Tilling the Soul
May 22nd - May 28th, 2005
The common trap we fall into once we begin learning Kabbalah is judging others who don’t ‘get it.’ We think we are being ’spiritual’ but all we’re really doing is looking what’s wrong with other people.
We must always remember that we’re here in this physical body only to find the good in others.
The Zohar relates a story about its author, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his son Rabbi Elazar. At one point during their 13 years of study, revealing the secrets of The Zohar in a cave located in Peki’in, Israel, they came to a stop in their spiritual study. They walked out of the cave that sheltered them for years, where they studied with the likes of Moses and Elijah the Prophet. And upon exiting the cave, Rabbi Shimon glimpsed a farmer in the distance, tilling the soil of his fields.
As Rabbi Shimon gazed at the man from the mouth of the cave, he thought, ‘how can one immerse himself in such menial and useless tasks when the secrets of the universe are so powerful and profound?”
In other words, he stood in judgment of a simple farmer, unable to recognize the Light - not only in the action of working the land - but within the man himself.
The Zohar tells us that so fierce was Rabbi Shimon’s gaze that the man burst into flames! We’re not talking about the paranormal here. We’re talking about how very damaging judgment can be. We’re speaking about how looking for the bad in others nullifies all of the spiritual greatness we achieve every other minute of our lives. How do we know this? Because The Zohar goes on to explain that Rabbi Shimon was ’sentenced’ to more years in the cave, until the heavenly courts filled his heart with the most important of kabbalistic dictums - tolerance and human dignity for all.
All of the wisdom in the world, all of the tools of greatness are null and void if we can’t practice the fundamental principal of “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
What Rabbi Shimon missed at first (and what we all miss) is that there is Light in every action and person - whether you are a farmer tilling the soil or a spiritual seeker tilling the soul.
Mind you, there are many different levels of judgment and I am sure you have come leaps and bounds from your former self. But at the same time, all that you know is useless if you are not filled with love.
I know this is not easy. Don’t think I am writing this email from a remote mountain top somewhere in the Himalayas. Though that would be nice, I do live in the real world and I am aware of the atrocities people commit against one another. It’s the depravity of the human condition that led me to ask at an early age, ‘how do I see the Light in someone who has brought darkness into my life or the life of others?’
For example, I’ve had students who’ve been abused, and they ask me how they’re supposed to see the good in their abuser. My answer to them is - it’s not easy. But what I’ve learned from my parents is that if you really do see how the Light works in the big picture, it is possible to always see the Light in a person.
What does this mean? It means that we mustn’t forget that our soul has been here before and has accrued karmic debts. Our time on this earth is our opportunity to pay them off - in installments. So every dark moment we successfully emerge from is the Light allowing us to make a payment. And know this - not every soul has been given the gift of a physical body with which to make this payback.
If we truly desire to see the Light in everyone and every situation, we will understand that it’s not about the other person, it’s about what aspect of our debt they have come to help us discharge. This lesson is very timely in that this week contains the birthday and death anniversary of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai. It is known as Lag B’Omer and it falls on the evening of May26th until the evening of May 27th.
These last few weeks, we’ve been talking about how heavy this time of year is, and I don’t know about you, but it’s been super challenging for me. I’ve been using every bone in my body to restrict my reactive nature, for it seems everywhere I go, people are agitated, insensitive, judgmental – almost irrational in their behavior. This is happening because though we normally receive Light in a constant, steady basis, now our access to the Light is far more restricted.
But during Lag B’Omer, we get to fill up our tanks on Rabbi Shimon’s energy which will sustain us until Shavuot. This is because the final day of a righteous person’s life is the manifestation of all the energy they revealed in their lives. And when they leave the world, their positive actions leave an imprint on the cosmos. Every time that window opens up, that soul appears in this world and provides us with more support than they are capable of giving us any other day in the year.
There will be Lag B’Omer celebrations occurring all around the world. You can contact your local Kabbalah Centre to find one. And if you are not in a place where you can connect, it is important for you to have it in your consciousness and to make extra time for your meditations and Zohar scanning Thursday night, preferably after midnight when the energy is strongest. Even better, light a candle and use the 72 Name below to ask Rabbi Shimon to ignite that flame inside you, so that you are able to recognize the good within everyone you meet.
All the Best,
Yehuda