"And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation the He had done." Genesis 2.3 [JPS Tanakh 1985]
As you may know, several months ago I was accepted as a "proselyte" in a Reform congregation. I have spent a lot of time studying and adjusting the mysticism I grew up with to the mysticism that is in the Judaic worldview. I will attempt to share with you what I have found to be the difference in regards to the holiness of the seventh day.
The first question one may ask is: "Why is the 'seventh day' different from all other days?" Asking this question is like the one asked in the traditional Pesach (Passover) Seder: Why is this day (Pesach) different than all other days? See below for the answer.
Why is Shabbat different that all other days?
Joshua Abraham Heschel observed that most mystical traditions characterize a place or a thing as Holy. A holy rock. A holy building, A holy place, A holy somthing-or-other. Most mystical and religious paths focus on physical objects as the primary objects of veneration but in Heschel's view Judaism declares a special time as holy.
Heschel notes the first thing G-d declared in the written Torah as 'Holy' is Shabbat. G-d did not declare a place or a thing as 'holy' but declared a time-- "the seventh day". The seventh day partakes of the holiness of the G-dhead.
The second thing that G-d declared as holy was mankind for they are the "image and likeness" of G-d. A mystical understanding of "You shall be Holy, for I am Holy" means not just the Children of Israel, but all humankind is made in the 'image and likeness of G-d" and is therefore Holy.
If one is following the traditional Heredi path of Judaism then the written and oral Torah applies when one observes Shabbat -- the Holy Day. But what of the non-traditional path? What path a should "liberal" jew or even a non-jew follow to make the seventh day Holy?
The typical "Christian-New Age-Metaphysics" view of the sabbath day does not emphasize how the seventh day is different.
To most Christians and New Age Metaphysicians, the Sabbath day is a "day off from work" but this does not engender making time Holy. As some of the local Baptist see it, Sabbath is a "day of goin' ta listen to tha' preacher and the words of good book, and mebbe a fixin' the leak in the roof, an' a watchin' the big game or race and then raisin' hell the rest a' tha week. "
That view of the seventh day does not make one a participant in Holiness and that is the intent of observing and celebrating Shabbat.
In Judaism, we celebrate and observe Shabbat. To "celebrate" is to "joyfully participate" in Shabbat. We joyfully participate in the Holiness of that declared time. We find ourselves looking forward to that special place the special time. In word and action, we meditatively build a separate space-time continuum and for that 24 hour period we stand outside the normal "space-time" of the world. We are in "Holy Time - Holy Space".
What then are we to do in that Holy Time and Holy Space? The Haredi tradition specifies "no work" and splits hairs over what is permissible. The Torah says that you can do no "work" on Shabbat: No writing, no turning on lights, no driving. They have even a list of 39 types of work you are not allowed to perform on Shabbat.
As a mystic, I find the traditional rules do not achieve what was intended. To be sure, I limit the kinds of things I do such as: I do not write this blog or write e-mails. I do not do things I do every other day of the week. I do this for a reason: to allow myself to focus on the Holiness of the Holy Day.
How should one approach it from outside the traditional framework? How is one to keep Shabbath holy?
A mystical way of looking at Shabbat is: Shabbat is a 24 hour period of conscious "in-the-world" outward contemplative meditation.
Huh?
What do I mean by that?
Did you notice that word "observing" I used above? What does one do when they are observing?
Mysticism is built upon contemplation and meditation of G-d. Normally, meditation is the method of choice and is used to journey inward. That is, we turn our focus inward and shut off outward directed thoughts or actions. We observe the inward worlds of God's creation.
But the seventh day is different. Shabbat is the day of the Shekinah-- The Glory of G-d, the Kingdom of HaShem known as Malkut. Therefore our observation, our meditation, must be different.
On the seventh day you turn your contemplative eye not inward to know G-d, but outward to behold the Holiness of the world around you. You focus the Eyes of your Knowing upon the physical manifestation of G-d's creation to know its Holiness. That means you too. You are just as much a part of that Holy Time and Holy Space -- "You shall be Holy for I am Holy."
Frankly, as a practical matter, I do not think it matters what day you actually do this... but to be properly "observant" requires you consistantly set aside every week 24 hours as a special and different time. It is a time to do one thing and that is: contemplate, observe, and celebrate the "holiness" in the manifest world and in you, yourself, as a "vessel" of holiness.
I can fully understand how some Kabbalistic or eastern meditation masters can do and be what they are... They stay in that Holy Time-Holy Space. They are consciously living within the Presence of the Shekinah every moment.
I'm not one of them.
Mere mortals [or unknowing fools such as myself] have to practice at it. As as you practice it, it becomes easier to live within that Time of Holiness and it is easier to maintain that sense of Holiness during the rest of the week. Just as the more you meditate, the easier the meditative state becomes easier to achieve.
Most of us mortals are too easily distracted when trying to achieve inward contemplation. Consider then how hard it is when you turn that meditative focus outward? How can you contemplate the outer world so full of distractions? How can you make your Shabbat Holy?
The traditional answer is by building a Temple of Holy Time via simple rituals at home: Lighting candles, Saying a blessing for the Holiness of the Creator of the Light, Pouring a glass of wine, Saying a blessing for the Holiness of the Creator of the Wine, Sharing a loaf of bread, Saying a blessing for the Holiness of the Creator of the Bread.
These simple things: light, drink, food-- know these are holy, tradition tells us, for they were created by G-d. A good meal on your best dishes to know these things come from and are a part of G-d. Aggadah (a word which can be translated loosely as "legend" or parable) says that when Shabbath begins you receive and extra soul that lives with you during shabbat.
