THE MYSTICAL NATURE OF LIGHT  

Selections from various chapters

When the concept of spiritual light is mentioned, a number of thoughts and mental pictures immediately come to mind: holiness, purity, Divine revelation, enlightenment, intellect, hope, joy and peace. Yet all these ideas are somewhat intangible and ethereal, making the idea of light both mysterious and at times mystical. The Jewish tradition is replete with these associations and connotations, and in fact, the concept of light conjures up these same images universally. In the physical sense, light is associated with life, warmth, comfort, growth and the basic ability to see and function.
It is not hard at all to understand light's many positive associations. Without it this world would literally be a dark, cold, depressing, and in fact, uninhabitable place. The mere glimpse of the sun after a few cloudy days, the majesty of an awe-inspiring sunset, experiencing in a real manner the "light at the end of the tunnel," or the crystal clarity of "seeing the light," are but a few examples of our positive attraction to light.
Due to our deeply ingrained physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual attraction to light and all that it symbolizes, Jewish tradition, as we will see, uses light in a host of rituals, is mentioned throughout various prayer services, and its use as a metaphor is deeply ingrained in the words of the prophets. Throughout the five books of Moses, the other books of the Tanach (the Bible), the Oral Tradition as codified in the Mishnah, Talmud and Midrash, as well as Kabbalistic and Chassidic teachings, light is a powerful symbol in both a spiritual and physical sense.
When delving into many of the usages of light in the above texts and their more in- depth commentaries, an intriguing pattern begins to reveal itself. When examining each incident, story or appearance of light independently, even with their many commentaries, one would not necessarily catch the subtlety of the actual nature of light in the context of the bigger picture. Yet, when the individual pieces of the puzzle relating to the essence of physical and spiritual light are assembled, a distinctly mysterious pattern becomes revealed. For, as we shall see, the Sages intuited within not only physical light, but within Divine light as well, a deeply paradoxical reality that is revealed in the Jewish commentaries throughout the generations. We hope in this book to be able to clearly reveal this enigmatic pattern.
After conducting a survey of many of the sources of light in the written and oral tradition, we will delve into the Kabbalistic and Chassidic treatment of light, where its paradoxical and mystical nature is dealt with in great depths. Although not every reference to light in Jewish tradition contains the paradoxical pattern of which we speak, nonetheless, there are so many that do that it is hard to overlook the mysterious inner dimension of light being alluded to. We will then take these ideas and try to understand the paradoxical nature of light as it relates to God, creation, Divine revelation and the Torah.
Next, we will turn our attention to the world of science, and especially the revelations of the last century, which forever changed our concept of reality. Integral to many of these discoveries was a totally new understanding of light and its central place in the essential makeup of time, space, energy and matter. Amazingly enough, the paradoxical and mysterious nature of light that the Sages, mystics and Rabbis discuss at great length (and forming a central focus of this book) has been revealed to be the very nature of light as explained by modern physics!!
The way a scientist relates to atoms, molecules and elements as the building blocks of creation, is similar to the way that Jewish tradition relates to the Hebrew letters. Therefore, we will see these teachings about light, as gleaned from both Jewish tradition and modern science, revealed in the very letters that spell the word for light in Hebrew. It is fascinating to see in the forms, names and numerical equivalents of the three letters comprising the word for light so many of the actual teachings relating to the very essence of light. This is not surprising given that Hebrew is a holy and mystical language whose letters not only represent the concept of the word they describe, but are the very essence and life force of that entity.
Light is related to many different ideas, and both practically and symbolically relate to many different aspects of life. We will briefly touch on how light relates to the realms of healing, meditation, color, love, speech and human psychology.
Lastly, we will explore the connection of light to the redemptive process and various traditions of how light will reveal itself in the Messianic era, and its role in the ultimate rectification of the world.
Due to the relatively short length of this book, we can only begin the process of discussing the inner dimensions of physical and spiritual light and the very relevant implications to how we see and experience the world. We hope the reader will be inspired by the ideas presented here and will pursue further the wealth of wisdom contained in Jewish tradition on this fascinating subject.

