Today
is the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Av. It is also the yahrzeit/hilula of
the Holy Ari—Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-1572).
“As
a young man, Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, the founder of the Lurianic Kabbalah, removed
to the banks of the Nile. For seven years he secluded himself in meditation,
visiting his family only on the Sabbath, speaking seldom and then only in
Hebrew”
(from
“A Passion for Truth” p 214, Rabbi A.J.Heschel)
Last
night I was reflecting on the legacy of this great “saint” of both halakhah and
kabbalah
and I “came across” an inspiring short video by Rabbi Avraham Sutton. It is said that the Holy Ari studied under the tutelage of
Eliyahu HaNavi, and Rabbi Sutton explains that this may be taken as referring
to a state of consciousness.
We
may not share the spiritual greatness of one such as the Holy Ari, and the
state of Gilui Eliyahu (Elijah consciousness) which is described by Rabbi Sutton is not
something which is easily or frequently granted. Nevertheless,
we can all aspire to improve our receptivity to whatever Divine input we
might be granted in our private prayer.
The tutelage of Eliyahu haNavi may not be within our own personal reach and experience, but we can at least
attempt to be chassidim of the
Ari and approach the “cave of Elijah” in his merit. As “lion
cubs” who also spend time in secluded prayer—whether it be hisbodedus or
hisbonenus—we are engaged in avodah, and work to become “open” in
receptive prayer.
The
connection between attentive listening in such secluded prayer and the “return”
of prophecy (or at least the development of ruach haKodesh) is one of the main
reasons I seek to promote “contemplative living” and times of regular contemplative prayer, as I
wrote in 2005:
“If the
Torah which is written on our hearts is ever to be understood and if the spirit
of prophecy is to return in its fullness:
the individual, personal
communication and the spiritually receptive attentiveness which they
require is not only desirable, it is crucial.
For all Jews.
Ultimately we are said to be destined to
become a nation of prophets. For
that time to be approached there has to be somebody listening. The parallel development of contemplative lifestyles and contemplative
prayer in the life of all Jews might go some way towards making sure that those
“listeners” are in place.”
(Kuntres
M’arat haLev p25)
In a recent video talk
on prayer from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the UK, I noted a
remarkable passage which you can view here.
He
reminds us that Jewish life depends on three things: Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut
Chasadim (Prayer, Learning, and Acts of Kindness). He points out that though
there are many people studying Torah, and though there are many clear examples of Jewish
welfare activities, he says many people do not feel “engaged” by (liturgical) prayer
which he calls the “motor” of Jewish Spirituality. Though he was talking about liturgical prayer, his point may be applied by extension to all forms of
spiritual “avodah”.
At a time
when secular approaches often minimize (or
even squash) the place of the holy in the life of Israel it is even more
imperative that those who can do so should spend time in hisbodedus –not
as an exercise in ethical or spiritual refinement, but as a form of service.
The service of “being attentive” to HaShem.
The Holy
Ari believed that this modern age is the time for that which was “secret” to
become revealed. In these days, this is most
often achieved by the spiritual army of those who study in Yeshiva and Kolel,
and by the hidden souls the world over who approach the Throne of Mercy in
their davening and in their contemplative prayer—making an avodah for
the sake of all Israel and all the worlds.
It may be
true that we are “neither prophets nor
the sons of prophets”… but when we offer
our attention to The One Who Spoke, we can become open to receive the legacy of Elijah,
and in so doing, we can prepare the way for the time when “all the Earth will
be filled with the Daas of the
Glory of HaShem as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) May that time come speedily, in our days.
NRDavies
July 24 2012
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