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The Age of Lost Kabbalah
Let us return now to the original question presented above. In The Last Generation of the Ikveta D'Meshicha, who is the embodiment of the other Jewish heretic called Simcha, and what, in today's Jewish world, is the form of his disbelief?
In Sha'ar Be'er Sheva, paragraph #7, R. Hillel writes:
The Torah of our righteous Mashiach derives from the level of the Light of Supernal Wisdom. This Torah will be revealed at the end of days by our master Moshe with the arrival of Mashiach ben David. Still, to the degree that we are drawn ever closer to the Complete Redemption during the preparatory period of the Beginning of the Redemption, the Torah of our righteous Mashiach will be revealed little by little to select individuals by the Messiah of the Beginning, Mashiach ben Yoseph. His mission thus includes the revelation of all the esoteric truths of the Torah (Kabbalah) as a preparation for the final redemption, in addition to the ingathering of the exiles and the liberation from foreign domination.
As we have seen the GRA's formula for mapping out the parellelism between the two Erevs on the politico-religious level involves a double split in the Trein Mesheecheen. One half of this double split involves the ingathering of the exiles and the liberation from foreign domination, i.e., the "body" aspect of each of the Trein Mesheecheen . It takes the form of the confrontation between the Erev Rav forces of secular Zionism (the "body" aspect of Mashiach ben Yoseph in the Klipah ) and the Erev Zeir forces of anti-Zionism (the "body" aspect of Mashiach ben David in the Klipah ). The other half of this double split involves the revelation of the Light of Supernal Wisdom through the study of the Kabbalah and its corresponding truths in the Seven Wisdoms, i.e., the "soul" aspect of each of the Trein Mesheecheen. In this latter case, the Erev Rav Jewish scientist (the "soul" aspect of Mashiach ben Yoseph in the Klipah of the scientific revolution) is countered by the Erev Zeir Jewish sage (the "soul" aspect of Mashiach ben David in the Klipah of anti-Kabbalah).
This subtle form of Mashiach ben David 's soul in the Klipah will be manifested by those religious scholars and leaders who reject the study and the utilization of the Kabbalah to help decode the sodot of the Torah and decipher the formulas of the sages relevant and necessary for the present generation. Consequently, non-involvement in the messianic role of the Jewish esoteric tradition is also a rejection of the unique opportunity to elevate the stature of the Jewish People in the eyes of the world and accelerate the redemption, as is amply expressed throughout the text of Sha'ar Be'er Sheva.
In The Last Generation the personification of Simcha will be found, most unexpectedly, among the majority of contemporary rabbinic authorities and teachers who are surprisingly ignorant of the most basic principles (and sometimes even of the very terms) of the Kabbalah.[377] In one way or another they are rejecting the Kabbalah's necessary role in ushering in the Messianic Era. And the rejection of the Kabbalah's authority and the shirking of this great responsibility is, according to the GRA, tantamount to a form of religious disbelief. This, then, is the "inverted backside" of the period known as The Time of Our Happiness. This is the tragedy of The Age of Lost Kabbalah and this is the present day form of the disbelief of "Simcha ben David."[378]
It follows that the archetype of Simcha in The Last Generation is an entire movement of Torah teachers and religious educators who, despite their great scholarship, erudition, saintliness, many good deeds and mitzvot, set the standard and role model for an "anti-Kabbalah" or "non-Kabbalah" view of Judaism. Some may counter that the students, teachers and rabbis of today are simply not worthy to learn the Kabbalah or are not on the required level to understand the awesome complexities of the esoteric dimension of the Torah. Such an excuse, however, is only partially valid. It is true that the gates to the Kabbalah are tightly sealed and the present generation of Torah scholars do lack, relative to the previous generations, the breadth of Torah knowledge and the spiritual maturity required to open up and enter through these awesome gates. The irony of The Last Generation, however, is that the very keys to open these gates have been falling from the heavenly Gates of Wisdom with increasing velocity. They are presently lying strewn upon the seashores of the edge of time, waiting for almost any talmid chacham to bend over, pick them up and use them.
These keys are the discoveries of science and technology. They are the maps, models and metaphors found lying at the Tachteet HaHar - the "Underside of the Mountain" discussed at length above. The Call of the Turtledove is more than amply clear. Now, more than ever, in The Last Generation, the dormant power of the Kabbalah together with the tools of modern science can and must play a uncompromisingly vital role in the redemption process.
