Otiyot

Otiyot

The tvytva [Otiyot] exist independent of ink and paper - even independent of words. The Otiyot are mysteriously linked with the creative process of Olam. They are shapes and symbols that exist at the very center - the core - of Olam. They are vessels for light. The vessels are cracked and that... that is how the light gets in (or is it: out). Otiyot are the source of wisdom, of meditation and of fantasy.

There is a legend that they were first ‘seen’ as white fire on black fire.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch wrote commentaries on Otiyot. He explains that much of his commentary is based on (or derived from) the dreams of Pharaoh’s two servants which were explained on one level in a simple (straightforward) manner. But there was a puzzling aspect in that their fates were entwined in their own dream experiences. Yosef provided his “interpretation”, which the Torah refers to as the [vrtp [‘poterot’ - solution(s)] which has as its root the three letters: r-t-p relates to r-u-p... and that has the meaning of “to open”, as with an organic or natural opening. All of this is prelude to our understanding that Hirsch - on whom the Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew is developed - approached Otiyot carefully.

Otiyot [root: t-t-a] means: cut; penetrate; digging; signing; distinguishing emblem; with; intimately sharing; communicate (p.19) and Hirsch says that the language, the phrase, the word, if analyzed carefully and literally, will provide one with a complete understanding of what the Torah states! (It is important) “that one must scrutinize every word used in the Torah to find its literal meaning in order to fully understand the narrative and legal obligations.”

Beyond that; the Otiyot are the distinguishing emblems, the shapes and symbols that man uses to communicate... to share his ideas intimately... to sign and consign his concepts to another person. They - Otiyot - are the very letters of the Hebrew Alef-Beit which traditions tells us was used by HaShem in the very creation of... everything!

And with that we will look at some of the stories and events which rest upon the meanings of these twenty-two letters. The first of these words comes from our Book of Things - Devarim. There we find the long and ancient poem:

Remember the days of old...

... olvi tvmy rkz

He found him in the wilderness land...

... rbdm wrab vhaemy

He set him upon the high place of the earth

wra ytmb-li vhbkry

That he might eat the yield of the land

yds tbvnt lkayv

The he might suckle honey from the rock

ilcm sbd vhqnyv

And this is where we address the problem of communication in general, not just in translation from one ‘language’ to another or even across great times. How often have each of you found yourself unable to tell others in words, or even to remind ourselves (in words) of our true-deep-unique-thoughts and emotions? Is this the raison d’etre of music and of art? A true emotive-non-verbal communication? In these verses of prose, Moses tried to remind the “children of Jacob” of their history [behind them] and their destiny [ahead of them]. That they will wander not knowing where they will find food and water was, of course, foremost in everyone’s mind and Moses is talking in abstracts - how could his words [created of letters (Otiyot)] communicate to this unruly group of Jews and Gerim?

There is a way of knowing that is only awareness... and what was experienced was not in words; so how can it be remembered and told [let alone making an attempt an re-experiencing] in words? So it is even with religions as they become encrusted with centuries of mindless repetition. Even so, for us, we must never forget our heritage that Moses attempted to communicate - or rather: attempted to get the people to never forget and always to attempt to rediscover. Rediscover what lies buried in our genome and what Jung referred to as the “collective unconscious”.

There is the mystery of words and of the letters that make up those words. There is a story/medrash/legend/tale/rememberance that there are, in actuality, two Torahs [Torahot?] - the one that we read in the ink-black letters on the white background... and the white letters that exist in what we call the “negative spaces” in between. Is that where we find the Otiyot that can communicate directly to our inmost knowing - our da’at and our benah?

Our wilderness is not just this desert in which we are all wandering; it is also a way. A way of being - of existing. And it is no co-incidence that He brought each of us, in our own way, out here because it is here that we just might be able to encounter and understand what our history was and what our destiny is; what the meaning of Sinai is and how we will ever be able to understand the letters and words of Torah - even if for just a moment.

It’s a beginning.

Temples (Synagogues), Mosques, AND.......