According to tradition (Pirkei Avot 5:1) God created the world with ten utterances ("and God said…."). The first explicit expression of divine speech is the creation of light on the first day of creation: "And God said let there be light and there was light. God saw the light was good, and God separated between the light and the darkness. God called to the light 'day' and to the darkness He called 'night.' And there was evening and there was morning, one day" (Genesis 1: 3-5). The first appearance of a word in the Torah creates the overall context of all subsequent appearances of that word. Thus, being the first explicit creation certainly invests light with a unique quality and status.
There is a question however, as to the nature of this light due to the fact that the sun and the moon were not created until the fourth day. Of what light are we then speaking? Most commentaries speak of this light as a spiritual or divine light. Rashi, the great middle age commentator, brings the teaching that God saw that it was not fitting for evil ones to use this light, therefore He hid this light for the righteous in the future (Chagigah 12a). Many commentaries discuss where this light is hidden and how to access it in the present, as will be explained later. The Talmud relates that Adam and Eve were allowed to experience this light and see from one end of the world to the other, until their exile from the Garden of Eden (Chagigah 12a).
Relating to the fact that the Torah states "one day," and not the "first day" as would be expected by the subsequent numbering of the second, third, fourth…days, Rashi comments that on this day God was singularly united with His world, as the angels were not created until the second day. In the standard model of the universe, also known as the Big Bang, all creation begins from a singular, unified "point" of concentrated matter. The entire present physical universe of a hundred billion galaxies emanates from this one singular "point." Paradoxically, plurality emanates from a state of absolute unity. The first day of creation, "one day," which deals primarily with the creation of light, contains both the absolute unity of God and the seeds of all subsequent multiplicity in creation.
The creation of the heavens and earth as described in the first sentence of the Torah speaks of creation in its most all encompassing and potential sense - the heavens represent all potential spiritual reality and the earth represents all potential physical reality. The commentaries point out that in fact, all that would ever be created existed in potential on the first day, and each subsequent day merely revealed a new aspect and progression of creation, already in existence in potential on day one. This explanation is again mirrored in the scientific view of how the world progressed from the initial Big Bang.
In scientific and cosmological terms the appearance of light as the first creation points to the initial appearance of electromagnetic energy, one of the four basic energies of existence, as will be explained further. The light of the first day was a powerful manifestation of all potential spiritual and material energy; its more local form as the physical light of the sun would only be revealed later.
On the first day of creation God separated between light and darkness and gave each one its own domain of day and night, respectively. Nonetheless, it is called "one day," implying an underlying unity. Although light is the first explicit creation we find in the preceding verse the mention of darkness: "And the earth was chaotic and empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep and the spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). The sequence implies that darkness actually preceded light. This will be discussed at greater length in the third chapter, the Paradox of Light. We mention it now however, to point out an intrinsic duality in which light and darkness are divided and yet unified from the very inception of creation. The first day of creation ends with the word, "one," implying unity, yet the opening word of the first verse in the Torah begins with a large beit, the letter whose numeric value is two, implying duality and plurality. This simultaneous division and unity of light and darkness archetypically manifests itself at every level of reality.
There is an additional dualistic aspect of light in the Torah account of the fourth day of creation: "And God made the two great luminaries, the greater luminary to dominate the day and the lesser luminary to dominate the night…" (Genesis 1:16). The Sages understood the contradiction between the beginning of the verse where there are two great luminaries mentioned and the end of the verse where a greater and lesser luminary is mentioned as alluding to a much deeper reality. Rashi brings the tradition that the moon complained that two kings cannot wear one crown (Genesis 1:16). According to the midrash, God's reaction was to tell the moon to make itself small. Consequently, the moon has no light of its own, rather it reflects the light of the sun.
Once again we see a division between day and night, and sun and moon, yet by reflecting the light of the sun, the moon is actually totally connected and unified with it. This tradition of the lessening of the moon alludes to much more than the sun and the moon and is seen to symbolize the relationship between light and darkness, male and female, the nations and Israel, and exile and redemption.
