Meet Your Mentor

Our muse, mediator and mentor along this journey to Luz and its environs is a higher dimensional consciousness/reality the Jewish sages refer to as Metatron. Look it up in an encyclopedia or Google Metatron on line. Contrary to virtually anything you read elsewhere about this phenomenon, Metatron is not an angel. This is true despite the fact that the rabbis, as well as the Torah itself in numerous instances, refer to Metatron as a malach or The Malach. Yes, the term malach is always translated as angel or messenger. But this itself is begging the issue because what an “angel” is to the non-Jewish mind and what a malach is to the Torah mind are, for the most part, two different realties. We must reeducate ourselves (i.e., redefine ourselves and our perception of reality) that Metatron is not a “noun”, i.e., a person (even an angelic person), place or thing. If anything, Metatron is the meta-malach, the meta-messenger, the meta-medium for the revelation of the Ain Sof. But then, as Marshall McLuhan made famous, “The medium is the message”. A frustrating or forbidding paradox? Only until we realize that the relationship of MT to “God” is the same as the relationship of the Light (207) of the Ain Sof to the Ain Sof (also 207). The connection of the two is not linear but rather the “end” is looped into the “beginning”.

Even if we attempt a more sophisticated “flatland” categorization of Metatron as a metasystem (which is perfectly fine as long as we remain acutely aware of its dimensional limitations) this puts Metatron in a whole category by itself for which we have little to compare. This “meta-angel” is greater than all the angels together! Now, what exactly is this whole that is greater than the sum of its angelic parts? Talk about “other worldly” and “alien”. (Hyperlink: He is called Prince of the Presence – but the Presence of what?). Even though in the material you may read about Metatron - including the material I am presenting - describes Metatron as an angelic entity, don’t believe it. MT is big. Bigger than the universe. But, relative to the Ain Sof, The Source of all Blessing, He is still called the “Little YHVH”!

Testimonials

“What a ride. It’s like skydiving. You cannot explain it to anyone unless they’ve experienced it”.

(From an early Luz cruise).

Meetings With Metatron

The Celestial Adventures of Rabbi Yismael

There is an unusual genre of Kabbalistic texts dating from the first centuries after the Common Era (around the same time as the beginning of the Talmud and the Dead Sea scrolls) known as the Books of the Heichalot - Celestial Palaces, Halls or Corridors. The sages who are described in these collections are also known as The Descenders (or Riders) of the Merkava (Chariot) and those who Enter the Pardes (Orchard). One of these texts is the Book of Enoch. (This book of Enoch is known in Christian and secular scholarship as 3 Enoch or the Hebrew Book of Enoch) This work, along with its related material, is not known to most Jews and even to most Jewish scholars of Judaism – observant or not. It is, however, a serious and integral part of the esoteric Jewish tradition, being quoted from and referred to by the rabbis throughout the oral tradition up to contemporary rabbinic literature and has corresponding passages in the Talmud, Midrash and Zohar. Although its origins are not popularly known, sections of the Heichalot and Merkava literature has formed part of the liturgy contained in all Jewish prayers books to this day.

The Book of Enoch is a first hand account and personal testimony of the great second century, Talmudic mystic Rabbi Yishmael son of Elisha, Kohen Gadol, who was also a close colleague of Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef. He describes how he entered the higher dimensional heavens, beholds the Divine Throne and the spiritual technology of the Divine Chariot (Merkava). He encounters Metatron who is assigned to him to be his guide and mentor throughout his tour of the celestial realms. Metatron reveals to Rabbi Yishmael that He is none other than the Patriarch Enoch ben Yered, the seventh generation descendant from Adam. When Enoch was 365 years old he was “taken” and transmuted, body and soul, into Metatron. Rabbi Yishmael receives revelations from Metatron and is shown the wonders of the upper world.

Altogether there are 48 chapters (48 with its “whole” is 49, the key value associated with Metatron. The two letters MT actually equals 49). This regular newsletter will present, in serial form, new chapters of Meetings With Metatron. At present, little or no commentary will be supplied. Although the exploration of Luz, whether through meditation or prayer, is a minute fractured fraction – a micro-fractal - of what the master sages and Talmudic mystics experienced, nonetheless it is Metatron who is our guide. As long as we humble ourselves and request permission to enter, each one of us can be graced with the light of Luz in the mystery of the pineal body, the body of Metatron Sar HaPanim, Ohrpeniel, the Light of the Face of God.

