everyone who tried to
walk this path succeeded in accomplishing his
goal. Just like Ma'aseh Merkava requires a
student to possess a specific type of mind,
which by nature is intuitive, so too the
novice prophet had to not only practice long
hours of meditation, he also had to be of the
mindset that could benefit from those
practices.
Prophecy was a combination art and science
that enables the human mind to expand beyond
the confines of conscious perceptions of the
finite physical world and to experience other
forms of reality only accessible to the
intuitive mind. Indeed, intuition (Hokhma,
wisdom) is not an acquirable trait. One
cannot work hard to learn it; on the
contrary, one has to cease one's academic
function and allow the inner unconscious mind
to come to the surface and thus lead the
conscious mind into deeper realms of
existence. One can thus only receive this
Hokhma. Therefore the knowledge of this type
is called "received," better known in Hebrew
as Kabbalah.
The pathway to this greater reality is
through the inner recesses of the unconscious
mind. Therefore, the original Kabbalistic
teachings were called Ma'aseh Merkava. The
Merkava experience was founded upon the same
types of teachings taught in the Biblical
schools of the Benei Nviim. They and they
alone knew the proper path into the PaRDeS.
Yet, when referring such psychic travel, it
was also referred to as a "descent" and never
an "ascent." One "went down" (yored) before
the Merkava; one never ascended before it.
This subtle nuance of language is no
accident. It was chosen specifically to
identify the proper method of
Merkava/prophetic practice.
Today those levels of expanded consciousness
that we call prophecy are presently closed to
us. No one today can honestly say "thus says
G-d." G-d is not talking directly to anyone
today with a message for the nation.
Tradition teaches us that Eliyahu HaNavi must
return before Mashiah comes and needless to
say with his advent, prophecy will come along
with him. This does not mean that all of a
sudden people never trained and tested in the
prophetic arts will all of a sudden become
prophets. This is a simple impossibility.
Maybe, if we are so blessed, Eliyahu will
take students and teach them thus reviving
the ancient schools of the Benei Nviim.
Without such a hope, there will be no
restoration of prophecy.
From where will Eliyahu come and when is he
expected, who knows? We are all still
waiting. One thing is for sure; Eliyahu will
prophesy. He will say, "Thus says G-d." To
date, no one has been bold enough or stupid
enough to try to pull that one off. So when
the first one comes and says these words, and
prophesies truth, such a one can be tested to
ascertain if indeed he is Eliyahu HaNavi
returned. Until then, we have no prophecy.
This being said let us look at our other
options, these being Ruah HaKodesh (Divine
Inspiration; holy spirit) and Ma'aseh
Merkava, the two of which obviously go hand
in hand. Now, Ruah HaKodesh is another level
of expanded consciousness that simply does
not fall upon someone from Heaven. Granted,
throughout the centuries there have been
countless Sages and holy individuals, yet
these honorable statures alone do not qualify
any of them to receive Ruah HaKodesh. As is
properly documented in all the literature of
the genre, Ruah HaKodesh is a level of
expanded human consciousness that requires of
one much practice and exercise in the areas
of mental exercises and consciousness
expansion.
Just because one is a big Rabbi and is a
brilliant academic does not automatically
mean that such a Rabbi has Ruah HaKodesh.
Being a learned Rabbi has nothing to do with
receiving Ruah HaKodesh. Indeed, all
academic accomplishments are totally
unconnected to receiving Ruah HaKodesh; if
this were not true then we would see secular
academics and college professors, like their
religious counterparts all having Divine
inspiration. We clearly see that this is not
so, not with the secular and neither with the
religious. Some may be psychic and others
may be intuitive, but these alone, untrained,
are a far cry from Ruah HaKodesh.
Receiving Ruah HaKodesh requires a complete
transformation of personality and a
reorientation of mental functioning away from
academia and towards intuitive experience.
