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A midrash for a Brighid Vigil
Jul. 19th, 2006 08:16 amAbout twelve hours into my vigil, as it gets dark very, very late here on the Island. I'm using my LJ to incorporate thoughts and ideas, but will post the completed entry tonight on F&W.
Tuesday is considered a particularly auspicious day for Jews, as G-d said "it is good" twice. I mention this, because I began my vigil on Tuesday. I've been reading "Kaballah, A Love Story" by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, which seems like an unusual choice for a Brighid Vigil. However, let me assure you - they have much in common.
The both begin with a spark.
The Torah tells us that G-d created light from darkness on the first day. However, KBLH (specifically the Zohar) explains to us that in order for that first spark to occur, dark had to have been created first. A spark of darkness. There must first be recognition of darkness, something each Jewish woman does at Shabbas, covering her eyes to remind her of the darkness that was before Creation. Then the spark is lit. Separation of the dark and the light, though ever mindful, that the light cannot exist without the dark and so even the brightest flame contains darkness.
The sun wasn't created until the fourth day...so what happened with that original Light, you may ask? Well, we're living in it now. All of Creation is that first, eternal Light. All of it. Creation has never stopped, we are still being Created.
Midrash, the stories that not only illuminate the Torah, but change it explicitly forever, tells us that Adam & Eve had a unique perspective of this Light, as they could see through it to Forever. And having seen the Future, they chose not to see it again. Can you imagine that? All the knowledge, the wisdom, all events and they chose not to see it. They chose instead, to eat of the Tree, and by doing so, stopped seeing Forever.
And this lies at the heart of KBLH, that no one has True Will. True Will is a delusion of grandeur. Instead, we have one simple choice: Reverence or not. We can see the deep spirituality of every experience, every moment, every person, everything. Or not.
Lighting the Brighid's flame does this: it gives us a moment of Reverence, a practicum of True Will, of recognizing once again the Eternal Light of Creation.
More to come.
Tuesday is considered a particularly auspicious day for Jews, as G-d said "it is good" twice. I mention this, because I began my vigil on Tuesday. I've been reading "Kaballah, A Love Story" by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, which seems like an unusual choice for a Brighid Vigil. However, let me assure you - they have much in common.
The both begin with a spark.
The Torah tells us that G-d created light from darkness on the first day. However, KBLH (specifically the Zohar) explains to us that in order for that first spark to occur, dark had to have been created first. A spark of darkness. There must first be recognition of darkness, something each Jewish woman does at Shabbas, covering her eyes to remind her of the darkness that was before Creation. Then the spark is lit. Separation of the dark and the light, though ever mindful, that the light cannot exist without the dark and so even the brightest flame contains darkness.
The sun wasn't created until the fourth day...so what happened with that original Light, you may ask? Well, we're living in it now. All of Creation is that first, eternal Light. All of it. Creation has never stopped, we are still being Created.
Midrash, the stories that not only illuminate the Torah, but change it explicitly forever, tells us that Adam & Eve had a unique perspective of this Light, as they could see through it to Forever. And having seen the Future, they chose not to see it again. Can you imagine that? All the knowledge, the wisdom, all events and they chose not to see it. They chose instead, to eat of the Tree, and by doing so, stopped seeing Forever.
And this lies at the heart of KBLH, that no one has True Will. True Will is a delusion of grandeur. Instead, we have one simple choice: Reverence or not. We can see the deep spirituality of every experience, every moment, every person, everything. Or not.
Lighting the Brighid's flame does this: it gives us a moment of Reverence, a practicum of True Will, of recognizing once again the Eternal Light of Creation.
More to come.
