Parashat Lech L’cha 5784 — 10/28/2023
Beginning with Bereishit 5781 (17 October 2020) we embarked on a new format. We will be considering Rambam’s (Maimonides’) great philosophical work Moreh Nevukim (Guide for the Perplexed) in the light of the knowledge of Vedic Science as expounded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The individual essays will therefore not necessarily have anything to do with the weekly Torah portion, although certainly there will be plenty of references to the Torah, the rest of the Bible, and to the Rabbinic literature. For Bereishit we described the project. The next four parshiyyot, Noach through Chayei Sarah, laid out a foundational understanding of Vedic Science, to the degree I am capable of doing so. Beginning with Toledot we started examining Moreh Nevukim.
Bereishit 12:1-17:27
I’d like to continue for a bit on this idea of knowledge through direct experience. Rambam goes on and writes:
If, however, you belong to those whose aspirations are directed toward ascending to that high rank which is the rank of speculation, and to gaining certain knowledge with regard to Gd’s being One by virtue of a true Oneness, so that no composition whatever is to be found in Him and no possibility of division in any way whatever – then you must know that He, may He be exalted, has in no way and in no mode any essential attribute, and that just as it is impossible that He should be a body, it is also impossible that He should possess an essential attribute. If, however, someone believes that He is one, but possesses a certain number of essential attributes, he says in his words that He is one, but believes Him in his thought to be many. This resembles what the Christians say: namely, that He is one but also three, and that the three are one. Similar to this is the assertion of him who says that He is one but possesses many attributes and that He and His attributes are one, while he denies at the same time His being corporeal and believes in His absolute simplicity, as if what we aimed at and investigated were what we should say and not what we should believe. For there is no belief except after a representation; belief is the affirmation that what has been represented is outside the mind just as it has been represented in the mind.
It is very difficult to imagine anything that is a simple unity, not composed of any parts. This is because, in general, our awareness is fixed in the world of boundaries. While we can conceive of hierarchies of systems made of subsystems, etc., and we can recognize levels of wholeness which are greater than the sum of their parts, but at the end of the day, all these systems are composite. So, when we think of unity, it is unity of parts and not simple Unity which is not composed of parts.
Gd, on the other hand, is “One with a true Oneness.” This means that “no composition whatever is to be found in Him.” Gd does not have parts, nor is He made up of presumably pre-existing pieces. In fact, the idea of pre-existing pieces in incompatible with Gd’s eternity and Gd’s role as the creator of everything. One can conclude intellectually then, that Gd must be a simple Unity, starting from the premise that Gd is eternal. I think that this is what Rambam is referring to when he talks about using “speculation” (i.e. philosophical reasoning) to establish truths about Gd.
The thing about this method of gaining knowledge is that even if you can construct irrefutable proofs of anything about Gd, such as that He is a simple Unity, that may not help you truly understand what a simple Unity is. Leaving aside the fact that any proof depends on a set of premises, just the fact that a conclusion is logical doesn’t mean that we have an intuitive feel for the result. In other words, the representation of the object of the proof is in the mind, but it is not in the soul. For example, when one studies quantum mechanics, one can get very used to dealing with infinite dimensional spaces. One can do the mathematics and come up with results that will be verified in the lab. One can have a clear intellectual representation in one’s mind, but I doubt anyone would say that they can “see” an infinite dimensional space, or that it has any representation in their soul.
The situation is much more serious when we talk about Gd as a simple Unity. As I described, there is no such thing as a simple unity in the created world. In the world of boundaries, every unity is made up of parts. The best we can do in waking state of consciousness is to gain an intellectual idea of what a simple Unity might be, by logical deduction, or by figuring out which logical premises (e.g. it must be eternal). If we want to impress the reality of a simple Unity on our soul, we need to have a fully expanded soul that can itself become a simple Unity. This can be accomplished through TM as we have seen. In Transcendental Consciousness our mind / soul becomes a simple Unity. In Transcendental Consciousness there is no object of awareness, just pure Consciousness, alone with itself, unbroken and without structure, yet lively. As our consciousness grows, this simple Unity is seen more and more as the one, all-pervasive reality of life, and the boundaries of creation become more and more shadowy.