For the GRA and his followers the study and application of Judaism's secret teachings was only permitted in private and only for the elite members of the Torah society. Notwithstanding Chassidism's popular movement during the 18th and 19th centuries of "Kabbalah for the masses," this had always been the traditional approach to guarding the deepest secrets of rabbinic Judaism. The truth is that "real" Chassidut, i.e., those teachings which were essentially pure Kabbalah, were seldom offered in public and were only found among select initiates.[379] This is all the more true today.
The GRA tolerated few exemptions from being conscripted into his visionary army of Torah warriors. He screened every Torah sage who came to him and, on the basis of their particular aptitude and inclination, would determine the area of study that was suitable for each one. Together they could be molded into the nucleus of an ideal Torah society guided by the true sage-mystics. Especially in the 250 year period of Ikveta D'Meshicha, when the final battles were beginning to wax hot on all spiritual and territorial frontiers, the GRA made it exceedingly clear that every talmid chacham had the responsibility to enter the gates of the Heavenly Academy (the term used by the Zohar and the GRA) and become part of this army.
The vital role which Kabbalah plays in observant Jewish life has been a topic which has received voluminous attention by numerous rabbinic schools of thought, dating back even to the Talmud itself. Many of the classical works of Kabbalah as well as the plethora of kabbalistic books being published to this day are often prefaced with extensive quotes from highly authoritative rabbinic personalties followed by the author's own exhortations extolling the study of the Kabbalah and strongly criticizing those rabbis who shirk this responsibility.
In truth, until very recently, all accepted Torah authorities agreed that the Jewish esoteric tradition must be studied and ultimately mastered along with Talmud, Midrash, Halachah, Mussar (ethics) and/or Chassidut The only questions were:
"How?" -- through which teacher or books?
"When?" -- at what age and stage of education does one begin?
"Where?" -- does one fit it into the already overtaxed schedule mastering the other parts of the Torah?
"Why?" study the Kabbalah was never, ever a question.[380]
In our present generation there are many misconceptions and false beliefs about Kabbalah even among yeshivah students and seasoned Torah scholars. This shocking phenomenon, however, is not unaccountable. This is what is to be expected when this aspect of Simcha's own Supernal Wisdom goes underground into the Klipah..
Yet, Simcha's religious Klipah manifests quite differently than Sasson's scientific Klipah. The irony that so strongly pinpoints this bizarre development is that there is now more literature accessible on the Kabbalah catering to all levels of understanding than ever before and it continues to appear - in the form of ancient manuscripts, new commentaries, translations and republications - at an unprecedented rate. Today in Jerusalem there are over a half dozen Orthodox (Israeli) Yeshivot offering instruction in formal Kabbalah, weekly lectures in Hebrew and English on Kabbalah (one halachic authority draws 300 blackcoated chassidic as well as non-chassidic yeshivah students to his weekly talk on Kabbalah), magazine articles and discussions on Kabbalah. Amidst the Lithuanian style Ba'alei T'shuvah yeshivot it is no longer considered too "Chassidic" or taboo to advertise classes in "Jewish Mysticism" (but only for potential students with little or no Talmudic background!). And all this is aside from what is happening in the universities and non-Orthodox communities. (Even the bastion of reform Judaism in Israel, Hebrew Union College, offers lectures on Kabbalah which only a few years ago would have been considered by their platform of beliefs as "heresy"!). This phenomenon was discussed above in the Introduction as the fulfillment of the Zohar's ancient prophesy:
In the 600th year of the 6th millennium (5600 = 1840 C.E.) the gates of wisdom above (Kabbalah) together with the wellsprings of wisdom below (science) will be opened up, and the world will prepare to enter the 7th millennium. This is symbolized by a man who begins preparations for ushering in the Sabbath on the afternoon of the 6th day. In the same way [toward the end of the 6th millennium preparations are made for entering the 7th].
The Gaon explained that this prophecy refers to the year 1840 and onward during which time the Torah community would experience new and profound revelations clarifying and rendering her own esoteric traditions more accessible. Yet, the same question that was asked and explained at length above about the apparently contradictory messianic role of science in the present generation must be asked again here on the question of the prophesied role of the Kabbalah. Where are the fruits of those new revelations of the Kabbalah?! Why hasn't observant Judaism been radically transformed by the inner power of the Kabbalah? Has something, once again, gone wrong, God forbid?
The answer is both a paradoxical Yes and No. Yes, the Gates of Wisdom from above have been pouring out their hearts and revealing their deepest secrets to the Torah world. The flood of information, literature, classes and new found openness is the proof that it is very much in the air. The problem, however, is that for the most part that is where the higher truth of the Kabbalah remains - an ever increasing but nebulous spirit hovering all around us in the air yet seldom ever touching ground to effect real change and true spiritual transformation.
