Quote of the Week 152 - The Psalms, The Prophets, Lunacy and Enlightenment

It would…be of some interest to make an etymological analysis of the Hebrew name for the Psalms, which is Tehillim. This comes from the root Halal, which is normally translated as “to praise”. The Psalms are therefore most often simply viewed as nothing more than a series of praises to God.

The root Halal, however, has two other meanings which are very significant from our viewpoint. The first is that of brightness and shining, as in the verses, “Behold the moon does not shine (halal)" (Job 25:5), and, “When [God’s] lamp shined (halal) over my head” (Job 29:3). The second connotation is that of madness, as in the noun Holelut, referring to the demented state in many places in the Bible.

This would therefore indicate that the word Halal denotes a state where one leaves his normal state of consciousness, and at the same time, perceives spiritual Light. It is distinguished from the many other Hebrew terms for praise, since Halal is praise designated for attaining enlightenment through a state of oblivion.

The relationship between enlightenment and madness should not be too difficult to understand, since the Bible explicitly relates madness to prophecy. In one place, a prophet is called a madman, and the leading commentator, Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel, comments, “They called him mad, since as a result of his meditation (hitbodedut), he appeared demented, not paying attention to mundane affairs.”

In another place we find an even more explicit parallelism. God says, “Every man who is mad, who prophesies, shall be put in the stocks” (Jeremiah 29:26). Here again, the commentaries, most notably Rabbi David Kimchi, state that many people considered the prophets to be mad because of their unusual actions. It was not unusual then, to use the term “prophet” as a synonym for madman.

The word Halal is thus related to the roots Lahah and Lo, which, as discussed above, denote states of negation. It is also related to the root Chalal, meaning hollow, especially in a spiritual sense. Such a level of “hollowness” is closely related to prophecy, this being the level of King David, who said of himself, “My heart is hollow (chalal) within me” (Psalms 109:22).

All this indicates that Halal denotes negation of the senses and ego in the quest of enlightenment. The Psalms were therefore called Tehillim because they were especially designed to help one attain this exalted state.

This philological analysis might not be conclusive if it were not backed up by a solid tradition. In the Talmudic tradition there is a clear indication that the Psalms were used to attain the state of enlightenment called Ruach HaKodesh.

If one looks at many Psalms, one sees that they begin with either the phrase, “A Psalm of David” (Mizmor LeDavid) or “Of David, a Psalm” (LeDavid Mizmor). The Talmud states that when a Psalm begins with the phrase, “Of David, a Psalm,” this indicates that he recited the Psalm after he had attained Ruach HaKodesh. But when the Psalm begins with “A Psalm of David,” it means that David actually made use of the Psalm in order to attain his state of enlightenment. Thus at least eighteen of the Psalms were specifically composed as a means of attaining higher states of consciousness.

--from Meditation and the Bible by Aryeh Kaplan

ANNOUNCING NEW BOOK: TORAH PORTION SUMMARIES

ANNOUNCING THE PUBLICATION OF TORAH PORTION SUMMARIES; With Insights from the Perspective of a Jewish Yogi, by Steven J. Gold.

ON SALE NOW EXCLUSIVELY AT LULU.

This is the first in a planned series of books that I am coining “Special Reserve Editions”. The plan for now is to make these books available for sale only through the printer, Lulu, with very limited distribution and marketing efforts. In this manner, I can minimize expenses and keep the retail price down.

TORAH IN THE LIGHT OF YOGA. This book contains summaries of the weekly Torah portions for the entire Five Books of Moses. It includes insights and perspectives from a person born and raised Jewish who has also been a long-time student and practitioner of a Himalayan tradition of yoga/Vedanta meditation. It is intended to be a study guide, reference tool and aid for anyone who might find Torah/Bible study a bit intimidating or overwhelming, and who might be interested in perspectives from a Jewish yogi. An effort has been made to render a readable, objective and succinct summary of the basic story-line and teachings contained in the primary text and major commentaries without getting bogged down in too much detail. When made, the more subjective remarks are pretty obvious. Of course, what is chosen to highlight and what is chosen to minimize or overlook involves selective subjective choices. Interspersed among the actual summaries are Divrei Torah, supplemental essays providing personal takes and insights on materials of particular interest or inspiration.

In order to keep the retail price down, I have produced this book on larger paper (8 ½ x 11) using small, but readable print and formatting. Due to its larger size, in addition to a perfect-bound version, I have also made it available in a spiral-bound version that might make it easier to handle.

Remember that it will only be available through Lulu: www.lulu.com and enter the title or my name, or http://stores.lulu.com/yajc.

Quote of the Week 151 - The World to Come

Jesus’ followers said to him, “When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?” He said to them, “What you look for has come, but you do not know it.”

--From one of the Gnostic Gospels, but I can’t remember which one

Quote of the Week 150 - The Palace of Love

Happy [are] those to whom the love of their Master cleaves; there is no limit to their portion in the other world. Many are the abodes of the righteous in the other world, one above another, and highest of all that of those to whom was attached the love of their Master, for their abode is linked with the palace that surpasses all, the Holy One, blessed be He, being crowned in this one. This Palace is called Love, and it is established for the sake of love. So it is too with the Holy Name, the forms of the letters of which are linked together, so that the whole is called “love”; wherefore he who loves his Master is linked to that Love. Hence it is written, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God”.

Zohar, Chelek Gimmel 267b, Soncino Translation

Quote of the Week 149 - A Vision of Oneness

I’m here at the intersection of flesh and spirit: a six-foot-tall biped with my feet on the ground and my head in the clouds; 165 pounds of muscle and fat and memories and opinions walking upright on an oxygen-rich planet, breathing in and breathing out, which has been my habit – one of my better habits – for sixty-five years. This morning I’m feeling particularly buoyant because I dreamt that beings from an advanced civilization gave me a mind-expanding drug. Well, their civilization was certainly advanced when it came to hallucinogens. Or maybe it had just been too long since I’d had the blinders removed and glimpsed the radiant mystery at the heart of existence. I experienced oneness not as a mere abstraction but as an undeniable reality, as plain as the nose on God’s face. I knew in my bones, in my cells, in the very atoms of “me” that everyone is part of the same living intelligence, as are the trees, the rocks, the sky; that separateness is an illusion; that death is nothing to fear. One look at my benevolent companions told me that they knew it too. It was hard to say whether they’d also taken the drug or had evolved this way after innumerable virtuous lifetimes. In my dream, it didn’t matter; I’d woken up.

--From Sy Safransky’s Notebook, The Sun magazine, October 2010, Issue 418