The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern.
Beautiful people do not just happen.
Elizabeth Kubler Ross
1926 – 2004
INTRODUCTION Using the parsha, or the Torah portion of the week, we have a precise symbolic language that represents a comprehensive understanding of basic universal patterns and energies operative at every level of existence. Our purpose here is to derive meaning from it for the advancement of our souls.
OVERVIEW Avram responds to his calling by leaving his homeland and his father's house to go to the land of Cana'an ("Submission"). In the land of Cana’an ("Submission") Avram faces his biggest challenges and encounters with the unexpected. These well-timed evolutionary triggers awaken Avram to a deeper transpersonal understanding of his existence. It is through this growth that Avram is renamed: Avraham ("Father of Multitudes"). Yet the story does not end there. Avraham now goes to the "Land of Moriah" for yet his greatest of all tests - the binding and intended sacrifice of his son Yitzchak (Isaac). "Moriah" means "awe", “vision" and/or “teachings of God". Tradition identified Mount Moriah of Yitzchak's binding with the Temple Mount of Jerusalem.
CHALLENGES We have all been challenged in many ways. We have either taken advantage of our challenges to change and grow, or we have resisted the inevitable flow of evolution.
As soon as we take the opportunities to grow, our human tests are designed to move us to the next level of empowerment. As we do this, we release fear so we can begin to recognize and tell our own truth. We identify our stories, acknowledge our emotional patterns and learn from both so we can get closer to our soul’s purpose.
The Mishna in Avot (5:4) teaches that, “With Ten Trials was our father Avraham tried, and he stood firm through all of them, this was in order to let his love be known." If one looks at Avraham’s trials symbolically and compares them to their own history, and/or their families history, they will find similarities..
Let us examine each briefly.
The Rambam, (Maimonides) in his explanation of the above Mishna enumerates the ten trials:
1) the “Calling" of Lech Lecha, leaving behind a situation that is no longer working in order to surrender to the unknown.
2) the famine in Canaan, especially after G-d has promised blessing and prosperity – economic security of the entire region is threatened. Feelings of abandonment and perhaps betrayal from Life itself.
3) the injustice he faced in Egypt concerning Sarah – government sponsored injustice.
4) the war between the four kings and the five kings – being at the mercy of the turbulent political climate of the times.
5) the marriage to Hagar that came as a result of having no children with Sarah – family drama and relationship challenges
6) the command to circumcise himself at his advanced age – carrying out G-d’s Will can be painful.
7) the injustice and deception suffered at the hands of Avimelech of Grar when he also took Sarah – people could be cunning, manipulative and self seeking at the expense of others
8) the sending away of Hagar after having impregnated her - family drama, heartbreak, and pain.
9) The sending away of his son Ishmael – family drama, heartbreak and pain.
10) And finally, the binding and attempted sacrifice of Yitzchak, his beloved son, Isaac – testing the limits of sanity itself
* Maimonides is careful to only count incidents specified in the Torah text itself. Therefore, the famous midrashic encounter with Nimrod and the failed execution in Ur Chasdim is omitted.
THE REASON ? The Mishna in Avot (5:4) teaches that, “With Ten Trials was our father Avraham tried, and he stood firm through all of them, this was in order to let
his love be known." To let
whose love be known? Avraham’s or G-d’s? With ten trials did our father Avraham suffer and this was in order that
Avraham’s love be known? Or is it
G-d’s love that becomes known through the struggle?
The text remains ambiguous because both perspectives are true at the same time.
We can say that the trials of Avraham was an opportunity for Avraham to make known his love for G-d through his faith and courage in spite of the difficulties. Or we can say that
his love refers to G-d’s Love and therefore, the purpose behind the trials was to reveal
G-d’s Love in the situation. But how is G-d’s Love something to be found in the suffering itself?
Perhaps by looking into the Hebrew word for “test" itself –
nisayon, we may get a better understanding.
Nisayon shares the same root as the Hebrew word
ness, which means
banner, and also
miracle.
A miracle is something that reveals the Divine in the ordinary.
A banner is something that is elevated and raised which carries a message.
When an individual passes his/her difficult tests in life, s/he not only reveals a deeper part of their souls, but as a result, G-d’s Light is further revealed through the individual’s transformation.
When this occurs, the individual is spiritually elevated and exalted
as a banner of growth and accomplishment. Each triumph over a test elevates the individual. Hence, the verse can be rendered: "With Ten Trials did G-d
exalt Avraham…in order to let His (God’s) Love be known".
The lesson here is to be able to reframe our circumstances that are difficult and understand them as very important lessons that came to surface in our lives because we were in need of some karmic clearing. The term for this process in Kabbalah is called birur hisaron literally, the clearing of a lack, deficiency or imbalance in a soul’s history. The idea that we can once again come in as humans for the opportunity of such a clearing, comes from G-d’s Chesed (“Loving-Kindness"). This is why the Kabbalists teach that the Hebrew word for gilgul (“incarnation of the soul into a body") is the same gematria (numerical equivalent) as the Hebrew word for Chesed (“Loving-Kindness").
Help from the universe is always available to us, even in our bleakest moments, if we open our hearts to it. The moment we stand outside ourselves and connect with a Higher Intelligence than our limited rational minds, we set Miracles in motion. The moment we are able to improve, even the slightest character flaw, a spiritual banner is raised for us in Heaven.
EXERCISE The purpose of the following exercise is to review the current changes/issues in our lives but from a higher perspective. Whether we are aware of it or not, many of our trials are undoubtedly carried over from past lives. We must work through them and .release ourselves from the karma to move forward on our destiny path. We must free ourselves of the past patterns in order to attract more meaningful relationships with ourselves, others, a partner, our community and the world. The following exercise will be helpful for anybody who is going through some level of change.
Directions:
Imagine your current
change is a person you can speak with. Close your eyes and ask your change:
* How are you helping me?
* What positive gifts are you bringing me?
* What spiritual skills are you giving me?
* What new spiritual levels are you leading me toward in my life?
Feel free to use this exercise for journaling.
Throughout this exercise, write as fast as you comfortably can.
Do not think too much….
FINAL THOUGHT Like Avraham, we will be met with many trials. This is because “Beautiful people do not just happen". The trials in life are meant to instigate evolution, and be our catalysts for profound change. Yet to successfully move beyond the growing pains, a relationship to something Higher or more evolved than ourselves is necessary.
So it is my prayer for us all, that we return to our pathways of peace, cleanse our minds of all but helpful thoughts, and grant us the understanding that we might see again the Higher Purpose of our time here on Earth.
Amen.
Rabbi Michael Ezra is a spiritual life coach, counselor and consultant. He can be reached at
coach@kabbalahcoach.com or by visiting his site at
KabbalahCoach.com
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