Even among the individual aspirants and sages who devote their days and nights to studying and decoding the Kabbalah of the GRA and Ramchal or meditating with the Kavanot of the Holy ARI, the Rashash and the Ba'al Shem Tov, the degree of true creativity and power of synthesis is not overly impressive, in terms of what should be happening. There is no real unification taking place, not between the Seven Wisdoms and the Wisdom of the Kabbalah, not between the revealed Torah and the concealed Torah, and not even within the different schools of the Kabbalah itself. The technology of the Kabbalah keeps increasing but not the Talmudic dialectics and inspired Jewish creativity necessary to "put it all together." Thus, the technological know-how necessary to capture and to channel the newly emerging messianic lights of Mashiach ben Yoseph remains in captivity, ironically, in the yeshivot, kollelim, private studies of Torah scholars, and lining the shelves of religious bookstores. (Even still, the exile of the Kabbalah within the ever larger departments of Jewish mysticism and comparative religion on the university campuses and on the overpopulated shelves of the New Age and occult bookstores is certainly much worse than its plight within Orthodox Judaism.)
There are many complex reasons why the Kabbalah of Ikveta D'Meshicha has grown lopsided and why the anti-Kabbalah element within observant Judaism has had such a widespread, albeit subtle influence. Today the vast majority of Chassidim (and those who identify with their schools of thought) no longer study the actual texts of the Kabbalah and, in fact, lack formal training in its technical structure. They can only ride upon the revelatory waves of Jewish mysticism which the early Chassidic masters of the previous generations drew from the depths of the Kabbalah. Because these teachings were theosophised, repackaged and revealed to the world at the very time when the "wellsprings from below" of modern science were just beginning to gush forward, the role of science and technology was only superficially incorporated into the Chassidic Weltanschauung. Accordingly, the "Chassid" of today who does not go directly to the original sources of the Kabbalah cannot tap into the hidden springs of the Torah's creativity.
Ironically, despite all the inspired Kabbalah teachings which early Chassidut revealed to the world, today's popular Chassidut has come to consider itself the ordained culmination of the Kabbalah. But the original Kabbalah texts are no longer the subject of serious exegesis by today's Chassidim, with the exception of a handful of Tzadikim or select individuals. And although the ARI and other classical kabbalists are held by all Chassidim in the highest possible esteem, their writings are held so high up on their bookshelves that they can't be reached! Thus, on the fields of Chassidut, even though many battles were won, the war - the revelations of the sodot of Mashiach ben Yoseph - was regrettably lost.
In the final analysis there is no one to blame. Considering the upheavals and destruction caused by the Holocaust, the loss of so many masters, the seductive power of the modern world, the justified apprehension involved with attempting to give over the inner teachings of the Kabbalah - the present situation is understandable. It is a collective tragedy for which the entire nation is ultimatlely responsibile.
Yet, the hard facts are that the esoteric teachings of Mashiach ben Yoseph appear to have died on the orthodox battle field of religion. For all that appears to be fulfilling the Zohar's prophesy there is much that apparently is not. The teachings of the Kabbalah are appearing now only in the external form of more books and rehashed commentary. The new interest and openness is mostly superficial and even the serious study and teaching of Kabbalah is essentially technological in nature. Furthermore, with a few minor exceptions, the exegesis of the Kabbalah is not being combined with creative inspiration, nor is it being seriously and systematically opened up with the maps, models and metaphors of science. On top of this, the vast majority of today's Torah sage-mystics have little if any shared dialogue with each other. This is either because (as often occurs in academic or scientific communities) their field of Kabbalah is so specialized (and there are many different fields of expertize in Kabbalah) they cannot talk to each other or for personal reasons they simply don't want to talk to each other.
The apparent death of the Messiah is especially disturbing now as the esoteric truths of Mashiach ben Yoseph are the very dimension of the Jewish soul that has the transcendent power to unify and redeem the ever diverging and antagonistic branches of contemporary Judaism. This failure is difficult to understand as this development appears to contradict the predetermined sequence of events vigorously described in Kol HaTor (see below).
