YITRO Part 3

Shalom, Shalom. We continue our focus upon the PARASHAT YITRO by contemplating upon the following passage contained within the SIDRAH, it is written, “God spoke all these statements, saying: I am HaShem, your God, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence.” (Exodus 20:1-3) In this passage, which is the commencement of the Ten Commandments, we are given a REVELATION of a PRINCIPLE that is destined to GOVERN human affairs. The PRINCIPLE is the RECOGNITION of ONE POWER that is TERMED G-d, yea, it is the RECOGNITION of ONE POWER that gives rise to liberation. We are enslaved under the TASKMASTER called the EGO which employs SUFFERING to hold us in CAPTIVITY. It is the RECOGNITION that there is ONE POWER along with the revelation that the TRUTH of BEING is that we are that ONE POWER INDIVIDUALIZED that commences our exodus out of SUFFERING into the WHOLE of REALITY where we experience KNOWLEDGE, EXISTENCE and BLISS.

POWER may be defined as the ABILITY to INFLUENCE THOUGHT, OPINION and BEHAVIOR. This ability is what may be termed as the IMPETUS behind all FORCES. POWER is G-d and He delegates this AUTHORITY within CREATION to aid in the UNFOLDMENT and INFOLDMENT of the UNIVERSE manifesting HIS GOAL. The GOAL is that ALL would become ONE WITH ECHAD. The prophet described the MANIFESTATION OF THE GOAL in the following way, “The wolf will live with the sheep and the leopard will lie down with the kid; and a calf, a lion whelp and a fatling will walk together, and a young child will lead them. A cow and bear will graze and their young will lie down together; and a lion, like cattle, will eat hay. A suckling will play by a viper’s hole, and a newly weaned child will stretch his hand toward an adder’s lair. They will neither injure nor destroy in all My sacred mountain; for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of HaShem as water covering the seabed.” (Isaiah 11:6-9) In this passage of the NEVIIM, it is disclosed that the MANIFESTATION of ECHAD in Creation is experienced as the CESSATION of SUFFERING and the APPEARANCE of ETERNAL PEACE. It further reveals that it is the product of the KNOWLEDGE of G-d filling every available conceivable place on earth. Without a doubt, this filling of the EARTH with the KNOWLEDGE of G-d is the TASK of the JEWISH SOUL. Thus this implies a receiving of POWER.

As aforementioned, POWER is delegated by G-d, it is written, “For neither from sunrise nor from sunset, nor from the wilderness comes greatness. For God is the Judge, He lowers this one and raises that one.” (Psalm 75:7,8) Since G-d is the Judge, it is evident that He determines who He will delegate POWER to. When the ABUSE of POWER occurs, it is often experienced NEGATIVE. It is the NEGATIVE experience of POWER that gives rise to the TEMPTATION of ascribing the POWER to others. This error in judgment engenders being enslaved by the ERRONEOUS PERCEPTION of the POWER. Thus liberation commences with the perception of the EMET (truth) that there is ONLY ONE POWER, that is ECHAD, blessed be His NAME.