Granted, throughout the centuries we have
always had numerous Sages who did indeed
follow this path and received the prized
connection with Ruah HaKodesh that they
sought. Yet, one should investigate their
biographical information. One will see that
those Sages of old who accomplished this
connection led a lifestyle radically
different from our own and they invested long
periods of time in isolated meditations,
which included the chanting of holy names,
the invocation of angels and many similar
practices that are frowned upon and feared
today. The lives of Rabbi Yosef Karo, author
of the Shulkhan Arukh, the Ari'zal and the
Ba'al Shem Tov stand out as prime examples.
Receiving Ruah HaKodesh is a rather
mechanical process. One needs to go through
the necessary steps of consciousness
expansion and if they are performed correctly
then one can indeed expect to receive the
sough after results. Yet, with Ruah
HaKodesh, as with prophecy before it, we have
those who go through the motions of practice,
yet without the sincere inner commitment.
What we then get are those who believe they
are filled with Ruah HaKodesh, but who in all
reality are only full of themselves. It is
also possible that in their pursuits that
some malevolent forces attaches to them and
fills their minds with holy and sacred
images. The individual then comes to believe
that he is indeed in touch with something
holy when in fact; it is the opposite that is
true.
Such misguided religious individuals end up
becoming unwitting agents of evil, spreading
false visions, false messages and false
hopes. Yet, they themselves cannot see for
themselves that what they are attached to is
evil. This type has penetrated the religious
communities since Talmudic times and many
have caused great harm to countless other
souls. This unfortunate reality continues to
our present day, with some so-called great
leaders saying things and doing things that
instead of bringing their followers closer to
G-d, actually instead distances them.
Experts of Jewish Law have long held to an
important rule. Jewish Law is never supposed
to be ordained based upon spiritual or
supernatural means. Torah Law as we practice
it belongs to this Earth and those living on
it. Therefore, the direction of the Law must
be decided based upon the rational and
realistic needs of the people. Even if a
Sage were to possess Ruah HaKodesh, it in and
of itself it does not qualify or define the
Law. This is evident from the famous
Talmudic story describing the incident
between Rabbis Yehoshua and Eliezer.
When Rabbi Yehoshua and the majority decided
that the Law requires that something that
could be considered acceptable nonetheless be
branded unacceptable, Rabbi Eliezer sought
all sorts of supernatural means to persuade
the others to his opposing point of view.
Even a Voice spoke from Heaven indicating its
support of Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Yehoshua
very respectfully reminded Heaven that the
Torah itself has ordained that the Law is in
the hands of the Sages and that their word is
final. Later on, one of the Sages present at
this great debate was visited by the immortal
prophet Eliyahu HaNavi who confirmed to him,
that even Heaven agreed with Rabbi Yehoshua,
in spite of the Voice that spoke.
Essentially Rabbis are supposed to be experts
in Torah Law. Essentially Rabbis are
supposed to be Torah lawyers. This and this
alone is their role. There is no requirement
for them to have experience in meditation,
Ma'aseh Merkava or to have Ruah HaKodesh.
Indeed, the vast majority of Rabbis, both
past and present, as knowledgeable of Law as
they may be, have none of these other
attributes, no meditative experience, no Ruah
HaKodesh and therefore essentially no real
spiritual experience. Many Rabbis are not
even spiritual persons, regardless of their
strict levels of religiosity. They do not
have to be. They are experts in their fields
and that is it. One should not expect more
from an expert in a field other than mastery
in one's area of expertise.
Only those well trained in the proper
prophetic meditative arts have the ability to
consciously and properly connect with Ruah
HaKodesh. They and they alone are the
experts in this field. These are the
Kodashim and "men of renown." Usually these
individuals are found amongst the true
Kabbalists. However, as Kabbalah has become
more and more an academic pursuit it has lost
its meditative connection. Today, the vast
majority of Kabbalists are nothing more the
speculative mystical philosophers, without
any meditative experience or the abilities
that come through Merkava practices. Indeed,
most Kabbalists today frown upon such studies
and look with scorn upon those who have
mastered the skills (of Kabbalah Ma'asit).