On close inspection we see that the creation of light plays a dualistic and paradoxical role in creation as it encompasses both spiritual and physical reality, potential and actual energy, a revealed and hidden aspect, as well as serving as a bridge between the absolute unity of God and the plurality of creation. These themes will be expanded upon throughout the book.

There are a number of times in which light and fire play a significant role in the life of Moses and the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. At Moses' birth the Torah states: "The woman conceived and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was good and she hid him for three months" (Exodus 2:2). Concerning the words "she saw he was good," Rashi brings the tradition that when Moses was born, the room filled with light (Sotah 12a). This tradition is based on the fact that the first time the word "good" appears in the Torah is when God sees the light and calls it "good" (Genesis 1:4). It is interesting to note that the appearance of a great light in the soul of Moses is followed immediately by his being hidden. This alludes to how the original light of creation was also hidden.
When Moses was eighty years old, after forty years of being a shepherd in the land of Midian, God appeared to him in order to announce to him the impending redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt and his role as their leader: "An angel of God appeared to him in a blaze of fire from amid the bush. He saw and behold the bush was burning in the fire, but was not consumed. Moses thought, 'I will turn aside now and look at this great sight - why will the bush not be consumed'" (Exodus 3:2-3).
Moses was captivated by the paradoxical sight of a bush burning yet not being consumed. It is very significant that God chose to reveal Himself and His plan for redeeming the Jewish people to Moses in a mysterious and paradoxical vision of fire and light, for light is the quintessential symbol of divinity, revelation, hope and redemption. It is further taught that the revelations of all future prophets after Moses were all intrinsically rooted in the basic messages and themes of the prophesies already revealed in the Torah by Moses. It is of great importance then that the symbol of light, which would become so cardinal to Jewish consciousness and tradition, was the means through which God revealed Himself for the first time to Moses. The fact that this vision of light was mysterious and paradoxical points to the very essence of the nature of light.
The ninth of the ten plagues was darkness. It too has a paradoxical twist to it, as the Torah states that although there was darkness in all of Egypt "but for the children of Israel there was light in their dwellings" (Exodus 10:23). It appears that the very source of darkness for the Egyptians was a source of light for Israel. This pattern of darkness for the Egyptians and light for the Jews is repeated when the Egyptians chase after the people of Israel who had just left Egypt, hoping to trap them by the Sea of Reeds: "The angel of God who had been going in front of the children of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and went behind them. It came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel and there was cloud and darkness - while it illuminated the night - and one did not draw near to the other all the night" (Exodus 14:19-20).
When God appears initially to Moses in a burning bush, He revealed to him that "when you take the people out of Egypt you will serve God on this mountain" (Exodus 3:12). Serving God refers to the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Similar to the paradoxical revelation at the bush, the description of the giving of the Torah also assumes a paradoxical element in that the physical phenomenon surrounding this awesome event included elements of both darkness and light intermingled in the form of a thick cloud, lightning and a consuming fire. The Torah repeats this description a number of times. Similar to how light and darkness were commingled on the first day of creation, so too at Sinai, there was a commingling of these opposite elements. There are actually many different references to the giving of the Torah at Sinai as comparable to the creation of the world (See the Mystical Power of Music; Avraham Arieh Trugman; pgs 51-60; Targum Press).
When Moses descended Mount Sinai with the second tablets there was an amazing occurrence: "Moses did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant when He had spoken to him. Aaron and all the children of Israel saw and behold the skin of Moses' face had become radiant and they feared to approach him" (Exodus 34:29-30). Moses then took a mask and hid his face. When he would speak to God or to the people he would remove the mask, but at other times he would hide his face from the people. Once again, we see the idea of light being revealed and then hidden, as with the original light of creation.
Another mystery regarding the light emanating from the face of Moses is that the Hebrew word for radiance is keren or. Keren literally means beams or "horns." The word or, as explained above, can be pronounced to mean skin or light. One would expect that in this case it would be spelled to mean light, as this is the literal meaning of the verse, yet puzzlingly, it is spelled to mean skin. Because of this many people, including the artist Michelangelo, who did not understand the subtle meaning of the text, rendered these beams of light to be horns of skin. Rashi explains that the light radiating from his face was as tangible as physical horns.
