22 Oct Vayeira; Covenant of the Pieces & Brit Milah
The Covenant of the Pieces, Brit Milah, and the Jewish Timeline
There is a Jewish understanding that Mashiach will arrive by year 6000 (unless we merit his arrival soon Boruch Hashem). This 6000yr period is broken down into three (3)
2000yr periods.
The first 2000yrs is the period of the Ox, a period of ‘sowing the land’ for ‘the planting of the seeds of Torah’. This correspond to the emanation of Keter – Crown
The second period (from Avraham forward) is the period of the sheep , a period of time of the cultivating of the intellectual aspects chochma-wisdom and the higher waters of Torah, represented by a sheep or lamb, also referred to as an immature ram . It should be noted that the Korbon Pesach is the sacrificial lamb (sheep or ‘immature ram’) used to signify a Tikun of the previous period, and a transition/ transformation to the future.
The third 2000 yr period (which we are currently in) is the period of the ram. The time period of the ram is a time of blending. The ram corresponds to Binah – Understanding ( the lower waters) and the interinclusion of the higher and lower aspects (the intellectual and emotive aspects of Torah). It is a time of transformation.
The Vilna Goan (Kol Hator) brings down further the 4th period which is also represented in Avrahams’ Covenant of the Pieces. This final period is represented by 2 doves; a mother dove and a child dove. This is the period of the Final Redemption, the Messianic era, when the mother dove representing the Land of Israel, and the child dove representing the Jewish people unite and become one, as Jewish People and the Land of Israel… a Messianic time.
The Covenant of the Pieces is a metaphor of the timeline of Jewish history ending with the Final Redemption.
As a greater G-d consciousness is brought in to ourselves and the world, we bring about greater unity; the cut pieces of the sacrifices of The Covenant of the Pieces become spiritually united, joined back together resulting in both a spiritual and physical transformation and rectification ultimately of the Jewish Land of Eretz Yisroel and the Jewish People. In the final stage of the process of this Tikun (rectification) , we employ the 2 doves which represents a Messianic time. The young turtle dove represents the child, and the more mature dove represents the mother.
The final stage is then a culmination of all the 3 stages, the bringing together in unity and harmony of the Jewish people, and uniting the child as the Jewish people, with the Mother as the the land of Eretz Yisroel in what will then be a rectified people in a rectified Land, … the Messianic era.
Kabbalistic Insight on Brit Milah
A look into Rav Ginsburgh’s article ‘248 In Nature and Man’ (http://www.inner.org/torah_and_science/physics/E68-0422.php – also see parts 3&4) shares with us a beautiful insight into the mapping of the spiritual realm as it correspond to the physical body and the 613 mitzvoth that we choose to articulate in order to bring about a tikun- rectification.
The physical body and spiritual attributes of ‘Man in the ‘image’ of G-d’ is man is as a conduit to use and elevate our free will with the spiritual realms through using the guidelines of the mitzvot. Accordingly, it is said that the body is a microcosm and conduit of the universe, spiritually connected perhaps like Wi-Fi.
In brief, the article of ‘248’ illuminates the following idea; Avram (his name before the covenant of the brit milah-circumcision) had a gematria-numerical value of 243. It was upon the entering of the Covenant of Brit Milah that Avram became Avraham. The additional letter ‘hei; has an added gematria value of 5. Therefore the gematria of Avraham is = (243+5) = 248. This corresponds to the 248 positive mitzvoth. The addition of the letter ‘Hei (5)’ gave Avraham the control over the 243 skeletal bones-limbs and sinews, through the ability to control an additional 5 ‘passive organs’ as a result of the Covenant of Brit Milah ; the 2 ears, the procreative sexual male organ, and the 2 eyes (total of 5 organs), thereby giving him the ability to choose and gain control of the activities not just of the additional 5 organs of the 248 bones, sinews and organs , but also gaining control over the 365 prohibition mitzvoth that correspond to major veins and arteries for the total of the 613 mitzvoth (248 positive + 365 prohibitive).
Thus the covenant of the brit milah giving Avraham the added Hei=5 gave Avraham and thereby an inheritance to all Jews the ability to choose to serve G–d with our all, as we say in the Shema.. ‘with all our heart all our sole and all our might’, thus allowing each and every Jew the opportunity to connect to and integrate within himself and the greatest amount of G-ds infinity through the mechanisms of the 613 mitzvoth (see article summary with audio/video @ http://www.inner.org/torah_and_science/physics/E68-0422.php).
Lawrence (Leib Getzel) Lax
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