In this unified state of consciousness, we have direct experiential and perceptual knowledge of what a simple Unity is – in fact our own consciousness, our own being, is that simple Unity. Knowing simple Unity is Self-knowledge. This is not to say that we become Gd, Gd forbid. I am only pointing out that our mind and perception rise to the status where their structure is simple. Of course, we also have a very finite body, and an individuality which is bounded, has likes and dislikes, and moves about and acts in the created world. When asked about the difference between Gd and an enlightened person, Maharishi replied that the enlightened person is someone Gd is proud to have created. (The irony of using anthropomorphic emotional terms in this description is not lost on me!)
I think I’ll let Rambam conclude this discussion:
If, together with this belief, one realizes that a belief different from it is in no way possible and that no starting point can be found in the mind for a rejection of this belief or for the supposition that a different belief is possible, there is certainty. When you shall have cast off desires and habits, shall have been endowed with understanding, and shall reflect on what I shall say in the following chapters, which shall treat of the negation of attributes, you shall necessarily achieve certain knowledge of it. Then you shall be one of those who represent to themselves the unity of the Name and not one of those who merely proclaim it with their mouth without representing to themselves that it has a meaning. With regard to men of this category, it is said: Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins! [Jer 12:2 I don’t know where reins comes from; Artscroll translates the last word as thoughts. Literally it is kidneys, but the kidneys were held to be the seat of intellect and mind.] But men ought rather to belong to the category of those who represent the truth’ to themselves and apprehend it, even if they do not utter it, as the virtuous are commanded to do – for they are told: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah . [Ps 4:5]
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Commentary by Steve Sufian
Parashat Lech L’cha
Genesis 12-17:27
Audio-recording of Lecha:
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3481585/jewish/Lech-Lecha-Audio-Recording.htm
Genesis 17:1: “And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and Gd appeared to Abram, and He said to him, “I am the Almighty Gd; walk before Me and be perfect.”
Torah tells us that Noah walked with Gd, was righteous and perfect but Torah doesn’t tell us how this came about; with Abram we can see what he did after Gd’s command and we can draw some tips about how we may also walk before Gd and be perfect. The deepest activity is the literal meaning of the name of the parshah: “Lech Lecha” means “Go to yourself.” It’s not usually translated that way but the Lubavitcher Rebbe writes this:
Lech Lecha: Go To Yourself
This is usually translated as “Get thee out (from your country and your birthplace and your father’s house….)” But it literally means, “Go to yourself.” “Going” has the connotation in Torah of moving towards one’s ultimate purpose—of service towards one’s Creator. And this is strongly hinted at by the phrase, “Go to yourself”—meaning, towards your soul’s essence and your ultimate purpose, that for which you were created. chabad.org (Source: Likkutei Sichot, Vol. V pp. 57-67)”
This view of the Lubavitcher Rebbe resonates beautifully to most, perhaps all, of our Beth Shalom Congregation. “Go to your Self,” your universal, unbounded, Self is the first step in acting so that we walk before Gd.
What does it mean to “walk before Gd”? The primary commentator on Torah is Rashi, and Rashi says it means “serve Me, cleave to My service.” The Rebbe looks at it the same way so we can be very confident in this guidance.
Whenever Abram was commanded by Gd, he did what Gd commanded. To Abram, Gd appeared in visions: Abram must have been very close to walking with Gd in order to trust Gd’s command. leave his home and “go to a place which I will show you.” I personally don’t feel that confident that I can trust visions or voices and so I am left with cleaving to Gd’s service by doing the ordinary things that good people everywhere do: honor my religion, do my best to be healthy, happy and to share my happiness with others through work with organizations I respect so I can attune myself to Gd through service to people I feel are wiser, more experienced than I and at least one of whom who I feel may be walking with Gd.
What did Abram do to be perfect? Prior to this command of Gd to leave his homeland, Abram had already come to the conclusion that all creation was made by One Creator, Gd, and he and Sarai spread the word and brought many to share this belief – and perhaps a taste of the experience.
Parashat Lech Lecha tells us that, after leaving his homeland to go to an unknown place, Abram continued to spread the word of monotheism and to build altars to Gd. From this we learn the very important message that we should share what we know, especially what we know by experience, and that Gd, as it says in Kaddish, is “beyond any words to describe” so simple acts of reverence, such as offering prayers, building altars, and temples are ways to grow in our ability to walk before Gd and with Gd and to be perfect.