There is a deep allusion here to Adam and Eve and the garments of skin that replaced their original garments of light. We are taught that at the giving of the Torah the original pollution of the sin of Adam and Eve was taken away and that a brand new reality was being introduced. Tragically, this new chapter was closed quickly due to the sin of the golden calf. The Zohar Chadash (62:2) explains that Moses merited this radiance as a result of his defending the people after the sin of the golden calf. It appears that although the people lost the opportunity to reclaim "skins of light," Moses alone was rewarded with such a spiritual radiance.

Of all the paradoxes we have examined in relation to light there is one particular word that best encapsulates these ideas and that is the mysterious word chashmal mentioned in the vision of Ezekiel, considered the most mystical section of the Bible. The secrets contained in this vision formed an entire body of early Kabbalistic teachings termed the "workings of the chariot." These teachings were considered so secretive that permission to learn them was only granted to those who learned it in private from a teacher who had himself received the authentic teachings regarding these mysteries (Mishnah Chagigah 2:1). And of all the ideas contained in Ezekiel's vision none is as mysterious or paradoxical as chashmal, which defies translation, but whose two syllables mean silence (chash) and speaking (mal).
Chashmal is usually translated as a color, but is understood in Kabbalah as a light or energy originating in the divine oneness above time and space : "…the heavens opened and I saw visions of God…And I saw, and behold a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a flashing fire and a translucent glow surrounded it and out of the midst of it, out of the midst of the fire, was something like the chashmal (Ezekiel 1:1-4).
The energy of chashmal, when relating to the spiritual created worlds, was identified by the sages as a group of angels who are "sometimes silent and sometimes speaking" (Chagigah 13b). Yet the energy of chashmal in its divine source is silent and speaking simultaneously, thus the paradox.
When Hebrew became a spoken language again the word chosen for electricity was chashmal. This choice was excellent as the paradox we have identified with light throughout Jewish tradition finds its description best in the mysterious word chashmal. In the next chapter on light and science we will see just how intuitive a choice this word is for electricity.
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh teaches that the two letters ??(chash) are also the first two letters of the word for darkness (choshech), and thus the idea of chashmal can be understood to mean "a darkness that speaks." Another way to understand chashmal is that it is the primordial darkness expressing itself. Since chashmal was seen by Ezekiel from within the fire we could further say that this inner darkness was itself radiating a sort of black fire, similar to the dark light in a candle.
Speech is often associated with light. Similar to how darkness precedes light in the account of creation and how light is the first instance of God creating through speech, so too, in the word chashmal the syllable associated with darkness and silence precedes the syllable associated with light and speech.
God appeared to Elijah the prophet when he escaped for his life to the desert of Sinai: "And behold God passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains…but God was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but God was not in the fire; and after the fire a soft, silent voice. And when Elijah heard it he wrapped his face in a mantel and went out… (Kings I 19:11-13). When Elijah heard silent speech he knew that it was God, for only the divine can "carry opposites" such as silence and speech as one.
It is interesting to note that this encounter of God with Elijah happened in the isolation of the desert. The word for desert in Hebrew is midbar, which has the very same letters of another word for speaking, midaber. This in itself is very paradoxical in that we usually think of the desert as a place of awesome silence.
The Patriarchs and Matriarchs, all of whom had prophetic powers, were shepherds, spending extensive time in nature, especially in the desert, alone with their flocks. Later in history the prophets and mystics retreated to the desert to meditate and receive prophesy. Only after first entering into a deep state of silence were they able to hear the "soft silent voice" of God and subsequently given the permission and the ability to speak the word of God to the people. Therefore, the desert, or by extension, other isolated places in nature, served as the inspirational setting where the energy of chashmal could be experienced and integrated.
In the Zohar a similar idea of opposites that coexist is described as "one side of the heart is crying, while the other side of the heart is laughing." The simple understanding is that there is a proper time to laugh and there is a proper time to cry. Being in tune with the times and being able to express the appropriate emotion at the right time is in of itself a very high level. Yet Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach taught that there is a much higher level where one is simultaneously laughing and crying.