But this is precisely so. As we have seen in the case of Sasson's scientific revolution, Simcha's aborted mystic revelations are not only as they appear on the surface. As always with Mashiach ben Yoseph, there is a contingency plan that unfailingly falls into action. One of the 156 aspects of Mashiach ben Yoseph quoted above is:
Ikvot Mashicha - This period is designated Ikvot (Feet or Heels) for two reasons. First, because the process develops in tiny increments and, second, all the conditions for the final redemption are brought about in a round about manner. This is based on the meaning of the root Akev which, because of its etymological affinity with Akef, "to circumvent," means "to deceive." The redemption process must proceed in a round about manner in order to deceive the "shells of impurity" [the External Forces] and prevent them from interfering.
Od Yoseph Chai! As explained above, when Mashiach ben Yoseph cannot fulfill his mission above ground he just goes underground. The messianic revelations of all of the sodot of the Zohar, the ARI and the GRA are purposely evolving through a slow incremental process that at a specific stage triggers a cumulative affect known throughout Kol HaTor as formula 999 in Yesod. The collective soul of observant Judaism is mostly unknowingly and unassumingly becoming saturated with little bits and pieces of Kabbalah - a book here, a lecture there, etc. - until it will reach a breaking point at which time it will then "jump" into the formula of 1000 in Keter - the culmination in the crown of Mashiach ben David. We have already studied this principle at length, according to Kol HaTor's the explanation of the verse, "The least one shall become a thousand and the smallest one a strong nation: I the Lord will accelerate it in its time" (Isaiah 60:22):[381]
Our master told us that in the final analysis a scriptural verse can never be divorced from its plain meaning. The literal intention [of this verse] is that even "in its due time I will accelerate it." And when will this occur? When, "The least one shall become a thousand and the smallest one a strong nation." The "least one" and the "smallest one" refer to [the lost Kabbalah teachings of] Mashiach ben Yoseph. It is known that the extreme threshold level of Mashiach ben Yoseph that is achieved through [the process of] the "arousal from below" is [the power of] one thousand minus one, that is [the formula of], 999 in Yesod ... "The least one shall become a thousand," [thus] means that when [the process of Mashiach ben Yoseph ] begins to approach [in an apparently slow and superficial maner] a climactic conclusion of one thousand, then, "I the Lord, even in its due time, will accelerate it."
Thus, the collective Jewish soul is, unknowingly, being seeded with kernels of divine knowledge falling from the Gates of Wisdom from above. Just as the "natural" process of science and technology will reach its "supra-natural" climax, so also will the "natural" development of the Kabbalah reach its "supra-natural" climax. Redemption will emerge from the last two places that either side - and especially the "Other Side" - would ever expect. For both the religious and the secular the shock will be supreme. Out of the silicon chips and theories of evolution on one side and from the dialectics of the Gemara and the minutae of the Halachah on the other will emerge the Hidden Light of the Supernal Torah, the Skin of the Leviathan, the esoteric experience of direct and intimate knowledge of Supreme Being.
R. Shlomo Eliyashiv, one of the chief expositors of the GRA's esoteric school of thought, writes:[382]
It is known to all Jews of complete faith that the entire sacred Torah is divided into layered aspects [that would correspond to a person's] soul, body and external clothing. The highest aspect of the Torah is known as the "soul of the soul" (Zohar 3:152a). All of these levels are holy and all are true. The body, the sheath and the inner casing all constitute the corpus of the Torah, and all of them are the Life of Existence. Still, as the heavens are supremely higher than the earth, so also are the esoterica and the mysteries of the Torah supremely higher than its revealed teachings and external appearance.
Before we return to the GRA himself, however, there is one source (out of the many hundreds touching upon this controversial subject) which merits review here. This particular source is important for two reasons: (1) it is almost unknown, despite the universal acceptance of the authority who stated it, and (2) it speaks directly about the necessity of the Torah personality to develop, along with his or her responsibilities in other areas of Torah, a coherent cosmological view of the accelerating events occuring in the present Last Generation. The legacy of the revered saint, moralist and halachic authority, the Grand Sage of the previous generation, R. Yisrael Meir Kagen HaKohen, the Chafetz Chayim (1893-1933), was recorded by his son:[383]
The science of the Kabbalah is one of the most esteemed parts of the Torah. He would always say, "Without the secrets of the Torah we grope in the dark. Without the Kabbalah, it is impossible to discern and understand God's ways in the conduct of His creation."
In the GRA's Doctrine of Redemption the role of the Kabbalah is no less pivotal and no less dramatic than that of science and technology. Even without Kol HaTor the GRA is fairly well known for a principle which was made popular in an anthology of his aphorisms, Even Shleimah :[384]
This [final] redemption will come only as a result of Torah study, chiefly the study of Kabbalah.
