24 May The 50 Gates of Understanding-Binah; The Omer, Shavuos and Tshuvah
Inspired by the teachings of Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh and Rabbi Moshe Genuth
During the Omer we count 49 days and on the 50th day we celebrate Shavuos.
Shavuos as the 50th Day (of the Omer) is also knowns as the 50 gate of Understanding or The 50 gates of Binah (corresponding to the sefirot of Binah). The sefirot of Chochma (wisdom) appears opposite to Binah on the Kabbalah Tree of Life. Chochma or Wisdom of Intellect is experienced as intuition or insight. It appears on the mind like a flash of lightning (chashmal). Paradoxically however, Binah (understanding) is acquired through a process. Binah (understanding) begins with a ‘question’, a challenge…
‘Every problem in life is a question’.
Enlightenment is not found solely in the resolve,
but acquired along the journey to the resolve.
Each one of the 49 days of the Omer is new opportunity to rectify or approach the resolve of a paradox – a question, culminating all 49 days of the Omer with the 50th day (which paradoxically is not counted), also referred to as the 50th gate of Binah-Understanding. A explanation of how we arrive at the 49th Gate leading to the 50th Gate is that all interinclusions (one sefirot or emanation of light that is contained within another) of the 7 emotive sefirot (7 within 7) are as 7² = 49. When we add +1 to the count of 49 we then have the 50th (related to the letter nun as will follow). The ‘+1’ then ‘enclothes’ all the previous 49 experiences to the 5oth level (this is a kabbalistic concept). We can see the idea of ‘enclothment’ when counting the 6 days to the ‘+1 day’ as the 7th day of Shabbos that ‘receives, enclothes and elevates all the preceding 6 days culminating as Shabbos the 7th.
The purpose of the counting of the Omer is to rectify.., to do a thorough introspectiona and Thsuvah during these days on ones 7 emotive (heart) character traits. This is done through the rectifying of midos (character) through the practices and meditations of the daily interinclusions of the powers of the sefirot. Thsuvah is the goal during the 49 days of the Omer. Tshuvah is often understood as ‘return’ to a pure-rectified state to G-d, but Tshuvah also means ‘to answer’. As we have said, enlightenment is acquired in the journey to the resolve of life’s questions.
What we are meant to do, especially during this period of the Omer
is to engage in probing existential questions that are relevant
to our character as is pertains to the rectification of our heart.
When we rectify our heart…our emotive experiences, we have then prepared ourselves (our emotive vessel) for Shavuos to receive the Torah (an intellectual-chochma experience). The intellectual Torah experience on its own is a fleeting one. This was the case at Sinai where the experience of receiving Torah is referred to as making one ‘wise of mind‘. The receiving of Torah was then followed by the transgression of the idolatry of the Golden Calf. The result of having an experience that was ‘wise of mind’ showed a lack of ability to interinclude the attribute of Binah (understanding, the emotive experience of the heart). In contrast to the transgression of the egal (golden calf), Bezalel and the others that were chosen to build the Mishkan were both ‘wise of Mind’ and ‘wise of Heart’. This would then reveal the requirement of those suitable in their midos (character) to build the Holy Mishkan. These individuals would have the intellectual and emotive faculties of mind and heart, Chochma and Binah, in a rectified way.
Binah-Understanding brings Tshuva, and Tshuvah brings healing.
In the Zohar, Binah-Understanding is synonymous with Tshuvah.
This is the experience of the 49 Days of the Omer and the elevated state of The 50 Gates of Binah.
Moshe and the 50 gates of Binah -Understanding reveals that the passing of Moshe on Mt. Nevo is also know as ‘Moshes’ transformation of the 50 gates’. Mt. Nevo is also referred to as the Mountain of ‘NuN’ ( as the letter NuN) was revealed to him as Har Sh’Nun Bo. The gematria value of the letter Nun = 50. It was here that Moses reached the 50th gate and ascended to the heavens. However, this brings up an important point as no grave for Moshe was ever found.
