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THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE
Over two hundred years ago R. Hillel Rivlin of Shklov, wrote in his secret doctrine of Kol HaTor (paragraph #8):
With the gradual opening of the gates of wisdom above and below, the messianic revelation which will begin from the year 5600 (1840) will resemble the wisdom of King Solomon in his day. Through our arousal from below, this revelation will result in the development of [larger and more powerful] telescopes that will allow mankind to reach the limits of telescopic observation and actually glimpse the Wondrous End (Ketz HaP'laot ) that lies in the far reaches of the universe.
This [flood of scientific knowledge] will occur through the inscription of the name "Israel" like the radiance (nogah) from the luster of the holy celestial creatures (Chayot HaKodesh ). This is the meaning of the Midrash: "One celestial creature with its name "Israel" engraved on its forehead stands in the center of the universe." [300] The words, "Who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the world? " (2 Samuel 7:23) will then shine forth in brilliant colors. And the verses, "All the nations of the world will see that you are called by the name of God and they will be in awe of you" (Deuteronomy 28:10), and "[God] will grant you ascendance above all the nations that He has made, for praise, fame and beauty" (ibid. 26:19) , will be fulfilled.
This revelation will first manifest in the holy city of Jerusalem, in accord with the verse, "Your name is upon Your city and Your people" (Daniel 9:19), and in accord with the words of the sages: In the future Jerusalem will be a beacon to the nations of the world, as it is said, '"Nations shall walk in your light" (Isaiah 60:3).
Who is this "one celestial creature with its name "Israel" engraved on its forehead, standing in the center of the universe" upon whom the recent explosion of spiritual and secular wisdom is dependent? What is Israel's connection with this awesome angelic force? And if the GRA's visionary Doctrine of Redemption is being fulfilled, why is there a sharp division - often an outright antagonism - between these two modes of wisdom? Why is it that we don't see the universal recognition of the wisdom of Israel, which is supposed to be dependent upon this great synthesis? Why instead is this recognition lavished worldwide upon the ever impressive achievements of science and technology? Is something, God forbid, going wrong?
In order to solve this difficult passage in Sha'ar Be'er Sheva -- the Gate of the Well of Seven Wisdoms - let us first take a look at this amazing inventionwhich, in the words of R. Hillel, will allow us to"actually glimpse the Wondrous End (Ketz HaP'laot) that lies in the far reaches of the universe."
The role that the telescope has played in unveiling the secrets of the physical universe in just the past few decades is phenomenal. Many of the experimental proofs for Einstein's theory of relativity and gravity have been gleaned from these optical extensions of the human brain. Yet, it appears that R. Hillel's prediction goes beyond the development of ever larger and more powerful telescopes. If we are correct, he is referring to the parallel developments that these telescopes have made possible in the field of modern cosmology. One short example will be given which appears to be consistent with R. Hillel's meaning. The excitement and wonderment that is taking place in our own generation, however, is certainly his intention.
As ancient as astronomy, the field of cosmology has recently been coming into a new age. Cosmology is the branch of the Seven Wisdoms that is concerned with the nature of the universe as a whole. Modern cosmology involves elements of astronomy, physics, mathematics, philosophy and, now according to some, even theology. Because cosmology speaks in a language which combines a number of advanced disciplines there are only a handful of cosmologists who can fully understand each other. And it is this elite international group of men and women who were more amazed than anyone else when, in the early 1970's, they announced to the world that they had discovered the "edge of the universe".
On April 8, 1973, the following headline appeared in the New York Times: "Men Report Seeing Edge of Universe." Astronomy had, indeed, penetrated to nearly the edge of the universe. But how can the universe have an edge? The Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe had predicted that there should be a distance in space beyond which no galaxies, stars or any object could appear. Then, in 1960, giant cosmic lanterns called "quasars" were discovered. They were extremely distant, yet they were also extremely bright, so that powerful new telescopes could see them across billions of light-years. Beyond a certain point, however, the quasars, or anything else for that matter, were not to be seen. The reason being that there simply weren't any more. "Aroused from below" the telescope had reached the observable limits of the far reaches of outer space and man had seen the "the edge of the universe".