In his notes to the main text, the compiler of Even Shleimah quotes two more passages from the GRA's commentary to the Zohar: [385]
In every generation a spark of our Teacher Moshe emanates into a single individual. From this individual it continues to emanate out to all the disciples of the Torah of that generation. All novel understandings of Torah are thus revealed in the world via the emanating light of our Teacher Moshe...
There are times when no worthy individual can be found through whom the emanating light of Moshe is to spread out to the generation. Due to our many transgressions, therefore, such a generation does not receive an illumination of that light... It is for this reason that the period of our exile is lengthened. Our exodus from the [present] exile is therefore dependent upon the study of the Kabbalah for this is the [essence of the] Torah of Moshe.
Although these two sources (among others) from the GRA are quite clear as to their intention, Kol HaTor once again recasts the GRA's relationship with the Kabbalah into a very real "here and now" agenda for world redemption centered in Eretz Yisrael. As presented above in the Introduction, two of the seven principles of the Ikveta D'Meshicha are (6) Esoteric Truth From Zion and (7) Revealer of the Hidden. Regarding the first R. Hillel writes,[386] "Our master has written much stressing that the redemption is dependent upon the study of Kabbalah. Through this the Torah of our righteous Mashiach will be revealed little by little. This is the Torah of Eretz Yisrael." Regarding the second he wrote, "Our master descended from the heavens to reveal the formulas of the Torah in the period of Ikveta D'Meshicha in the sod of Tzafenat Pa'aneach, and to instruct us according to these formulas in the practical path that is to be followed in this final era."
R. Hillel writes further:[387]
The revelation of the [previously hidden] formulas within the Torah will proceed and increase together with the Footsteps of the Mashiach in our Holy Land until all of the mysteries of the Torah will be revealed in the Last Generation. This is the Torah of Mashiach our Tzadik, as the verse (Isaiah 2:3) intimates, "The Torah will emanate from Tziyon " [Tzadik and Tziyon are both synonymous with Yoseph]. The Torah that will "emanate from Tziyon " refers to the revelations of its hidden treasures and mysteries, may they be revealed speedily in our day.
A great axiom of our master was that an interpretation of the Torah on the level of its simple meaning (p'shat ) cannot be correct if it is not completely consistent with the inner level of meaning (sod ). [See other references to this methodology of the GRA above in the Introduction.] Still, the instruction of the inner teachings must be carried out discreetly and with humility. This is alluded to in the verse, "Bow down before God with holy trembling" (Psalm 29:2). The initials of each [Hebrew] word spell "Kabbalah."
During the period of Ikveta D''Meshicha the revelations will begin little by little. This is the way of Atchalta D'Geulah (Beginning of Redemption), as the sages have described: "The process of Israel's redemption is akin to the gradual rising of the sun at sunrise" (Talmud Yerushalmi Berachot 1:1)... As explained above, the overall purpose of the [Final] Redemption is the Redemption of the Truth and Kiddush HaShem (Sanctification of God's Name). Redemption of the Truth has two implications - first, its obvious meaning and second, the Redemption of the Wisdom of Truth [Kabbalah is often referred to as the science or wisdom of truth.] Therefore, the mitzvah and the sacred responsibility grows [for each and every talmid chacham ] to occupy himself with the study of Kabbalah. [It is specifically through the learning of the Kabbalah] that the mysteries of the Torah will be revealed. This is part of the sacred mission of the Messiah of the Beginning, Mashiach ben Yoseph. The ingathering of the exiles will occur through him and it is through the study of Kabbalah that this Redemption will be accelerated until it will reach its final completion through Mashiach ben David and our Teacher Moshe, speedily in our days, amen.
In conclusion, it is clear that the rejection of the Kabbalah's authority and the shirking of this crucial responsibility is, according to the GRA, tantamount to a form of religious heresy. Encoded into a cryptic agaddah of the sages recorded 1,700 years ago, it was the Vilna Gaon, the Light of Mashiach ben Yoseph, who has singularly revealed the contents of the unrecorded dispute between R. Abbahu and the Jewish disbeliever Simcha. Just as the heresy of secular science and technology is the present day form of the disbelief of Sasson so also the rejection of the Kabbalah is the present day form of the disbelief of Simcha. The Time of Our Simcha, having been forced to go underground, has become our Age of Lost Kabbalah.
