The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letteres - BEIT

BEIT
Purpose: God's Dwelling Place Below

The letter beit, from the word "house," refers to God's house: "My house will be called a House of Prayer for all peoples." The Midrash states that the Divine motivation for creation was that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, desired a dwelling place in lower reality. The fulfillment of this desire begins with the creation of man, a Divine soul enclothed in a physical body, and proceeds with the multiplication of man, to "conquer" the whole world and make it the kingdom of God.

The Torah precedes the detailed description of the Tabernacle and its vessels with the statement of its ultimate purpose: "They shall build me a Temple and I will dwell in them." Not "in it," the Sages explain, but "in them"--in each and every Jew. "Dwelling in them" is, in essence, the revelation of Divinity in the people of Israel, ever present but often "shadowed," as in the time of exile and destruction of the Temple. The innate sanctity of the people of Israel, the "sanctuary of God," when revealed and linked to that of the land of Israel, causes the Holy Land to expand and eventually encompass all the earth (lower reality): "the land of Israel will in the future spread out to all the lands of the earth."

Beit is numerically equal to the word "ta'avah," which means "desire" or "passion" (412). In general, "ta'avah" connotes a negative human property. However, in several places "ta'avah" denotes the positive passion of the tzadik, the righteous man. One passage in Proverbs states: "He will fulfill the passion of the tzadik," and a second says: "the passions of tzadikim are only good." The "ta'avah" of G-d, the "Tzadik of the world," is altogether above reason and logic. At this level one cannot ask "why." As expressed by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi: "About passion, there can be no question." As G-d is the essence of good so His passion is "only good." is numerically equal to the word "ta'avah," which means "desire" or "passion" (412). In general, "ta'avah" connotes a negative human property. However, in several places "ta'avah" denotes the positive passion of the tzadik, the righteous man. One passage in Proverbs states: "He will fulfill the passion of the tzadik," and a second says: "the passions of tzadikim are only good." The "ta'avah" of God, the "Tzadik of the world," is altogether above reason and logic. At this level one cannot ask "why." As expressed by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi: "About passion, there can be no question." As God is the essence of good so His passion is "only good."

"With whom did the Holy One, Blessed be He, take counsel whether or not to create the world? With the souls of the tzadikim." The "souls of the tzadikim" refers to all Jewish souls, as is said: "All your people are tzadikim." God's connotation as the "Tzadik of the world" refers to the absolute origin and unity of the Jewish soul in His very Essence. When the soul descends to be enclothed in the finite consciousness and experience of a seemingly mundane body, its task is to become the tzadik below in true emulation of its Source, the "Tzadik Above." This is accomplished through the refinement and purification of passion, ta'avah, to become "only good."

The "Tzadik Above" dwells in the House built for Him by the tzadik below. Here, the deepest passion of the Creator reaches fulfillment. The large beit, the first letter of the Torah and the beginning of Creation, expresses this ultimate purpose, as is said: "The final deed arose first in thought." In the first word of the Torah, Bereishit, the three "servant" letters--the prefix beit" and the two suffix letters, yud and tav - spell bayit, "house" (equivalent to the full spelling of the letter beit). The root of "bereishit," rosh, means "head." Thus the most "natural" permutation of bereishit reads: rosh bayit, "the head of the house." One permutation of the letters rosh is osher, "happiness." When the tzadik draws God, the "Head," into His House, it becomes a house of true and eternal happiness.

The drawing down of the "Head" to dwell in His "House" below, in true happiness, is the secret of bracha, "blessing," which begins with the letter beit. Our Sages teach that the "big beit" begins the Creation, and the Torah as a whole, with the power of blessing. God blesses His creation, which He creates with the attribute of lovingkindness, the attribute of Abraham, as will be explained in the letter hei. Abraham, the first Jewish soul, is subsequently entrusted with the Divine power of blessing, the "big beit" of Creation, as is said: "And you shall be [the one who bestows] blessing." Afterwards, at the time of his circumcision, he was given the "small hei" of Creation, the power to draw down and manifest the Divine blessing of happiness in the smallest detail of reality.

The Priestly Blessing is composed of three verses. The number of words progress in the order 3, 5, 7, with equal differences of two, beit. The number of letters progress in the order: 15, 20, 25, with equal differences of five, hei. Words represent full, or large consciousness, whereas letters represent particular, or small consciousness. The power to bless "fullness" is the power of the beit, as is said: "And full with the blessing of God." The power to draw down the blessing to the smallest detail of reality is that of hei.

This service of Abraham, and all Jews after him, leads to the fulfillment of the ultimate intention of Creation, the realization of Israel's power of blessing, that the domain of the King (the "Head of the House") extend to encompass all reality and, thereby, bestow true happiness to all.

