October 22, 2024
October 1, 2013 at 7:00 pm · Filed under Articles, Books
As we read in the story of Babylon, initially the ego, “Nimrod” is in power, demanding to always be worshipped. “Do whatever it takes to make others respect you,” your ego keeps murmuring.
It follows that your Nimrod is incredibly dependent on other people. He must support them, pay them, nurture them, and at the same time, oppress them.
Indeed, the ego rises precisely when it oppresses others. Hence, the next degree of the ego’s (Nimrod’s) development in you is when it begins to recognize its own dependence, vulnerability, and fragility.
This process is called “the recognition of evil in Nimrod.” It is when you finally get the feeling that your freedom is somehow restricted.
You are dependent on everybody else. That is the problem of kings, presidents, and whoever else might be in power. But in reality, it is the problem of every person.
So your next degree is Abraham. He is freedom, he is ascent, he is the revolutionary idea that comes to you after all the suffering, and the discoveries that bestowal, not reception, must be the sole purpose of your existence. He wants to deny and discard all the lies and excesses. This is the new degree arising in you, in your Nimrod.
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September 30, 2013 at 7:01 am · Filed under Articles, Books
What Is King Nimrod?
At the time of Babylon, a king named Nimrod (your ego) reigned within you. You followed him faithfully, trusted him, and worshipped only him.
The Nimrod inside you refers to the natural, fairly developed egoism that wishes for, and can achieve, anything: “Everyone knew that his arm, aimed at a deer’s heart, never missed its target.”
If you remember, your entire life and all your intentions were focused exclusively on yourself. “What does it do for me” was the principle you lived by. All of your relations with others essentially came down to this.
“Nimrod” was always your essence. He didn’t take anyone into account but himself: “Woe was he who dared to question that Nimrod was a self-made god.”
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September 27, 2013 at 8:34 am · Filed under Articles, Books
In the story about ancient Babylon the Torah offers this advice: “Listen to the Abraham in you.” Find him amidst the egoistic madness and give him the freedom to act. Let the ego squeal and resist any changes aimed at spiritual advancement, but it must be understood that there is no other way. Everything else has been tried and tested, and we can clearly see that it hasn’t worked.
This is precisely why the wisdom of Kabbalah, Abraham’s method, hidden from humanity for millennia, is being revealed today.
If humanity listens, we will follow the constructive path of unification with Nature. If it doesn’t, we will follow the path of suffering. But either way, we will reach the goal.
The Development of the Ego from Ancient Babylon to Modern Global Crisis
What does it mean to unite with Nature? Kabbalists wrote about it almost 4,000 years ago in The Book of Creation.
All around us exists a single law, to which we do not conform. The Law of Nature is one of absolute altruism, absolute love. It acts all around us in full force. It is known as the Creator’s Law.
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September 26, 2013 at 8:26 am · Filed under Articles, Books
“And they said, ‘Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’”
The Historical Babylon
And there it is—the first and incredibly significant event that turned the whole world upside down—the beginning of the construction of the Tower of Babel. It is a story that took place some 4,000 years ago, yet remains startlingly topical to this day.
Any historic event you can think of is a consequence of what has already transpired in the spiritual realm.
There is a saying in Kabbalah that “there is not a blade of grass below that does not have an angel above that strikes it and tells it, ‘Grow!’” So is the case with the Tower of Babel. It actually existed, as the annals of history confirm.
At the turn of the 20th century, German archeologist Robert Koldewey discovered the ancient city of Babylon in today’s Iraq. It contained the ruins of a tower whose dimensions measured (in meters) 90x90x90. Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC, described the tower as a seven-tier pyramid of analogous dimensions.
Babylon within Us
The above findings are actually hypotheses about the physical evidence of the existence of the Tower of Babel. We, however, are more interested in the roots of what really happened. We strive to understand the cause, correlate it with our inner world, and make sure that the division that took place then doesn’t repeat itself. By attaining the spiritual worlds we can influence the cause of everything that transpires, and thereby change our fate, the fate of the world, and the fate of humanity as a whole.
This is what the Midrash tells us on the subject: The Babylonians knew the story of the flood. They lived in fear that the same fate might befall them. Thus, they sought a place where they could dwell in complete safety. Ultimately, they found a valley in the land of Babylon that was big enough to hold them all.
Afterwards the people crowned Nimrod as their king. And since they all settled in Babylon, Nimrod essentially became king of the entire population on Earth.
Nimrod proposed to the people, “Let us build a big city where we can all live. And in that city let us erect a very high tower.” His subjects were delighted with the idea.
He said, “Let us build a tower so high that its top will reach the Heavens, and let us make us a name, lest another flood comes and scatters us throughout the world.”
The New, Stronger Ego Crowned as King
However, though all were united in the belief that the tower must be built, their opinions concerning the purpose of its construction differed.
Some people thought, “In the event of another flood, we shall climb to the top of the tower, where the water shall not reach us.”
Another group thought, “We shall make us a name,” aiming to build a place of assembly at the top of the tower and worship their gods there, thus being saved from any calamity.
Others still protested, “It is unjust that the Creator alone is lord over the realms above, limiting our domain to the world below.”
Do you see the ego talking?!
“We will reach the heavens on our own, without the Creator’s help. We will rule the world, and not Him. We will build us a tower so high that its top will reach the heavens, and we will make us a name.”
