Nugget #71 – First Triad: Individual and collective

There are two aspects of the Tree of Life that we need to keep in mind for clarity sake.  There is the ideal balanced tree that we call the Tree of Life.  This is the model that we are looking to achieve.  It also provides us a litmus test, an ideal that we can compare and measure ourselves to both on the collective level and individual level.

As individuals, Daat is associated with our unique perspective and interpretation of wisdom.  This is where we have the choice to be holy or mundane.  Now we all have a unique individualized perspective however it is what we do with that perspective.  Do we perpetuate the same old unbalanced Daat or do we refine and reform it to its proper balance?  As long as we are willing and willfully reforming our Daat to conform to Keter we are doing exactly what we are meant to.  Our reform, journey is our goal not perfection.

Nugget #70

As stated, Daat is a Sefirah that is not part of the tree of life. However, since we are created in Elohims (G-d’s) image (Genesis 1:26) there has to be something that permits us to work outside the desired balance state of the Creator yet still resemble Elohim. In a sense this is our force. That is accomplished via Daat.

We can choose to have knowledge (Daat) of the world, our will, or have knowledge of G-d via adherence to the will of G-d. Daat is where we interject our will; a sub-will so to speak, since the Creator’s will is the eventual winner it remains at the very top as Keter. Our will is a sub-keter (Daat), below Keter.

Because Keter is the guiding force behind the tree of life, we have to conclude even if we are outside the bounds of a balanced state we are still within the will of our creator. So our freewill is limited and short lived. We will eventually fall in line and balance out and thus Daat/know our Creator. This is unavoidable.

When Daat is in line with Keter it acts like a magnifier focused from the sun on a leaf. When it is not focused the sun’s light will not do much. When focused (Balanced Daat) it will burn a leaf and start a fire. Likewise, when we are balanced and focused on Keter, we carry down that light/wisdom through us and onto the world via Daat.

Nugget #69 – First Triad: Daat

There is a sort of invisible Sefirah in the “Tree of Life” that is called Daat.  It is in between Chochmah and Binah, typically slightly below those two extremes.  These 3 form the first triad that we are to balance with the aid of Keter.  Remember Keter is not part of this Triad directly.

Daat is the word we find typically translated as knowledge in terms of intimacy.  We find Adam and Eve having knowledge of each other in Genesis 4:1 this is speaking of a deep connection between the 2 that goes beyond the sexual connotation it is typically used in.  This is also used in reference of our relationship with the Creator as well that can be seen in Numbers 24:16.  “The saying of him who heareth the words of God, and knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, who seeth the vision of the Almighty, fallen down, yet with opened eyes:”

It is a mating of two complementary forces that result in some thing that is greater than the sum of its parts by being balanced.  Extremes don’t mean incompatibility but rather for mutual benefit when combined.

There are glues available that come in two tubes.  In order to activate the glue they must be combined and mixed.  This is sort of the same with Daat being a combination of Chochmah and Binah.  Binah is steady and firm while Chochmah is impulsive and changing.  Combine the two and we have flexibility and adaptability.

Nugget #68 – First Triad: Balancing point

We ultimately form a collective around the spark of Chochmah and represent that spark.  Only a few follow this pattern at the moment.  Eventually mankind in their entirety will represent that spark by following it collectively.  This is why, for the moment, it appears only a few if anyone strives for the Creator.  However, I have found many, for a brief moment, do push the clutter of the world aside and see there is more than meets the eye.  This gives hope that mankind can change and will change.

Interpretation of Chochmah to Binah is in our hands.  There is a meeting ground between Chochmah and Binah, a blurring of boundaries between the two.  We have to find a point that brings the two together in a balance.    We may say, “Sure, we have Keter”.  Actually this does not count because it is the creator’s will called “the thought of creation” that Keter represents.  We need to have our will also involved so that we can exercise “freewill”.  If we were to take a string and hold it on both ends with a free moving weight in between, we would have a weight suspended slightly lower and centered between both ends.

This balancing point is our preferred location between the two extremes of Binah and Chochmah.  However, we will tend to meander between those points.  Our goal is to “use” Keter, “the thought of creation” as our guide to finding that point.  With our string and weight, our example above, we see gravity is used to find the balancing point.  Likewise we can consider Keter as being gravity.  If we wish we can push the weight to the left or right against the “will” of gravity.  We too have that freedom.

Ask yourself:  What is that balance point between Chochmah and Binah?

Nugget #67 – First Triad: Interpretation

Binah is only a subset of the revelation of Chockmah at the individual level.  There is always a loss during the individual interpretation level.  If we were to take a block of wood we can see there are literally a limitless number of possibilities for that wood block.  As we carve the block of wood it becomes more and more refined and the possibilities start to diminish.  Eventually only one possibility of expression will remain when finished.  Likewise Chockmah is that block of wood while Binah is the final expression of that block of wood.