It is initially shocking and even insulting for a secular Jew to allow him or herself to identify with the heresy of Sasson and accept being a member or at least a follower of the modern day Erev Rav. Yet, according to the GRA's doctrine, this is precisely the paradoxical nature of Mashiach ben Yoseph in the Klipah. On the other hand (and we see that there always must be one) it is also initially shocking and certainly insulting for a religious Jew - and in particular one with a traditional yeshivah background - to allow him or herself to identify with the respective "hidden heresy" of Simcha and accept being a member or at least a follower of the modern day Erev Zeir. Yet, according to the GRA's doctrine, this is precisely the paradoxical nature of the ben David aspect of Mashiach ben Yoseph in the Klipah.
In truth, it is an "open secret" among members of the religious camp that there are serious problems within the ranks of leadership of Torah true Judaism. The Torah authority's finger, however, is often pointed at the other Rav, Rebbe, Rosh Yeshivah, school of learning or "sect," as being the source of the problem. Many students of the Torah, both senior members of the Ba'alei Teshuvah movement as well as those raised from birth in the Yeshivah community, are also aware, at least intuitively, of the problems with the present religious leadership. Yet, the leaders of any given period are the divinely appointed "head" of that generation and the corresponding "body" of that generation is obligated to follow its lead and render due respect and honor. "Provide yourself with a Rav," declares the Mishnah in Pirkey Avot (1:6) and the Rambam (Maimonides) explains, "This applies even if he is not qualified to be your Rav."
This fact alone, however, is not novel and the GRA's sod of Simcha is not coming to tell us this. It is well known that every generation of sages and leaders is victim of the snowballing effect of "Hitkatnut HaDorot" - the gradual diminishing of the stature of the generations. Rather, the novel concept that the GRA's teachings in Kol HaTor are coming to reveal is that this phenomenon, especially now in the "Heels of the Messiah," is following a clearly defined pattern that is, as it were, predetermined. The hidden disbelief of some of the leaders of the Erev Zeir in the Last Generation is not a question of individual leaders being right or wrong. There is really no one to point a finger at except ourselves. This is because the phenomenon is a collective one that involves the soul of the Jewish people as a whole. The powerful Zeitgeist of the ben David aspect of the greater mission of Mashiach ben Yoseph could have and should have manifested itself collectively as a true religious revival. It failed to materialize, however, and we must now suffer the "collective punishment" together. Ironically, as each group leader points the blame at the other there actually appears to be a "consensus" among the leaders themselves that the collective leadership is, in fact, collectively leading the flock astray. And yet, the generation only collects what it earns.
However, "There is nothing new under the sun." Even the principle of collective blindness, as shocking as it appears, is not new. There is a peculiar reference in the Gemara (Baba Kamma 52a) that can easily be glossed over by a student of the Talmud (even though everyone learns Baba Kamma ). At the end of a discussion concerning the method of legally acquiring a flock of sheep a parable is given that states that when a shepherd becomes angry with his flock he designates a blind animal as its leader. Rashi explains, "The shepherd gorges out the eyes of the lead ram who then stumbles and falls into ravines and the flock follows after him. Similarly, when the Omnipresent punishes the enemies of Israel [a euphemism that refers to the Jewish People themselves] He appoints over them leaders that are not fitting."
Now watch two identical mirror images of the two parallel heels of disbelief - the Greater Disbelief of the Erev Rav and the Lesser Disbelief of the Erev Zeir - unfold before our eyes. R. Elchanan Wasserman, the great Torah sage and disciple of the Chafetz Chayim, wrote that this parable of the sages just quoted is a reference to "the Erev Rav, the leaders of the people of Israel in the Last Generation in the period of the Ikveta D'Meshicha." [388] This is obvious. What other blind leaders could the Gemara be referring to? Yet, when I asked a respected Mekubal why the Kabbalah is not seriously studied today by students of Torah, he discreetly suggested that I look up Baba Kamma 52a. And it was obvious. According to him what other blind leaders could the Gemara be referring to? What is the "real" answer? Is it the Erev Rav or the Erev Zeir? We have seen, however, that according to the GRA, the answer, by its very definition, cannot be obvious. This is because the entire matter from beginning to end is an esoteric paradox that is rooted in the most awesome secrets of creation.
We quoted earlier from R. Menachem Mendel of Shklov:
There weresodot that the GRA would not reveal to any of his disciples. The sod of the "[two Jewish heretics] Sasson and Simcha" (Succah 48b), was one of these. Concerning this passage we heard from his holy mouth that one of the earlier masters (Gedolay HaRishonim) fasted numerous fasts in order to be worthy of having the sod of this passage revealed to him from above. His request was not granted. Our holy Rabbi, his soul be in Eden, confided that the sod of Sasson and Simcha had been revealed to him and that if he had been created only in order to grasp this matter, it would have been sufficient for him...