He explained that when looking at such a broken world as ours, filled with pain and suffering, how can we not be broken? Yet when we look at the world and see what a beautiful and special place it is, full of love and wonder, how can we not be laughing. Therefore he explained, the secret is to learn to be both totally broken yet full of joy, all in the same moment. This idea is perhaps best symbolized by the custom of breaking a glass at a wedding. At the very pinnacle of joy we stop to feel the destruction of the Temple and all that it implies about the broken state of the world.
The Baal Shem Tov, based on the fact that the root mal means separation as well as speech, explained that the word chashmal can be understood to actually contain three levels: chash - mal - mal; silence, separation and speech. This three stage model corresponds to another essential teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, that all experience of reality and the process of spiritual and creative growth follow a three stage development which he defined as submission (hachna'ah), separation (havdalah), and sweetening (hamtaka).
Submission entails the diminishment of ego in order to allow our true selves to emerge. It is also the initial stage of submitting our energies and will to accomplish a specific task or purpose. This corresponds to silence. Separation involves the stage of separating the essential from the extraneous, truth from falsehood and defining an orderly path towards fulfillment of one's goals. In both models separation is the middle stage. Sweetening is the stage of self fulfillment and accomplishment, where unity of purpose is achieved. This corresponds to speech, where our inner thoughts and goals are brought into fruition and full expression.
Both of these three stage models can be seen in the primordial process of light and darkness on the first day of creation. After the creation of light it was still in a confused state of commingling with darkness. This represents the stage of silence and submission. Then the light and darkness were separated from each other, each given its own domain. This obviously corresponds to the stage of separation in both models. The stage of sweetening and speech corresponds to the unity of evening and morning, in one day. Once again we see how the account of the first day is archetypal, creating the pattern upon which all experience is modeled.
Chashmal in divine cosmological terms corresponds to the above time and space infinite state of en sof, where primordial darkness and light are truly united. Darkness is symbolized in the tzimtzum, the contraction, and the appearance of the vacuum, the womb-like space where all worlds will be formed. Lastly the ray of light pierces the darkness bringing all potential creation into the actual.
A beautiful mathematical gem linking these three words and concepts together is found in the numerical value of chashmal, choshech (darkness) and or (light), equaling exactly the first word of the Torah - bereishit (913)!!
Chashmal represents the unity of darkness and light before they appear in this world as separate entities. In the place of divine paradox they commingle as "speaking silence." God creates darkness and light, good and [the possibility of]evil, all serving their particular purpose. Ultimately all things will be seen as the full expression of God's will, manifesting in one unified continuum.

Throughout Jewish texts light is associated with human intellect, soul and consciousness, as discussed above. The ability to think abstractly, philosophically and in a complex manner differentiates man from other animals and life forms. The last two centuries especially has seen an explosion of human achievement in technology, medicine, communications, transportation and the instantaneous access to vast amounts of information and knowledge. Most of these advancements are linked to man's ability to harness and use the electromagnetic force.
The connection between light and the intellect has taken on a new perspective due to recent discoveries on the functioning of the brain, the seat of intelligence. It is now known that the brain is an incredibly complex communication center, a sort of super computer processing and reacting to an immense amount of input per second. The brain contains hundreds of billions of neurons, specialized nerve cells that process and transmit information through a complex interaction of chemical messengers and electrical signals carried through nerve fibers. The brain is an electric transformer, a pulsating system of live wires of light.
To "see the light," an analogy of experiencing a lightening flash of new revelation streaking through the mind, can now be understood to parallel the biological reality of new information transmitted in the form of electric impulses. The neurons are connected by synapses that transmit electric nerve impulses by way of neurotransmitters, carrying signals and information between brain cells. The ancient, intuitive understanding of the connection of light with intellect, can now be seen in how modern science understands the functioning of the brain.
