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?