His disciple, R. Yitzchak Izik Chaver, in turn wrote:
Certainly, we have no conception whatsoever, even one part in a million, as to what was revealed to the GRA. Still... a deep sod is alluded to here...
And R. Hillel wrote:
The essence of Sasson is Mashiach ben Yoseph. As our master explained, it is concerning him that the verse states, "God's redeemed shall return." This is the essential intention of the Talmud concerning the matter of Sasson and Simcha. Our master merited to comprehend the meaning of this passage in its entirety. He told us that if he had been created only in order to grasp this passage it would have been sufficient.
The consequences of the GRA's sod of Sasson and Simcha is that there are no longer any exits for anyone to escape the painful soul-searching and confrontation with the collective question as to just who we are as a generation and how we function collectivly together in the Ikveta D'Meshicha. The Sasson/Simcha symmetry is the tragic split of Supernal Knowledge into Jewish secularism vs. Jewish religion with each claiming "I am better than you," "No, I am better than you." Yet, Sasson and Simcha are an eternal interdependent polarity in the makeup of the collective heart and soul of Am Yisrael. The split must exist. If we have the merit, both of their inner dynamics will reveal themselves in the Kedushah as an awesome "dual-unity." If we are lacking the merit , both of the Mesheecheen must split apart and together descend into their respective Klipot. Their inner dynamics will then become entangled in a tragic drama, with each one polarizing the other and, ironically, strengthening the other's Klipah.
Furthermore, following the Kabbalah's underlying laws of symmetry, the two halves of the messianic light will split apart into their respective polarities. In direct ratio to each other, two opposing aspects of the Trein Mesheecheen will now appear within the secular camp and two will appear within the religious community. To develop this principle adequately with all the necessary examples would require another book. One major example of this sub-split will have to suffice in the meantime. This is the 200 year old controversy between the mitnagdim and the chassidim. As pointed out in the Introduction, the GRA's pivotable role in this bitter episode cannot be understood within a social, religious or even mystical context alone. Rather, the conflict was a messianic confrontation of the Two Messiahsthemselves playing out a hidden agenda that involved the final processes of redemption. Likewise, even today the divisions within the religious movements and their political parties are reflecting a cosmic scenario of sub-divisions within the collective soul of the Trein Mesheecheen. The two branches of religion itself - Etz Yoseph and Etz Yehudah (David) - have themselves split apart and gone underground only now to form an ever extending yet unconscious network of messianic conspiracy.[389]
Whether or not there exist at this stage any large scale solutions as to how to reunite and to resurface the hidden truths of the Trein Mesheecheen and their split-offs is a question that is dealt with in Section 1. However, even as the "Back-up Mashiach" shifts into gear and the dramas and sub-plots continue to play themselves out, three changes in one's personal perception are possible. First, the realization that what is occurring is no longer a question of individual persons or isolated events. Rather, the events that are unfolding are essentially of a collective nature. Every part - even if one believes it to be an opposing force - is a vital component in the whole and yet the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts, i.e., a higher and more encompassing consciousness. Second, the realization that all of these events, whether secular or religious, on the side of Kedushah or inverted into the Klipah, are all following specific patterns. These patterns have clear symmetries that uncannily conform with the principles of the Kabbalah. The knowledge of these symmetries is now accessible. Third, the realization that there is, in fact, a Jewish messianic conspiracy taking place and that one can choose to become a conscious participant in its development. The least one can do is to hearken to the "Call of the Turtledove" and learn to recognize the collective personality of the Trein Mesheecheen in the present generation. Kol HaTor, along with the proper foundations in Talmud, Halachah and Kabbalah, can serve as a manual for attaining this perception and becoming a participant in the Torah's underground messianic movement.
Two parallel movements of redemption are conspiring to emerge in the Messianic Era. Just as Sasson's inner truth of science and technology will be reclaimed and revealed via Mashiach ben Yoseph, so also will the inner truth of Simcha's religion and the sodot of the Kabbalah be redeemed and revealed via Mashiach ben David . This is what R. Hillel explained above:
"God's redeemed (plural) will return" implies this two-fold process: "They will return to Zion" in body [i.e. the secular body of Israel], and "they will come singing to Zion" in spirit [i.e. the religious spirit of Israel]. They will then [both] return in Teshuvah -Repentance. This is implied in the continuation of the verse, "They shall obtain Sasson and Simcha."
