| Kabbalah
and Education A Kabbalistic Approach to Spiritual Growth |
|||||||
| Kabbalah and Jewish Meditation |
Part
17 In
Kabbalah, future (atid) means "that which is prepared but not
yet disclosed," as opposed to its more common definition as something
which has no existence at all in the present. This is the rectification
required by education--to discover that even our future is a present
reality. Where
does this future come from? Who "prepares" it, and how? When
God created the world, He began by formulating a vision of the end and
perfection of the entire creative process (both in general and in all its
detail). It was this utopian vision that actually inspired and guided the
subsequent acts of creation. This is similar to our own creative process
where we first visualize the finished product, hold it in our mind's eye,
and try to reproduce that vision in the physical world. Similarly, while God's
vision of His perfected universe preceded the actual work of creation, so it
will be its inevitable future and end point as well. The song we sing each
week to welcome Shabbat expresses this very idea in the passage that reads,
"The final act arose in thought at the beginning." Since this
perfection is the will of the Creator, and since God is the singular force
of creation, nothing can oppose His desires in any ultimate sense. His will will
be done. Thus God "prepared the future" even before the beginning,
a destiny that is irrevocable, and exists, even now, in the
"thoughts" of God. Faith
in the ultimate good to come is actually based upon a deep inner and often
unconscious knowledge that God is the sole master of all worlds and directs
every detail of every moment toward good--that is to say, toward the
realization of His vision of its perfection. Thus faith--by affirming that
good and perfection are the irrevocable destiny of creation--actually draws
that future into the present. When motivated by faith, we struggle in the
present to penetrate through the outer layers of our troubles and discover
that point of hidden good which is destined to be revealed, then that future
actually assumes concrete existence in the present--in our minds and hearts. This
principle has practical application in both the personal and collective
realms. It means that a truly potent technique for breaking out of negative
personality patterns, overcoming the inertia of habit, and making positive
changes in life is to make contact with transcendence through prayer. To do
so, we may utilize a wide
spectrum of expression--we may plead, promise, or argue, while combining our
prayer with concrete visualizations of the rectified future. The underlying
premise is that any desire to grow in accordance with God's will is to seek
that reality which is an inevitable and infinitely good future. Prayer
is the ultimate means of applying these theoretical principles so as
to actually draw the future into the present. It is the practical expression
of inner faith which itself catalyzes an even greater deepening of faith.
When we ask God to support our efforts to serve Him more perfectly (in
whatever we envision as our next step in that direction) we should add that
we only seek support if our goal does, in fact, express God's highest and
truest will for our perfection. If not, God should correct us as gently as
possible. All
this is enhanced by an understanding of the principles involved, for
knowledge fixes faith more deeply and solidly in our hearts. When we fulfill
these requirements, we will necessarily succeed in our aim, for we allow
destiny to come forth. In
summary, we thus see that education is a co-mingling of two parallel
processes. The educator must teach his students to approach life with
excitement and enthusiasm, recognizing each moment as a new beginning. This
is not just a prerequisite but an ongoing requirement, for only when
the students feel a passion for life can they meet any challenges on the
road with a joyfulness and vitality that can sustain growth. The
educator must simultaneously teach his students to apply their growing
knowledge of God's unity to the practical problems that arise in their
lives. The students must learn that God is the beginning, the end, and the
essential substance of all creation. Nothing exists besides Him, and nothing
happens which does not bring the world closer to His vision and desire for
its perfection. Every experience serves this end of drawing more goodness
into the world--even suffering. When the students come to know this with
perfect faith, they then have the tools to extract the lessons from any
hardships that occur. The
educator teaches his students to facilitate the process of growth through
developing a relationship to prayer. When the students consciously chart a
path of positive change that accurately mirrors God's highest plans for
their perfection--then they can progress toward that goal as quickly and
efficiently as possible. Thus the students should constantly hold a vision
in their mind's eye of the end to which they aspire, asking God to correct
the inaccuracies and fill in the blanks, while all the time remembering, of
course, that the final outcome is only according to the Almighty One's
discretion.
|
A new chapter of Kabbalah and Education is both: uploaded to the web every week and also sent out via the Inner Dimension (free) weekly Torah message email list.
|
