This week we can connect to the secret of what being “holy” really means and how it’s relevant to our daily lives.
My teacher Rav Berg, in Kabbalah for the Layman, writes,
‘The fundamental concept of holiness has usually been associated with purity of life, purity of action, and purity of thought. However, from a kabbalistic standpoint, the concept of holiness stretches far beyond the framework of religious ideas. The word “holiness” might more properly be written as “wholiness”, which implies a circular concept of circuitry— the inclusion of the whole, everything.’
‘There is one premise in the whole of Kabbalah, and only one. This premise, from which every idea contained in kabbalistic teaching can be evolved, is the Creator is all-inclusive and lacks nothing whatsoever.’
A force of pure sharing doesn’t need anything from us (including our devotion). So being more holy cannot be about my religious devotion to the Creator.
Holy or ‘wholly’ is referring to something that is complete, never falls apart and lasts forever! There are products that manufacturers guarantee will last a lifetime, but will they last forever? Probably not! Diamonds are forever, aren’t they? If you have can afford to test the theory, you’ll find you can actually crush or burn a diamond. Diamond jewelry can also unfortunately be lost or stolen. So what is this famous phrase really getting at? The diamond industry wants consumers to equate the (almost) indestructible nature of diamonds to the eternal love that one has for their spouse. You buy a diamond as a symbol of your love; since a diamond will last ‘forever’, so will your love. Now we are getting somewhere!
“Holy” is a code word for the spiritual realm where all miracles, freedom, and fulfillment originate, the realm known as the Ein Sof (the Endless World).
There is nothing material that will last forever - everything physical is temporary... everything!
What does last forever?
Energy lasts forever, it can’t be created or destroyed, it merely transforms. In Kabbalah we learn that this energy is called Light and we reveal it through our actions. Our soul is like a light bulb that reveals the hidden electricity from the hidden cables of a home. The only actions we do that last forever are ones that reveal Light.
Kabbalistic wisdom (and any other wisdom of truth) is Light. The Rav told countless people words of Light that are still clear in their minds decades after. The Zohar is over 2,000 years old and the Bible 3,400 years old! How many things have been around that long? Wisdom is one of the things that no one can take away from us.
During the 7-week period we are currently in, called ‘The Omer’, our temporary desires will become more apparent. This way we have an opportunity to transform them and reveal what the kabbalists call our true essence, a desire only for the Light. This is, therefore, an opportune time to ask ourselves if what we crave is lasting or just short term. Do my relationships have the potential to last or are they just there to temporarily satisfy an obsession? Are the things I spend my time staring at or reading online going to change my life or just satisfy a little temporary curiosity?
Being holy is about becoming a long term investor. With the right desires everything we do can be geared towards revealing Light. Even the mundane physical activities that we are involved with can be made holy if their purpose is to help us share more and reveal more Light.