The Temple; The Beit HaMikdash; The Ctowning Achievement of King Solomon; and...

THE Temple in Jerusalem was the dream of King David. A divine edict had forbidden him from building it. A generation later, his son did accomplish this feat at a great cost. The Temple was built as a permanent home for the Ark containing the “Ten Commandments”.

This Temple was described as being approximately 180 feet long, 90 feet wide and 50 feet high. Not great-grand by today’s standards [which we will consider later], but Solomon spared not expense and when he order the quantities of cedar from King Hiram of Tyre, along with blocks of the choicest stone quarried, it ended up costing him twenty towns in the Galilee to pay his debt.

When complete, King Solomon inaugurated it with prayer and sacrifices to which he invited non-Jews to join him and participate in giving thanks and to add their prayers with those of the Jewish people. For, “Thus all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and revere You, as does Your people Israel; and they will recognize that Your name is attached to this House that I have built.” Remember that this was accomplished approximately 950 B.C.E. - keep that date in mind.

The Babylonians destroyed The Temple about 400 years later in 586 B.C.E. Some 70 years later [516+/- BCE] the “Second Temple” was built. Again The Temple was destroyed, this time by the Romans in the year 70 C.E. The Ark and the Holy Tablets were lost when The (1^st) Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians.

As an aside, many years later The Dybbuk , a Yiddish play, conveyed, in a monologue by a Hasidic rabbi, a sense of what the Jewish throngs must have experienced while worshiping at The Temple. Something that we have never had the privilege to experience and know. Anything to do with The Temple has been taken from us. Three times! First by the Babylonians, next by the Romans and now... well now we find a mosque - in fact we find two mosques have been built on the site of The Temple.

Now is it common practice of the Muslim [a ‘faith’ which did not exist until about the year 600 C.E. - or about 1550 years AFTER The Temple was first built!] to build a mosque on the site of other people’s holy places (in order to demonstrate that Islam therefore is dominant and has supplanted the former)! As it now stands the Jews cannot build our Temple anew [on this Holy site] as it would without question lead to a world wide jihad. And while Orthodox Jews pray three times daily for The Temple’s restoration; it is unlikely in the foreseeable future - baring the arrival of The Mashiakh.

Which brings us to New York city in the 21^st C.E. In a sense America’s Temple(s) were destroyed, along with over 3000 souls, on 9/11 and we find that the Muslim intends to build a Mosque on that site. And it is not lost on us that this is clearly intended to show that Islam is supplanting America, freedoms, democracy and our Republic. This “proposed” 15-story, or 13-story, Mosque - renamed Park53 (Cordoba House) far over-reaches The Temple, and while the Muslim argues that the “proposed site” has no relationship to the Twin Towers and is, indeed, located on a site of a building which [the Muslim claim] is of no particular ‘value’ as it is not “the Chrysler building... or the Woolworth Tower”.

And this brings us to question many things. Some of them are-

• Are we being Islam-phobic?
• Are we refusing “rights” granted under our Constitution?
• Are we in danger of losing our self-same rights? [observe what is happening in Europe]
• Is there a “need” for a Mosque to exist in this location at this time?
• Are there other locations more suitable and less ‘explosive’?
• Is America at war with Islam [in actuality]?
• If so - should America allow any Islamic/Muslim activity on our soil?
• Is Islam a “religion” or a life of hate?
• Islam sees America (all America) as “infidels” - can we co-exist at all?
• How do we reconcile our traditional American beliefs with denying the Muslim?
• Should this be put to a National vote?
• Remember that Napoleon said that 10 men speaking make more noise than 1000 silent men. Let us see what the collective American and the collective Jewish voices say. And remember that there are many more questions to be asked and many more voices to be heard.
• My personal views are-_____________________________________

A "Re-Post" worth (?) Re-Reading

The Hidden WISDOM in the Alef-Bet

We are taught that Betzalel, our ancestor who built the Mishkan in the desert, was filled with the Wisdom from HaShem, and knew the secrets of the letters with which HaShem created… everything! So somewhere within our Alef-Bet lie the secrets of creation. We now live in a time where everything is judged by it’s ‘package’, one of the first things that I look for, for example, in the market is the Kesher mark and then at the ingredients. We are told over and over that you can only make one good first impression… no brown shoes with your black suit… and it is only after that that we get to put our intelligence, character, values and our other intangibles on display. Right?