It is an edge not in space but in time. This is because light - the image that we see - takes time to travel. When we peer into the farthest reaches of the universe, we are not seeing what is occurring there now, but rather what occurred some 15 billion years ago (the current figure for the size/age of the universe). We are only just receiving the picture now after it has taken some 15 billion years to travel. Accordingly, we are not looking at the present but peering deep into our cosmic past, the genesis of creation.
Since the first quasar was discovered they have been found to be quite numerous. Yet no one really knows what they are. They are unbelievably energetic and a few astronomers wonder whether they violate the known laws of physics. One of the discoverers remarked, "It totally changed our insight and outlook upon the future study of the universe. Even now that we've been with quasars for years, we haven't recovered from the surprise. I simply can't believe it." The night that he and his (Jewish) co-discoverer concluded that these relatively small objects (each with the luminosity of ten galaxies) were, in fact, REAL, he went home and told his wife that "Something horrible happened at the office today." "I mean," he corrected himself, "something wonderful." [301]
Today, this state of wonder is the rule and not the exception throughout all the growing branches of the Seven Wisdoms. Just as the ever widening lenses of the telescope are sharpening their focus on the heavens above and redefining our concepts of the macrocosmic universe, the electron-microscope has been peering into the inner recesses of the atom and beyond and overturning our conception of the micro-cosmos upon which we walk. Still, even for those familiar with what is going on at the far reaches of these two extremities, another surprise is in store. Their "new" descriptions of reality are uncannily reminiscent of those given in ancient Kabbalistic literature all the way up to the esoteric writings of the GRA and his disciples. The question that we must now ask is, "Is there an actual basis for this apparent confluence?"
When R. Hillel wrote that those living in the "last generation" before the period of Mashiach ben David would "actually glimpse the Wondrous End (Ketz HaP'laot) that lies in the far reaches of the universe," he was referring to the startling confluence that would take place between secular wisdom and spiritual wisdom prior to the advent of the Messianic Era.[302] As we have seen, an allusion to this dual - external/internal - nature of the Supernal Wisdom is likewise contained in R. Hillel's reference to the wisdom of King Solomon (Shlomo HaMelech ). According to tradition it was during his reign that a similar stage of unification was reached. Thus, in the first book of Kings (5:9-13), it is written:
And God gave Solomon much wisdom and tremendous understanding. He expanded [Solomon's] heart so that he could understand [the details of wisdom that are numerous] like the sand that is on the shore. Solomon's wisdom thus surpassed the [astronomical] wisdom of the east [Babylon and Chaldea] and the [occult] wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than all men... He spoke [of the healing properties] of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that comes out of the wall. He spoke of the animals, birds, insects, and fish.
King Solomon was not only the master scientist, but the master kabbalist. Accordingly, the wisdom that he had amassed was not only of a secular nature, but of a corresponding spiritual nature as well. The Leshem Sh'vo V'Achlamah thus explains: "It was revealed to him (Shlomo HaMelech) the nature of the entirety of the creatures, all their forces and their components in profuse detail. Likewise, he knew the [spiritual] root of each and every one..."[303]
In the book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes 7:14) King Solomon wrote a formula that states: "God has set the one parallel to the other." This means that God has constructed all existence upon a cosmological law of parallelism. This law is axiomatic throughout Kol HaTor and the kabbalistic writings of the GRA. In this section we are going to investigate it further.
