Transliteration

Esser Sefirot Belie Mah; Esser Velo Taysha; Esser Velo Achat Esser; Haven BeChochmah Vechacham VeBinah, BeChon Bahem VeChakor Mayhem VehaAmode Devar All Boriin Vehashuv Yotzer All Mekono.

Translation

Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness ten and not nine ten and not eleven. Understand with Wisdom. Be wise with Understanding. Examine with them and probe from them. Make a thing stand on its essence. And stand a thing upon its pedestal - base - foundation - Creator (all four meanings are valid). And Restore the former to its place.

Please remember that the whole of chapter 1 is dealing with and explaining as best as words accomplish the Sefirot of Belie Mah. Belie Mah has the meaning of without essence - without materiality or physicality. The Sefirot are levels of consciousness.

Do you remember what the Ramban - Nachmanides - said about the meaning of Belie Mah? He said, "Stop your mouth from speaking; stop your mind from receiving thoughts; Be in a state of "without connection to physicality."

As we read this Mishna there are certain sections that relate to each other. Let's look at these relationships.

No. 1 = 10 not 9; 10 not 11

No. 2 = Understand with Wisdom; Be Wise with Understanding

No. 3 = Examine or test with them; Probe or explore from them

No. 4 = Stand a thing upon its base - pedestal - foundation - Creator; return it to its place

The Ramak teaches that the purpose of this Mishna is to stop us from making a mistake. What is the mistake? To count Daat along with Keter as part of the ten Sefirot. Let us discuss this in more detail below.

What do you think is the meaning of No 1 above?

No. 1 = 10 not 9; 10 not 11

Space for your verbal comments

There has always been a Machlochet in the Kabbalah. A Machlochet is a discussion or argument which has as its motivation the search for truth. In the Talmud many times these boil down to two different opposing opinions which the Talmud will not choose one over the other. This is because "these and these are the words of the Ever Living Creator." Meaning both are truths depending on the observer's perception.

The Machlochet in the Kabbalah is regarding the Sefirah of Keter. Is it Vessel or is it Light. Does it share only or does it also receive? Remember the word Keter means Crown. A crown is connected to the King and His body- yet is outside of the King and His body.

What do you think?

Space for your verbal discussion

In modern astronomy (not astrology) the Planet Pluto was revealed in approximately the year 1850. In the approximate year of 1995 the consensus of astronomers is that Pluto does not meet the minimum size to be called a planet. Is Pluto a planet or is it not a planet? In other words this is the same Machlochet that the Kabbalists have.

This is why the Sefer Yetzirah has to discuss 10 and not 9.

As some additional interesting information, when the String Theory was being developed there was significant discussion as to how many dimensions does it work within. They originally said it was 9 dimensions, then they said it was 11 dimensions, and finally settled the mathematical formula only works with 10 dimensions or 26 dimensions.

Now let's discuss why the Sefer Yetzirah says 10 and not 11. If we accept that Keter is not a vessel then there must be a method of balancing the two Sefirot of Chochmah and Binah. This non Sefirah is called Daat which means Knowledge. Knowledge is always the balance point between Wisdom and Understanding.

The balance point has been called a Sefirah by some people. This would imply there are 11 Sefirot not 10. The Sefer Yetzirah needed to inform us 10 and not 11 for this purpose.

There are two concepts in Kabbalah that relate to Light. The phrases are "From above to below" and the phrase "From Below to Above." When we count upwards Keter is a Sefirah. When we count downwards Daat is the Sefirah that is used. Understand this well and why it is true. It will help you in your study of Kabbalah.

Here are some additional thoughts regarding Keter. The Philosopher Descartes teaches, "I think therefore i am." Is this true or false? Is this truth? Keter is the I in that sentence. Kabbalah calls Keter the "Higher or the Supernal Will." Keter is not inside the body or the mind. It is outside the mind. What? i am out of my mind? Yes - your Keter is outside of your mind and Thank God that it is. Otherwise, when the body dies you would die. You do not die when the body dies. You are the "I". You are encapsulated in the Keter. "I" exists prior to the statement "I think." Even when you do not think you exist. This is the Keter.

Since Daat (Knowledge) is not a Sefirah we do not have to delve into it at this time. We will in other classes. I will only say that Daat is the balance point between Chochmah - Wisdom and Binah - Understanding. The western mind is always trying to understand. Why does Kabbalah teach you to scan and not understand? The receipt of energy is blocked and filtered by the ego of Understanding. Please contemplate this sentence. Do you want all of the energy available in the Torah? Do you want all of the Joy? Or do you only want the joy that you can understand why you are happy. The next time you wake up happy and do not have a reason think about becoming depressed Chas V' Shalom.

What is the meaning of No 2 above?

No. 2 = Understand with Wisdom; Be Wise with Understanding

This the space for your comments and answers.

This poetic language is much more than simple poetry. It is a form of meditation that trains the mind to be able to integrate the conscious with the unconscious. It is the training that brings you to the balance point called Daat. Intellect without intuition is incomplete. Intuition without understanding leads you astray. Only the balance point is the correct path to follow. This is the ultimate teaching of Torah - Vahavta Lerayacha Camocha. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do you love God like you love yourself? Do you love your spouse like you love yourself? Search out the balance point of these sentences or are they meditations?