So, since we have learned this through our many years of childhood and well into our second childhood, why should we expect to think that the Lashon Hakodesh is any different? Of course it is similar to that – but only on a much deeper level. The more we seek to see and understand the invisible lines of connections that surround us, the more we come back to the primal elements hidden within our 22 letter Alef-Bet.

If you believe that HaShem has a scheme – or plan – for the universe, and everything in it, then it follows that it was formed in a particular way to carry out the rôle that G_d has devised for it (& for us). Each of us has a particular make-up, personality, skills and sense of self that is – and has been – directing us and it is that that makes our choices. And how has our ‘being’ been developed? Certainly not by our own means for while we have made many personal choices which has brought us to where we are now… there has been a whole lot of outside influences. The obvious ones being our parents, siblings, environment and our educators… all of whom were influenced themselves. And do you think that perhaps all of those influences in history have – perhaps – been set-up just so that we would be at a certain place and at a particular time to cause something else to happen? We, in other words, are part of a chain of occurrences in a Heavenly Plan.

Thus, if we accept this sketchy basis as a reason for (all) occurrences, we can begin to look into the very beginning of these influences… or would you use the word: manipulations? Let’s look at the Hebrew.

Chazal have taught that Torah is the “soul” of creation and that if there were no one learning Torah someplace, every moment of the day, that the world would cease to exist. This is esoteric and cosmic and wrapped in Kabbalah but, on the simplest of terms, it gives a rationale to continue the study of Torah. And in the study of Torah we learn that the olam (world, universe, time, eternity) was created with ten utterances. The Maharal [Prague 1525~1609] gives us some insight into the meaning of this and explains that the term, which we translate into English as “utterances”, is, in the Hebrew- tvrmam. This, he tells us is different form the synonymous word rvbd. “Ma’amarot” alludes mostly to the intent, the forethought, the motive of the One Who Spoke. On the other hand, “debur” connotes the external, or physical process of speech. So the Chazal teach that when HaShem spoke the ten utterances, that these were the foundation and the building blocks of creation and that they were the motives behind the physical process of speech. Another way to look at this process is that G_d created something from nothing. That His word(s) formed of the Alef-Bet had the intent and the means to create.

I want to make a little digression here and look at how some of our fellow Jews have understood the beginning words and phrases of Breishit:

• “When G_d began to create heaven and earth – the earth being unformed and void with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from G_d sweeping over the water - G_d said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. ‘G_d saw that the light was good, and G_d separated the light from the darkness. G_d called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.’ And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.” JPS Tanakh 1999

• “In the beginning of G_d’s creating the heavens and the earth- when the earth was astonishingly empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep, and the Divine Presence hovered upon the surface of the waters- G_d said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. G_d saw that the light was good, and G_d separated between the light and the darkness. G_d call the light: ‘Day,’ and to the darkness He called: ‘Night.’ And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” Stone Chumash, Artscroll Series 1993

• “At the beginning of G_d’s creating of the heavens and the earth,
• when the earth was wild and waste,
• darkness over the face of Ocean,
• rushing-spirit of G_d hovering over the face of the waters-

• G_d said: Let there be light! And there was light.
• G_d saw the light: that it was good.
• G_d separated the light from the darkness.

