We
mentioned in previous commentaries that the tribes
of Israel represent traits or qualities that comprise Israel's
identity. These qualities are the positive aspects of all levels of
consciousness that are destined to fulfill Israel's mission of
creating a place for the Creator to dwell in the world.
"And
Moses spoke to the heads of
the tribes,
to the children of Israel saying (…)" (Numbers 30:2)
Our
intellect, mind, thoughts, emotions, feelings, passions, and
instincts (including their own expressions) all depend on the
direction in which they are guided. They are the vessels waiting to
be filled either with love's
ways and attributes or ego's fantasies
and illusions.
This is why Moses (the highest level of awareness of God and His love) speaks to the highest qualities of our consciousness, represented by the heads of the tribes. These heads know the boundaries between what is permissible and not permissible, and mark them according to our strengths and weaknesses when we face the illusions of the material world.
This
is the context of the commandments
related to the vows
and
oaths
which
are expressed by our speech.
"When
a man vows a vow onto the Lord, or swears an oath to bind his soul
with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to
all comes out of his mouth." (30:3)
These vows and oaths are
clearly dedicated to the service of the Creator, which means to act
according to His ways and attributes. When we are safe within the
boundaries of our vows we can be redeemed from them.
The
text continues with the guiding and redeeming aspects of higher
consciousness, represented by the paternal figure and the future
husband in reference to the "marriage" of Israel and the
Creator. Once we are permanently connected to God's love
we are redeemed from the constraints of materialistic illusions from
which we refrain in our quest to be constantly aware of our oneness
with Him.
Allegorically,
the father is the higher consciousness, the daughter is Israel, and
her husband is the Creator. In the context of the narrative, father
and husband represent God. We learn from this passage that we have to
bear the truth
in what we conceive, think, feel, say and do, and be always bound to
the truth
of love's
ways and attributes.
Our
sages
explain that this first passage makes perfect sense to precede the
war against Midian, because only after we fully commit to positively
direct all levels of consciousness we will be able to defeat the
strife (midian)
that ego wants to make prevail in our consciousness.
In
this war all the tribes
participate, including the Levites, all led by Pinchas (31:2-12). It
was a successful war in which a united
Israel
defeated the enemy with no Israelite casualties. However, Moses
reprimanded the victorious soldiers for not
eliminating completely the
threats against the higher consciousness achieved under the
constraints of their vows, and they later complied by
Moses' orders (31:14-17).
The
threats represented by "harmless" Midianite women and male
children are some of the veiled reasons that ego has in order to
control our consciousness. The next passage tells us about the booty
of the war and the purification process of utensils made of metal,
wood or clay (31:22-54).
Our
sages
explain that we can use the utensils and assets of our enemies
(negative trends
in all
levels of consciousness) after we defeat them, but we have to purify
them beforehand. We learn from this that negative qualities can be
transformed into positive traits after we submit them to the fire of
God's
love.
Fire, as we have mentioned, is the catalyst that transforms an
incomplete or inadequate state into complete and adequate.
Although fire has
the power to destroy, when it is related to God's love
it has transforming and transmuting qualities. Love is the catalyst
with which we have the power not to destroy but to transform and
elevate the negative aspects of consciousness and the material world
in order to let love's
ways and attributes rule in it.
The
last chapter of Matot (31:1-42)
tells us about the request of the tribes
of Reuben and Gad to possess the valley east of the Jordan river. The
requested area is outside of the promised
land
with cities that belonged to idolatrous peoples.
Our
sages
say that Reuben and Gad vowed to destroy the idols, change the names
of the cities, and fight in the front lines when their brothers in
the other side of the river had to go to war. In other words, they
were willing to maintain the unity of
Israel in spite of settling outside their land.
Mystic
sages
teach that when we are fully committed to our awareness of God's ways
we are capable to conquer and settle in other "lands",
meaning that we have the power to transform darkness into light.
This parshah is
usually read along with Massei (journeys),
the last portion of the book of Numbers. These journeys (33:1-49) are
the stages that the children of Israel went through before entering
the promised
land.
We all go through changes in the individual pursuit to bring the
light
to every dimension of consciousness, and to clear the darkness that
conceals the God's presence
and His love,
behind ego's materialistic illusions.
"(…)
you shall drive out all the
inhabitants of the land
from before you, and destroy all their
figured stones, and destroy all their
molten images, and demolish all their
high places. And you shall drive out the inhabitants of the Land, and
dwell therein; because to you have I given the Land to possess it."
(33:52-53)
Massei continues describing the borders of the land and the areas where the tribes will dwell, including 48 cities for the Levites among every tribe, six of them called "cities of refuge".
"(…)
cities of refuge for you, that the man that killed any person through
error may flee there. (…) For the children of Israel, and for the
stranger, and for the settler among them (…)" (35:11, 15)
Our
sages
teach that we are good in essence because our souls are connected to
God, who is good.
They add that one sins when a spirit of folly enters in him, and
everyone can rectify his transgressions.
The commandment to have cities of refuge is another manifestation that God's loving kindness for us to exercise compassion for those who sincerely commit to redirect their lives in His ways. This compassion can't be extended to those who deliberately murder others, and the Torah commands us to impose the death penalty for them.
As
we mentioned in other commentaries, death is the consequence of the
choice to separate from the oneness
of the Creator. This separation is the result of letting ego's
fantasies and illusions defile our consciousness.
"And
you shall not defile the land
which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; because I the Lord
dwell in the midst of the children of Israel." (35:34)
Massei ends with a joyous episode.
"(…)
the daughters of Zelophehad were married to their father's brothers'
sons. They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh,
the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe
of the family of their father." (36:12-13)
Let's comment on the haftarah that complements these two portions (Jeremiah 1:1-19, 2:1-3). The Creator speaks to us with the sweetest words.
"When
I had not yet formed you in the belly, I knew you; and before you
came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you; a prophet to the
nations I have made you."
The
statement is directed to Israel, his oneness
with the Creator, and its mission to be the light
for the nations.
"To
all that I send you, you shall go; and to all that I command you, you
shall speak. Be not afraid of them because I am with you to deliver
you, says the Lord."
These are the words of the greatest love of all that knows us before we are aware of being alive. God's love blesses us before we reveal His presence in the world. We are His love manifest as we can see Him also manifest in all His creation. We go where He tells us to go and our actions speak what He commands us. He is with us when we exit the realm of materialistic illusions, thus there is nothing to fear.
"(…)
but
they shall not prevail against you because I am with you, says the
Lord, to deliver you."
God's
love
created us. Love we are, love
we manifest. Love is our essence.
Love is our destiny.
No comments:
Post a Comment