If we go further into the teachings of the Kabbalah, we learn that, before the creation of This World, many worlds were created and destroyed. There was a breakdown from higher levels of existence in order to bring about lower levels of existence. The Kabbalah calls this process the "Shattering of the Vessels of the World of Tohu". In our world of Tikun, we are currently struggling with the residual effects of the brokenness of the world of Tohu. We experience these residual effects in the form of "evil". This evil is the root of all exile, war, pain and suffering - in short, the illusion of being abandoned by G-d.

In our world of Tikun, we are currently struggling with the residual effects of the brokenness of the world of Tohu

This phenomenon of "shattering" in the world of Tohu resulted in the form of a pre-shadow consciousness resembling Adam and Eve, which was created from the remnants of the vessels, and from the sparks of the divine light that fell amongst them. The Kabbalah names this form "Adam Beliya'al", which literally means "man without a yoke". That is to say, a consciousness was formed that did not acknowledge a relationship between the Creator and the Creation, and therefore did not accept upon itself the yoke of heaven.

The consciousness that Adam Beliya'al encompasses does not focus on Divine Will and G-d's intimate involvement in the very life-pulse of Creation. That is to say, from the fragmentation of the world of Tohu there arose a consciousness that was not attuned to a code of law that permeates and sustains Creation.

The consciousness of Adam Beliya'al is likened to raw, childlike, unharnassed energy, defying structure. This consciousness has a positive tendency towards perceptions of spiritual transcendence and a negative tendency to be drawn to physicality and the baser drives of seeking pleasure while defying the divine code of moral boundaries.

In brief, Adam and Eve, who were totally in tune with divine awareness of their Creator, ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They exercised their free choice by going against G-d's commandment to refrain from eating of its fruit. The result: a cosmic event occurred that was so shattering that more than 5,700 years late we are still picking up the pieces.

At that moment of eating, transgressing the divine commandment, the one unified soul of all of humanity - our common root - splintered into smithereens. Yes, the unifying link among ourselves, and with all of our current, fierce enemies was traumatically shattered. These pieces of our original unified soul fell and interfaced with Adam Beliya'al. As a result, there was an intermixture of consciousnesses.

Adam and Eve gave birth to sons and daughters. The elements of their souls that expressed their original light, including their relationship with their Creator and their obedience to Divine will, were extracted from the elements of their soul that retained the potential to express that light but did not recognize the existence of the Creator.

Abraham, who lived twenty generations after Adam and Eve and ten generations after the Flood, was the first to actualize this latent soul-potential by deliberately rediscovering the One G-d hidden in reality. Thus, through his descendants, the line of Israel emerged. The seed of Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebecca; Jacob and Rachel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah, inherited the consciousness of One Creator.

Historically, the tribe of Amalek pathologically hated and wanted to destroy Israel. Today, although the lines defining the cultural identities of the nations have been blurred, we still suffer from the scourge of Amalek

The Torah, including its deeper teachings of the Kabbalah, has been guarded by those of Israel who have accepted the yoke of Heaven. Its teachings speak of the dual nature of This World. Where there is the most light, there is the most darkness. Where truth is pure, the dark side will come to challenge its inheritors.

We are now in the war of light verses darkness. The people of Israel share different degrees of awareness of her divine mandate. The prophets have warned us to be the living embodiments of the Torah's teaching or be challenged by her enemies.

As a people, we are currently being challenged by the forces of darkness. The Torah speaks of the tribe of Amalek. Historically, the tribe of Amalek pathologically hated and wanted to destroy Israel. Today, although the lines defining the cultural identities of the nations have been blurred, we still suffer from the scourge of Amalek. Amalek is now a minority whose death-obsessed ideology is polluting larger and larger segments of the world's population. In the past, it has seeped through and manifested itself as Haman, Hitler, Sadam Hussein, Hamas. Now it is Hizbullah.

Amalek is that group of souls who are most deeply imbedded in the consciousness of Adam Beliya'al. Therefore, the struggle of an Amalekite to awaken from his/her slumber is the most challenging. However, we learn from the Talmud that the descendants of Haman converted and learned Torah in Bnei Brak.¹

The Talmud tells us that every human being is an entire world. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov expressed the same idea when he taught that all nations exist in varying degrees wthin each individual. Accordingly, we are challenged first of all to destroy the Amalek in ourselves.

Originally, we were one, and in essence we are still one. We are each called upon to journey inside and find the place within that was never affected by the initial cosmic shattering. In the depths of our shared psyche, the memory of unity persists. In the wellsprings of our consciousness, we share the belief in the ultimate unity of humanity. Together, we can still mine the diamond of our oneness. Together, we may look into each other's eyes and truly see a reflection of ourselves. When this ideal is realized, all conflict will cease.

In order to rescue the simplicity of truth, we have been given the meditative models of the Kabbalah. They are our antidotes to the confusion and distortion that has plagued mankind since Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of Knowledge over 5760 years ago. As we sort out the confusion of our psyches, we can begin to live out the Torah's vision of a family of nations. We must simply re-awaken that which lies dormant in our souls.

Originally, we were one, and in essence we are still one

In the meantime we are commanded to defend ourselves on the physical plane, and, in so doing, we must impose an uncomfortable and unpopular value judgment. Yes, for survival, not only our own, but for all of humanity, we must believe in ourselves and the message we carry as the People of Israel.

We now have to seriously look at how we define "Israel". According to the holy Ari of Safed, the immortal soul of primordial Adam, as he existed before the sin, is referred to as "Israel". Every individual from every nation is now challenged to find his/her relationship to Israel. We must each ask ourselves: "What is my unique contribution to the process of awakening from our present slumber, reclaiming our primordial unity and supporting the light of redemption?" Ultimately and immediately we must ask ourselves the undiplomatic question, "Whose side am I on?"

Nechama Sarah Gila Burgeman is the author of The Twelve Dimensions of Israel and Israel and the Seventy Dimensions of the World (a Kabbalistic approach to an Enduring World Peace). She has also recorded three harp cassettes. She currently lives in Moshav Taoz, outside of Jerusalem. Her website is www.NechamaSarahGila.com

Republished from www.kabbalaonline.org