Tree of Life: A Poem

[I]t is impossible to speak of the history of something before we know the thing itself...
Retrieved by Pat Darnell


Behold that before the emanations were emanated and the creatures were created,

The Upper Simple Light had filled the whole existence.

And there was no vacancy, such as an empty air, a hollow,

But all was filled with that Simple, Boundless Light.

And there was no such part as head, or end,

But everything was One, Simple Light, balanced evenly and equally,

And it was called “the Light of Ein Sof (Infinity).”

And when upon His simple will, came the desire to create the worlds and emanate the emanations,

To bring to light the perfection of His deeds, His names, His appellations,

Which was the cause of the creation of the worlds,

Then the Ein Sof restricted Himself, in His middle point, precisely at the center,

And He restricted that Light, and drew far off to the sides around that middle point.

And there remained an empty space, an empty air, a vacuum

Precisely from the middle point.

And that restriction was equally around that empty, middle point,

So that the space was evenly circled around it.

And after the restriction, when the vacant space remained empty

Precisely in the middle of the Light of Ein Sof,

A place was formed, where the Emanations, Creations, Formations, and Actions might reside.

Then from the Light of Ein Sof, a single line hung down from Above, lowered into that space.

And through that line, He emanated, created, formed, and made all the worlds.

Prior to these four worlds, there was one Light of Ein Sof, whose Name is One, in wondrous, hidden unity,

And even in the angles closest to Him

There is no force and no attainment in The Ein Sof,

As there is no mind of a created that could attain Him,

For He has no place, no boundary, no name.

The Ari, The Tree of Life, Part One, Gate One


LINK:
http://www.kabbalah.info/eng/content/view/frame/2854?/eng/content/view/full/2854&main

The greatest contemporary Kabbalists, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, and his son and successor, Rav Baruch Ashlag, provide valid answers to life’s most fundamental question: “What is the meaning of my life?” Based on their interpretations of The Book of Zohar, and The Tree of Life, we can now learn how to benefit from the wisdom of Kabbalah on a day-to-day basis.

In addition to authentic texts by these great Kabbalists, this book offers illustrations that accurately depict the evolution of the Upper Worlds as Kabbalists experience them, as well as several helpful essays to enhance our understanding of the texts.

In Kabbalah for the Student, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, Rav Baruch Ashlag’s personal assistant and prime student, compiled all the texts a Kabbalah student would need in order to attain the spiritual worlds. In his daily lessons, Rav Laitman bases his teaching on these inspiring texts, thus helping novices and veterans alike to better understand the spiritual path we undertake on our fascinating journey to the Higher Realms.

Personal Study Prayer

Heavenly Father, God the Creator, Almighty One ... today I wonder why I have been so nonspiritual all my life. How did I miss those lessons that explained how our unseen spiritual world is structured?

I remember being a child, happy running and playing all day long. Then I became a young man with deeper thoughts. But somehow I remained shallow, and silly, and without knowledge of wisdom or of workings of the spirit. However, as I got older I did begin praying for wisdom.

For me some of  what I read sticks with me. And, I had read in Proverbs that some things must be prayed for diligently, for instance, wisdom requires much prayer.

I cherish the wisdom that came to me from my prayers. I held wisdom close to my chest to warm my heart, until one day wisdom became part of my heart. It was like a motor turned on, and my body was changed.

But I stopped there for some reason. I suppose I was satisfied with this. It is good to be satisfied with some things. And I lived for many years happy in this, though suspecting I was incomplete.

It turns out, I am given long life; and, I found later as a man becoming a father, that I needed many more skills, like long-suffering, loving-kindness, purity and salvation, and things of the spirit.

It was then I learned how impatient I had become in asking for these spiritual gifts that I thought I was entitled to. I began looking for short-cuts. During this time, it turns out, I prayed most often asking the Holy Spirit to fill me, my wife, and our children.

You see I was confused, not about the Holy Spirit; but, enlightenment still takes much prayer, and patience in obtaining... I forgot the lesson I had learned on Wisdom.