On a more spiritual level "seeing the light" or being "enlightened" means plugging into divine intelligence that pervades literally every moment of time and every point of space. That intelligence is encoded in every atom in the universe and in every cell, and is literally mind boggling in its complexity. The more we understand of the physical laws of the universe the more it beckons us to see the hidden and unified spiritual force behind the material world. Maimonides taught that if we want to understand God we need to look at the world He created. All existence is in truth the ongoing manifestation of God's divine wisdom, and in fact, the Targum Yonaton, a two thousand year old translation of the Torah into Aramaic, renders the first verse of the Torah as "With wisdom God created the heavens and the earth."
In Judaism the study of Torah, the revealed will of God, is considered the paradigm of intellectual activity and the soundest means as well to sharpen the intellect in order to understand God and His creation. "Turn it and turn it, for all is in it [the Torah]," expresses the belief that all knowledge and wisdom ultimately finds its source in the Torah (Pirkei Avot 5:26). In essence, learning Torah with pure intent tunes us into the divine wisdom of creation, as well as the ultimate source of that wisdom. And since God is most closely associated with light, His Torah is called light as well: "The candle [is] a mitzvah and Torah light" (Proverbs 6:23). Through the study of Torah and the performance of mitzvot, a Jew himself becomes light by unifying him or herself with the light of God, truly fulfilling the verse, "the candle of God is the soul of man." The Zohar expresses the intimate and intrinsic bond between these three lights as "Israel, Torah and God are one."
One particular intellectual practice used throughout the ages to experience the light of God in a deep and profound manner is meditation. Jewish history, from the Patriarchs to the prophets, from the sages to the Chassidic masters is replete with a wide range of texts, applications and methods of meditation. Jewish meditation in effect encompasses Torah study, prayer, introspection, concentration, music, dance, visualization, focused intent and a host of other creative activities.
In its broadest sense the goal of Jewish meditation is to draw close to God. This may seem obvious, but in many forms of meditation the goal is self-realization and not necessarily attaining divine consciousness or knowledge of God. Although self-realization is an important step on the road to higher consciousness it is not an end in itself. In fact the infatuation with self-awareness can be one of the most illusionary and major impediments to true knowledge of God. Therefore, although clearing the mind of extraneous thoughts and experiencing inner peace and tranquility is an important first step it is not the ultimate goal of Jewish meditation, which strives to discover new insight and revelation. For this reason the lines between meditation, focus, intent and concentration in Kabbalah are in most part purposely blurred.
Jewish meditation seeks to integrate both the intellect and the emotions in coming to know God, as it is stated: "You shall know this day and take to heart that God is God in the heavens above and the earth below, there is no other" (Deuteronomy 4:39). The goal is not to have an experience of divine light as a form of instant gratification, but rather to attain new insight and wisdom which can then be integrated and revealed in the world.
In the evening prayers is included the following words relating to the study of Torah: "For they are our life and the length of our days and about them we will meditate day and night." For words of Torah to be truly integrated and understood they need to be meditated upon. When doing so they reveal infinite layers of meaning and significance to each person according to his or her capability to understand.
The word for meditation in Hebrew is hitbonanut, from the root bina, "understanding," and boneh, "building." The purpose of Jewish meditation is to build new understanding and insight of God, the world, the Torah and ourselves. With each new insight comes additional spiritual light.
Many types of Jewish meditation therefore entail contemplating in a deep and focused manner on words, verses, concepts and "stories" from the Torah. The more one knows about the particular subject at hand the more connections can be made till new insight flashes across the mind. Abraham Abulafia, a teacher of Kabbalah in the thirteenth century, formalized a method of meditating on words by permuting their letters in order to yield deeper and deeper levels of understanding the inner dynamics of the concepts contained in the words. Other Kabbalists use the numerical values of letters, words and verses to probe associations and connections not apparent on a superficial level. These two basic ideas of how to reveal new insight has in modern times found a new ally in the computer. These new technological capabilities have revealed astounding inner codes and structure in the Torah, not as yet fully appreciated or digested.
Jewish meditation is then much more than sitting silently, with eyes closed for medium to long periods of time. It can follow that format, but it can also assume a surprisingly wide variety of forms and applications. When a person focuses all their concentration and energy, whether it is Torah study, music, dance, art or prayer, this in itself becomes a vehicle for meditation.
