Passover Village 2013: Kavannah

1/31/13

Shalom Chaverim,

"Old myths, old gods, old heroes have never died.  They are only sleeping at the bottom of our mind, waiting for our call.  We have need for them.  They represent the wisdom of our race"

Stanley Kunitz, American poet laureate

There is something stirring in the air and in the bones this year . . . do you feel it?  It is the call to community, the call of our ancestors wanting us to gather in the old ways.  There is much trouble afoot in the world – fear, greed, terror, death, guns, broken economies – what to make of it all?  Our teachings tell us that where there is much chaos, that is the place of Creation.  But what is it that we are to birth, in this moment, at this time? What is it that humanity needs? 

A Guatemalan shaman once said (paraphrasing) that we need to raise new sap with old roots. 

For us in Passover Village, this will be our 18^th journey to the wilderness seeking to reclaim our old roots – our ancient tribal, indigenous wisdom traditions.  Looking back, it seems inconceivable that this is our 18^th year together - our “Chai” year.  This year we will again be returning to Joshua Tree, where the rocky amphitheater of the land is calling us to another year of earth-based ritual, prayer, camping, and being together.  We go out to the desert, the MiDBar, the place of M’DaBer (speaking), to listen closely for the whispered message that trying to get through to us right from that “still small voice” that once spoke to our greatest prophets.  Pesach is the time to renew our connections with our ancestors and explore our indigenous roots with ritual, song, and community.  We are instructed to tell the story of the communal Exodus from Egypt as if we ourselves had gone out from that “narrow place” over 3000 years ago.   Tell the story, tell the story, always we must tell the story.

For new Villagers coming this year, a bit of background: our community seeks to explore the connection to what it actually means to be a Hebrew - an   Ivri, a boundary crosser – a member of an indigenous, tribal, aboriginal people who once lived day to day connected intimately to the land, to nature, and to Spirit.  You say this is not the Judaism you know?  Probably not, but what other explanation do you have for a people who refer to heaven as the “place of fire-water” (Sha’mayim).  Each year we establish our “ Passover Village” for an extended weekend, where we enjoy each other’s presence and spirits in a cooperative, and heart-felt endeavor.  Our vision is to create a place in which we all dwell together as Brothers and Sisters, in which each Soul is fully seen, recognized, and acknowledged: creating a lattice of contribution in which each person serves a different role, a vital role in the community, aligned as much as possible to his/her core self. 

This Year’s Kavannah

Every year we also add a bit of additional kavannah  (spiritual intention) to our weekend, to help us explore more deeply our tribal history together. This year, our kavannah will be to continue the inquiry of community begun last year, adding to it a deep exploration of our tribal symbols, colors, character, and purpose – call this “Building Tribal Community”.  Our model is that of the 12 Tribes, which we have studied throughout the year, seeking to understand more deeply the way in which those 12 divisions can speak to us, speak through us, to guide us in this modern age of trouble.

There are 2 Hebrew words for tribe used in Torah: Shevet and Mateh.  Both words also mean “staff”.  A shevet refers to a shepherd’s crook that is used to guide the flock, while a mateh refers to a walking stick, a staff meant to be used for movement, action, creation (as in the staff of Moses, really the Staff of Elohim, which was used to initiate the wonders and miracles that brought the People out of Egypt and helped them in the wilderness).   So the tribes are our guides, and our means of walking on the Earth.  Forgetting their ways puts us in peril - remembering may lead us to ourselves.

What do the tribes of the South – Reuven, Shimon, Gad – have to say to us about the ways of the child, the ways of clarifying our intentions, the ways of Water?  And what of the Western tribes – Ephraim, Menashe, and Benjamin – what relevance do their majestic and fierce totems have to teach us today?  In the North, is the serpent of Dan to be feared or honored? The olives of Asher to be eaten or burned? And what does it mean that Naftali is likened to a deer?  Or Judah a lion?  Or the role of Zevulun relative to its brother-tribe Issaschar?  Colors, flags, standards, stones, totems – we did not learn about these in Sunday school when we were kids, yet they are our indigenous tradition, the tribal archetypes that organize our collective unconscious.  If we turn our attention to them, what message do they have to M’DaBer to us in the MiDBar this year?  If you identify with Naftali, what does that mean?  If you fear your “inner Shimon”, what might you actually learn form him?  What tribal energies in you are crying to be released, to be freed from their Mitzrayim?  What gifts do they bring to you, and in turn through you to the rest of the world? 