Back then work days were long, bothersome, fractured, rising and falling. It seemed I went to battle everyday. I became very tired of fighting with everyone, everything, and with being angry. I noticed that when in a state of anger, I am furthest one can get from the Father ....

Anger lasted too many years during family raising. I was very bad, judgmental and belligerent, sloven and coward, and often totally outlandish. Seldom was I wise anymore, and again I stood incomplete for many years. I seek another chance for wising up:

Father, make me an instrument of your peace;
Fill me with the white light of the Christ Mind
Make me a good steward of your gifts
Help me to know what I suspect --
That you have filled the world with Mercy, and,
You seek from me fruit of your Spirit,
that you love us all and want us to live.
AMEN.

Thesis of Truth and Purity from the Zohar

Do we achieve Spirituality?

" ...
We see that in our world one cannot advance with the help of the pure forces. On the contrary, it is his egoistic aspirations that provide man with the strength to conquer everything in the world. How often do we see fervent fanatics immersed in their impure desires to capture for themselves both this world and the next, whereas one that aspires to the Creator has no strength for even a slightest spiritual movement! In our world there is no proof or confirmation that man advances on the right path. And under no circumstances should one draw conclusions based on one’s life experience or “common sense.”

So how can a person in this world exist and advance towards the Goal of creation if he is unable to tell good from bad, pure from impure? There is one sign by which one can distinguish purity from impurity: impure forces bear no spiritual fruit. Thus, those that advance through the impure worlds ABYA do not attain anything spiritual, whereas those who are connected to the pure forces reap spiritual fruit on their path.

As it is explained in the “Introduction to The Study of Ten Sefirot” (items 19-23), if man advances along the right path, he attains the secrets of the Torah in three to five years. The Creator helps those who wish to acquire altruistic desires over and above their own requests, and thus one attains the desired goal. From below, man aspires to the Creator with his small desire (MAN), and from Above, the Creator pours onto him tremendous spiritual desires and strength (MAD). [SOURCE] ... "

_____________

23. When the Creator thought to create the world, all the letters of the alphabet came to Him in reverse order from last (Tav) to first (Aleph). The letter Tav entered first and said, “Master of the world! It is good, and also seemly of You, to create the world with me, with my properties. For I am the seal on Your ring, called EmeT (truth), that ends with the letter Tav. And that is why You are called truth, and why it would befit the King to begin the universe with the letter Tav, and to create the world by her, by her properties.

The Creator answered: “You are beautiful and sincere, but do not merit the world that I conceived to be created by your properties, since you are destined to be marked on the foreheads of the truly faithful who fulfill all of Torah from Aleph to Tav (from the first letter to the last), and perished because of you” (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat, 55)

______________

" ... We cannot imagine the spiritual world because our sensory organs cannot detect it. Thus, to describe the objects and concepts still unattainable by us, Kabbalists use several techniques, languages. The whole Torah speaks only of the creation, governing, and correction of the world; never about history, geography, or anything else. As it is said in the Torah itself, the Torah is the sacred names, that is, manifestations of the Creator, the degrees and methods of His attainment.

Kabbalists, those who ascend to the spiritual world and thus establish direct contact with the Creator, convey this information to us using four languages:

• The language of the TaNaKh (Torah – Pentateuch, Nevi’im – Prophets, Ketuvim – Writings/Hagiographa). This is the language of the written Torah.
• The language of laws.
• The language of legends.
• The language of Sefirot and Partzufim – the language of Kabbalah.

All the languages speak about the same thing – the attainment of the Creator by us, those living in this world. For this is the sole purpose of our creation, and according to the Creator’s design, we must devote all of our physical, mental, and spiritual abilities only to it. And if we were to aspire only to this, we would naturally use our language only for this purpose. After all, everything that is given to us is only for the fulfillment of this exclusive goal – the attainment of the sensation of the Creator, while still in this life. ... "

The Hebrew Alphabet

THE LETTERS OF THE HEBREW ALPHABET

The letters Aleph and Ayin do not have any particular sound, and only the accompanying punctuation mark determines their pronunciation.

