Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an age-old battle!
We have two contenders:
In the left corner, we have the iPadim – heavyweight champion since 2010, mainly trained by the consciousness of the physical world and fragmentation.
In the right corner we have the Urim and Tumim of the High Priest – heavyweight champion during the time of the tabernacle and the temple, trained by the consciousness of the Endless, the 99% realm of the Light.
The iPadim is able to give you information at a touch of a button, and some even have the capability to answer any question you have by a voice named Siri. All the answers to your questions in the palm of your hand!
You need directions on where to go? There are maps and GPS providers. Need some information on a subject – Wikipedia or Google is right there! Need to figure out how to say something in another language? No problem!
The only weakness? Battery life! If you ever find yourself in the middle of nowhere and your battery dies, you are on your own! No contact to the outside world, no maps, no information, no translator.
Now, some would say that is not the only weakness. As Rav Berg says, “Yes, you can type in or even ask a question and it will give you an answer – but only on information that is put in it, or put on the web.”
If you need information on how to improve your life, you will be left to your own devices and, oftentimes, the luck of the draw. It’s up to you to choose the right partner, business consultant, marriage counselor, and so on.
Was there ever a computer that could provide answers about such personal issues?
Yes! The Urim and Tumim, which were the two parts of the High Priest’s breastplate in the Torah.
Rav Berg refers to Urim and Tumim as the ‘master computer’. You could ask it any question and it would give each individual the correct answer.
How did it work? How can we access this fabulous information?
The Zohar writes in Pekudei, 27:268:
It is written, "and you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Tumim" (Shemot 28:30). It was explained that the MEANING OF Urim (Eng. 'lights') is that they illuminate, in the secret of the shining mirror, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN, and this is the engravings of the letters of the Holy Name in the secret of 42, with which the worlds were created. The letters were sunken into it. "The Tumim" refer to the secret of the letters contained in the mirror which does not shine, WHICH IS MALCHUT, shining with the 72 engraved letters, in the secret of the Holy Name. THE NAME OF 72 IS THE SECRET OF REVEALING THE LIGHT OF CHOCHMAH THAT IS WITHIN MALCHUT. Together they are called 'Urim and Tumim'.
Urim and Tumim uses the 72 Names of God (which helps us overcome any kind of blockage we might encounter in life) and the 42 letters of the Ana B’koach (which taps us into the Endless, a reality before there was fragmentation and chaos) and serves as a vehicle to bring that energy into our present life!
The more appreciation and certainty we have, the more we receive the answers that we need – not necessarily the ones that we want. The Urim and Tumim might not always give us what we want, but they definitely provide what we need and, more importantly, they are always available and ready for use. Thus, being open is key.
While with a smartphone you can be utterly lost if you are caught in the wilderness with an empty battery, the 72 Names and Ana B’koach are readily available to be tapped into to guide and help to find a solution out of the mess.
I once was caught on a main road and my car broke down and no one would stop to help. No one. And I didn’t have a cell phone. It was during my first few months studying Kabbalah and I had the Ana B’koach meditation card. I did the meditation, and in retrospect realize that I didn’t even know what to meditate on, but did it just asking for help.
Lo and behold, two minutes later a car pulls up and a guy comes out and tells me he is a mechanic, that he works for a shop around the corner and will bring me there. He was already on his way and was late to his next appointment, but then changed his mind and turned around to help me. The Ana B'koach and 72 Names provided a better solution than I could have possibly thought of.
So ask yourself, what do you feel more comfortable with, and what is more reliable? Where are you placing your certainty? In a device created by the limited mind of man, which therefore has a limited lifespan and capabilities – or a device created by the Creator, which therefore has endless life and energy within?
