To Be the Sabbath
Why the Torah Scroll will eventually be nullified—not because it is wrong, but because you will become it.
(Note: This teaching is from Avi Guri, a student of the lineage.)
THE GUARDIANS OF THE THRESHOLD
The Sabbath (Shabbat) is not an amulet given to us to hang around our necks. The Sabbath is a State of Being (Havaya).
It can be compared to a character in a movie or a play. A character given to an actor not so he can imitate it from the outside, but so he can enter it into himself, until the boundary between the actor and the character blurs.
An actor can be 180 degrees different from the character, and yet convince the audience that he is the character itself. But the Sabbath is not a temporary role. It is an Identity.
We, human beings, must bring the Sabbath inside us. Into consciousness. Into the root of being. Not to “play” Shabbat. But to Be Shabbat.
This is the meaning of the “Extra Soul” (Neshama Yeteira). The Divine Spark that dwells in man, from which he acts, and not from the fluctuations of the body, emotion, thought, and impulse.
And when this Spark awakens, it is possible to draw it into the six days of action as well, and not leave it imprisoned in one day alone. Thus, all days become Shabbat.
To be the Sabbath, there is no necessity to “prove” Sabbath observance. When the State of Being is truly present, there is no need for a declaration.
A Story from the Study Hall: When we sat to learn with Chaim Shlomo (our teacher and Rabbi), we would contemplate the Torah for a whole day, and sometimes into the first and second watches of the night.
One day, a religious man entered on Shabbat. He introduced himself as a journalist and claimed he wanted to be the first to write about the Messiah.
When he entered the crowded room and saw pens and writing paper on the table, he was horrified. (Note: Writing is traditionally forbidden on Shabbat.)
“Is this how you keep Shabbat?” he asked.
Our teacher answered him with a question: “Would you be capable of sitting with us for an entire Sabbath day—almost ten hours, without meals—and studying the Internality of the Torah?”
The man answered honestly that it would be too hard for him. He preferred to stick to the tradition of Oneg Shabbat (Delight of the Sabbath—food and rest) and the framework of the laws.
And from here it becomes clear: It is possible to sustain Shabbat in different ways. Spiritual development can occur through deep and piercing study no less than through the fulfillment of Halacha.
From Sacrifice to Essence When the Temple existed, sacrifices were brought from all over the land. The animal (Behemah) is nothing but a parable for the Animal Force within us: Instinct, impulse, nature.
After the Destruction, the sacrifices were converted into prayers. The sacrifice moved from the Altar to the Heart.
And today, when humanity has undergone a consciousness leap and psychology digs into the human psyche, it is possible to understand the depth of the Commandment of Sacrifice:
Do we have the power to change our attributes (Midot)?
Is it possible to transform the Instinct, and not just restrain it?
The Nullification of the Book The Kabbalists teach that at the end of the process, the Torah Scroll will be nullified. Not because there is no need for it. But because every person will become a Living Torah Scroll.
And when I am a Torah Scroll, do I still need to carry a book under my armpit?
The Prophet Isaiah cries out: “Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth…” (Isaiah 1:14) Not against the Commandments. But against Commandments that have become an end in themselves. Disconnected from Truth, from Morality, from Correction.
The Destruction of the First and Second Temples did not stem from a lack of observance. It stemmed from Observance without Truth.
“And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land.” (Ruth 1:1) When a person judges the other— there is a famine in the land. Famine is not just for bread. Famine is a Lack of Awareness (Da’at).
The Evil Inclination is not an external enemy. It is an internal force. And the Torah and the Commandments are the spice— the tools given to direct this energy toward Connection, Correction, and Holiness.
Reflect:
The Actor: Are you “playing” the role of a spiritual person, or have you become the character?
The Test: Could you skip the “fun” parts of your ritual (the food, the social gathering) and just sit with the raw Truth for 10 hours?
The Book: If all the holy books in the world disappeared today, how much Torah would be left written on your heart?