A Buddhist might have difficulty with these ideas of making Holy Time - Holy Space as a Buddhist focuses on reaching a state of non-aware bliss-- a nothingness of bliss... except when you point out that out of Nothing does everything come and to Nothing they will return-- the World is but a manifestation of Nothing. Ayin (Nothing) is the Jewish Kabbalah's name for the "Crown" of the Unknowable One -- It is No-thing but it is at the same time everything.
Now one point that many non-Jews may not realize is that built into the traditional religious frame work of rabbinic Judaism is the idea of "wrestling with Torah"-- that is by discussion and interpretation one can learn the Torah that is "yours".
An aggadah says that the 600,000 sparks that received the Torah at Sinai each heard a unique version of the 613 mitzvot and therefore there are a total of 367,800,000 unique mitzvah... the reason you wrestle with Torah is to find out which of those unique sets of mitzvot belong to you.
Rabbinic tradition says Shabbat is a good time to "wrestle with Torah" because it keeps your attention from drifting off into the mundane thoughts and deeds that belong to the other days of the week.
The rabbinic tradition also asks: How can one wrestle Torah by one's self? The traditional answer is that one can't. It takes at least two to wrestle but it really is a team sport and a whole team is preferred.
So after Shabbat dinner comes a discussion of religious ideas and studying Torah-- the idea again is to keep the focus of your debating on "holy" subjects / ideas to keep your mind-spirit from drifting back into the mudane thoughts and deeds.
At the end of the 24 hours, the rabbinic tradition of Shabbat prescribes "Havdalah" (separation), a ceremony to formally end Shabbat with wine, spices, and light. Aggadah tells us the spices (or snuff) are used to revive you as you feel faint from the loss of that extra soul you received at the beginning of Shabbat.
How then can one observe a non-traditional Shabbat and retain its Holy Essence?
If one were to look at Shabbat in the light of Isaac Bonewitz's cross-cultural analysis of thaumaturgy and theurgy as he presents it in Real Magic, Shabbat can be seen as a kind of "magical theurgy"-- one could go so far as to say it is a form of "practical Kabbalah for dummies".
It was once observed: "If a man assumes the position of prayer, He soon feels prayerful." This is what you are doing during Shabbat: you are doing all of these things to make the Time Holy by Being Holy. "But how can you BE holy?" You may ask.
Bonewitz's thesis in _Real Magic_is that all acts of thaumaturgy ("wonder working") and theurgy ("god working") involve Mantra [words], Mudra [actions], and Mandala [symbols].
The prayers and blessings, the actions of lighting candles and blessing the light, blessing the wine and drinking it, blessing the bread and eating it, eating three full meals, reading / wrestling Torah, and the symbols of the Hebrew words / letters and the objects used during the rituals fulfill the "structural" requirements of a "magical or mystical act".
What then is this mystical / magical act?
It is very simple: To know G-d exists in the physical world around you and within you as *you*. "For in the One we do live, move and have our being" and to know-feel-believe this to the best on one's abilities for 24 hours straight, 52 weeks a year.
How then to apply this understanding of Shabbat to a not-traditional path (Jewish or otherwise)?
Applying Bonewitz's ideas again:
Set aside a day - 24 hours - every week and use Mantra, Mudra, and Mandala to built up the Holy Time - Holy Space. Let your words (Mantra) - actions / deeds (Mudra) - and symbolism (Mandala) steep your consciousness in this Holiness of the Time and Space you have built. This is G-d's Time. This is G-d's Space. This is G-d's Temple.
You are within G-d's Holy Temple because you are Holy.
Once you have built this Temple of Holiness, move the focus of your consiousness outward to see how Nothing [Ayin] within is the same as Nothing [Ayin] without.-- that is the world you see outside is *not* different that the world you contemplate within. Be in the world and one with it with the Heart-Mind-Eyes of G-d. Thought is Nothing. Desire is Nothing. Action is Nothing. Objects are Nothing. G-d is Nothing (Ayin) because G-d is Every Thing.
In this conscious act of contemplation you are enabling the union of YHVH with the bride Shekinah. The traditonal poem / prayer / song "Lekah Dodi" is very much a Kabbalistic view of this union:
Come out my Beloved,
the Bride to meet;
the inner light of Shabbat,
let us greet.
Observe and remember
in a single word,
he caused us to hear,
the One and Only Lord.
God is One and His Name is One,
for renown, for glory and in song.
They are One and their Name is One... and the Name is unpronoucible: YHVH echad".
That is the best I can describe how to approach creating a non-traditional Shabbat...
To return to the first question I asked: "Why is the 'seventh day' different from all other days?" As I hinted at the answer is very much like the answer to one of the four questions asked during the traditional Pesach [Passover] Seder: Why is this day different than all other days?
The traditional Seder answer is "Today, YHVH, brought me up out of Mitzraim and set me free. Not my ancestors -- Me. Not then, G-d set me free today-- NOW".
Mitzraim is the Hebrew word for 'Egypt' but meaning 'narrow space' but the word is usually interpreted as 'bondage'.
To use Shabbat to contemplate the Oneness of Creation [Shekinah / Malkut] is to truly be lifted out of the "narrow space" -- the limitation of vision / being / doing -- of the other six days of the week. The other six days are the narrow space where we see the world as separate from G-d and ourselves as cut off from G-d. The consistant practice of building each and every week that Holy Temple of Time, entering that Temple for 24 hours to worship and contemplate G-d in creation and in ourselves is time well spent.
My Shabbat practice is not perfect due to the work hours I keep, yet I have found that when I do keep Shabbat, I notice a big difference in the way I see the world and in my attitude about the world.
Now some of what I have said may seem I am steering "pretty close to the wind" of the "traditional" Jewish path, but in the end do not all paths lead to God?
Being a goat I always seem to pick the most difficult path. We'll talk about that next time.
HaGedi
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