The letters Bet, Chaf and Peh with a dot inside them are pronounced as “b,” “k,” and “p.” The absence of a dot changes their pronunciation to “v,” “ch” and “f.”

The letter Hey is not pronounced, but rather aspirated.

The shapes of the letters Mem, Nun, Tzadik, Peh, Chaf (pronounced MANTZEPACH) change when placed at the end of a word, as seen in the table of letters.

The shape, external form of letters: the protruding element of a letter indicates that the Light in this part of the letter is greater than in the other. The filling (Miluy) indicates the height of the degree. A punctuation mark (Nikud) indicates the origin of each part of the Partzuf: whether it came from the Upper Partzuf (and constitutes its part in the present one), from the lower Partzuf, or from itself.

The Kelim-Sefirot themselves are called “letters,” and their punctuation marks (Nekudot) indicate the Light that enters and exits them. The Light of Bina, ZA, and Malchut can enter the Kelim, but the Light of Keter or Hochma cannot. A dot above a letter (Holam) signifies the Lights Keter and Hochma, which never clothe the Kli, hence the location of the dot above the letter. (SOURCE)

Methods of the Serpent

This mystery is conveyed in the words of the scriptures: NOW THE SERPENT
WAS MORE SUBTLE THAN ANY OTHER WILD CREATURE THAT YHVH
ELOHIM HAD MADE. The awful serpent wanted to realize his goal: to defile
the upper holiness by beginning to contaminate man here in the lower world.
Recognizing the manner of construction of all the courses of water, he
understood that causing the water of a stream to be briny would, in effect,
reach all the way to the great sea. That is why he came to seduce man down
here (on earth): in order to intercept the inferior watercourses with the major
ones. The serpent had thus brought on the death of the world. He emanated
from the left side. He was able to furtively enter the interior of man. But
there is another serpent which emanated from the right side. Both serpents
accompany man throughout his life.

The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11

Retrieved by Pat Darnell


Many Christians through the ages have wondered who the "two witnesses" of Revelation 11 happen to be. The two witnesses are among the most dramatic characters of Scripture. They prophesy before the world for three and a half years (1,260 days) (11:3). During this time, they can strike the earth with whatever plague they desire, and cannot be harmed by their enemies (11:5-6). Ultimately, they are killed by the beast (11:7) but they rise to life in three and a half days (11:11). How are we to understand the two witnesses and the unusual happenings surrounding their lives?

Any thoughts on that one, anybody?

It’s also possible that the two witnesses are symbolically modeled after Moses and Elijah. They "have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain" (11:6). This power was associated with Elijah, whose prayer caused a terrible drought in Israel (1 Kings 17:1).

The First Book of Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve gird themselves and make the first altar ever built.
[SOURCE]

Chapter XXIII: verse 6 :: Then Adam and Eve stood under the altar and wept, thus entreating God, "Forgive us our trespass [1] and our sin, and look upon us with Thine eye of mercy. For when we were in the garden our praises and our hymns went up before Thee without ceasing.

Chapter XXIII: verse 7 :: " ... "But when we came into this strange land, pure praise was no longer ours, nor righteous prayer, nor understanding hearts, nor sweet thoughts, nor just counsels, nor long discernment, nor upright feelings, neither is our bright nature left us. But our body is changed from the similitude in which it was at first, when we were created. ... "

Chapter XXIV: verse 7 :: " ... "Now, therefore, strengthen thy heart; and when sorrow comes upon thee, make Me an offering, and I will be favourable to thee." ... "

Chapter XXXV: [GOD's Reply] " ... THEN God looked again upon Adam and his weeping and groaning, and the Word of God came to him, and said unto him:--

verse 2 :: "O Adam, when thou wast in My garden, thou knewest neither eating nor drinking; neither faintness nor suffering; neither leanness of flesh, nor change; neither did sleep depart from thine eyes. But since thou transgressedst, and camest into this strange land, all these trials are come upon thee." ... "

_______________
Footnote(s)
The Forgotten Books of Eden, by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr., [1926], at sacred-texts.com

verse 6: [1] ORIGINAL OF THE LORD'S PRAYER SAID TO BE USED ABOUT 150 YEARS BEFORE OUR LORD: Our Father, Who art in Heaven, be gracious unto us, O Lord our God, hallowed be Thy Name, and let the remembrance of Thee be glorified in Heaven above and upon earth here below.

