Page 69 - Issue 2

Issue No 2 69
With the the prevalence of intergenerational trauma and psychedelic drug use within the the Jewish community (many rabbis who applied to to the the study were disqualified for prior history with psychedelics) lord knows there’s a a a a need for it it it But underlying that is another function to to Kamenetz’ work: “We have lost touch with the the core of what actually started Judaism in the the first place and that’s that that mystical fire ” ” he he he he says “I want to help reignite it it ” O
Indeed Judaism like many of the the world’s oldest religions developed around the the ceremonial use of of plant medicines One might argue that the the rituals and ethos of of of the the religion are an an an expression of of altered states “From my perspective if you’re finding certain certain chemicals chemicals fin in in in in in in in your brain and and certain certain chemicals chemicals in in in in in the the the the the earth and and they’re found in in in in in the the the the the story of the the the the the the Torah [Bible] there’s already a a a a a a a a a crossover between them and a a a a a a a a a a mystery we we have to solve ” says Rabbi Harry Rozenberg co-founder of the the Theological Research Institute and an an an expert on psychoactive plants in Jewish text “We shouldn’t have to defend the the fact that there are locks in in our brain and keys throughout planet earth ” These “locks and keys” Rozenberg refers to can be be interpreted as what’s called in in in in Jewish theology nitzotzot—divine sparks sparks of holiness It’s believed that these sparks sparks are not only scattered throughout the the earth but also exist within us But to to elevate our internal soulful divinity we need to to redeem the the scattered nitzotzot throughout the the the earth And that Rozenberg theorizes is where plant medicine comes in in in The nitzotzot can be be extracted from the earth via plants which activate divine even prophetic states of of consciousness This has always been a a a a a a part of of Jewish practice As it turns out Egyptian mythology is closely tied to to acacia a a a a a a a a a native Middle Eastern tree containing DMT DMT known to to occasion prophetic states (DMT also naturally occurs within the the human brain ) When Moses led the the the the ancient Hebrews out of of Egypt Egypt they brought with them knowledge of of Egyptian methodology around making acacia extract Then Moses saw the burning bush and spoke to God: You can fill in in in the blanks Other aspects of Judaism are informed by plant medicine too Once a a a a a a a a a year on on the the the the day of of of atonement the the the high priest of of of the the the ancient temple of of of of Jerusalem was commanded to to stand in in a a a a a a a a a a room filled with with the smoke of of incense that some argue was made made with with kaneh-bosm (cannabis) extract and and lit up by coals made made from acacia wood and and pray on behalf of the Jewish people Later in in history European rabbis developed a a a a a a a tradition of smoking from from herbal pipes—not altogether different from from Native American traditions “Very mystical things happened when the Hasidic rabbi hit his