Interfaith Yitro

[pohaikawahine]

Well this parsha is short but packed with things to consider .... this one is not easy for me to address without thinking of metaphors for the brain, but try I will ....

so Moses explains to his father-in-law Jethro all that happened and his father-in-law brings a burnt offering and sacrifice for G-d "and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God with Moses father-in-law" (Jethro) - who are the elders of Israel?

G-d says also to Moses at the mountaintop "you have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Me." What does this mean to be taken on eagles' wings .... the eagle is typically a symbol of the upper worlds of the mind ....

a treasure has been given to the Israelites (the kingdom of priests and a holy nation) if they keep the covenant .... then there are some ideas given about what it means to keep the covenant (such as adhering to the spiritual values of the commandments) .... and yes, I read the part about some of the punishment if the covenant is not kept, but I still believe that this is spiritual and not physical .... it is a way to keep the balance .... necessary to survive in all worlds ....

in my culture of hawaii-nei, I was told so many years ago that "we hold the keys to the covenant" which is an interesting concept in itself .... I have come to understand that the "keys" are buried deeply in the ancient words and the oral tradition and in the "sounds" of the words .... we are not the only ones that hold the keys .... many ancient cultures hold keys to understanding and unraveling the great mystery .... in reading the torah, I use the "keys" given to me through my own culture to unlock doors of meaning .... it doesn't mean that I am correct in all that I see or that others even see it the same way .... I only know that the torah does hold many beautiful and powerful messages about what we all need to do to survive and to reach that spiritual place within .... she is what she is and she hides behind the veil, her words are illusions to a deeper knowledge .... to not worship false g-ds means that we must go deep within ourselves to find that place where we meet g-d face to face .... and that is the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle in the wilderness .... when we attend a church, a mosque, a synagogue these are the outer temples, it is the inner temple (the one in the wilderness, the portable one) that we must enter and not be afraid ....

just my thought to share as I read "yitro" - the commandments are not to be shouted from the roof-tops, but are to be internalized in the way we live our lives .... he hawai'i au, poh

 

[Bandit]

i have always seen the eagle flying as a source of freedom that can go anywhere without boundaries.

just my thought to share as I read "yitro" - the commandments are not to be shouted from the roof-tops, but are to be internalized in the way we live our lives .... he hawai'i au, poh

i agree. when the commandments have made their way into our hearts, that will be revealed without telling everyone we do these commandments. it should just be a natural coming from within.

it sounds like this is where they set up officials, priests & judges & israel will be a Holy Nation.
one of the things that intrigues me in this parsha, is the way God appears in billows of smoke on the mountain & everyone sees it. the theme tends to always be there clear up to solomons temple, maybe starting at the burning bush.

i will get back with more soon, after reading the material again.

Yitro starts here:
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article.asp?AID=36271

 

[pohaikawahine]

i have always seen the eagle flying as a source of freedom that can go anywhere without boundaries.

here is something I just received today which is interesting because it also speaks to the eagle

"How worthy of telling and how superb your birth, O Steed, when first you
whinnied, on seeing the light, as you rose from the ocean of sea or of
space with your eagle wings and limbs of swift gazelle.

Rig Veda I, 163, 1"

it sounds like this is where they set up officials, priests & judges & israel will be a Holy Nation.
one of the things that intrigues me in this parsha, is the way God appears in billows of smoke on the mountain & everyone sees it. the theme tends to always be there clear up to solomons temple, maybe starting at the burning bush.

several things to think about .... what if Israel existed both in the physical and in the spiritual worlds (the world within worlds) and that spiritual world is accessed through the pineal gland in meditation .... then it would follow that Israel as the promised land of milk and honey could only be accessed by those that keep the covenant and therefore they would be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" - could this be why Israel was not one of the 70 earthly kingdoms - it is spiritual ....

also .... G-d says to Moses "the Lord will come down before the eyes of all the people on Mount Sinai. And you shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, "Watch yourselves not to go up on the mountain or to touch its edge. Whosoever touches the mountain is doomed to die. No hand shall touch him, but He shall surely be stoned or be shot, whether beast or man, he shall not live. When the ram's horn blasts long, they it is who will go up the mountain." ..... and he said to the people "Ready yourselves for three days. Do not go near a woman." "And it happened on the third day as it turned morning, that there was thunder and lightning and a heavy cloud on the mountain and the sound of the ram's horn, very strong, and all the people who were in the camp trembled. ....... And Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord had come down on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. "

first .... G-d will come down before the eyes "of all the people on Mount Sinai .... not at the base of the mountain but on the mountain .... so most of the people remain at the base of the mountain (those that have not yet moved the energy up into the upper chamber of the brain) ....

"the ram's horn blasts long, they it is who will go up the mountain" .... remember that the caudate nucleus which covers the inner chamber is shaped like the horn of a ram ....

"it happened on the third day as it turned morning" .... if I'm not mistaken to bridge the worlds one must bridge all three hemispheres of the brain and this takes place just before waking when the brain is in a theta (or is it delta??) brainwave mode .... the stage just between sleep and waking ....