A blank page of paper can be viewed as Chochmah.  This sheet of paper is open to all possibilities.  It can be a newspaper article, page of a book, the Constitution of the United States, sketch, or art, or anything else.  In fact we can write and draw for eternity and find no two pages are the same, maybe similar but not the same.  Binah is that paper transformed with writing and/or art.

Understand that the final expression is based upon the individual.  More than one may receive the same flash of Chochmah, but each person may derive an entirely different final form of the “block of wood” or sheet of paper.   This is not a negative thing.  The Creator knows who should receive these revelations and knows that there will be separate unique expressions but collectively they meet the need that the Creator set out to answer at a collective level.

For instance, take a group of people and circle them around a sculpture.  Now ask each person to reveal their understanding of the sculpture.  It will be found that each person will have a different understanding of the sculpture because of their perspective.  If we were able to collectively describe the sculpture, as one mind, we would find a much more accurate representation of the sculpture.  So having many receive a spark of wisdom will create a circle of people that collectively represent that spark. 

Contemplate:  Rehash this in your mind; the difference between the individual and the collective.  It is not about me, myself, and I.  It is about we, ours, and us.  Torah is all about the collective without sacrificing the individual.

Nugget #66 – First Triad: Binah

Looking at the Tree of Life we find Keter being at the top center with Chochmah slightly below and to the right.  Binah, our next Sefirah is on the left slightly below Keter.

Binah is typically translated as understanding.  Chochmah is non-verbal, non-visual, and non-communicable.  Binah is verbal, visual, and communicable.  It puts form and shape to the wisdom shared in Chochmah.  It is where, in a sense, “the rubber meets the road”.  There is a sense of structure and permanency with Binah.  Chochmah is spontaneous, short lived, impulsive, natural, and unstructured, while Binah is planned, organized, constructed, enduring, eternal, and stable

Binah is like a knife blade.  If we were to take a dull knife it would be very difficult if not impossible to cut with it.  But sharpen the blade and precision surgery could be conducted.  Binah sharpens the blade and makes it useful.

To continue with our “thought of creation”, plan, and execution model presented in the previous few Nuggets, Binah is the completion of planning and the potential beginning of execution.  Key here is “beginning of”.  This triad is dealing with the intellect so action is not part of the equation.  Action takes place in the last of the 3 triads.  There should be a clear picture of the plan and the desired look of the finished product.

Ask yourself: Does the plan ever get fully or properly expressed in action?  How does this relate to the concept of sin?

Nugget #65 – First Triad: “Freewill”

Nugget #65 (June 16) – First Triad: “Freewill”

I would like to take a slight diversion to our current topic. In the previous Nugget I mentioned “freewill”. All that has happened in this world, good or bad, is permissible within the realm of our existence. Though, obviously, some of our activities are not preferred and are destructive.

Everything that occurs, as horrible as they are, will ultimately yield good. Take pause and really try to grapple this. This does not mean we are to accept bad behavior and “standby while our bother’s blood is shed” (Leviticus 19:16). We are to toil and fight for justice for all.

As time goes on, we (all of mankind) like children, will receive more and more spankings for our wrong behavior and more benefit for good behavior. Eventually the pain will be so great and moments of peace will be so great between us and our Creator, we will want to stop receiving spankings and seek the Creator’s will (Keter). Through these spankings and blessing, our awareness will increase for the need of correction, and our striving will as well rise to a higher level.

We are part of a closed system that will eventually correct itself. So yes, we do have “freewill”. However, that “freewill” is limited within that closed system to the extent that our options will diminish till we have no choice but to stop our egoistic pursuits and being spanked. Then we will freely receive and abide by the “thought of creation” (Keter).

Ask yourself: What is nature and is this our closed system that will force us to change?

Nugget #64

The spark of inspiration is similar to DNA.  DNA is the core material for our cells; however the DNA does not dictate what the cell will become.  For example there are over 30,000 configurations of our human cells even though they have the exact same DNA.  For instance we can have heart muscles, leg muscles, bones, cartilage, and so forth.  Yet they all have the exact same DNA!  Our bodies have stem cells within it that are used by our body for repair and replenishment older cells.  Those stem cells are transformed into the specific cell that is required.

In a sense that spark is a DNA strand.  However, it is up to us to configure it into something.  It is up to us to take that wisdom and transform it into something good or bad.  We can turn it into something for the betterment of all, via bestowal, or the bolstering of the ego, for consolidating control.  This is our “freewill”.

Keter is the source of Chochmah’s inspiration that is derived from the “thought of creation”.  Thus Keter flows down through all Sefirot to ensure all of the Sefirot stay in-line with the “thought of creation”, the will of the Creator.

Nugget #63 – First Triad: Chochmah

The first extreme Sefirot of the intellectual Triad is Chochmah, which means wisdom. Chochmah is the source of divine inspiration. If we were to look at the Tree of Life we would find it below Keter to the right.

Keter is the initial “thought of creation” while Chochmah is the beginning of the plan of creation. You may or may not have noticed I said “beginning of” in the last statement. Wisdom is non-verbal, non-visual, and non-communicable. It is a personal connection point between the Creator and us. It is an experience or, as some would say, a “sensation” on the spiritual level. It is like a spark of inspiration. It is a spontaneous event and as all sparks it does not last long. It is there for a moment then dissipates. It is up ...to us to catch that spark and absorb it before it disappears all together.