A very special request this year:

It is our intention to consciously engage the energies, wisdom, and consciousness of our tribal ancestors when we gather this year in Joshua Tree.  All year we have studied parts of Torah and other sources to learn about the Tribes of Israel, what each tribe’s character, purpose, and destiny was, as expressed by the blessings given them by Jacob and Moses.   We strongly encourage everyone who attends to read the notes written from each of our study periods over the year on our blogsite at http//passovervillage.blogsite.com     If you attended those sessions, this will remind you of the territory we have covered, and if you did not attend, it will provide you with much context for the material we will work with when we gather.  Also, feel free to explore the primary texts again, as indicated on the blog, or other materials having to do with the tribes.  The deeper our knowledge going in, the richer our encounter with the Mystery will be. 

As we gather again this year among the stone beings of Joshua Tree, among the memories that we have built over the last 17 years, we will celebrate the freedom that we hold so dear, and again learn from one another what it means to be a community connected to the earth, to our ancestors, to Spirit, and to the best within each of us and each of our fellow human beings.

 Please feel free to Email with any questions, comments, etc.

Shalom U’L’hitraot – see you in Joshua Tree!

Marc

TO REGISTER FOR THIS YEAR’S PASSOVER VILLAGE RETREAT GO TO:

http://passovervillage.blogspot.com/2010/01/registration-is-open-for-passover-2010.html      

Purple Rivers

Purple Rivers

1-05-13

BaMidbar Rabbah II:3

With great love did the Holy One, blessed be the One, love them [the tribes] for The One organized them under banners/flags like the ministering angels, so that they might be easily distinguished. How do we know that this was a sign of love? Because Solomon says: "He has brought me to the house of wine, and his banner over me is love." (Song of Songs 2:4). 

Shemot 1:1 (today’s parasha, the first chapter of the Book of Exodus):

“And these are the names of the Children of Israel who were coming to Egypt; with Jacob each man and his household came.  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah . . .  Gad, and Asher.”

We held a technologically challenging study group this month.  As several could not attend in person due to illness or other reasons, the group included participants on Skype and conference call.  We worked initially with the last part of Louis Ginzberg’s translation of  Midrash Rabbah relating to tribal symbols in the desert, then concluded with Moshe’s blessings for the tribes in Deuteronomy.

P 236: “the purple color of the cloud of glory was reflected in the waters of the rivers”

The midrash is full of images of beauty describing the encampment of the Israelites in the desert.  Multiple colors, dominated by the purple of the Cloud, rivers, and garments.  Color – the antithesis of the tza’a’rat described as the pale white skin manifestation of the spiritual sin of slander, as afflicted Miriam.  This passage also contains extensive descriptions of the sacred geometry of the encampment, with the Mishkan in the center, encircled by the Levites in the 4 directions, they in turn encircled by the 12 tribal encampments in the 4 directions, they in turn encircled by their cattle and other animals, with purple rivers separating the humans from the animals, and each directional encampment from the other.  Also, 4 rivers dividing each directional division of tribes, like the 4 rivers that flowed from the 1 out of Eden in Genesis, with wooden boards used to bridge the rivers and connect the tribes.  The unity in the diversity, the echad in the all.  And a focus on the miracle of their garments, that grew with them like a skin, never soiled, always new, for the 40 years of journeying in the desert.  Fascinating.  The importance of clothing to the tribe, and to the individual.

p.237: “ . . .  each individual tribe had its own special flag and symbols . . . “

The symbols described on the flags speak to the character of each tribe, as in Asher’s symbol of the olive tree, representing all the olive trees and olive oil on the territory of Asher.  But wait!  This is in the desert during the Exodus, and Asher’s olive trees are at least 40 years away.  But our ancestors lived in times of prophecy, and proximity to the Divine, where past is future, and vice versa.  So that Jacob’s blessings of his sons, and Moses later blessings of the tribes that came from those forefathers, speak to their future but also reflect their intrinsic natures and past actions.  This is a repeated theme of our tradition, as in the name of YHVH – that was, is, and will be all at the same time - flowing and moving through every aspect of creation. 

From what we know of the tribes, it would seem there were leaders and followers, tribes who were the haves and those that were the have-nots.  So were these characteristics of the tribes true of all tribal members?  What is the relationship between the destiny within the tribe vs our usual Western concept of  the “freedom” of individual free will?  It could be that having a tribal destiny or purpose brings with it a different form of freedom  –  the freedom to get IN rather than get out.  As it is in some African tribes, where the spiritually divined purpose of a newborn baby is supported by the entire tribe, so that the infant can grow and fulfill his/her destiny with the encouragement and guidance of all tribal members.