From the legends of the Jews... THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD--THE FIRST THINGS CREATED

Louis Ginzberg

In the beginning, two thousand years before the heaven and the earth, seven things were created: the Torah written with black fire on white fire, and lying in the lap of God; the Divine Throne, erected in the heaven which later was over the heads of the Hayyot; Paradise on the right side of God, Hell on the left side; the Celestial Sanctuary directly in front of God, having a jewel on its altar graven with the Name of the Messiah, and a Voice that cries aloud, "Return, ye children of men."

When God resolved upon the creation of the world, He took counsel with the Torah. Her advice was this: "O Lord, a king without an army and without courtiers and attendants hardly deserves the name of king, for none is nigh to express the homage due to him." The answer pleased God exceedingly. Thus did He teach all earthly kings, by His Divine example, to undertake naught without first consulting advisers.

The advice of the Torah was given with some reservations. She was skeptical about the value of an earthly world, on account of the sinfulness of men, who would be sure to disregard her precepts. But God dispelled her doubts. He told her, that repentance had been created long before, and sinners would have the opportunity of mending their ways. Besides, the Temple service would be invested with atoning power, and Paradise and hell were intended to do duty as reward and punishment. Finally, the Messiah was appointed to bring salvation, which would put an end to all sinfulness.

Nor is this world inhabited by man the first of things earthly created by God. He made several worlds before ours, but He destroyed them all, because He was pleased with none until He created ours. But even this last world would have had no permanence, if God had executed His original plan of ruling it according to the principle of strict justice. It was only when He saw that justice by itself would undermine the world that He associated mercy with justice, and made them to rule jointly. Thus, from the beginning of all things prevailed Divine goodness, without which nothing could have continued to exist. If not for it, the myriads of evil spirits had soon put an end to the generations of men. But the goodness of God has ordained, that in every Nisan, at the time of the spring equinox, the seraphim shall approach the world of spirits, and intimidate them so that they fear to do harm to men. Again, if God in His goodness had not given protection to the weak, the tame animals would have been extirpated long ago by the wild animals. In Tammuz, at the time of the summer solstice, when the strength of behemot is at its height, he roars so loud that all the animals hear it, and for a whole year they are affrighted and timid, and their acts become less ferocious than their nature is. Again, in Tishri, at the time of the autumnal equinox, the great bird ziz flaps his wings and utters his cry, so that the birds of prey, the eagles and the vultures, blench, and they fear to swoop down upon the others and annihilate them in their greed. And, again, were it not for the goodness of God, the vast number of big fish had quickly put an end to the little ones. But at the time of the winter solstice, in the month of Tebet, the sea grows restless, for then leviathan spouts up water, and the big fish become uneasy. They restrain their appetite, and the little ones escape their rapacity.

Finally, the goodness of God manifests itself in the preservation of His people Israel. It could not have survived the enmity of the Gentiles, if God had not appointed protectors for it, the archangels Michael and Gabriel. Whenever Israel disobeys God, and is accused of misdemeanors by the angels of the other nations, he is defended by his designated guardians, with such good result that the other angels conceive fear of them. Once the angels of the other nations are terrified, the nations themselves venture not to carry out their wicked designs against Israel.

That the goodness of God may rule on earth as in heaven, the Angels of Destruction are assigned a place at the far end of the heavens, from which they may never stir, while the Angels of Mercy encircle the Throne of God, at His behest.

Czy dostrzegasz żebraka... w sobie?

Augustyn Pelanowski OSPPE

Czytałem u Kazantzakisa opowieść o kimś, kto całe życie zbierał pieniądze na pielgrzymkę do Jerozolimy. Kiedy już zebrał wielką sumę, spakował torby podróżne, pożegnał się z rodziną i wyruszył w stronę Świętego Miasta. Ale kiedy tylko wyjechał za bramę swojego miasta, ujrzał żebraka, który nie miał ani domu, ani nikogo, kto by mu pomógł. Oddał więc mu wszystkie oszczędności i wrócił do domu. Rodzina wybiegła naprzeciw zdziwiona i zaczęła pytać z przekąsem: „Już dojechałeś do Jerozolimy?”. On ze stoickim uśmiechem powiedział: „Tak, dojechałem, zobaczyłem nawet Jezusa”. Okazał miłosierdzie i dlatego uznał, że nie musi wędrować do Jerozolimy.