• G_d called the light: Day! And the darkness he (sic) called: Night!
• There was setting, there was dawning: one day. “Fox” 1995

“Within His mind (head) G_d began to conceive (create) the heavens and the physical essentials for existence. And the basic needs were chaotic and confused elements of matter and darkness was all encompassing. And with His breath G_d spoke saying: ’Let light exist!’ and light came to be; and G_d saw that light was (indeed) good and G_d separated between the light and the dark elements from which it emerged. And G_d call the light: Day, and of darkness He called: Night. And with light coming forth from darkness there was evening and (there was) morning – The First Day. Yisrael Betzalel ben Avraham (source matter from: Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew 2004)

Invisible lines of Connection… The 22 letters – formed into words – (in the Hebrew) have had the power to move, at least, these 4 authors, or ‘poets’, or translators to re-interpret the opening words of Torah according to their understanding of what was intended by the Lashon haKodesh. There exists a Hidden Wisdom in the alphabet that brings us new meanings and new “understandings” each time we read the Hebrew text. Let’s look at some of this now.

When we use terms like “letters”, “utterances” and “HaShem spoke to Moses ‘saying’…”; or when we use expressions referring to the Mouth of G_d, or His Arm, we are only trying to express in human terms – in terms that humans can understand – in a very small way, what this Omnipotent G_d is doing. It is our language that is lacking, as well as our comprehension.

Humans usually think – have a thought – and convey those thoughts to others humans by the way of language. Some humans (artists and poets) convey their thoughts through graphic means and those thoughts are as susceptible to a variety of ‘translations’ as are the “word(s) of G_d”. So if we are careful enough to choose our words in order that they be understood by our ‘audience’; then certainly we must take more care to understand what the Torah says as it is ‘twice removed’ from the original conception.

There is much more for us to learn and the journey will be long. So Confucius tells us to take the first step. Let us step lightly to ALEPH:

ALEPH (Alef) is the Symbol of G_d’s Oneness and His Singular Mastery of all. And the symbol that we use [a] has a gematria value and a numerical value of one. This first letter is so related to HaShem that the structural form of the letter alludes to His Sacred Name and the letter’s name is related to one of G_d’s names: Aluph [master].

There is a medrash that HaShem addressed the letter [a] “saying”, in effect, that it (Alef) stands at the head of the alphabet like a king… “You are one, I am One and the Torah is one.” And He used the [a] as the first letter of the Ten Commandments.

The graphic form of a consists of three parts. If you look at the upper right portion of this letter you will see the form of a [y] (Yud), and if you were to stand the [y] (Yud) on its head, you would see the lower left segment of the letter. The center of the letter is a diagonal line and that connects the top and bottom [y] (Yud). That diagonal line forms a [v] (Vav). The numerical value of [y] (Yud) is 10 and the numerical value of [v] vav is… 6. The total of the combined number is: 26. Twenty-six is also the value of the “Four-letter Divine Name of G_d” [Yud=10; Hey=5; Vav=6; Hey=5].

If you look further; the expression of HaShem’s Eternality you will find those four letters (and only those four letters): He was, He is, He will be. [hyhy hvh hvh].

Before we look at the letter alef occurring is words related to the Divinity of HaShem; I think that this is a good place to stop for this session. To be continued…

Shabbat Shalom. Let’s daven.

Yisrael Betzalel ben Avraham, Melamad

Re’eh 30 Aug 2008 – 29 Av 5768

Beth Shalom

Bermuda Dunes, CA

Portions of this discussion are referenced in:

The WISDOM of the Hebrew Alphabet – Rabbi Michael L. Munk

&/or

The Book of Letters, a Mystical Alef-bait – Rabbi Lawrence Kushner

&

The Artist’s Statement – Yisrael Betzalel ben Avraham

Chazak ! ! !

Chazak

Chazak - Chazak - & Psalm 23

This week is a double Parshiot Shabbos where we combine “Matot” with “Masei” because this Shabbos is called “Shabbos Chazak or “the Shabbos of reinforcement”. Why? Because it is the ending of this book of the Chumash and we so declare “Be Strong, be strong, and may you be strengthened”.

Parshat Matot is always read during Bein HaMetzarim, the three weeks between the fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the fast of Tisha B’Av which comes up in about nine more days. We read this parshat now because it is associated with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash and recalls the negative qualities of a staffs frimness.