Nevertheless, despite the silly objections of
the academic Kabbalists of the strictly
religious communities, the true Kabbalists,
who know and practice the prophetic
techniques, still exist; and more so, their
numbers are growing. Yet, they do not seek
visibility, nor do they seek to attract large
numbers to their side; neither do they seek
fame, popularity, honor or public acclaim.
The true Kabbalists, like in centuries gone
by, prefer to remain anonymous; practicing
what they do in private and serving our
blessed Creator in the age-old ways of seclusion.
These truly connected individuals have for
over a decade now has stopped leaking
warnings of future events to the public.
Those who know already know and those who do
not know, most likely never will. I cannot
say more about this for this would violate a
sacred confidence and trust.
What I can say and must say is this. Those
today who are making speculative messianic
statements have no basis for these statements
whatsoever. Granted, we can all look to the
Bible, Talmudic and even Kabbalistic
literature and see signs of fulfilled
prophecies in our days. One does not need
Ruah HaKodesh to recognize what has happened
and what is happening still. One does not
even need Ruah HaKodesh to foresee certain
general trends and events that are soon to
come upon the world, Israel and the United
States. Prophecy fulfillment can be compared
to a freight train; once it begins to move,
it is not easy to slow it down.
Yet, although we know the general details of
what may soon befall us; no one outside of
those properly connected even have the
ability to ascertain any details. No one
knows when Mashiah is coming. Today, most
today do not even really understand how
Mashiah is coming. Most today will not even
recognize Eliyahu HaNavi when he comes. Most
today will mistakenly identify someone else
as Mashiah and bet their all upon him. And
when he dies, as he is destined to, then the
true tests of faith begin.
We have a long and arduous road ahead of us
before Mashiah finally comes from out of the
skies with his armada of specially designated
higher entities whose job it is to service
our Creator in the retaking of our planet
from those who presently possess it. We are
in the middle of a real life "star wars" and
the end, while in sight, is still far away.
We will get there, yet how and when are
questions no one is going to answer for you.
Remember those who claim to know, do not
know; and those who know, make no claims
whatsoever. Those who speak do not know and
those who know do not speak. Let this
warning serve to silence all those who are
spreading around reports and information that
they cannot possibly know.
If someone claims to have information from a
secret source, be cautious and question
whether or not the secret source knows and
practices the prophetic arts, whether or not
they are of the yordei Merkava and whether or
not they can wield the holy Names and the
infamous Sword of Moshe. If the secret
source is known to possess these skills in
truth, then it may be wise to hear their
words. Yet, for those who do not know what I
am talking about or to what I am referring,
be polite, be respectful, but also dismiss
them comprehensive and completely. They very
well may be decent, good and even holy
people, but still, without certain other
credentials; they cannot have access to
certain other information.
These are merely the facts. Everyone may
chose to believe whatever it is that they
wish. My intent is to simply dispel the
false promises presently running rampant and
to restore sanity and simple faith in our
arduous wait for the coming of G-d's true
Mashiah.
The road is long and we have much more to
travel, but the end is in sight. Things will
get worse before they get better; but better
they will get. Our job now should be to
prepare for the hard times to come. Maybe we
can discuss more about this in future essays.
Then again, everything that needs to be said
has already been said. All I can do is to be
repetitive. This sometimes is helpful. But
for those who do not want to wait. Look to
the past and see all that has already been
said. Read it and reread it. Maybe you can
still hear the Soft Inner Voice speaking
inside your heart. At least, I pray that you
still can.
No matter what happens, never, ever lose
faith. Prophecy will be fulfilled and a new
dawn and a new world will soon come. It is be
wonderful, marvelous and most of all, how it
comes will be a shocking surprise to us all.
-------------------------------------------
Shalom, HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok