Behind the Monitor
The Language of the Branches is the expression of higher forces that operate on our world. It is expressed in objects and in everything that happens. Where does it come from? It’s like a computer monitor: if you looked behind the monitor, you would not see the picture—you would see the electronics that built it.
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You have not a blade of grass below that has not a sign Above, which strikes it and tells it, “grow.”
—Midrash Rabba
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Here’s how some of the stories in the Bible are explained using the Language of the Branches.
The Apple Story
Let’s talk about the Biblical story of creation. The will to receive in the common soul (us) is called “Eve.” The will to bestow, to give, is called “Adam.” Egoism—the will to receive with the intention to receive—is called “the serpent,” and we call it “ego.” The ego wants to take over all our desires and pull us toward egoism. This is considered that the serpent came to Eve—the will to receive—and said, “You know what? You can use your will to receive in a very good way.” So Eve went to Adam—the will to bestow—and said, “You know what? We have a chance to climb up to the highest worlds here. Moreover, this is what the Creator wants, that’s why He made us receivers.”
And she ate. The will to receive, joined with the serpent (egoism), ate the apple. Because they liked it, they thought, “Why not pull Adam (the forces of bestowal) into it?” So she did. As a result, the whole body of Adam ha Rishon (the common soul), all his desires were corrupted by the serpent’s intention to receive in what became the original sin.
Abraham—between Egypt and Israel
Abram was born in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq), immigrated to Israel, and then, because of famine, went down to Egypt. This travel has a spiritual meaning because these places are degrees or forces. They actually tell the correction story of his desire.
Mesopotamia is a starting point, where Abram’s desires are egoistic, like yours and mine. The land of Israel, called “desires to bestow,” is the desire to give. Egypt is called Malchut, the will to receive, and it consists of egoistic desires, with Pharaoh being the epitome of egoism.
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In Kabbalah, Israel is not a piece of land. Its name comes from two words: Yashar (straight), El (God, Creator). Therefore, to a Kabbalist, anyone with a strong desire to be like the Creator is considered a part of Israel.
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Av (father) ha Am (the nation)—the great desires to receive that were to emerge from him. To match those desires, he had a will to give, which guaranteed that the desires will ultimately be corrected. Every time Abraham increases his will to give, he moves to Israel, and every time he increases his will to receive, he moves to Egypt. This is also why immigration to Israel is considered ascent and immigration to Egypt is considered descent.
The will to give by itself is powerless. You can truly give to the Creator only by receiving from Him. So Abraham asked, “How will I know that I will reach the same level of giving as the Creator?” Abraham couldn’t receive because he was in a state of giving. The Creator put his seed in Egypt and told him he would receive the full measure of the will to receive. Abraham was delighted. After the exile, when the people mingle with the Egyptians and absorb their desires, the people will be corrected and know how to receive in order to bestow. This is the pattern of attainment for everyone and leads to the end of correction.
The Bible says that Abraham went down to Egypt because of famine. The famine was spiritual because he wanted to bestow but had nothing to bestow with. For Abraham, a situation in which he can’t bestow is called famine, absence of desires to receive. As a person gradually acquires a bigger will to receive, it is considered experiencing the exile in Egypt. When you come out of the experience with great substance of vessels of reception, you can begin to correct them so they work in order to bestow.
Moses' Tug-of-War with Pharaoh
The next key Bible story from the perspective of Kabbalah is the story of Moses. Pharaoh enslaving the Jews has deeper significance than historical record.
Pharaoh dreamed that there would be 7 years of wealth, followed by 7 years of famine. Wealth is when you first discover a great desire for spirituality and feel great happiness. This is because you think that you can achieve spirituality using your ego. You are ready to read and learn and do all kinds of things. Famine happens when you see that you cannot acquire spirituality unless you concede your ego and gain the attribute of giving. But you can’t give, despite wanting to. You are caught in between. This is Egypt.
To bring about change, your “Pharaoh” grows. Your Pharaoh is your ego. It begins to show you bad things about the present state. If it is very bad, you want to escape or flee to spirituality. You want to go even if there is nothing appealing and attractive about it. When your ego shows you how bad it is, you will want to change.
The name Moses comes from the word Moshech (pulling). This is the point that pulls us out of Egypt, just like the Messiah, which also comes from the same word. Moses is the feeling within a person that stands against his or her ego and says, “I really think we should leave.” The big force that pushes is Pharaoh. The small force that pulls is Moses. This pulling is the start of your spirituality, the point in the heart.
The (Classic Happy-end) Story of Esther
This story describes the final correction of the will to receive, named Haman. Mordechai (the will to bestow) and Hamanshare a horse. Hamanrides first, then Hamanlets Mordechairide while he walks the horse. This shows how your will to receive ultimately surrenders before your will to bestow and gives up the reins.
Esther—from the Hebrew word Hester (concealment)—is the hidden Kingdom of Heaven. She is hidden, along with Ahasuerus, the Creator, who is seemingly neither good nor bad. The person who experiences it doesn’t know who’s right and whether the Creator is good or bad.
Esther is also a relative of Mordechai, the will to bestow. Mordechai, like Moses but at a different spiritual stage, is the point of Bina in one’s soul, which pulls you toward the Light.
When the will to give appears, sometimes it cannot be seen right away. Sometimes it is hidden, like Esther the Queen. You may not know if the action is really giving. However, if Mordechaiis the one riding, your will to receive can correct itself.
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Tidbits
The happiest holiday in the Hebrew calendar is Purim, when the story of Haman and Mordechai is told. This holiday represents the end of correction, and dictates drinking until we cannot tell Hamanfrom Mordechai, egoism from altruism. This is because at the end of correction, all desires are corrected and work in order to give to the Creator, so it doesn’t matter which desire you work with, it’ll always be with the intention to give.
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