And it is this that takes us back to the relationship(s) between Chazak and the 23rd Psalm. Question: “Have any of you wondered why we read; ‘...thy rod and thy staff..’ in this Psalm? Well, the concepts come from this weeks readings of the Torah. In Matot, the singular form is mateh and that translates to the literal - “staff”. This term is used to refer to the tribes of the Jewish people as the leader of each tribe was distinguished by his staff of leadership. And again, for similar reasons, “shevet” is also used as a synonym for “tribe” and its literal translation is: “rod”.

Of course you are asking why and what is the difference? A rod (mateh) is supple and can be bent while a staff (shevet) is firm and unyielding. For those of you city-bred chillin, I’ll explain. If you go and cut a willow (rod) in the spring, it is still connected to the existing parent branch and is is quite flexible and pliant. But if you were to cut the part of the parent which has been growing for several years and has additional rings you find that it is rigid, hard and dry. This is the shevet (staff) form. Traditional Jewish thinking sees these terms as analogies for different levels of expression of the souls’ potential.

The “rod” is related to the soul as it exists in the spiritual - where a relationship with HaShem is appreciated and it is united with an active bond to the lifegiving, spiritual nature.. “Staff” on the other-hand has its relationship with the material world where the soul is part of the enclosure of the body. It, therefore, has a severed existence from G-dliness and in some sense suffers a feeling of loss which sometimes manifests itself as needing to be seen as strong and firm.

This is sometimes seen as an asset and at other time as insensitive or stubborn. We see this most often now in our country’s leadership. They seem not to have read or Sages comment that, “A person should always be pliant like a reed, and not hard like a cedar.”

And, again, we see in Psalm 23 that it takes both attributes or pliancy and rigidity to unite our body and our soul. Then we can take comfort. Several times I have asked the question; “Do you think that you have a ‘soul’?” and when most everyone says “yes”, I disagree and say; “No, I do not believe that - I think it is the other way around, for I believe that the soul was made first and that body ‘attached’ late and when the body leaves this world or ours, the soul will continue.”

That, in any case is not, necessarily our discussion this morning. I would like to consider further; the relationship of Chazak to our 21st CE lives and how we deal with the problems of when to be firm and unbending and when we need to be pliant and - shall we say - ‘more forgiving’.

Here is an example. I recently received again the story of the ‘shoe bomber’. Remember him? And here, briefly, is the Judge’s final comments to him after passing his life sentence along with an additional 80 years, etc.

This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence.

Now, let me explain this to you. We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is too much war talk here and I say that to everyone with the utmost respect. Here in this court, we deal with individuals as individuals and care for individuals as individuals. As human beings, we reach out for justice.

You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature. Whether the officers of government do it or your attorney does it, or if you think you are a soldier, you are not----- you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not meet with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.

So war talk is way out of line in this court You are a big fellow. But you are not that big. You're no warrior. I've known warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal that is guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and the TV crews were, and he said: 'You're no big deal. '

You are no big deal.

What your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today?

I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing? And, I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you, but as I search this entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I know.

It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious. You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very wind carries freedom. It carries it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom, so that everyone can see, truly see, that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely. It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf, have filed appeals, will go on in their representation of you before other judges.

We Americans are all about freedom. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. The day after tomorrow, it will be forgotten, but this, however, will long endure.

Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America , the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President of the United States through his officers will have to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.

See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America . That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom. And it always will.

Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.

These are comments of one Judge. They are comments and decisions made by a Judge of our county that are based upon the Judio-Christian laws that we discussed last week. Do they represent the relationships between firmness and pliancy? Do they represent our Sage’s advice to be, “...pliant like an reed...not rigid like a cedar.”? When is it proper to be flexible? Can Israel apologize for protecting it citizens and more than the US of A? Go back again, to [tlhq-Kohelet] Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon, perhaps the greatest of all Judges - “...a time to scatter stones - and a time to gather stones; A time to rend and a time to mend; A time to be silent and a time to speak... A time to kill and a time to heal... -as in wartime or in the legal execution of criminals.

And, from last week: Think about it.

Yisrael Betzalel ben Avraham

Matot-Masei 5770

STSG @ Beth Shalom

Bamidbar: Bermuda Dunes, CA