Pardes - A Meditation
To enter the Pardes properly one must pass through a spiritual doorway consisting of a lintel, right and left door posts and a threshold.
The right door post is associated with acts of kindness, while the left doorpost, with prayer and meditation. The lintel represents Torah wisdom, and the threshold, humility. Each of the four forms of spiritual practice contributes something which the others do not; thus without all four, the entrance to the Pardes is still incomplete.
Torah wisdom is located above the other three because all forms of spiritual practice, be it meditation, acts of loving-kindness, or humility must be guided by the Torah. Acts of kindness brings the Torah that we learn to life, benefiting G-d's world and enabling us to experience the teachings in a tangible way. Meditation enables us to deeply internalize Torah teachings as well as to purify our hearts. Humility is located beneath the other forms of spiritual practice because it is through it that one becomes a 'vessel' for the other forms: only the humble person feels that he is lacking wisdom and must continue learning, that he is yet impure of heart and must therefore refine himself, and only the humble person genuinely cares about others and is thus capable of expressing kindness; humility is thus at the bottom for it serves as a foundation for the other three.
Kabbalah - Enter Here |
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You are invited to enter through the doorway, to delight in the luscious fruits in our orchard, and to refresh yourself by drinking from the stream that runs through it.
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