The malachim (angels) say that Moses is buried on Mt Nevo in this world, but We also claim that Moshe ascended to the spiritual word, and so his grave cannot be found. The correct understanding is both are true. Moshe is in the physical and spiritual worlds simultaneously, that is to say the physical and spiritual become interincluded as one. Moshe’s passing appears to us then to be a paradox, an un-resolvable question in this world. We must always keep in mind that this world is paradoxical, and it is through our probing questions that we approach a deeper understanding and Oneness of Emes, G-ds Truth.
Some concepts relating to the 50 gates of Binah in brief are;
· the Zohar identifies 50 times the Exodus is mentioned in the Torah (Ramak)
. the 50 questions G-d poses to Job, the Baal Shem Tov divides these into 3 categories;
· 50 worlds (representing time , and the 50 questions of Job)… their souls ( representing the dimension of space) and the Ramak’s insights of the Exodus form Egypt and their divinity as it relates to the uplifting of ‘images’ (Torah images) of this world to G-d.
-there are 7 agricultural years, the 7th year being Shmita (fallow). 7 cycles of Shmita years = 7 x 7= 49 years. The 50th year ( [+1] enclothing all previous 49 years) is Yovel-Jubille, a significant Torah year.
· There are 50 ‘anthropomorphized’ images of G-d in the Bible. (These all require much more explanation). The insights of the these images are found within Kabbalah. The goal of the 50 gates of binah-understanding is to lift the fallen images…(the images of this world are considered ‘fallen’)… a Tikun (rectification).
. The 50 loops (plus 50 parallel/corresponding loops) = 100 loops on the roof curtain that covers the then completed Mishkan as will be discussed below.
. Mt Nevo, the mountain of NuNs where Moshe departed reveal 2 letter nun in the word as spelled out ‘NuN’= 5o (nun) + 50(nun) = 100 or 10² complete, rectified and perfected (a Kabbalistic term used to referred to a squared number).
Kabbalah and Tshuvah
The original root of the word Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה ) in Hebrew means “parallel.” In the entire Five Books of Moses this root appears only twice,1 in the same phrase, “the loops shall be parallel to one another.” Only later, in the Book of Esther do we find this root used in what has become its common sense in Hebrew, “to receive” (לְקַבֵּל ). This means that the original sense of the word Kabbalah indicates an ability to see and draw parallelisms or one-to-one correspondences between different sets of elements that at first sight may not seem to be related to one another. It all starts from the fact that they have the same number of elements. In the Torah, the two sets were of 50 loops[100 total]. When they were connected they formed one roof of the Tabernacle. Connecting the two sets creates unity. The purpose of our study of Kabbalah is to see unity within plurality. This is how one begins to return from the feeling of plurality to unity in the soul. This is the basic wisdom of Kabbalah. (from Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh –‘Nisan’ –Gal Einai-)1. Exodus 26:5 and 36:12.
There were not just 50 gates, but 50 corresponding gates (below and above) = 100, the highest level, as we learn from the corresponding and connected loops (50+50=100 [as loops or gates]=10² [a rectified number] ) that completes the roof of the Mishkan (or gates).
The key to the 50 gates is found in the pursuit of the resolve of a problem, a paradox through ‘the question’. Some years ago, the great Rav Stiensaltz was in New York on an extensive speaking tour. He was approached by a Rosh Yeshiva to speak nearby at his boys Yeshiva. Although the Rav’s schedule was pressing, he agreed to briefly address the boys.
The Rav entered the gymnasium and went to the podium to address the boys. He said…
“Ask your teachers really hard questions. Make their lives miserable!”.
With that, he began to exit the Gymnasium. Almost out the door he heard the Rosh Yeshiva say to the boys,‘ I believe Rav Steinsaltz was kidding.’
Rav Steinzaltz nearly out the door stopped, turned around, and proceeded back to the podium and said, ‘I meant every word!’… he then exited.
The 50 Gates of Bina and Thsuva we can then understand as ‘ the ability to answer the existential questions that life poses to us. (Rav Ginsburgh) We must continually question .
We must keep in mind that Binah-Understanding brings Tshuva, and Tshuvah brings healing.
Make your questions challenging for your teachers and yourself.
The answer is in the question!
Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counseling (Hnrs)
www.lawrencelax.com
lawrencejlax@gmail.com