Synopsis

[Part 1]

Part 2 (of 2)

OUTLINE:

II. Radiant Return
Cosmic Copout
Angel Food
Far Fall
Smoke Splendor
Light Motion
Shofar Blare
Semispherical Synthesis

II. Radiant Return

Cosmic Copout

How did the Jews react to this revelation of Divine unity? They told Moses, "You approach and listen to everything G-d would tell us" (Deuteronomy 5:24). They witnessed the nullification of the external dimension of the world in the brilliant Light of the World of Emanation. And they wanted no part of it! Rather, Jews preferred to keep their physical bodies intact. It was fine if their souls ascended, but their bodies had to stay just where they were. So as everything around them became subsumed in Infinite Light, the Jews told Moses "you handle it."

Mount Sinai resembled the state of the world in the Future Era, when people won't eat or drink. This, despite the fact their physical bodies will exist. It's just that bodies won't be nourished from physical meals. Rather, they will obtain their sustenance from supernal lights.

Angel Food

Jews' bodies in the Future Era compares with angels today. Certain angels residing in the spiritual realms are called "entrails" and "intestines." Divine life-force is brought into the physical world through them . They themselves obtain sustenance from the life-force as it travels through their spiritual bodies. This is analogous to the function of intestines that remove nutrients from physical food.

Similarly, in the Resurrection, when Jews' bodies will be rarified, their intestines will receive nourishment from supernal "foodstuffs." Resurrection's condition existed atop Mount Sinai during Moses' forty-day sojourn. His body metamorphosed into the world's future state. Moses neither ate nor drank; yet at the same time his physical body continued to function. Divine life-force, processed by the "entrails" angels, entered his intestines to keep him alive.

Far Fall

What is the secret which enabled Moses (and in the future, resurrected bodies) to transcend normative rules of nature? The Baal Shem Tov and the Magid of Mezrich taught the principle that externality's origin is higher than that of internality. Just as if one fells a wall, its highest stones fall further than the bottom ones, so too, the more elevated the spiritual source, the farther it falls. G-d's external Light descended all the way into the physical world. Hence corporeality must possess the loftiest of sources. And since G-d's Inner Light could not be diminished and concealed to the extent that it too could descend into physicality, its origin must be lower. This sentence unclear

Materiality's exalted origin is alluded to in the Mount Sinai verse: "And Moses approached the thick darkness where G-d was." Moses, symbolizing the physical world, came close to G-d. This alludes to the loftiest aspect of Divinity, called "darkness." King David said in Psalms, "He made darkness His secret place" (Psalms 18:12).

Why is G-d's Absolute Being called "darkness?" It is abstracted above the possibility of revelation, even to G-d himself! Mount Sinai's "thick darkness", then, refers to the ultimate source of physicality: the innermost Essence of G-d. And Moses' submersion into darkness represents the world's nullification in its true source.

Moses was ahead of his time. While every Jew will experience this unity in the Future Era, at Mount Sinai, only Moses could. What was unique about Moses? Recall that in Resurrection times, the refinement of Jews' bodies will enable direct Divine nourishment. Moses had already accomplished this: he expunged coarseness from his body.

Earlier, at the burning bush, G-d commanded Moses "remove your shoes from your feet" (Exodus 3:5). Kabbala teaches that shoes allude to the physical body. Moses, then, succeeded in extricating externality from physicality. That's why he alone, and not the Jews, could go toward the darkness. So they told him, "You approach and listen to everything G-d wants to tell us."

Smoke Splendor

Above Mount Sinai a three-colored rainbow came into view. It resembled the rainbow described in Ezekiel's vision, read on Shavuot. "Like the appearance of a rainbow that is in the cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the encompassing radiance. This was the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of the L-rd. And when I saw this, I fell upon my face" (Ezekiel 1:28). We know a cloud formed over Mount Sinai. The verse informs, "A thick cloud upon the mountain" (Exodus 19:16). But what caused the rainbow?

Recall that the external element of the Three Lower Worlds went up in smoke. Their rising above was due to the Returning Light. Upon striking the cloud, a splendorous rainbow appeared.

Light Motion

There are two opposite kinds of Light. Ordinary Light is called "Direct Light." Its vector is downwards - from above to below. The gradual downwardly progression of Divine life-force into every spiritual realm manifests this Light.

The second Light is inestimably more powerful. Termed "Returning Light," its movement is from below to above. At Mount Sinai, the Lower Worlds' external life-force, stripped of its encasement in corporeality, returned to its source. That's why smoke -- the rarefaction of space-time-spirituality - exemplifies the Returning Light.

Returning Light's nature, as its name indicates, is to go up. It never stops rising. Its ascent is infinite, reaching the highest realms of G-d. Direct Light, on the other hand, sustains diminishment. At every stage of descent, its Light is further constricted and decreased.

Shofar Blare

A shofar blast illustrates the power the Returning Light. A shofar is narrow at one end and wide on the other. When its narrow aperture is blown, sound amplifies through the expanding horn. King David said, "From the straits I called G-d" (Psalms 118:5). Out of the depths of despair, the repentant call out to G-d.

The vector of repentance - from below to above - demonstrates the might of the Returning Light. For it ascends above, ever widening, until attaining Absolute Infinity (Ein Sof). This is a principle regarding upward motion: as spirituality soars higher, it expands wider and wider. The conclusion of David's verse makes this clear, "G-d answered me with his expanse" (Psalms 118:5).

Now an enigma in Ezekiel's vision is solved. Ezekiel beheld the entire wondrous heavenly process with all of its angels and Divine lights. Every detail was revealed. He saw, for example, "the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone" (Ezekiel 1:26). How, then, could he continue to observe, noting each and every detail? Why didn't he at once fall on his face, as he did later?

The answer is he was able to endure these revelations. It was only when he reached the appearance of a rainbow that he fell upon his face. Ezekiel couldn't withstand its brilliant light. For the ever-ascending rainbow, powered by the Returning Light, realized Absolute Infinity. What's more, as the externality of existence became nullified, Ezekiel could only 'shed his body'.

Semispherical Synthesis

A paradox occurred on Mount Sinai. The verse informs us, "And the sound of the shofar grew increasingly louder" (Exodus 19:19). This connotes an expanding Returning Light. Yet, the very same verse concludes, "Moses speaks, and G-d answers him with a voice", alluding to the function of a Direct Light. What's more, the shofar's blare was a Divine sound, descending from above. Nevertheless it broadened infinitely as the verse relates, "grew continuously louder!" What happened?

As the purified state of the Lower Worlds went up in smoke, in a manner of Returning Light, they elicited a corresponding response from G-d. He, then, revealed His Returning Light; but from above! Its called "returning" since it is a response.

G-d's Returning Light begins from an apex, as the prophet informs, "His arrow goes forth like lightning" (Zechariah 9:14). It travels in a downward path, expanding to all sides. Job sums up, "And though your beginning was infinitesimal, yet your ending will greatly increase" (Job 8:7).

Mount Sinai was a revelation of both an ascending and descending Returning Light. Like two halves of a sphere, they met upon the mountaintop. Then, perfect unity was achieved. A glimpse into the Future Era, which is a state of "being one with One".

[Rabbi David Rothschild is the founder and editor of Nefesh Magazine.]