Where is this audacity coming from? The answer is that they had reached a new degree.
Precisely because they were able to complete the previous degree, they were given additional egoism to work with.
At this new degree the ego is king, and its name is “Nimrod,” from the word, Meridah—rebellion.
“And so, the people crowned Nimrod to be their king. And since they all settled in Babylon, Nimrod essentially became king of the entire population of Earth.”
“Nimrod” is a powerful new egoistic force that rules over the entire ego. And that force is what you must battle now.
Abraham, the Altruistic Force, Capable of Defeating Nimrod Appears
At first glance, the ego appears to have won.
The building of the tower was a mammoth undertaking. Because there was no stone in Babylon, the people created a new construction material: they burned clay in fire and used the resulting bricks in place of stone.
The bricks were fashioned as if by themselves: when the people laid one brick, they discovered two in the wall, and when they laid two, four bricks appeared in the wall.
What does this passage mean? It is the voice of the ego saying, “We don’t need the Upper Force, we’ll develop construction technology, we’ll believe only in our own hands, in our own intellect, and we will win.”
The tower grew and grew, and soon became so tall that it took a year to climb to its top.
The builders were so fanatical in their desire to complete the tower that whenever a brick fell and broke, they lamented: “How hard it will be to replace it.” “But when a person slipped and fell to his death, no one looked upon him.”
One day, a man named Abraham, son of Terah, was walking past the site of the tower’s construction. He was forty-eight years old at the time, and famous for opposing the erection of the tower. When he approached and was asked, “Join us in building the tower, for you are a powerful man and will be very useful,” he refused them, saying, “You have renounced the Creator, who is the Tower, and decided to replace Him with a tower of bricks.”
This is how the altruistic force that corresponds to this egoistic degree manifests in us. This force is the only one capable of defeating Nimrod, and its name is Abraham.
This force throws out a warning almost in passing. It is not yet capable of dealing with the enlarged egoism, but its voice can already be heard, and this is very important.
“The Meaning of the Tower of Babel Bible Story” is based on the book, The Secrets of the Eternal Book: The Meaning of the Stories of the Pentateuch by Semion Vinokur.
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September 25, 2013 at 7:39 pm · Filed under Articles, Books
“And God spoke unto Noah, saying, ‘Go forth from the ark, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth; that they may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.’”
New Perception after the Flood
Coming out to “the new earth” is what happens to you after the ark. You view the earth differently, finding joy in everything. You begin to realize that everything around you is given to you as aid in your spiritual advancement. They help you and you help them, and any instance of suffering that transpires is there only for adjustment, to keep you from stumbling by reminding you that everything comes from one source—the Creator.
The suffering is now mitigated by your understanding that it’s for your own benefit. It allows you to verify where you are and how far you’ve deviated from the right path. You get to work, adjust your course, and come right back to a new ascent.
Looking at Suffering from a New Angle through a New Intention
We can sum up the whole notion of suffering with a simple example. A terribly thirsty man stands before a stream of pure spring water, trying to fill up his dirty cup. The water tastes disgusting and bitter to him. He cannot drink it, and he curses the dirty stream (as we often curse the Creator, who sends us suffering). When the man finally realizes that the problem is not with the water, but with his cup, he cleans his cup and the water tastes wonderful.
It is the same with us. People concern themselves only with their corporeal tribulations and curse the suffering that befalls them. They immerse themselves in their problems, blaming everyone around them. But those in whom the point in the heart awakens—who begin to seek entrance into the spiritual world—learn that suffering is helpful because it identifies the spot (desire) that needs checking and cleansing (correction). And the correction is done only by finding the right intention.
The desire remains, only the intention changes. You are no longer waiting for the next blow to come, but instead you actively try to make contact with the Upper One so He wouldn’t need to push or adjust your path. You advance upward joyously and without pain to where the infinite, pure Light of love and goodness awaits.
This Light is intended for you; the stream is always flowing with pure spring water for any who thirst for it. Understanding this concept is symbolized by Noah “going forth from the ark onto the new earth.”
New Earth, New Covenant, New Life
It is a “new earth” because the earth that was cursed by the Creator (your egoistic desires) began to yield fruit (egoistic desires joined with altruistic ones), enabling life to appear, which steadily brings man to the goal of Creation.
“And God said, ‘This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.’”
The bow in the cloud (a rainbow) is a restriction that the Creator takes upon Himself not to hold a true judgment over man: to not make any more floods and ruins, but despite your actions (for you are still egoistic by nature) to lead you only to maximum correction.
The rainbow has seven colors. The seven colors denote the seven qualities (Sefirot) that comprise our small but complete desire, the combination of the qualities of bestowal and reception—the Creator and the creature.
The Creator pledges to lead you through the good path, the path of love, even though you may perceive this path as fraught with suffering.
“And the sons of Noah that went forth from the ark were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and of these was the whole earth overspread.”
The three sons beget all life on the earth. “Life” is everything that opposes egoism. If at times things around you appear lifeless—not opposing the ego, but self-serving, leading to ruin and death and tearing the world apart—stop, think about the goal, and continue your work on correcting yourself and the world. Everything is created with only one goal—to rejoin the Creator.
“What Is the Meaning of God Speaking to Noah to Go Forth from the Ark in the Bible Story?” is based on the book, The Secrets of the Eternal Book: The Meaning of the Stories of the Pentateuch by Semion Vinokur.
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