Likewise,the GRA himself stated above:
In the future, a Succah -Canopy will be made from the skin of the Leviathan. This is the sod of the stripping of the skin [of the Klipot of Sasson and Simcha] that is mentioned here. This will signal the advent of The Time of Our Simcha. This is the meaning of the verse, "You will draw waters with Sasson from the Wellsprings of Salvation."
[377]. See Leshem Sh'vo V'Achlamah, Sefer Hakamot V'Shearim, Introduction.
[378]. The "Simcha" archetype actually has three subtypes. 1) The Torah scholar who rejects the messianic roles of both Kabbalah and science, 2) the Torah scholar who actually knows the Kabbalah to whatever degree (he may even be considered to be a M'kubal ), but rejects the the idea of a messianic confluence between Kabbalah and science, and 3) the Torah scholar who is knowledgeable in a field(s) of science,but lacks any serious background in the Kabbalah and therefore the required ability to direct the messianic confluence. From this perspective an "orthodox Jewish scientist" who is not also versed in the Kabbalah is a misnomer. (As explained above, the teachings of Chassidut [although ultilizing some of the general concepts of the Kabbalah] are essentially a spiritual form of therapy and therefore not to be confused with the pure science of Lurianic and GRA Kabbalah.
It is clear that according to the GRA the messianic utilization of the secular sciences without the sacred science of the Kabbalah is absolutely impossible. The two are inseparable. This is a crucial point in the doctrine of Kol HaTor for in the GRA's system there can be no such thing as a confluence between science and religion. Rather, there can only exist a confluence between science and Kabbalah. The rejection of either mode of wisdom independently of each other or of the the messianic confluence between the two is tantamount to a subtle form of heresy.
It must also be pointed out that one who is not grounded in the talmudic and halachic traditions can never be considered a "kabbalist" in spite of his or her knowledge of the Kabbalah or other mystical traditions. Likewise, even if one has studied the Talmud and Halachah, yet does not honor their authority, cannot be considered a "kabbalist" even if he or she is, for example, a professor of Jewish mysticism.
[379]. Lamm, Torah Lishmah, p. 126
[380]. Even R. Chaim of Volozhin, whose famous Volozhin Yeshivah has set the model for the entire Lithuanian yeshivahworld until today, would exempt a disciple of the Torah from mastering the kabbalistic mysteries of prayer and the recital of the Shema only for a technical reason, namely, if he was simply too scared of mistakenly crossing the theological boundaries that could lead to some form of subtle heresy. (The kabbalistic mysteries of prayer and the recital of the Shema pivot upon one of the most arcane secrets of the Torah - the Sod HaTzimtzum.) Quoting the Zohar, R. Chaim himself writes, "Not every mind can handle this [level of truth]" (Nefesh HaChaim, preface to Gate 4, Chapter 6).
[381]. source and cross reference to previous usage in our text.
[382]. Leshem Sh'vo V'Achlamah, Sefer De'ah, p. 1.
[383]. Letters of the Chafetz Chaim, Examples of My Father's Ways, #50.
[384]. Even Shleimah 11:3, p. 100 (50b), drawn from the GRA's original commentaries on the books of the Zohar, Raya Mehemna 1:82b, Tikuney Zohar 64d, Tikuney Zohar Chadash 36c.
[385]. Even Shleima 11:7, note 5, p. 103 (52a), from the GRA's commentary to Tikuney Zohar 42c, and Raya Mehemna 1:77a, 1:82b.
[386]. Kol HaTor, Chapter 1, paragraphs #6 and #7 (pp. 473-474 in Kasher).
[387]. Ibid., paragraph #12 (p. 515 in Kasher).
[388]. Kovetz Ma'amarim, p. 97.
[389] Another example as to how the paradigm of the Trein Mesheecheen can reinstate some order into otherwise confusing issues is the following paragraph I recently came across. The author, an Orthodox scholar, although accurately observing the facts, can only present them to the reader as an unresolved paradox. This is only because the hidden source from whence these events originate - the split in the collective mind of the Mashiach himself - - was not understood. He writes, "It is thus paradoxical, but it has none the less happened, that messianism has led to opposite extremes. Neturei Karta and Gush Emunim share the view that the messianic idea is central to Judaism and that the state of Israel can only be understood in relationship to it. For Neturei Karta the Messianic process has not yet begun; therefore the state is a heresy. For Gush Emunim the process has begun; therefore the state is, wittingly or otherwise, holy and the instrument of redemption. Extreme anti-nationalism and nationalism flow from the same concepts, even from the same texts." (Traditional Alternatives Orthodoxy and the Future of the Jewish People, p. 178 by Jonathan Sacks, Principle Jew's College, London.
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