Takimi żebrakami możemy być też sami dla siebie. Wyruszamy w daleką podróż, żyjemy wielkimi aspiracjami, a nie zauważamy, że wewnątrz nas jest mały, biedny człowiek, którego tak naprawdę nie lubimy. Jemu powinniśmy okazać najwięcej miłości. Z jednej strony, nie sposób pomagać innym, kiedy nie chcemy pomóc sobie samym i nie zgadzamy się na swoją małość i swoją kruchość. Z drugiej strony, czasem trzeba pomóc komuś biednemu, żeby dorosnąć do odkrycia kogoś wcale nie lepiej uposażonego we własnym wnętrzu. Najlepiej bowiem jesteśmy przygotowani, by pomóc innym, gdy nam udzielono pomocy. Nikt nie wie, co to bieda, jeśli osobiście jej nie doświadczył. Okaż jałmużnę najpierw sobie samemu! Jałmużna to słowo kojarzy nam się jedynie z udzieleniem komuś jakiejś łaski, ale jałmużna może być także udzielaniem sobie prawdy. Dlatego proponuję odczytać słowa Jezusa w inny sposób: Czy uznałeś w sobie kogoś głodnego uczuć, głodnego czyjejś obecności, głodnego miłości? Czy uznałeś w sobie spragnionego dobrego słowa? Czy uznałeś w sobie przybysza, kogoś, kto nie umie się odnaleźć, kto czuje się zagubiony? Czy widzisz swoją nagość, swój wstyd? Czy wiesz już, na co chorujesz? Czy znasz swoje więzienie? W czym czujesz się ograniczony i zamknięty? W tym wszystkim przecież był Jezus. On tego wszystkiego doświadczył i dlatego w tym wszystkim był gotowy nam pomóc. Tak napisano o Nim w Liście do Hebrajczyków: „Nie takiego bowiem mamy arcykapłana, który by nie mógł współczuć naszym słabościom, lecz doświadczonego we wszystkim na nasze podobieństwo, z wyjątkiem grzechu” (Hbr 4,14–15). Czy widzisz, że Jego słabości są i Twoimi?

Na pewno nie zachęcam nikogo do użalania się nad sobą, ale do zwolnienia się z ciężaru buntu i tych wszystkich narzekań, które czynią nas niezadowolonymi z naszego naśladowania Jezusa. Jałmużną może być właśnie ta nasza medytacja nad sobą samym. Czy udzieliłeś sobie słów prawdy – porównania siebie z życiem Jezusa? Czy zgodziłeś się na niedomagania, trudności, przykrości życia? Czy Twoje pragnienie bycia takim jak Jezus zostało spełnione, gdy zdałeś sobie sprawę, że tylko jedno pragnienie powinno być w Tobie: domagać się spełnienia pragnienia w takim miejscu jak Jezus – na krzyżu?

Benedict XVI on Christ, King of the Universe

"The Kingdom Is a Gift Offered to People of All Times"

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Today, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe, is celebrated. From the announcement of his birth, the only-begotten Son of the Father, born of the Virgin Mary, is defined as "king," in the messianic sense, that is, heir to the throne of David, according to the promises of the prophets, over a kingdom that will have no end (cf. Luke 1:32-33).

Christ's royalty remained totally hidden until he was 30 years old, spent in an ordinary life in Nazareth. Later, during his public life, Jesus inaugurated the new kingdom, which "is not of this world" (John 18:36), and he realized it fully at the end with his death and resurrection. Upon appearing, risen, to the apostles, he said to them: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). This power arises from love, which God has fully manifested in the sacrifice of his Son. The kingdom of Christ is a gift offered to people of all times so that whoever believes in the incarnate word "should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). For this reason, precisely in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, proclaims: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (22:13).

"Christ, Alpha and Omega," thus is entitled the paragraph with which the first part concludes of the Second Vatican Council's pastoral constitution "Gaudium et Spes," promulgated 40 years ago. In this beautiful page, which takes up some of the words of the servant of God, Pope Paul VI, we read: "The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal point of the longings of history and of civilization, the center of the human race, the joy of every heart and the answer to all its yearnings."

And he adds: "Enlivened and united in his Spirit, we journey toward the consummation of human history, one which fully accords with the counsel of God's love: 'To re-establish all things in Christ, both those in the heavens and those on the earth' (Ephesians 11:10)" (No. 45).

In the light of Christ's centrality, "Gaudium et Spes" interprets the condition of contemporary man, his vocation and dignity, as well as the realms of his life: family, culture, economy, politics and international community. This is the mission of the Church yesterday, today and always: to proclaim and witness to Christ, so that man, every man, may fully realize his vocation.

May the Virgin Mary, associated by God in a singular way to the royalty of her Son, enable us to acknowledge him as lord of our lives to cooperate faithfully in the coming of his kingdom of love, justice and peace.