We have already seen in previous chapters that the development of secular knowledge always mirrors the growth of spiritual knowledge. The international recognition 2,500 years ago of the crowning glory of Chochmat Shlomo - the Wisdom of Solomon - and his uncontested mastery over the Seven Wisdoms was only a parallel reflection in the physical dimension of an increasing ascendency of spiritual wisdom. This is a cosmic law that is as true today as it was true in ancient times. Every scientific fact or new technology is a reflection of a specific spiritual energy that has been previously revealed on a higher dimension. Without the a priori existence of a spiritual "root," no new scientific discovery or technological advancement could take place. Thus, the astounding and unprecedented discoveries that have burst forth with increasing momentum in the fields of scientific exploration and its sister technologies during the past century - and even the past year - are only the protruding surfaces of an invisible landscape generating from an awesome and complex array of spiritual energies and processes that are increasing their momentum. Both are revealing the secrets of the universe and both together are the Ketz HaP'laot - the Wonders of the Messianic End. As we shall see shortly, however, there is more to the mirror image of parallelism than meets the eye.
Science is very much aware that it is uncovering the secrets of the universe and, in fact, a wholly new paradigm of scientific thought has been emerging with ever increasing velocity since the mid-1800's. Electromagnetic theory, radio waves, telecommunications, television, computers, atomic energy and the atomic bomb, new psychological and neurological descriptions of the brain, quasars, blackhole phenomenon, genetic engineering, lasers and the holographic model, relativity, quantum mechanics, "Super Strings" and more are just a few of the exciting secrets that have been uncovered in the last hundred years. As explained in the previous chapter, these discoveries are only touching the outer "physical" skin of the universe. Nevertheless, they are beginning to force in their wake a new mode of consciousness that is clearly messianic in its roots.
Yet, the phenomenon of modern science is activating something much more than even a new paradigm of thought about the observable world around us. According to the GRA's Doctrine of Redemption we are already overlapping the Ketz HaP'laot - the Era of Secular/Spiritual Wonder. Anyone who has knowledge of the Kabbalah teachings of the GRA, the ARI, the Ramchal and the Rashash cannot but be astounded by what he sees pouring forth from these new sciences and technologies. Numerous principles and components of the most esoteric truths that were formerly almost impossible to understand (or to explain) if one was not in a near prophetic state are today clearly being reflected in the facts and theories of ever advancing scientific thought! Even some of the most arcane secrets which were previously outright forbidden for the master Kabbalist to discuss openly are sprouting external analogues in some of the last places a talmid chacham would think to look. The keys to unlock the sealed gates of Jewish mysticism can now be found in the previously unrelated fields of anthropology, topology, gynecology, computer graphics, social sciences, astrophysics, etc., (and even in the theories of evolution, as we will see below). This should no longer surprise us as this is the prophetic destiny of Mashiach ben Yoseph - the Revealer of Hidden Things.
Another one of the 156 Aspects that together constitute the complete gestalt of Mashiach ben Yoseph is #122 - Tzafenat Pa'aneach:
"Revealer of Hidden Things" (Genesis 41:45) - This was the name given to Yoseph. It signifies that one of the missions of Mashiach ben Yoseph is to reveal the secrets of the Torah in every generation. As is known, this is especially true as the Ikveta D'Meshicha approaches. [304]
The mission of Mashiach ben Yoseph is to reveal both the secrets of the physical universe and the secrets of the spiritual universe. According to the law of parallelism, the former is the very reflection of the latter. This is the intent of the Zohar when it states:
In the 600th year of the 6th millennium (1840 C.E.) the gates of wisdom above (Kabbalah) together with the wellsprings of wisdom below (Science) will be opened up... [i.e., simultaneously with each one being the source of stimulation for the other].
This is also the intent of R. Shlomo Eliyashiv concerning the same law of parellelism:[305]
What was forbidden to investigate and to expound upon yesterday becomes permissible the day after. This is felt by every true exegete. Numerous matters during any particular period in the past whose awesome nature repelled one from even approaching... Behold, in the following period the same matter is easily grasped. This is because the gates of human understanding below have been opened up as a result of the steadily increasing flow of Divine revelations from above".
