09 Sep Ki Teitzei- Gender; First the Oneness of Infinity, Then Plurality
Inspired by the teachings of Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh and Rabbi Moshe Genuth
Everything in the Universe first began in the spiritual realm.
Ki Teitzei verse 22.5 A man’s attire shall not be on a woman, nor may a man wear a woman’s garment because whoever does these [things] is an abomination to the Lord, your God.
On a basic level this verse is talking about the potential of men and woman co-mingling in an inappropriate way. However there are deeper issues of gender to consider.
In the Highest Realm of the Infinite, there is no gender… All is One… All is Infinite, there are no boundaries or limitations. The essence of Infinity is unknowable. However, the created world being a world of dimensions (and limitations) made of time-space and matter is pluralistic… a world of multi dimension.
Although we can never truly know the Infinite Being, G-d, we can come to understand Him through the world of His multi dimensional creation… The Universe.
Although we have the ability to override the deterministic flow (the mazel), some deterministic flow are immutable as they are fundamental to the structure of the universe. Such are the Laws of Teva (Nature).
The first letter of the Torah in the account of creation is the letter ’ Beit’ which is also the number 2 which represents the pluralistic or multi dimensional universe of Creation. From Ein Sof, the Single Infinite Light, came forth creation. Plurality exists at all levels of creation.
The mechanisms for ALL creation to take place is that there must be 2 opposing components as there was in Creation. A giver, and a receiver is necessary for any and-all change to occur whether it be evolution, transformation.. or a miracle.
To begin to understand gender, it is important to know that all things begin first in a spiritual realm before they manifest in the physical realm of creation.
Kabbalistic insights of the Torah speak of the world previous to this World of Tikun-Rectification, the of World of Tohu – Chaos where there were ‘worlds’ or’ kingdoms’ that co-existed autonomous of one another. They did not interact with one another, and NO change took place until one of the Worlds/Kingdoms transformed and ‘availed’ itself to receive another world/kingdom. The interinclusion of this change was incredibly powerful and gave birth to this world commonly referred to as the big bang.
This is the primary example of interaction of worlds/kingdoms is the template for all changes that take place in the universe. The spiritual gender of those worlds are known to us as masculine in character energy; the ability to give… and feminine in character energy; the ability to receive. Again, all changes that take place in the universe experience this pluralistic (opposing forces) interaction.
Where there are men and woman, there exists deterministic energies of masculine and feminine energies that began first in the spiritual realm.
Both men and woman posses a combination of both masculine and feminine energies that manifests as the deterministic (physical ) ‘vessel’ and present in this world as male or female / man or woman . Each designed by the Creator with physical and spiritual deterministic qualities and Free will. Each designated to for the ability to elevate the individual and the world with a fundamental gender designation suited by the creator to carry out his or her mission. Gender is key to the individual contribution to himself/herself, but is spiritually connected to the rectification and equilibrium of the universe.
The mechanical blueprint of ‘giving birth’ to a new entity resulting from opposing forces as we have said takes place at all levels of creation and interaction… From the greatest to the smallest.
In the process of understanding who we are and what our mission is, we acknowledge the plurality or opposing forces of having a Body and a Soul. Opposing forces exist in such examples as Good and Evil, Life or Death or Blessing and Curse. We would not be able to walk from here to there without the opposing forces of gravity and friction. Electrical current exists because of opposing polarities. And of course as we see in the model of the world of tohu giving birth to this world of Tikun, all procreation ie the giving of birth to new entities must have the interinclusion of the opposing forces of masculine and feminine energies.
The gift of opposing forces gives rise to the resolve of dissonance making possible the process of elevation and rectification with ourselves , others and G-d are dependent upon these principles These are principles of Tshuvah. Where there exist the gender of masculine and feminine energies as men and woman, the culmination of these energies have the great power to make the world better than before…Tikun Olam.
If we pervert these ‘deterministic’ gender foundations with beliefs created of our self will, we will affect the value of what is true and erode the equilibrium of the Universe as G-d Torah decrees.
Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counseling
lawrenceJlax@gmail.com