We found ourselves asking how we might work with this issue of tribal character and purpose in Passover Village this year, or even from now until PV.  One suggestion: meditate, pray, contemplate the tribes, feel which one calls to you, wants to teach you its lessons.  Another suggestion: let us use all 5 senses to fully experience these archetypal patterns of our ancestors.  Another suggestion: pick tribal flags out of a hat and take on the lessons of that tribe, as an actor takes a part.  Whatever we choose to do, it is clear that these 12 tribal archetypes, or 13 depending how you count them, are all present in each one of us, and whichever route we choose to explore, the teachings will be there.

Deuteronomy 33:2: “From his right hand He presented the fiery Torah to them  . . . “

So says the English translation of one of the verses leading up to Moses’ blessing of the tribes near the end of his life.  But looking at the Hebrew, one does not find the word for fire or the word for Torah.  There is a single word - Esh’daht  - Aleph-Shin-Dalet–Taf.  The commentaries tell us the rabbis do not know what this means.  What!?  All of our sages throughout history, and nobody knows what this means!  We humbly seek some meaning in the letters.  This is an Alef-Taf word, like Et” the marker of the direct object of a sentence, or “Emet” which means truth.  These words contain everything that lies between the Alef, the first letter of the Aleph-Bet, and Taf, the last letter of the Aleph-Bet.  So in other words, these words contain everything.  And what is between them in this word is Shin-Dalet, Shad, which has the meaning of hill, or breast, or sufficiency, as in El Shaddai, the God of Sufficiency.  So our translation could be that from His Right hand, the hand of Hesed, lovingkindness, He gave them everything, with sufficiency and nourishment in between.  Another way to look at the word Esh’daht.  It begins with the word Alef-Shin, or Aish, which means fire.  This must be the source of our translation.  We know the element of Fire as one of the 3 Mother letters, corresponding to the Sefira of Binah, understanding, which gave birth to all of subsequent Creation.  But what of Dalet-Taf, Dat?  Shorthand for Da’at, Knowledge, the pseudo-Sefirah which follows Binah in the Tree of Life?    Isn’t Hebrew fun?

Deuteronomy 6-24: “ . . . Reuven . . . Judah . . . Levi . . . etc ” 

The blessings of each of the tribes by Moses serve as bookends to those Jacob gave directly to his sons centuries earlier, the personal character of those sons now having matured into the character of an entire tribe.   Thus, while Jacob highlighted Reuven’s impetuous nature that got him into lots of trouble and lost him his birthright, Moses prays that his enemies may not wipe him out, and that he should always be counted among his people.  Jacob’s blessing that Judah will be the warrior, king, leader of the people is echoed by Moses, emphasizing this tribe’s future role as interlocutor for the people with HaShem.  The priestly tribe of Levi is described as being so focused on their spiritual duties as to be disconnected from parents, brothers, and children.  Are these the necessary boundaries and level of dedication needed for the priests to guide the entire people in its spiritual development, or, on the shadow side, are these the potential seeds of a destructive zealotry? Joseph will bring bounty to the people, as he provided food during famine in Egypt.  Gad and Dan are acknowledged as lions, in addition to Judah, the warrior tribes.  And Asher will be awash in oil.

Deuteronomy 33:26:  “There is none like God, Jeshurun!”

Who is Jeshurun?  This is one of many names used to describe the Children of Israel, including B’nai Yisrael, House of Jacob, etc., each likely emphasizing a particular attribute of the entire people.  So Jeshurun comes from the root Yashar, meaning straight, perhaps indicating the people that follow the straight path of direct connection to HaShem inspired and characterized by the revelation at Sinai, the giving of the Torah, the Mishkan, the Tribes, the flags, and the purple rivers.

Post-script: There are other mentions of the tribes, their actions, and characters in other parts of Tanach that we have not yet studied.  For instance, in her song of glory (Judges, Chapter 5), Devorah sings praises of the tribes that fought with her in the defeat of Sisera, while castigating those tribes who did not come to help her when she called.  There are mentions of the tribes in Psalms, Chronicles, and no doubt many others.  Further descriptions are found in the books of Kabbalah, such as Sefer Yetzirah, where the tribes are associated with the months of the year and the constellations of the Zodiak.    We will continue to mine our source materials for more information and more understandings of our tribal ancestors, and how they live through us even to this day.

Next Gathering: Saturday, February 2   

Location: To be determined

Hooks Into Clouds

Hooks into Clouds

12-08-12

We gathered just before Chanukah began to continue our learning together, to be followed by food, and song, and sharing of light.  We read today from Louis Ginzberg’s English translations of Midrashim in his classic, “Legends of the Jews”, Volume 3. 

