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Orchard of Delights Naso 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 14 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Cyan

All seven cycles of seven place our lives in a certain context. It ££Seizing the Moment
£Seizing the MomentSeizing the Moment
is obviously easier to relate to the cycles based on days, weeks, or
months than to those based on years and millennia, but in reality
all of them form concentric circles surrounding and guiding our
consciousness. The more we meditate on these cycles of time, the Naso is often read on the Shabbat following Shavuot, the festival
more we are capable of orienting our lives according to the Divine celebrating God giving the Torah to the Jewish people. The Torah
cycles of time that God set in motion at the time of creation. states that at this never to be repeated moment God descended and
revealed Himself upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20). Never before
had God revealed Himself and His will to this extent in the world
before. The Midrash states that until that time higher and lower
reality had been separated in such a manner that prevented Divine
£The Connection Between the The Connection Between the The Connection Between the revelation from descending and lower reality from ascending beyond
££
Sabbatical Year and Mount Sinai
Sabbatical Year and Mount Sinai certain points. On that unique day this decree was annulled. Higher
Sabbatical Year and Mount Sinai
reality descended as God revealed Himself upon Mount Sinai and
lower reality ascended as Moses, acting as humanity’s representative,
climbed up the mountain (Midrash Tanchumah, Va’eira 15).
As we mentioned in the introduction to this book, the Rabbis coined
the term PaRDeS (סדרפ) – an acronym literally meaning “orchard” Even with the annulment of this decree, one further step needed
– to refer to the four-tiered system of biblical interpretation, which to be undertaken to complete God’s descent into this world. This
revealed that each word, verse, story, and mitzvah in the Torah final step is represented by the building of the Tabernacle on God’s
could be simultaneously understood on four different levels: command: “They will make for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell in
their midst” (Exodus 25:8).” In this final stage God, as it were, leaves
פ – P – Peshat – the straightforward or literal meaning of the the heavens, and actually “dwells in their midst” – not just in the
text. midst of the Tabernacle, but in the midst (the heart) of each and
ר – R – Remez – the deeper meaning, alluded to or hinted at by the every Jew (Reishit Chochmah – Sha’ar Ha’ahavah; “Inherent Unity”
text. above).
ד – D – Derash – the allegorical, metaphorical, or symbolic meaning At the end of Naso, the Torah describes the Tabernacle’s dedication
of the text, revealed by the Midrashic tradition, often and goes to great length to specify each gift given by the princes of
contained in a body of rabbinic works known as the the the tribes (Numbers 7: 1-69). Since the Tabernacle’s consecration
Midrash. took place many portions ago in the book of Leviticus, we must
ס – S – Sod – the mystical or secret meaning, revealed by the ponder why the Torah is revisiting this issue out of chronological
Kabbalistic tradition.
order. Perhaps this portion was meant to be read on the Shabbat
Over the course of this book, we have continually employed this following the Festival of Shavuot, for its central message stresses
model to interpret the Torah, albeit in a more fluid, less structured that God’s descent and revelation will only be complete when we
manner. As we have done several times before, we will now employ establish a dwelling place for Him within our midst, inside our very
PaRDeS systematically to explore a particular question raised by selves. When we do, we will have fulfilled the very purpose of creation,
Rashi. as the Midrash explains, “God had a passion to have a dwelling place
for Himself in the lower worlds” (Midrash Tanchumah, Naso 16).

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