By the Light of the Moon

This article on the portion of the week was originally published in 2019.

The Creator is the Original Cause. All things that have transpired after are merely the effect. Whereas the Creator is likened to the sun, we are likened to the moon. All of creation is like the moon and its effect. Like the moon, we do not generate Light on our own, but the Light we bring forth we channel and reflect. We are vessels for the Original Cause. Our spiritual purpose in coming to this world is to develop the ability to reveal the Creator’s Light and use it to remove darkness. This world is like the moon, offering no Light on its own. But, take a moment to think about how many beautiful things exist and to contemplate all the good we have created throughout the history of humanity. This world may not offer Light of its own, but we are here. We each have the divine privilege to become vessels for the Creator and to reveal love and beauty. Just look around. Can you see all the wonderful things humankind has created and achieved? The love of generations after generations of families. The moments of great leadership and societal change where we fought for freedom and for human dignity. The masterful works of art, literature, and music that are found in all the corners of the world. But most importantly, let us acknowledge the many hearts that have been opened and acts of love that have been made over our thousands of years here on earth. The Light has been slowly building. We have slowly revealed with each passing year more and more goodness. This week, we take the reins of action and commit to revealing the last remaining Light this world needs. We see our world, like the moon, slowly building and glowing brighter throughout history. We commit to our spiritual path to reveal the Light that we and the world need. We are so close to achieving all that we have been sent here to achieve, and this week we take another step towards this most authentic spiritual goal.

"Our spiritual purpose in coming to this world is to develop the ability to reveal the Creator’s Light and use it to remove darkness."

Our portion this week is the very first portion in our new book of the Torah. We begin the fourth of five books with the portion of Bamidbar. Bamidbar means “in the desert.” The Israelites have been journeying in the desert since being freed from Egypt. The desert is a place where nothing is considered to exist. It is devoid of Light. Our world is the wilderness of the desert. We are indeed bamidbar. This portion introduces to us the energy of the fourth book of the Torah which relates most closely to our world and our actions in it. Life can seem like a desert, regardless of the climate where we may live. After Egypt, the Israelites have been taken under the wing of the Creator and entered into their spiritual journey. The desert is the necessary background for this holy endeavor. It is only in the dark that we can reveal Light. For only when we are given the space and distance from the Creator may our small Lights be seen at all. In Bamidbar, the Israelites are gifted with new and vital energy to thrive in the wilderness of life. The Creator asks Moses to empower and strengthen the Israelites, via a counting process, so they are emboldened to continue forward in the journey of revealing the Light in this world. Camps and groups among the Israelites are created. However, on a deeper level, the Israelites were actually being elevated above the negative influences of the zodiac and nature’s elements. We receive this same divine assistance, as well, this week. Bamidbar comes to us in order to bolster us on our spiritual journey. We are helped to overcome the challenges and inclinations that prevent us from awakening a loving and giving heart. We are aided in surmounting the obstacles that prevent us from loving one another and revealing the Light in our “desert world.” Bamidbar also discusses the unique job of the Levites in regards to the Tabernacle. The Levites were the Israelites who did not participate in the creation of the Golden Calf. Even while in Egypt, they were extraordinarily spiritual and inspired the other Israelites to pursue a relationship with the Creator. We read about the Levites to be gifted further with the energy to be spiritual, loving, caring, and strong in our relationship with the Creator. Earlier in the Torah, Moses had asked, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” All the Levites rallied to him. Bamidbar gives the power we need in this world to reveal the Creator’s Light and move closer to Him. We are only the moon, but through the gifts of Bamidbar, we are bestowed with the ability to turn towards the Creator and reflect His great Light throughout our world, removing the existing darkness. 

"You are a force of love and giving in this world."

Life, at times can be a place of coldness, fears, and doubts. It can feel like the wilderness. Without our care and spiritual effort, the world can turn from the Light like a waning moon. However, it does not have to be this way. We came to this world to unify the moon with the sun. We are here to be the vehicle by which the moon can shine like the sun. We are here to open our hearts and love one another as much as we can. In the process, reflect and reveal the totality of the Creator’s Light, removing pain and suffering from the the world. This is nothing less than our purpose and reason for existing. This week, we are given the strength and ability to draw light where there once was none. We are afforded the power to transform the moon into the sun, and turn on the Light within ourselves and in the world.

For your meditation, take your thoughts to the night’s sky. Envision a beautiful and bright full moon. It is the midnight sun. It shines brightly and it is in full radiance. It illuminates all of the sky. It is full and at its peak. Now, see yourself in this same way. Visualize yourself at your potential. See yourself living the life you desire. You are doing what you love and every day you manifest the truest desires of your heart. You are a force of love and giving in this world. See your potential in what you are able to manifest, create, and contribute. Feel your heart open and see it giving love to everyone and everything. You are shining like the sun. Even though we ourselves may not have Light of our own, it does not matter in the least. We are one with the Creator and one with the Light. There is no difference anymore between the sun and the moon, between the cause and the effect, and between us and the Creator. Everything has become unified, and the Light now fills our entire world.