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  DYNAMICS OF REINCARNATION  

Selections from various chapters

It is said that whenever a new prospective student would approach the Ba’al Shem Tov, the charismatic founder of the Chassidic movement, he would begin querying the student by asking: “What do you remember?” With this question the Ba’al Shem Tov was already revealing to the student that what he had to teach him was much deeper than just ordinary book knowledge. This question would, according to Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, stir within the student the hidden levels of his unconscious, touching on the unresolved and repressed problems of this lifetime, as well as awakening deep-rooted memories of previous lifetimes, reaching back to even the most primal memories of the pristine, heavenly state of the student’s soul before its descent into a physical body (Yitzchak Ginsburgh, Transforming Darkness into Light [Jerusalem: Gal Einai, 2002], pp 123–125).

This same idea was later developed by the Ba’al Shem Tov’s great-grandson, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, in his now classic allegorical story, The Seven Beggars. In this profound yet whimsical tale, two orphan children are lost in a forest. There they are assisted by seven beggars, each one maimed with a seeming physical disability. When the two children later marry each other, these same beggars come and bless the couple to be like them, for in truth their disabilities were not what they seemed at all, but were actually wondrous traits. Each beggar, along with his individual blessing to the couple, also related a tale. The first beggar told of a group of men at sea who decided to amuse each other by recalling their earliest memory. The oldest began by saying, “I remember when they plucked the apple from the tree.” They were amazed at how ancient a memory this was. The next, who was younger, said, “I remember when the candle burned.” They all agreed that his recollection was even more ancient, even though he was younger. The next, who was younger still, related that he recalled when the fruit first began to form. The next one said he remembered when they brought the seed to plant the fruit. The next remembered the wise men who found the seed. Then another remembered the taste of the fruit before it even entered the fruit. And another remembered the smell of the fruit before it came into the fruit. Then one more remembered the form of the fruit before it penetrated the fruit.

The beggar who was telling the story then said that he, the youngest of the group, told them that he recollected everything that they remembered and, in addition, remembered absolutely nothing. Everyone was amazed that the very youngest had the most primordial recollection of them all.

Writing a book about reincarnation is like asking the question: “What do you remember?” For deeply imbedded in the soul are wisps of primal memories that are as elusive as they are real. As we shall see, every person is rooted in the most pristine of realities, from the physical body that houses the soul, to his or her intellectual, emotional, psychological, and spiritual composition. To contemplate the mysteries of reincarnation is to grapple with the identity, nature, and purpose of not only the individual soul, but all of creation.

Although there are a small number of excellent books in English that discuss reincarnation in the Jewish tradition, I felt that this subject deserved to be placed in a broader context, where its general concepts could be seen to correspond and reflect reality on an astonishing number of levels. In addition, not only the mechanics of how reincarnation works needs to be understood, but its deep and profound underlying principles need to be elucidated in order to appreciate their full implications. The idea of reincarnation in Judaism does not appear in a spiritual or intellectual vacuum; rather it conforms and, in many cases, clarifies many important and fundamental concepts integral to a world view that is Jewish.

For many people it will come as a surprise or even shock that reincarnation is part of the Jewish belief system. This is understandable in that until recently the concept, although an integral part of the ancient Jewish mystical tradition, was largely unknown to wide segments of the Jewish people. Since the recent resurgence in interest in Kabbalah, this and many other teachings of the mystical tradition have been given wider exposure and have gained normative Jewish acceptance.

I myself became very interested in this subject in response to a tragic death with which I was trying to come to terms. The more I delved into not only the true Jewish teachings on reincarnation, but more important, their implications for understanding the soul and its place in the vast sweep of human history, the more I felt these important teachings needed to be understood and integrated into the mindset of a wider audience. I slowly became aware that when properly conceived, these teachings could not but effect a paradigm shift in how we see the world and our place in it.

The development of our subject will unfold in the following manner. We will begin by investigating the roots of reincarnation in the written and oral Torah, and especially in the wisdom of Kabbalah and Chassidut, as the teachings of the Chassidic movement are referred to. In addition, we will attempt to explain how historically the belief in reincarnation moved from a relatively hidden doctrine to its more open and revealed status today.