Many of the mitzvot lend themselves to taking a short time for focused intention before performing them. This focused concentration on the purpose and inner spiritual meaning of a mitzvah is referred to as kavanah, and although it may only take a short time, it is in fact another important facet of meditation. The plural of the word for light, orot, equals 613, the exact number of mitzvot in the Torah. For this reason the mitzvot of the Torah are envisioned by the Kabbalists as beams or pillars of light, bringing divine illumination into the world.
When employing a mystical alphabet called atbash, where the first letter is exchanged for the last letter and so forth, the feminine word for light, ora, which begins with an alef, the first letter of the alphabet, becomes the word Torah, also a feminine word which begins with a tav, the last letter. The fact that in this mystical alphabet Torah and light are interchangeable directs us to their hidden yet inherent unity.
There are two similar phrases that sum up the importance of this type of meaningful meditation: "prayer without kavanah is like a body without a soul" and "performing a mitzvah without kavanah is like a body without a soul." The idea of a body without a soul can be translated as well to read "like a vessel without light." Performing a mitzvah with kavanah infuses the physical with spiritual light and content, while concurrently filling our soul and body with divine, radiant light, bringing us ever closer to God.
Many Kabbalistic teachings focus on the meditation of light itself. We mentioned above the practice of meditating on the flame of a candle and the profound effect it has upon the soul. Rabbi Azriel of Gerona of the thirteenth century wrote a treatise called The Gate of Kavanah of the Early Kabbalists, in which he describes in great detail meditating on various levels of visualized light until reaching the Or En Sof, the infinite light.
Rabbi Moshe de Leon, best known as the publisher of the Zohar, wrote a book, Shekel HaKodesh, The Holy Coin, where he too reveals various meditations on light. Another text revealing how the sefirot and Divine names of God can be used as a method of meditation is found in the Gates of Light, written by another thirteenth century Kabbalist, Rabbi Josef Gikatalia (See Meditation and Kabbalah by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan; Weiser Inc. 1982). Many later texts, including the writings of the Arizal, continued to reveal the manner in which various names of God and permutations of the sefirot could be used to form unifications, each one a meditation in of itself.
Another creative method of meditation made popular by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov is called hitbodadut, from the root "to be alone." He urged his followers to take a set time each day to be alone with God and to speak to Him as one would speak to his or her best friend. Although hitbodadut can be done anywhere, Rebbe Nachman taught that the best place is in nature where the spiritually conducive atmosphere of a forest, flowing river, rolling hills or majestic mountain opens up the heart and mind to the all encompassing presence of God. Being alone with God and oneself is a potent combination for meditating on the essentials and purpose of life and can encourage song, prayer, tears or laughter.
Another manifestation of light and meditation is the Shabbat, when we create an entire day dedicated to developing our spiritual nature. By refraining from all types of work and creative endeavors and slowing down our pace we create a meditative space that encompasses our every activity. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh teaches that the mirror image of light, or, which equals 207, is found in Shabbat which equals 702. The divine pleasure and bliss the soul experiences on Shabbat is perhaps the easiest way to grasp the reality of the light of God.
In general the six days of the week are referred to as "straight light" while Shabbat is referred to as "returning light." Paradoxically though we can see it as just the opposite as well, where the Shabbat, the source of all blessing, is seen as "straight light" from above and the six days of human endeavor is seen as "returning light." These two complimentary perspectives reinforce the inverse numbers of light equaling Shabbat.
One of the greatest ways to understand paradox in all its manifold forms is through meditating on the unity that underlies the opposites creating the paradox. By stretching the mind and heart to encompass opposites we begin to solve the existential paradoxes of life. The illusion of multiplicity is only clarified through the light of the intellect and by seeking the oneness inherent in creation.
The light of God is everywhere, but similar to the unconscious beating of our hearts and the ongoing unheeded function of breathing, we hardly take any notice. The act of meditation in all its various forms tunes us into that divine light and makes us aware of its existence. The more conscious we are of the light, the more we can become both a vessel and a conduit for its radiance within our selves and in the world at large.