Every week we receive a unique gift that gives us the opportunity to change, to transform. The whole point of the study and the path of Kabbalah is to understand and learn to interact with what we call the Light – that force, the source of all that we also call God – and how to maintain it in our lives with the purpose of attaining new levels in our spiritual work.
The Torah is made up of 5 books. Each contains a level of consciousness and different aspects of Light to reveal, including astrological aspects and specific dates with a different influence each week. The portion of Bo, which literally means ‘come’, is in the second book called Exodus, which deals with the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. This portion also talks about the 12 tribes, the giving of the Torah, and the 10 Commandments. When we view all of this from the kabbalistic perspective, we see that the Torah is a code which helps us understand how to connect with the strength and energy of each week, applying what we learn in every step of our lives.
All souls are looking to reach their true potential, and the way to do this is by taking control of our lives, and the tool to achieve it is the study of this wisdom. How do I take control of my life, my consciousness? By leaving no room for my ego. Meaning, stop being a slave to instant gratification and receiving only for oneself. Stop being a slave to bad decisions, money, emotions, and other people. Shed yourself of the false belief that these things are what satisfies your existence, which serve to make being happy an impossible task.
The Torah is the cosmic antidote that explains and delivers a package of energy at every step, every week, allowing us to take control of our own lives and bringing us the possibility of being more free and happy. The first step is to understand and accept that I am not close to being in control of my life, my decisions. To know and recognize that there is a force pushing us away from our potential, which is the strength of the ego. When we realize that – despite our desire to truly transform our life for the better – our consciousness and actions are not congruent with what we seek, we can see that what actually makes the decisions for us is the ego.
The nature of man is limited, starting with the body. It represents the physical; it is born, grows, gets sick and dies. Our soul on the other hand has no limits and is immortal. It is that aspect of us that is perfect, that can unconditionally share, and that is able to break free from the shackles of the physical world – the consciousness of the body. That is the purpose of existence.
This is where the concept of tikun comes in. Tikun refers to the process of spiritual work by which our soul sheds layers of negativity as we learn how to think from the standpoint of Light: understanding that what really makes us happy is being able and willing to give, not what we receive.
There is always a chance to make things better; there is always a better version of you. The beginning of the end of spiritual work is getting stuck and believing that we're good when we reach this or that level; when we become comfortable and complacent.
This is also how we can begin to connect with the history of this week and the energy within; when Moses spoke to Pharaoh telling him let out his people, Pharaoh naturally refuses and we know the result: the ten plagues.
The word Egypt (Mitzrayim in Hebrew) comes from the root meitzar, which means ‘narrow’. Pharaoh represents a force of negativity that separates the intellectual from the emotional part of a person. Thinking about how you feel (the intellectual) and feeling what you think (the emotional) allows us to connect to what we know about life and experience the fullness for which we are destined. It is a relationship that connects us with a consciousness that lets us break through 10 levels of negativity to connect the dots and receive the power of the 3 highest levels of consciousness. This is the energy available this week in the universe.
What is the relevance and code of the word Bo (come), the first word and seed of consciousness with which the portion intended us to connect? “Come and face that aspect of darkness in you.” Climb out of slavery, limitation, and addiction – all destructive patterns – by going to the darkest depths of oneself.
What is it that frees us from slavery? The answer lies in the following question:
How much do you really know your ego?
Having absolute knowledge of your trash, your reactivity, and your limitations is to recognize that, even within that darkness, there is an aspect of the Light that contains the formula and potential for happiness and fulfillment. A blueprint for finding redemption.
Hence, the ‘state of existence’ is when you have absolute control of the relationship between intellect and emotion and have the power to reveal through actions whatever the Light wants you to reveal. It is to be able to create and/or change your fate.
‘Non-existence’ is when the Light of the Creator does not exist in a person. A person who does not share is a person who does not exist. That's why before there is a big revelation in the life of a person, they have to be in a state of nonexistence, because the lack of that blessing is just what awakens the process of appreciating and building the vessel to receive and maintain said blessing.
How do we go from total darkness to absolute clarity?
Simple. The state of the non-existence is the non-existence of the understanding that the Creator is behind all things. That in everything there is a divine order. Therefore, examining the darkness is to walk right up to the Light. This is what makes us strong and truly spiritual.
We came into this world in an imperfect state, but behind our own imperfection is our most perfect version of ourselves. That's why it’s not about eliminating our weaknesses, but transforming them and placing them at the service of the universe.
