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Leviticus 16:1 - 18:30 Leviticus 19:1 - 20:27
This study of mysticism in Hebrew Gematria is dedicated in the loving memory of Mr. Arnold Student Litman, a graduate of Harvard and an honored World War II hero, may he rest in peace.
Dear reader, there are many portraits of holiness. Many are nothing more than artful imaginary concepts. Others are silhouettes in stereotype costumes. IT IS SICKENING!! Our world needs real holiness. Yet so few of us know what that is. Understanding what Holiness is is easy! Hashem says, 'Holy you shall be' for Holy I am..." At JewishPath we define Holiness as separation. Let's try a few examples: Examples of Holiness: First option: Maybe that is just too difficult. Second option: More Examples: Story: The Serious Blunder in Dating... There are single individuals living in Jewish communities worldwide that have never married for various reasons... We are going to discuss one possible reason. It's not like these individuals haven't tried. They have. On many occasions some have contacted us at JewishPath requesting a blessing. Our heart reaches out to anyone who is alone!! We often receive correspondence normally before these individuals travel to meet a prospective mate. Usually they travel to large communities where many Jews live. I am deeply touched by those who are lonely... by those seeking their mate. At Yom Kippur I left the room where hundreds of us were praying to journey down the hall to my room where I fell on my knees and began weeping. I wept for the needs of many dear readers. We receive many requests at JewishPath throughout the year. Among those I begged Hashem's help for was our singles. I sobbed! Why? I felt the pains of loneliness... I understand, I have been there. Yet, dear reader, there is some sad news to this. Some of the readers that I prayed for were presently dating non Jews. Some had dated non Jews in the past... and some, like myself, had even married non Jews. Some were living an alternative lifestyle like those discussed in this week's parsha. Why am I mentioning this? In Judaism we believe that each of us has a soul mate. We often refer to that mate as our basherte meaning, "the one we are destined to marry." What happens if you are religiously seeking your basherte who is dating non Jews... who is married to a non Jew... who is living an alternative lifestyle...? It's difficult to make the connection. You see, dear readers, that is why we teach and emphasize holiness at JewishPath. Our actions do affect others... Some of these Jews are individuals living in observant communities, others are Jews living in assimilation. We need to come together! We need to realize the intention of holiness and the benefits of holiness. Holy readers, Hashem cannot reward or bless behavior that contradicts the Torah! Individuals who play in two fields, i.e., Judaism and outside Judaism are doing just that. It's a little like the game of Hearts. Does one go high or low? If you try to do both you will normally lose. Simply put, how can an individual marry as the Torah specifies if they are dating in objection to the Torah? Where are our commitments to Torah values? In situations like this one may lose out! If one has dated non Jews, for many years not only are they displaced, but somewhere in this world is a displaced mate. Dear reader, when asked out one MUST have a Torah protocol. Only date within Judaism. Wear appropriate attire. Be modest! No touching! Visit in public.... this is separation! This is holiness! I struggle with emotion. It is easy for me to show disfavor by raising my voice or by snide remarks, etc. In most instances this is not good! It is not holy! Each of us have construction areas of some kind. These are areas that need remodeling and improvement... Chassidim, holiness is a minute by minute series of choices. Many of these choices should be choices of separation. Again 'Holy you shall be' for Holy I am..." In other words Hashem is " SEPARATE ". Hashem is unlike anyone or anything else. If we are to be like Hashem then that is the form that we MUST develop. The Gematria Kee - Kaw dosh - Ah nee, meaning " for Holy I am " is the Gematria 501. In the mystical sense we can link our ultimate goal with Kee - Kaw dosh - Ah nee {" for Holy I am "} with the word Ti moo nawh, meaning "form or likeness." So, dear reader, when we separate, we separate what we were from what we are supposed to be. What we are supposed to be is holy like Hashem. We are supposed to be whole as in wholesome. We are not supposed to be hole-y, i.e., having many gaps of emptiness in our live which is unlike Hashem! Kee - Kaw
dosh Ah nee {for
Holy I am} Ti moo nawh {form
/ likeness} For those that are single may Hashem bless you with your soul mate! for those of us whose lives are "under construction" may Hashem bless each of us with assistance in our areas of difficulty! Good Shabbos! Dr. Akiva G. Belk JewishPath is a sponsor of B'nai Noach Torah Institute. As a sponsor we are permitted to offer one FREE E-Mail course on a limited basis per individual from BNTI's Introduction Courses. We invite you to visit and choose an E - Mail Intro Course. BNTI offers Intro Courses in Judaism and Spirituality {7 Noaich Laws}. BNTI Responses are NOT AUTO!!
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