"do not go near a woman" .... this will probably sound strange, but the concept is that you can use this spiralling energy in two ways .... the first is of the material world which is sex, the other is of the spiritual world which is through meditation .... so I have always looked at this concept simply that you must choose how you will move the spiralling energy and if you want it to go to the brain (instead of elsewhere) don't go near a woman...

and the reference to smoke and fire is connected with the fornix (the two pillars that the energy must pass through to enter the inner chamber or the holy of holies) ....

remember that the concept of lightening is also an epiphany - sort of the aha when the thought strikes you and the knowledge comes .... this is also another name for the pineal gland, the epiphisis .... it all fits so beautifully .... even the altar of stones "you shall not build them of hewn stones" like the temple not built by human hands .... the altar of stones resides within the brain and is already there .... aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

here is something I just received today which is interesting because it also speaks to the eagle

"How worthy of telling and how superb your birth, O Steed, when first you
whinnied, on seeing the light, as you rose from the ocean of sea or of
space with your eagle wings and limbs of swift gazelle.

Rig Veda I, 163, 1"

nice reflection there on the eagle.

i keep coming back to these passages from Rev.12 for some reason & i compare them to the escape from egypt, the flood of the red sea as israel goes into the wilderness & this wilderness was actually her protection & nourishment, though i dont think she realized it at the time.

14And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

"do not go near a woman" .... this will probably sound strange, but the concept is that you can use this spiralling energy in two ways .... the first is of the material world which is sex, the other is of the spiritual world which is through meditation .... so I have always looked at this concept simply that you must choose how you will move the spiralling energy and if you want it to go to the brain (instead of elsewhere) don't go near a woman...

and the reference to smoke and fire is connected with the fornix (the two pillars that the energy must pass through to enter the inner chamber or the holy of holies) ....

.... aloha nui, poh

instead of elsewhere HA HA HA HA that is too funny & totally made my night

hey i am going to have to find a descent image of the brain & all these brain parts to put up, so i can understand what you are saying when you refer to the brain. if you know an image online, right off hand- let me know.

{more coming soon}

 

[Bandit]

25. Moses chose men of substance out of all Israel and appointed them as heads of the people, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens. 26. And they would judge the people at all times; the difficult case they would bring to Moses, but any minor case they themselves would judge.

prior to this we see moses standing alone trying to take on all the pettitions of the people & stand in the middle as a mediator between God & the people. his father in law tells him not to do that because it is too much for him. so moses goes on & listens & appoints people as leaders while only taking on the big problems.
i feel this is an importan thing to note because all too often we try to take on everyones problems & issues & it can become unhealthy for us to do that. so i see direction & order in this. i also see a distinction there on the judging of little matters & big matters & what would be dealt with immediately & what is dealt with at a later point in time. (i think i just learned something there)




as for chapter 19 which you have already mentioned... when the smoke appears, i have often wondered if that mountain was something like a volcano that set off fire & smoke. (seeing that this would be the way people would perceive of God & pay attention). not that God is the mountain but rather appeared that way.
on the other hand, that does not fit with previous & later descriptions of the cloud/smoke & pillar of fire that appears as the Lord or the angel of the Lord over the tabernacle & through the wilderness. I am seeing some kind of paradox in this & always have, but have never totally pulled it together.

so this happens on the third day & i noticed one reason for the great show here, was that the people would believe in Moses & listen to him.

9. And the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I am coming to you in the thickness of the cloud, in order that the people hear when I speak to you, and they will also believe in you forever."

 

[Bandit]

23. And you shall not ascend with steps upon My altar, so that your nakedness shall not be exposed upon it.'

this is interesting that nakedness is used. if it had steps it would break the stride or smoothness to get to the altar. not literal nakedness. so i think it is saying we need a smooth, delicate, even approach when we go to the altar. that is why they had a ramp.

i just realized i was studying this same exact chapter last year without realizing the Parsha was going on at the same time.
this is an old post from Dauer last year in a thread we did called Smoke on MT. SINAI & explains the three layers of smoke. Pohaikawahine, if you are interested the thread is here:

Smoke on Mount Sinai

1)darkness
2)cloud
3)opaque darkness

I checked Rashi on Chapt 19 and he said the thinkess of the cloud is the opaque darkness of Ex 20:18.

Rashi's comment on Ex 20 18 is:

18. The people remained far off, but Moses drew near to the opaque darkness, where God was.

drew near to the opaque darkness Within three partitions: darkness, cloud, and opaque darkness, as it is said: “And the mountain was burning with fire unto the heart of the heavens, darkness, cloud, and opaque darkness” (Deut. 4:11). Opaque darkness is [synonymous with] “the thickness of the cloud,” [concerning] which He [God] had said to him [Moses], “Behold, I am coming to you in the thickness of the cloud” (Exod. 19:9). [from Mechilta]


God's Glory, Kavod, is synonymous with the Shechinah. It is God's presence in the verses you have posted. It is also, I believe, shown as fire. This is not to say that it is fire. One of the prophets says god's kavod fills all of creation. According to the traditional Jewish view I believe, the shechinah resided in the Holy of Holies until the destruction of the Temple. At this time it went into exile with the Jewish people and was everywhere they went.

Dauer