Understand with Wisdom; Be Wise with Understanding: describes a Hebrew phrase "Sechel Tenudah." My teacher translates this as "Oscillating Consciousness." Let me give you a practical intellectual example:

My shirt is white. The garment of my soul is white.

The thoughts of the mind oscillate - souls have garments? What is white? How is a shirt a garment? What is a garment of the soul? Is it a shirt? (And on and on and on deeper and deeper into the mind and the mindset.) Until the Keter gives over some of its information to Chochmah and Chochmah relates it to Binah and what does all that mean? Sechel tenudah - Oscillating Mind - back and forth forth and back and around about again. This is what happens when you meditate and do not remember the meditation.

Here is the process to achieve Sechel Tenudah. Start with Psalms or a verse or verses in the Torah or a treatise of a Kabbalistic nature or something that is physically profound to you. Or recite Holy Names always contemplating the meaning of the sounds. (Please note the word is recite not read. It needs to be said out loud). This is one of the reasons that the halacha is to say a Blessing out loud.

Allow your mind to drift - to make associations. Maybe they start with logical association; allow the drift into illogical associations. Let your mind flow; utilize the "freedom to flow." Just do not stop the flow. This you will do with your conscious mind. You will stop your flow. The conscious mind is not receiving physical sensation which keeps it connected to physicality. Then the fllow goes into the unconscious which it can not do when you are still speaking out loud. This is all Daydreams. This is all the things your parents told you not to do because it was not practical. Understand with Wisdom; Be Wise with Understanding. Back and forth; forth and back and go where you go. See what you see; hear what you hear; see what you hear; hear what you see; let it go... control your descent into the unconscious and learn what you are to know.

What is the meaning of No 3 above?

No. 3 = Examine or test with them; Probe or explore from them

This is the space for your answers

Test them - not test them. There are two words in Hebrew that translate as test. One word means test like a scientist. One means experience like a mystic. This is the word to experience. Let me give you an example to understand the difference.

Is the water hot or cold. I do not know. Let us put a thermometer in the water and find out. Oh, it is 45 degrees. That is pretty cold in Los Angeles and quite warm in Alaska in the winter. Test it - drink the water and see if your tongue gets cold.

Now that you have experienced what you have experienced, it is time to cloak it, veil it, put it into a vessel so that there is spirit and form to everything. If there is no form there can be no revelation of the experience. That is why we somethimes do not remember our meditation. We never cloaked them. We never explored FROM them. They must fit into a structure of perception. Yet know this structure of perception is false and misleading.

A meditation that does not bring information down to earth is not Torah. This is a significant difference between other spiritual paths and the spiritual path of Kabbalah. The purpose of meditation is not to ascend to Heaven. It is to bring Heaven down to earth. Do not tell me how wonderful your Sechel Tenudah has been. Tell me how you have changed. Otherwise you have not brought heaven to earth.

Examine from them. You test and then examine what you can bring into your DAILY LIFE. This is why we have three worlds. Olam Beria explore the mind; Olam Yetzirah explore the feelings; and Olam Assiya - Bring the Exploration of the feeling into the World of Action. Examination is the most important aspect.

What is the meaning of No. 4 above?

No. 4 = Stand a thing upon its base - pedestal - foundation - Creator; return it to its place

Standing something on its base or pedestal or foundation or its Creator has the meaning of what?

Here is your space to answer.

Everything is related to Malchut. Bring it all down to earth. Why do we pray standing? Do you think that God needs our respect? That is why we stand when we pray. If this is your answer...you have not learned anything from the Kabbalah. Bring everything down to the physical world. LIve in the Mud. Lift up the diamond in the mud and clean it up. Do not elevate it back to heaven. Guard it so that it won't get dirty any more... yet your job is to keep searching for the sparks in the mud. What is the metaphor of mud? I can not see through the mud, but i can feel the ooze of the mud and sense when the diamond is available to me.

Now it is time to show you a technique that can be used in every pasook of the Torah. It is extremely useful in that it allows you to enter Sechel Tenudah. The outcome of each entry is a different dimension. A different world. After you do to this technique and learn it, return to this location for a final warning and teaching.

Warning

Ten and not Eleven from this Mishnah is teaching us about the negative systems of meditation used within the new age teachings and the eastern religions. The Chakra system has 7 chakras. Everyone who does not know says it is the same as the 7 lower Sefirot. It is not the same. It is based on the same system that creates the breaking of the vessels. It has no communication between the Chakras and leads to corruption.

There is also a teaching of meditation based on 11 and not 10. This is also a corruption. It is the negative tree which has 10 Sefirot and a captured spark of Holiness which is the 11th. Do not follow these systems. Do not use this system we just learned with the techniques of these meditations from the eastern or new age methods. Follow what i teach or Caveat Emptor. Let the User (actually buyer) beware of the effect. Follow what i am teaching you exactly and you will succeed and be happy with the result. Otherwise, Caveat Emptor.

Up to now I have told my students a white lie. Following these techniques of the new age and eastern meditations leaves you in the earth bound planes. Actually it brings you into the realm of the negative system and their corrupted worlds. Please do not do it.

The astrological section was taught early in this class. It has to do with the planet / non planet Pluto.

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