Let Thy kingdom reign over us now and forever. The Holy Men of old said remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they have done unto me. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing; for Thine is the kingdom and Thou shalt reign in glory forever and forevermore, AMEN.

Time is Now to be Enlivened

If You Desire a Voracious Diet of Visionary Descriptions of Heaven ... then ...
by Pat Darnell

Enoch wrote 366 books in 60 days while God the Father Almighty Creator, speaking from His throne in the tenth Heaven, told Enoch about Creation.

Enoch was terrified. He denied his worthiness to be at that place. God encouraged Enoch as God Himself spoke " ... of the great secrets of God, which God revealed and told to Enoch, and spoke with him face to face."

Chapter XXIV: 3 -- "Hear, Enoch, and take in these my words, for not to My angels have I told my secret, and I have not told them their rise, nor my endless realm, nor have they understood my creating, which I tell thee to-day."

[LINK: The Forgotten Books of Eden, the Book of Secrets of Enoch]

INTRO: " ... This is a popularized translation of the OT pseudepigrapha, quasi-Biblical writings which never achieved canonical status (or inclusion in any of the official Apocrypha). This isn't to say that these documents are forgeries, just that for one reason or another they were not considered part of the Biblical text by the first millenium (C.E.) compilers. This book contains translations of all of the texts found in volume I of the weighty Oxford University Press Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, without any of the apparatus... "

EXCERPTS:
Chapter XX: 2 ...'Have courage, Enoch, do not fear,' and showed me the Lord from afar, sitting on His very high throne. For what is there on the tenth heaven, since the Lord dwells here?

3 On the tenth heaven is God, in the Hebrew tongue he is called Aravat.

4 And all the heavenly troops would come and stand on the ten steps according to their rank, and would bow down to the Lord, and would again go to their places in joy and felicity, singing songs in the boundless light with small and tender voices, gloriously serving him.

Chapter XLIII: 2 " ... As one year is more honourable than another, so is one man more honourable than another, some for great possessions, some for wisdom of heart, some for particular intellect, some for cunning, one for silence of lip, another for cleanliness, one for strength, another for comeliness, one for youth, another for sharp wit, one for shape of body, another for sensibility, let it be heard everywhere, but there is none better than he who fears God, he shall be more glorious in time to come. ... "

Chapter XLIV: 3 " ... Blessed is the man who does not direct his heart with malice against any man, and helps the injured and condemned, and raises the broken down, and shall do charity to the needy, because on the day of the great judgement every weight, every measure and every makeweight will be as in the market, that is to say they are hung on scales and stand in the market, and every one shall learn his own measure, and according to his measure shall take his reward. ... "

Chapter LXVIII: 1 " ... ENOCH was born on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, and lived three hundred and sixty-five years.

2 He was taken up to heaven on the first day of the month Tsivan and remained in heaven sixty days.

3 He wrote all these signs of all creation, which the Lord created, and wrote three hundred and sixty-six books, and handed them over to his sons and remained on earth thirty days, and was again taken up to heaven on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, on the very day and hour when he was born.

4 As every man's nature in this life is dark, so are also his conception, birth, and departure from this life.

5 At what hour he was conceived, at that hour he was born, and at that hour too he died.

6 Methosalam and his brethren, all the sons of Enoch, made haste, and erected an altar at the place called Achuzan, whence and where Enoch had been taken up to heaven.

7 And they took sacrificial oxen and summoned all people and sacrificed the sacrifice before the Lord's face.

8 All people, the elders of the people and the whole assembly came to the feast and brought gifts to the sons of Enoch.

9 And they made a great feast, rejoicing and making merry three days, praising God, who had given them such a sign through Enoch, who had found favour with him, and that they should hand it on to their sons from generation to generation, from age to age.

10 Amen.