A Jewish philanthropist pays a visit to a Hebrew school which he has been supporting for years. The teacher, wanting to show off his educational accomplishments, gives a quiz. Steven, the teacher calls out to one of the students, Tell me, who broke The Tablets? To which the child responds: Not I; I didnt do it. The teacher, humiliated and enraged, begins to pound on his desk and shouts, Steven, you better tell me right now who broke The Tablets! The poor boy, struck by fear, pleads: I swear to you, I did not even dream of doing it. As the teacher sits in his chair devastated by his obvious failure, the Jewish millionaire approaches him. The teacher assumes that he will be fired for performing so poorly. Yet the wealthy man whispers into the teachers ear and says, Let me tell you something. I know this child, I know his parents, I knew his grandparents. If he said he didnt do it—he didnt do it. Concerning the broken tablets, the millionaire continues, I am very sorry, but please dont worry, I will compensate you for them. Just give me the receipt. On the seventh day of Passover we read the story of the splitting of the sea. It describes that dramatic moment in the Bible when at the brink of being captured by the mighty Egyptian forces, the Red Sea parted before the Jewish people. The newly born nation of Israel crossed to the other side and embarked on its journey to freedom and to receive its spiritual mandate, the Torah, at Sinai. This event occurred 3,326 years ago, and is celebrated as a Jewish holiday, known as the Seventh of Passover. The obvious questions are what was it about the splitting of the sea that turned it into such a central event in Jewish consciousness? Why was it necessary that the journey from enslavement to receiving the Torah include the journey through a sea that parted? To understand this, we must first reflect on the difference between the land and the sea. In the Kabbalah, these two physical planes reflect the conscious and unconscious dimensions of the human psyche. The difference between them is that while our conscious self is displayed and exhibited for ourselves and others to feel and experience, our subconscious self remains hidden, not only from other people but even from our own vision. Most of us know almost nothing of what is going on in the sub-cellars of our psyche. If you were given a glimpse into your own sea and discovered the universe of personality hidden beneath your conscious brain, what do you think you would find? Rabbi Schneur Zalman, founder of the Chabad school of Kabbalah, was one of the greatest soul experts in the history of Judaism, and has written on the subject more than any other Jewish sage. Rabbi Schneur Zalmans view, based on the ancient Talmudic and Kabbalistic tradition, is that the hidden world of our subconscious is indeed filled with psychological demons and many layers of muck and mud. Yet if we dig a little deeper into the multi-layered subconscious, we are bound to discover an inherent purity, sacredness and innocence, an aspect of G-d within each person, a soul filled with spiritual light, genuine love and unshakeable confidence. This dimension of self is the spark of G-d existing within us, a reflection of the harmony, goodness and dignity of its Creator. Now we may understand the deeper significance of that moment when The children of Israel walked on dry land within the sea. The path to freedom, both on a personal and collective level, must include the splitting of the sea, during which you recognize and come to terms with the fact that your deepest I is not selfish but selfless; that you are not an ego but a soul; that your true quest in life in not for self-gratification but for self-transcendence. Only after your psychological sea has turned into dry land, allowing you truly to become aware of your souls reality, can you embark on your path to liberation and self-actualization. I want to share with you a quote: “If one little Jewish boy survives without any Jewish education, with no synagogue and no Hebrew school, it [Judaism] is in his soul. Even if there had never been a synagogue or a Jewish school or a Bible, the Jewish spirit would still exist and exert its influence. It has been there from the beginning and there is no Jew, not a single one, who does not personify it. Never underestimate what lie in your own sea and in the sea of your children. If you only have the vision and courage to split the sea and peer inside of it, you will be able to discover in you and in them an incredibly grand universe of commitment, goodness and holiness. Shabbat Shalom and a happy Passover. Moshiach NOW!!!
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 17:38:09 +0000
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