[In chapters 1-2, Rabbi Yishmael passes through six heavenly corridors, one within the other, Yishmael is challenged by the guardian entities at the gate of the seventh, innermost palace. In response to his prayer for help God sends him Metatron, who ushers him into the seventh palace and presents him before God's throne. God graciously receives him and he joins the angelic entities that attend the throne in reciting the Kedusha. In chapters 3-16, Metatron informs Yishmael that he is none other than Enoch the son of Yered (mentioned in Gen 5:18-24), whom God transitioned from earth to heaven and elevated him over all the angels as his vice regent. Metatron explains how and why he was taken up, and reveals in detail the steps by which he was transformed in mind and body from a human being into Metatron. He also describes his insignia and the heavenly functions he now performs. In chapters 17-40, Metatron discourses to Yishmael on the organization and activities of the heavenly world. He gives an elaborate account of the angelic hierarchies, and describes a session of the heavenly court and the performance of the climactic act of the angelic liturgy-the recitation of the celestial Kedusha. In chapters 41-48, Metatron takes Yishmael and shows him various heavenly phenomena. These have to do with three main topics: (a) Cosmology: Yishmael sees the cosmic letters by which the world was created. He is also shown cosmic "opposites" (such as fire and water) held in balance by the power of divine names. (b) Eschatology: Ishmael sees the curtain (pargod) that hangs before God's face, and represented on that curtain the whole course of human history from Adam until the coming of the Messiah. He also sees the right hand of God, behind his throne, waiting the appointed time of Israel's redemption. (c) Psychology: Yishmael is shown various souls; the souls of the righteous enjoying God's presence; the souls of the wicked and the intermediate in gehinom; the souls of the Patriarchs interceding for Israel; the souls of the stars; and the souls of the angels who have failed in the performance of the Kedusha, banished from God's presence and incarcerated behind fiery walls].

Sefer Chanoch

(Book of Enoch)

Sefer Heichalot

(Book of Heavenly Corridors)

Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha
Kohen Gadol

Chapter I of 48 Chapters

R. Yishmael ascends within the heavenly dimension to behold the vision

of the Merkava and is given Metatron as his guide and mentor

“CHANOCH (ENOCH) WALKED WITH GOD. THEN HE WAS NOT.

BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM” (Gen. 5:24)

Rabbi Yishmael said: When I ascended within the higher dimension to behold the Merkava I entered through the six Corridors, one within the other. As soon as I reached the opening of the seventh Corridor I stood erect in tefilah-prayer before the Holy One, the Source of all Blessing and, lifting my eyes towards the heights I said, "Master of the Universe, I pray to You, that the merit of Aharon, the son of Amram, the lover of peace and pursuer of peace, who received on Mount Sinai the crown of the Kehuna-priesthood from Your Glory, avail for me in this hour, so that Prince Kaspiel [“Anger of God”] and the malachim with him may not overpower me and throw me down from the heavens.

At once the Holy One, the Source of all Blessing, sent to my aid his servant the malach Metatron, Prince of the Presence. Flying with his wings and with great happiness He came to meet me and save me from their power. He grasped me by his hand in their sight, saying to me: "Enter in peace before the high and exalted King to envision the image of the Merkava ". Then I entered the seventh Corridor, and he led me to the encampment of the Shechina and placed me before 'the Holy One, the Source of all Blessing', to behold the Merkava and presented me before the Throne of Revealed Splendor [Kavod=yesod]. But as soon as the princes of the Merkava looked at me and the flaming Seraphim fixed their eyes upon me, I instantly shrank back trembling and collapsed. I was stunned by the radiant appearance of their eyes and the illuminating visage of their faces until the Holy One, the Source of all Blessing, rebuked them, saying: "My servants, my seraphim, my cheruvim and my ophanim cover your eyes before Yishmael, my beloved son and my honored friend, so that he will not shrink and tremble!” Immediately, Metatron, Prince of the Presence, came and revived my soul and raised me to my feet. Yet, there was still not in me strength enough to chant a song before the Throne of Revealed Splendor of the glorious King, the mightiest of kings, the most admirable of all princes, until an hour had passed.

But then after an hour had passed the Holy One, the Source of all Blessing, opened to me gates of Shechina, gates of peace, gates of wisdom, gates of strength, gates of power, gates of speech, gates of song, gates of kedusha and gates of chant. He enlightened my eyes and my heart to utter words of psalm, song, praise, exaltation, thanksgiving, extolment, glorification, hymn and eulogy. And as I opened my mouth, uttering a song before the Holy One, the Source of all Blessing, the holy Chayot-creatures below and above the Throne of Revealed Splendor responded after me saying (the Kedusha), "Holy, holy, holy" and "Blessed be the revealed splendor of YHVH from His dwelling place”.