llustration by Yoseph Savan based on The Zohar . In order to fully assimilate the Messianic Consciousness as the premise for the Final Redemption, we have to understand key fundamental principles the Hebrew Bible teaches us.
God created us in His image and likeness; we and all the Creation emanate from God’s Love and are sustained by Him; our Essence and true identity come from God’s Love; we are destined to be and manifest Love as the material manifestation of God’s Love; He has a Plan for His Creation as a result of His Love for it; in His Love, God endowed humankind with free will for us to know our Essence and identity in order to know Him; God created evil to enable free will and become aware that evil exists only as a reference to choose goodness.
As we reflect on these principles we come to the easy conclusion that everything we discern, think, feel, say and do are based on free will. Hence the Messianic Consciousness and the Final Redemption depend on the choices we make. In this context, we have to choose in order to live by what we chose. The Torah tells us that the Redemption from slavery in Egypt was the result of the children of Israel’s crying out loud to God. They remembered Him, and He responded to their call. From this Chassidic Sages teach that the Redemption from Egypt came from above, and the Final Redemption will come from bellow. We must understand this as a dynamic process. God hears if we speak to Him, and also responds when we cry out to Him. This is the real “primal scream”. We call out to our Creator since the moment we take our first breath in the material world.
“For of old time I have broken your yoke, and burst your bands, and you said: ‘I will not transgress’; upon every high hill and under every leafy tree you did recline, playing the harlot.” (Jeremiah 2:20) “Withhold your foot from being unshod, and your throat from thirst; but you said: ‘There is no hope; no, for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go’.” (2:25)
Speaking of choices, the Prophet calls our attention regarding free will. God reminds us through him that He gave us free will, because that is the key to connect to Him. The “problem” is how we handle free will. Here we have to reflect on our Essence and true identity. This one is destined to rule and guide free will. At this point we realize that our freedom lies on Love as the material manifestation of God’s Love, from where we all came. Thus we assimilate that Love is its own cause and effect, the paradigm of our existence. We are here because of Love and for Love. Real freedom is living in Love’s ways and attributes. Therefore we exercise our free will by choosing Love as the motivation and the intention in order to see Love as its effect. All the Jewish Prophets make us aware of the negative choices we make, and their cause and effect in our consciousness.
“If you will return, O Israel, said the Lord, return unto Me; and if you will put away your detestable things out of My sight, and will not waver; and will swear: ‘As the Lord lives’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; then shall the nations bless themselves by Him, and in Him shall they glorify. For thus said the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: break up for you a fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.” (4:1-3)
As we mentioned above, the dynamics of human consciousness is based on free will. This means we have to choose the path to the Final Redemption by assimilating the Messianic Consciousness, in which Love guides and directs all aspects, facets and dimensions of life. We kiss goodbye ego’s desire for material fantasies and illusions, and embrace the truth, justice and righteousness of Love’s ways and attributes, the blessings of God’s Love by which we glorify Him. These are the fertile fields where there are no thorns. We are not going to be redeemed by God’s Love if we do not choose back to Love. As long as we remain living with and in the negative trends of consciousness, Redemption will be pure wishful thinking.
“O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be redeemed. How long shall your baleful thoughts lodge within you?” (4:14) “For My people is foolish, they know Me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” (4:22)
The admonitions and warnings continue in the messages of the Prophet, as a reiteration process to make us fully aware of what we do with our free will. Here we realize that our choices are directly proportional to our knowledge of God. The less we know Him, the less we are connected to Him. Let’s remind ourselves that the knowledge of God leads us to know our Essence and identity, for what we are and have come from Him. The more we know Him, the more we know who we are and for what are we here.
“Thus said the Lord: Let not the wise man glorify in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glorify in his might, let not the rich man glorify in his riches. But let him that glorifies glorify in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness in the Earth; for in these things I delight, said the Lord.” (9:22-23)
God’s Love is our glory and delight. In His ways and attributes we delight, for they are our freedom and fulfillment. These verses make us understand what our Sages meant when they ask who is rich. We see here that it’s not about wisdom, might or material possessions, but our knowledge of the Creator. In this knowledge we realize that true richness is our connection with Him.
“O Lord, correct me, but in measure; not in Your anger, lest You diminish me. Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that know You not, and upon the families that call not on Your Name; for they have devoured Jacob, yea, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.” (10:24-25)
Hence in true humbleness we ask Him to guide us in the path He promised for us. At this point we have learned that the nations, as the negative trends in consciousness, are the cause of our separation from Him, His ways and attributes, which make our free will wise and safeguard our bond with Him. The Prophet emulates here King David’s words:
“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks unto Your holy Name, that we may glorify in Your praise. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting, and let all the people say: ‘Amen’. Praise the Lord.” (Psalms 106:47-48)
Haifa, Southern Galilee, Israel- Ariel Ben Avraham (f. Zapata) was born in Cartagena, Colombia in 1958. After studying Cultural Anthropology in Bogotá moved to Chicago in 1984 where he worked as a television writer, reporter and producer for 18 years. In the 1990′s he produced video documentaries related to art, music, history and culture such as “Latin American Trails: Guatemala” distributed by Facets.org. Most of his life he studied ancient spiritual traditions and mysticism of major religions, understanding the mystic experience as the individual means to connect with Divinity. Since 2004 he studies and writes about Jewish mysticism and spirituality mainly derived from the Chassidic tradition, and the practical philosophy of the teachings of Jewish mystic Sages. The book “God as Love” is the compilation of his last years studying and learning Jewish mysticism, and the messages of the book are part of the content, exercises and processes of a series of seminars
