The Root of All Ceremony
The Root of Ceremonies: The Attempt to Touch the Light When There Is No Da’at
When humanity fell from the level of divine knowledge (da’at), from the level of direct connection with the Creator, it lost the sense of inner presence.
It no longer “saw” the light, no longer “heard” the voice, and therefore it searched for a way to awaken that same experience from the outside.
The Zohar says:
“When da’at (knowledge/consciousness) departed, the worship of forms was born.”
Meaning, instead of feeling the holiness in the soul, people began to imitate it in their actions.
The direct contact was replaced by a symbol, a formula, a custom, a ceremony.
Ceremony as a Substitute for Presence
According to the Ramchal in “The Way of God,” when humanity lost the ability to feel the spiritual influence in the worlds, the need arose for an external act that would hold the connection. And with the descent of the generations, more tangible acts were needed to remind them of the essence of the spiritual bond.
But what was a supporting means,
over time became a substitute for Godliness.
Humanity began to believe that the power was hidden in the ceremony itself,
and not in the consciousness behind it.
This is the root of the worship of idols—not just of statues, but of any ceremony or symbol that is done without da’at.
Religion Instead of Godliness
Baal HaSulam describes this as a state in which “the shell precedes the fruit.” The religious or national act is done without inner light, and as such, it steals the attention away from the essence.
“As long as a person does not see the Creator face to face, he is obligated in garments and in actions. But when the Face is revealed, all the garments fall away.” (Letters of Baal HaSulam)
Ceremonies were born from the darkness of an absence of inner experience, and they continued to exist because they give a person a sense of belonging, security, and identity in place of true da’at.
The Torah of Mashiach: A Return to the Inside
The Torah of Mashiach comes not to cancel the forms, but to strip the shell from them.
To reveal that the holy place is in the heart, not in a temple.
That the menorah, the altar, the shofar, the candles—are all symbols for spiritual points within a person.
When the consciousness returns to its place,
all the forms fall away on their own.
They become what they truly are:
a language of light,
not an obligation of action.
This is why it is written in the Zohar:
“In the Torah of Mashiach, all the secrets will be revealed, and all the ceremonies will be like rectified letters in their light.”
Ceremonies grew
from the absence of da’at and inner experience.
From the human need to express yearning through action.
From an identification with form instead of with essence.
But when the consciousness of Mashiach opens,
there is no more need for substitutes.
The person returns to direct contact with the source of the light.
The external work is replaced by the work of the heart,
and the temple is built inside the consciousness.
Reflect:
Think of a ceremony or ritual you practice. Can you connect with the original, direct experience it was meant to point toward?
Where in your life have you allowed the “shell to precede the fruit”—focusing on the external action so much that you’ve lost the inner meaning?
What would it feel like to have such a direct and constant connection to the Source that you no longer needed external reminders?
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