When a famine caused him and Sarai to leave Canaan (the land where Gd promised him he would make him a great nation) and go to Egypt, this may have seemed like an exile but the Rebbe comments that it was an exile with a purpose: it gave Abram an opportunity to serve Gd by spreading the word of One Gd to a people who worshiped only partial values of Gd. While in Egypt, Abram told Sarai to say that she was his sister, not his wife. He did this because he thought otherwise, he would be killed.
Few of us are likely to be in such an extreme situation but we may take it that a lie to save our life, if we are otherwise innocent of any crime, is a way of serving Gd and being perfect.
In Egypt, Abram and his nephew, Lot, acquired many possessions, including cattle, which they took to Canaan. In Canaan their herdsmen quarreled. Abram and Lot decided to separate. Though physically separate, Abram and Lot were close emotionally: Love kept them together as we can feel even though separate physically from family and friends with whom we share love and Love.
From this we can learn, that if we have no other way to create harmony, separation is a valid way to create harmony, which is the essence of serving Gd. In a deeper sense.
Lot moved to plains near Sodom, an evil kingdom. Why did he move so close to an evil kingdom? A good question for further research and intuition. Sodom was attacked and Lot was captured when the city was captured: Abram took his trained men, though they were only few, and pursued the army holding Lot, defeated them, restored Lot’s possessions to him and restored four kingdoms, including Sodom, to their kings. Why did he restore evil kingdoms to their kings instead of taking them over and guiding them to righteousness? A deep mystery! But we can learn from Abram’s victory that we should be concerned with following right action as a way of serving Gd and not be afraid that our resources are too small: Gd protects those who serve Him.
Abram refused to accept any recompense from the King of Sodom for restoring his possessions to him. His reason: he did not want the King of Sodom to be able to claim he had made Abram rich. A traditional explanation of Abram’s reasoning is that he wanted it to be clear to everyone that any accomplishment of his was through Gd: it was not Abram who defeated the armies, it was Gd; it could not be through evil hands such as those of the King of Sodom that he would acquire possessions but only through the Hand of Gd. Certainly we can be kind to even those who are evil – our kindness will give them a softening of heart and they will become less evil. We certainly should refuse to accept any compensation from them – there is a saying “The gifts of the evil do not bring blessings.” Certainly we can recognize that any accomplishments of ours are Gd’s Gift to us.
Abram is blessed by Melchizedek, who was a king but also a priest of the Most High — this means Melchizedek was not only a monotheist in belief but also in experience. Enough experience of Gd to serve as Gd’s priest, and to be referred to more as a priest than as a king. We too, can put One first and material possessions second so that we are protected by our sense of proportion and serve Gd first.
And we can read Torah, listen to Torah, read from the Siddur, attend services at the Synagogue, as ways to raise ourselves up to direct experience and to priestly service, whatever our actual roles are in life.
Abram tells Gd, when Gd says his reward for this action will be great: Of what use is this to me since I have no son to inherit? And Gd responds: you will have a son and be a mighty nation, more than the stars. From this we learn that service to Gd can include asking Gd to redress a situation we feel is amiss: we can pray for help, we can ask simply and Gd responds. To Abram, He responded clearly; to us, perhaps not so clearly but we need to be alert to the response.
Abram’s son, Ishmael, is born with Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant, and Isaac is born, with Sarah.
From this we learn that when we serve Gd, we raise ourselves up, and what Gd promises, Gd delivers. Trusting Gd is very important and when we are not able to experience Gd directly, trusting our Traditions, especially Torah, is very important.
Gd tells Abram to circumcise his son and that all males of the community shall be circumcised as a Covenant with Gd. From the Babylonian Talmud we learn that through circumcision Abram became sanctified. He became not merely a physical person fathering physical children but a spiritual person fathering spiritual children, protecting Gd’s Spiritual Wisdom and spreading it in its purity.
We can treat circumcision not merely as something physical for males, but something everyone, males and females, can do: cut off anything that binds us only to the physical and thus rise to be spiritual: to walk before Gd and become perfect as Abram did, and Sarai did: Abram became become Abraham, father not only of Isaac and Ishmael but of nations and Sarai became Sarah: princess not only of Abram but of all souls.
Baruch HaShem!