In consequence of the opening of the gates of human understanding in the fields of theoretical physics and modern cosmology, the phenomenon of a new accessibility to understanding the Kabbalah has already reached a point of near incredibility. Maps, models and metaphors for deciphering the most difficult branches of the ARI's and GRA's Kabbalah are unfolding on a daily basis before our very eyes. Without using these new maps and models as guiding lights to understand the Kabbalah it will remain a tightly closed book for the vast majority of Torah scholars. It is even questionable to what degree the remaining few elite masters will be able to integrate the vast depths of the science of Kabbalah. Certainly they will be severely handicapped in their ability to explain the higher dimensional and highly paradoxical principles of the Kabbalah to aspiring students. It can thus be said that:
Anyone who has not seen the "new sciences" from the perspective of the Kabbalah has never seen the light.[306]
On the other hand, any physicist, psychoanalyst, geneticist, mathematician, and certainly the cosmologist, etc. who has had the unique opportunity to even catch a glimpse of authentic Lurianic Kabbalah (of which little if any is available in English) or GRA Kabbalah (of which nothing is available in English) cannot but be astounded at the virtually unlimited treasure of ideas and principles relating directing to each and every separate field of modern scientific thought. And here, in the Kabbalah, they are all bound together and integrated into one coherent meta-system! It can thus also be said that:
Anyone who has not seen the Kabbalah from the perspective of the "new sciences" has never seen the light.
There is, however, a serious problem here. Mankind has already reached Solomonic proportions of knowledge and we are still continuing to ascend at breathtaking speeds. We are reaching to the limits of space and time until we have, in fact, "actually glimpsed the Wondrous End (Ketz HaP'laot) in the far reaches of the universe."
Yet, although both modes of existence - the Kabbalah via its revelations from above and science via its discoveries from below - continue to evolve side by side at accelerating speeds, they are two co-existing yet non-touching worlds that have yet to share true intimate knowledge of each other. Where is the Messiah? Where is Mashiach ben Yoseph whose mission is to unite these two great wonders together in the period of the Keitz HaP'laot ? And where is the world's acclaim, "Who is like your people Israel, one nation in the world?" Why aren't the nations walking in the light of Israel's techno-spiritual knowledge?
It appears that the prophecy regarding Israel's spiritual ascendancy is flawed by a blatant contradiction. According to the GRA's Doctrine of Redemption Israel's spiritual and material achievements should have been the guiding light for corresponding achievements in the secular world. Yet, not only do we see no signs of Israel's ascending spirituality, i.e., the worldwide recognition of the wisdom of Kabbalah as the GRA spells out clearly in Sha'ar Be'er Sheva, we see hardly any direct Torah involvement, let alone Torah direction, in any secular field of development.
Furthermore, where is Jerusalem's role to be found in all of this? And in terms of Kol HaTor, where is the Mashiach ben Yoseph whose mission is supposed to be bound up with all these matters? To answer by saying that we simply missed the boat is not sufficient. The Divine Drama must go on and nothing - absolutely nothing - can stand in its way. The process of Mashiach ben Yoseph is a cosmological imperative. Therefore, even if we don't see him openly wearing the mantle of Torah spirituality and residing in a rebuilt Jerusalem, it is only because he has gone underground. Mashiach ben Yoseph has taken an alias. In fact, he is so secretive about it that he doesn't even know it himself.
[300]. Pirkey Hechalot 10.
[301]. Timothy Ferris, The Red Limit, the Search for the Edge of the Universe, Bantam, 1981, p. 121.
[302]. The term Ketz HaP'laot is used in the book of Daniel 12:6 ,"How long to the Keitz HaP'laot?" It means both "Wondrous End" as well as "Hidden End," and alludes to both the physical wonders in the far reaches of the universe as well as to the corresponding truths of the inner universe of messianic consciousness.
[303]. Sefer De'ah 2:4:21:2, p. 169. See also Ramban's (Nachmanides) introduction to his commentary on the Torah (English edition, p. 12). See Chapter 2, note ?I
[304]. Sources from GRA for role of Kabbalah in the Geula, ie. Even Shleima, 52b.
[305]. Leshem Sh'vo V'Achlamah, Chelek Biurim, Part I, p. 21d.
[306]. This echoes a number of statements of the sages, "Anyone who has not seen the ....... has never seen the light."
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