by Uncle Zally/Zalman Velvel
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Welcome to the maiden voyage of Kabbalah Kronicles. Each week I will be sending out a humorous article about what we learned in Kabbalah Klass with Rabbi Yitchok Minkowicz of Chabad, Fort Myers. If you want to get this article automatically each week, subscribe to the RSS feed in the upper right corner of my website www.ZalmanVelvel.com . If the RSS feed is not easy for you, then just opt-in by entering your name and email address in the opt-in box on my home page, and the article will be emailed to you. If all that is still too complicated, then just bookmark www.ZalmanVelvel.com/blog and that will take you right to it. Enjoy!
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So I’m sitting in Kabbalah Klass on Shabbos morning, listening to my Rabbi, Rabbi “Itchy” short for Yitzchok, deliver on his promise from last week – how to access your soul through meditation, get answers from God about questions in your life … and then determine if God is actually speaking to you, or it’s just some brain noise. Light topic, right?
The regulars are here, the professional comedian, the former minister / basketball star, and the widow who is on a personal basis with God. There are some newby’s also – a world famous speaker who is on a search for God and truth, his son, and some women I have never seen before, but whom have great intellect and taste because they laugh at my jokes.
Can’t help it. The more serious it gets, the more I see straight lines that need jokes. I’m really funny at funerals. If I could be at my own, I would be positively hilarious … but I think I would like to miss that opportunity.
Okay, so here is how you do it. The Cliff notes for speaking to God:
1- Empty your mind
2- Get rid of your emotions and preferences and to do lists
3- Ask God your questions
4- Listen for the answers, write them down if you can
Afterwards, test the answers to see if they come from God. Are they:1- Honest, unselfish and loving (like God)
2- Are they consistent with the Torah
If you have any doubts as to origin of the answers you get, whether it’s God or some brain noise, find a holy man, a Rav, someone you admire who will give you the truth. Bounce the answers off of him.
Then obey.
Will there still be mistakes? A few. But it’s okay. God is forgiving.
You could sum up the process in two short sentences, ten simple words:
When man listens, God Speaks. When man obeys, God acts.
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“Let’s see some evidence it works,” the world class speaker said to me. He took the words right out of my mouth. Rabbi Itchy gave us the road map. I wanted to get in the driver’s seat and take Kabbalah out for a spin.
While the others were occupied with the Shabbos morning prayer service, I cleared my mind. I imagined myself in a completely white room with no doors and windows. I switched the color to black, the absence of light. I switched back to white. White worked better. White is the color of light, and light is what God made first. My mind became like that white room.
Then I cleared myself of any emotions or attachments and my to-do lists. No priorities. No pre-conceived judgments. Not easy, but I did it.
To Whomever was listening, I asked, “Which path should I take?”
The Answer that came back was, “Stay on the paths you are following … just slow down a little … and send the Kabbalah Kronicles to Gil Locks.”
Gil Locks? Where did that come from?
Gil Locks is the Jewish Quasimoto of the Kotel. He writes on the Internet about his experiences at the Western Wall, the holiest place on earth, where he puts tfillin on Jews: Halocaust Jews, young hip Jews, old stodgy Jews, Baby Boomer Jews. Many of them are Jews who don’t like being Jewish. As he wraps their arms with tfillin, many of them cry because he puts them in touch with their Jewish soul for the first time in years, even decades. He puts tfillin on more Jews than an army of Lubavitchers.He also gets right up in your face. He justifies it by saying, “I have 30 seconds to reach someone – so I can’t be subtle or charming.”
And he isn’t. Sometimes he can be annoying. We annoy each other, probably because we are alike. We both want to reach our fellow Jews, down in their souls and enrich them, he with tfillin, me with humor. Remember one of the rules of about Listening to God is obeying what you hear. So I’m sending this to Gil Locks. This is not an easy thing to do. Already I am getting annoyed with him, and he hasn’t even answered yet.
Gil, if you read this, I really do admire you, even though you annoy me. And if you think this is brain noise, I’m sure you will tell me that, also, in your own sweet annoying way. You have the same high regard for the truth that I do – you believe it is too precious and pure to be combined with tact, while I believe in mixing truth with comedy so it goes down easier. And Gil … regards from Rabbi Itchy.
Speaking of which, tune in next week when Rabbi Itchy is going to take us to the second level of listening to God.
Second level? I’m still here on the first level, wondering what Gil Lock’s answer will be, if any.
