In his memory I am posting an extract from my (unpublished) book "The Cave of the Heart".
Though I had never heard of Reb Dovid when I wrote the words which follow here, I think that he might have approved of what I wrote as they refer to the return of prophecy: a subject which was very dear to his heart.
They come from Chapter Three of my book and were written in 2006.
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"If the
Torah which is written on our hearts is ever to be understood and if the spirit
of prophecy is to return to us in its fullness: the individually-tailored
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. If that is to become
an immanent reality, 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.
If the practice of extended retreat
has sound roots in Jewish Tradition, and
if living an intentionally dedicated contemplative lifestyle really is a
valuable minority option for modern Jews—then the Mitkarevim should be encouraged, or
else they might not otherwise emerge. Their prophetic and kabbalistic potential
might go to waste. If one truly believes
in the power and efficacy of prayer—scripted
and unscripted, public and private, petitional and contemplative— then it should be reflected in
one’s priorities and in our nation’s
move towards Redemption.
The
old, or isolated, or disadvantaged, and those forgotten on the fringes of community are frequently
the very Jewish souls who have the
spiritual credentials in hard-won authenticity and in wholehearted ‘searching
for G-d’ which might qualify them
to develop the prophetic spirit anew. The isolated,the elderly, and the infirm are also often the ones with the time to focus on the prayerful task of drawing down the
light and the strength of Heaven with intensity and
perseverance.
Can we afford to neglect their contemplative
potential any longer?
Are you
yourself prepared to really listen to the Voice of the G-d of Israel?
Israel’s
response at Sinai was, and is: “We will do and we will hear.” That is most often interpreted with the
meaning: Israel hears G-d’s voice by observing the commandments—that the
practical action of observing the mitzvos leads to spiritual
understanding. That is most certainly true. But a complementary interpretation
occurs to me. I’m absolutely certain
that there are no accidents:
It
surely must be of primary significance that the first commandment in the principal
text of Judaism, is Sh’ma!—Listen!
Israel’s
compunction to ‘keep working’ and indeed ‘keep talking’ can sometimes be as
counter-productive as it can be dynamic. We also need to give G-d the chance to get a
word in edge-ways. Prayer is a two-way conversation, not a monologue.
Judaism has been focussed for centuries on ‘doing’.
But the time is coming when the significance of ‘listening’ will grow in
importance.
We read in Yoel:
And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will
pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy;
your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.[1]
In a letter of Maimonides to the Jews of Yemen
we read that shortly before the coming of Moshiach, prophecy will return
to the Jewish people. It is my belief that the ‘coming of Eliyahu haNavi’ [2]
in the days before the start of the Messianic era refers to the re-emergence
of the spirit of that prophet in the
souls of those contemplatives who are being truly ‘attentive and receptive’ in
their prayer.
It is time for us to ‘listen’
in contemplative prayer because it is only by paying attention in
receptive contemplation that we can become the prophets, or sons of the
prophets that we are all destined to be.
The Dedicated Jewish
Contemplatives—the Mitkarevim— may well be in the vanguard of those who
hasten the coming of that emerging consciousness."
