The Breached Walls

Dr. Michael LaitmanRabash, Letter 43, about the holiday of Chanukah: It says in the song “The Stronghold of my Salvation:” “Greeks gathered against me then in Hasmonean days. They breached the walls of my towers and they defiled all the oils.” To prevent extraneous thoughts and uninvited desires from entering the heart, it is necessary to build a wall that will guard against all the external.

This wall is called faith, and only with its help, a man has the opportunity to escape. The Greek Klipa was manifested in the fact that the people of Israel were guided by the external mind—the proverbial philosophy. And this is against faith … “They breached the walls of my towers and they defiled all the oils,” in other words, enlightenment and vitality, that came because of faith, became closed for the sons of Israel.

It is a very important letter. It puts us in the right attitude to life in our main war—the war against philosophy that wants to take the place of the wisdom of Kabbalah. “You don’t have to attain anything,” it says, “It is enough to reflect, imagine something. Indeed, you have the mind and imagination, and that’s sufficient. There is no attainment, so, study, imagine, discuss, and that’s enough.”

This approach of the Greeks leads us to an abstract form, moreover, not even the one that the science of Kabbalah talks about, not clothed once in matter and not abstracted subsequently, and thus not discussed. No, their abstract form was not clothed in matter because they were never in spiritual attainment. Instead of this, similar to many other religions and beliefs, the Greeks distorted texts that talked only about one thing: the revelation of the Creator to the created being.

Meanwhile, this is the whole science; our forefathers talked only about this; only this knowledge Moses received on Mount Sinai and wrote the Torah on its basis. It is about the revelation of the Creator to “Israel”: to those who are directed straight to Him (Yashar El) and come to the similarity of properties, to adhesion with Him. That is when the human being attains the Creator in his vessels, desires, corrected by the Light that Reforms (Torah).

If we read the primary sources, believing that they contain no attainment, that we need just to study them and follow the Creator’s orders, according to what we understand of the writing, by this we completely distort the Torah and instead of going towards adhesion with the Creator, we cling to our thinking. This is a real disaster.

And so from generation to generation, until the very end of correction, the war is waged between those who attain and those who imagine, “damned philosophers,” as Baal HaSulam calls them. We will also have to become engaged in this battle and take an active part in in, not leaving it to chance. It is in this war that we disclose the insignificance of the philosophical approach that allows discussing and philosophizing about what one knows nothing about, about what he did not attain at least by a bit of spiritual attainment.

This war is against all the concepts that contradict the wisdom of Kabbalah. In fact, a person has nothing to do in this world except reveal the Creator. He should do nothing else. That is why, if we talk about the philosophy of life, an approach to human existence, and not about departments of philosophy where they have empty talks on the basis of their own idle fancies, then this approach should be aimed only at the goal of creation, not at any other goal.

We proceed from here to Chanukah, the holiday that symbolizes this war and our success in it. Chanukah is a very spiritual holiday: Everything in it revolves around the “oil,” around the Light. And we need to correctly interpret its essence: Even if we are few on a world scale, but if we know the secret of “the jug with oil” and we ignite it, it illuminates the whole world.

We just need to build all the conditions correctly so that the disturbances become the “wick” for a person and so that the candle flame is intact. Thus, a person comes to the first spiritual degree that is called “Chanukah” from the words of the Torah “stand here” (Chanu-ko).

In addition, it is necessary to promote this miracle, and therefore, it is customary to put the lit Chanukah candles by the window, so that everyone sees them. It symbolizes our dissemination because we bring the world the message of how to come to the Light.

But when is a person awakened to this? When he discovers the “thickness” of his desire. And if he works correctly, he finds out that “the Greeks breached the walls of his towers.” If he does not have these disturbances, then he has nothing to overcome.

Coming to the Light is possible only through the revelation of evil when it breaches the walls, through the war and victory in it. And even after that, it is necessary to find a jug with oil and light it, so that there is a miracle.

So, in the end, everything happens by means of the Upper Force – a miracle…
[121677]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/28/13, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Celebrate The First Victory Over Yourself
“Praising The Miracle” Of Chanukah
If You Are Not Detached From The Old, You Will Not Get Something New

One Comment

  1. Sigh…,,,.Although I am not really Greek, just a reluctant American import into this troubled country who after raising three children and now one grandchild here, who has seen more of the “other side” of this world than she ever intended to, I must protest this post and defend this place I find myself in. (Yes… I know the Hanukkah story refers to spiritual battles.)

    First of all, although the original philosophers may now be interpreted in the way this post describes, it was hardly the original intent. Please review Baal HaSulam on “Building the Future Society” and then review elements of Platos republic. Both have unpalatable elements for the average reader but both stress the importance of sacrifice of the individual ego to the collective good. Most of the Greek philosophers, who allowed great ideas to permeate society, were part of the eclectic mix that was the progressive world at that time (originating in Babylon). Most likely, they drew and learned from one another. After all they all came from the creator for some purpose, right? . As with the kabbalists, perhaps their ideas were misinterpreted and applied incorrectly. I often wonder what was lost when the library in ancient Alexandria burned and what it will take for humanity to begin to respect and love, literally, everything it has been given….still, vegetative, animate, and speaking…

    Also, the respect the ancient Greeks had for the Torah or the Penateuch “Πεντετεύχως”, Five Books, or the Old Testament, is demonstrated by the fact that they had it translated into Greek (the equivalent of English today and perhaps Chinese tomorrow, at that time) allowing the work to be preserved, read, understood, studied, and distributed it to their known world….think about that and what that means to the study of kabbalah today. What if that hadn’t happened?

    Sorry but one of the things I find so fascinating about this study is the basis or thread of “something” ancient, strange , uniting, and common about all true faith in a creator…no matter what the country or religion. The questions I, and most likely most of us who are here, search to answer are: Who is this creator? Why does he interfere in my life and what is he trying to tell me? How can I understand him? How can I truly feel his presence? Why won’t he make clear what he wants from me? Why won’t he give me the peace I desire? Most religions fail to clearly address these questions, stressing instead ritual practice instead of an emphasis on the real search. Kabbalah at least seems to be trying. That’s why I’m here.

    Sadly we spend most of our time trying to explain why only “we” are right…instead of trying to discover and project what we all have in common. What is this common thread of bestowal and connection? How is it expressed properly? For instance in almost every eastern orthodox service there is continuous mention of the “Aγιο Φως” which is literally translated as the Holy Light and intrinsically means the light of the creator , Ohr Makif. “Ohr Makif” in the orthodox church stresses the need for “love the other as we love ourselves”…is that not exactly the same message???? I would imagine that if we are truly searching for what the creator is, and means to this world we need to look at the uniting factors. I would also imagine that a thorough search from the world kli, each from their own experience, would expose this commonality. Now that would be an interesting exercise. How does this all tie together and what does it mean? We must look for them or dissemination is doomed to a limited eccentric few.

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