Often a spark of inspiration takes time to be absorbed before it can become part of the mind. It is like food. We have to chew the food then swallow before our stomach can take the material and digest it. Then we can finally derive nourishment from it. The digestion of Chockmah can take a split second or decades before we can finally derive benefit from the experience.

Think of moments when you literally had a bright light or a spark appear in your mind yet you were speechless to share the experience. That is a brief moment of connection via Chochmah.See More

Nugget #62

The 2 extremes, of the triad are not meant to be places for our existence. They are meant for giving us a range of possibilities of choices. They define our “freewill”. They also help us identify the needed balance between those extreme points. It aids us in what to look for and identify where the harmony exists and then draw near to it.

For instance how can we know what hot is if we don’t experience cold. However, by such experience we can, in time, determine the appropriate temperature that is good for us. It will be somewhere in between the two extremes. Without those two points of reference we cannot triangulate a good balance point for us. By the way the ideal temperature for us is about 80 degrees.

So the triad is a balance of the two extremes that are defined. That balance point is determined by Keter – the source of the “thought of creation”. Keter will determine the balance point of the entire Tree of Life as well.

Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and see the opposites looking for a balance in its time.

Nugget #61 - First Triad: Intellect

Keter is the beginning point of the “intellect” of the first Triad, but not included within it as explained in the last few nuggets.  The intellect level triad incorporates 3 sefirot that we will explore.  But first let me explain what is happening within the triad.

A triad is a set of 3 Sefirot that work in a cooperative union.  Two are the opposite extremes or limits while the center is the balancing point of those two extremes.  That balancing point is where harmony exists between the 2 extremes.  Thus both extremes are beneficial, particularly when they are balanced.

For example take water.  If we have no water we will die of thirst.  If we have too much water we will drown.  This is true for plants as well.  What happens to a plant if we under or over water it?  The plant will die.  A balance is required to benefit from water.  The closer the water is to the balance point, the greater the benefit the plant receives.

Seeking that balance point is one of the objectives of our existence.  Life is all about balance.

Ask yourself: Look over your life and see how often events in your life is a balancing act between two points of reference.

Nugget #60

In the last Nugget I suggest that we think about how the Torah is similar to the US Constitution.  They both are a product of a dream.  Our founding fathers wanted a government that was by the people and for the people.  They created the Declaration of Independence as a demonstration of their intent.

The Torah was started by a “thought of creation”, in a sense a dream, of the Creator.  From that the Written Torah was developed.  Mind you the Torah is typically thought of as “The Law”.   This cannot be true since most of Torah is sharing of events and anecdotes to teach principals that are deeper than mere words on the page.  Thus the focus of Torah is not on the words and definitely not on the rules it presents.  Rather they are on the deep truths.  I have often stated that we are to read between the lines but not forget the lines either.

So in a real sense we are using a two prong approach in our study and search for the “thought of creation”.  One prong is working from our lower soul up to the upper soul, that by peering between the lines of Torah.  This will enlighten us to what is the “thought of creation” and permit us to draw nearer and nearer to it.  The other prong is from the “top-down”.  The Torah is a door to that upper soul we are looking to connect with.  As we gradually discover the “thought of creation” a download process will take place from the upper soul down to the lower soul via that door.  We can say through this connection the “thought of creation” will create a self correcting feedback loop via our efforts.  Thus Kabbalah is not a stab in the dark for a moving target.  Rather it is a scientific approach to a fixed point - Keter.

In the last paragraph a lot of thought is required to in order absorb what is being said.  Please take the time and contemplate it.

Nugget #59

So what role does Keter play for me?  It represents the Will of the Creator.  Since it is an anchor point, all judgments, corrections, and alignments are adjusted to that point.

The Torah is meant to reveal that point of reference.  It is sort of a road map.  The map is of very little help if we don’t know where we are and where we are to go.  The Torah reveals our current position and where we are to go, such as a house.  However, the map will not reveal the experience or details of that house.  It is an intimate thing that cannot be part of the written Torah.  The soul part of Torah is our aim.  The soul behind the Torah.

To follow Torah as a list of laws is to miss the very reason for the Torah and miss out what the thought was that created the Torah (see Nugget #58).  The written Torah is not our objective.  The house mentioned above, through experience, we could find out the purpose of creation.  Through that we find out the thought behind the Torah, the soul of our origin.

When the Torah is studied, THE point of reference/purpose of Torah is gradually revealed.  The laws of Torah are to help us reach up and find that point of origin of all knowledge.  It’s like a spotlight; it illuminates only that which it is pointed at.  This “spotlight” is from the Creator and cannot move.  So in order for it to illuminate us we must move to that point of reference.  This requires the transformation of our lower soul and its alignment with the upper soul.

Ask yourself, how is the Torah similar to the United States Constitution?