We will then delve into the larger spiritual context where we will demonstrate how reincarnation is consistent with many important and fundamental Jewish beliefs and principles. Based on this foundation we will discuss the implications of reincarnation in terms of a broader Jewish belief system. The result of this exploration of the subject will reveal many new and fascinating ideas regarding not just our immediate topic but also about the purpose of creation, the soul, and its ultimate rectification.

Following these reflections we will explain the actual dynamics of reincarnation as taught in Kabbalah. These ideas need much thought and are actually quite complex. Nonetheless, we will endeavor to present in a simple and organized manner its basic teachings as revealed through the ages, and in particular, as expressed by Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534–1572), known as the Arizal, the great teacher and master of Kabbalah of Safed, who, more than any other person, revealed the core principles of reincarnation.

Next we will apply what we have learned to the larger context of human development and history. We will see how these teachings are integral to viewing history as an ongoing spiritual progression, and especially how they are integrated into a belief of the culmination of history in the Messianic era and beyond. Finally, we will trace a number of historical individuals through their various rebirths, as taught by the Arizal. These revelations are truly fascinating and shed much light on understanding these figures and their actions.

Despite our best intentions to present as full and complete a picture of reincarnation according to Jewish tradition as possible, the truth is that in such a relatively short venue we can but touch on this extremely profound and complex subject. We hope to at least provide a sound basis for its understanding, while those who wish to delve even deeper into this area of thought can make use of the sources quoted throughout the text as a guide through the available literature.

I would be less than honest if I did not conclude this introduction by sharing the following struggle I encountered while deciding to write this book. As I delved deeper and deeper into the source material, not only did my fascination grow but so did a certain fear of not being able to properly transmit the ideas in a manner that could be truly fathomed and accepted by a contemporary reader. For as mentioned above, a real integration of these teachings requires an entire paradigm shift on many levels. Not only did I wonder if I was personally prepared for this, but more so, if I could transmit this wisdom in a way that would do justice to these profound teachings.

Even beyond this, I was confronted with another quandary – how would I be able to transmit this information in a manner that would not be seen by some as too “new age,” “occult,” or even worse. The reason for this is that for some people the actual mechanics of reincarnation may at first seem outrageous, outlandish, or strain the logical Western mind to the breaking point. How, I asked myself, could I present the material in such a way as to avoid having the average reader discount it all due to some of its more seemingly “eccentric” elements?

When I asked my teacher of over thirty years, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, if the time was right for these ideas to be presented in English to a wide and varied audience, he answered that if done properly it was a very worthy endeavor. With that encouragement I decided to stretch my own consciousness in order not only to integrate the material personally, but also to convey these very important ideas to the general public. For according to Rabbi Ginsburgh, a proper comprehension of reincarnation helps the individual greatly in appreciating the various occurrences in his or her own life, and the way in which Divine Providence manifests itself in all matters in this world. As one delves into the study of reincarnation and becomes sensitive to its inner secrets, many facets of one’s personality, personal history, and the means of rectifying one’s own soul come into an ever sharper focus.

One thought that gave me great comfort was that although some of the ideas related to reincarnation may stretch the logical mind, this is not all that unusual today in comparison with the current teachings of physics and cosmology, whose basic principles are the epitome of paradox, and which at their very core strain the imagination and all semblance of logic. And yet, despite their counterintuitive thrust and the very “strange” and almost unbelievable picture of time, space, and reality they paint, nonetheless these laws of nature and principles have proven to be accurate. It is also true that many of the revelations of modern science are strikingly similar to the teachings of Kabbalah, a very fascinating subject on which much has already been written.

My prayer is that these teachings open new gates of understanding for the reader and shed light on many new pathways of wisdom. Even more, I hope the ideas presented will spark a deep thirst to further pursue the study of these teachings and will have a real and practical effect on each person’s personal growth, rectification, and spiritual enlightenment.