P 231: “Do not concern thyself with the positions of the standards”

God instructs Moshe to give the people standards (banners or signs) and to position them around the Mishkan.  Moses is troubled: which tribe will go in which direction?  He need not worry – the tribes will arrange themselves according to the positions the sons of Jacob had taken some 200+ years earlier when they carried Jacobs casket back to Hebron for burial.   There is something in the collective unconscious of the tribes that aligns to the 4 directions, just as Jacob had instructed his sons to the 4 directions to carry his bones home.

p.231: “The division of the tribes according to 4 standards, as well as their subdivision at each standard, is not arbitrary . . . “

The alignment of the tribes to the 4 directions is in the same alignment as that of the 4 archangels around the celestial Throne.  This reflects a major principle in Hebrew-Judaic thought: as above, so below - Malchut is a reflection of Keter; the 7 Heavens correspond to the 7 Earth realms.  So the tribal standard bearers around the Tabernacle line up with the Angels: Gabriel/Judah to the front/East; Michael/Reuven to the right/South; Raphael/Ephraim to the back/West; Uriel/Dan to the left/North.  But this alignment of the angels is different than the one many of us know from Debbie Friedman’s song, which puts Gabriel to the left, and Uriel in front.  But these are 2 separate teachings: one deals with the sacred geometry of the heavens and earth, while one is the very personal protection around the individual.  Mandalas within mandalas.  Or perhaps, as with most teachings in our tradition, there is more than one opinion offered by different sages and commentators.  Did Rambam and Ramban ever agree on anything?  Hillel and Shamai?  What a great tradition we have inherited!  Or maybe Debbie Friedman just got it wrong. : )

p. 232: “God had other reasons for the divisions of the tribes . . . “

This begins to get into deep symbology regarding the nature of each tribe, as handed down from the original tribal ancestors, the sons of Jacob.  Judah is in the East, where the light of the rising sun is associated with the light of kingship that will come from Judah, along with the light of Torah of Issachar, and the shining wealth of Zevulun.  In the South, the place of dew and rain, the 2 strong tribes of Reuben and Gad are needed to keep Shimon between them, keeping in check that tribe’s capacity for erratic violence and harm.  In the West, associated with the forces of Nature, Ephraim, Menashe, and Benjamin will guard the rear flank.  Darkness comes from the North, associated with the sin of the tribe of Dan in accepting the golden calf altar of King Jeroboam after the 2 kingdoms split following Solomon’s death.  Shining Asher and Naftali align with Dan to illuminate the darkness.  So the groupings of the tribes synergize with each other, some tribes strengths supporting other tribes weaknesses.

p. 233: “The 4 standards were distinguished by their different colors, inscriptions, and figures upon each. “

The colors of the 4 standards corresponded to the colors of the stones of each tribe in the breastplate of the Cohen Gadol.  Each standard also had inscribed upon it the names of each of the 3 tribes of that direction, the symbol of the standard bearing tribe, and a significant line from Torah.  These lines of Torah are familiar to us, but not in this aboriginal Hebrew context.  Faced with expulsion from the land, and the loss of the ability to perform physical ritual any longer, our sages laced these lines of Torah that were present on the 4 standards within the common liturgy.  So that in present times, when we remove the Torah from the Ark every Shabbat and proclaim (with a grand Ashkenazic tune): “Arise YHVH and let Your enemies be scattered, and let them that hate You flee before You”, we don’t even have a clue that this is the equivalent of invoking the Tribe of Judah, and along with it Issaschar and Zevulun, the power of Gabriel, light, warrior and king, and the New Beginnings of the East Ruach.  These metaphoric guts of our tradition have been so hidden to us across the centuries, we don’t even know ourselves!  These were the marching orders, which Moses would proclaim before the Tabernacle was packed up, the signal for Judah to lead the tribal formation forward on the next leg of the journey through the wilderness.  Finally, each standard had “sword-like hooks of gold”.  The Midrash tells us that on these hooks, through Divine providence, rested a strip of the seventh cloud of glory within which could be seen the individual letters of the names of the Patriarchs.  It is as if these standards were an offering, a calling to the Seventh Heaven, an invitation for God to settle His/Her presence with the encampment.  They were “fishing for God”, and the hooks would attach the Anan/cloud to the standards and bring the blessings of the Ancestors to the Israelite encampment around the Mishkan in the desert. 

We were swimming in these metaphors, imagining how we might explore them at Joshua Tree on Pesach, as the smells of cooking latkes ended our study, and the party began.  Chag Chanukah Sameach!  May the joy of your light grow stronger with each night, with each candle, and may you shine as you were meant to!

Next Gathering: Saturday, January 5  

Location: To be determined