A Pleasure We Share: Why a Pharaoh Appreciated God  

Judaism, in every sense, encompasses so many different cultures – perhaps because what defines Jews most of all is a set of values, more so than we are a culture or a religion (when you consider the different traditions and practices within even traditional Judaism). One of those values is the questioning of our assumptions about ourselves and others, as well as of our behaviors. This allows us to keep growing, but towards what desire? 

In the process of answering that question, I want to talk about a recent discussion that I initiated on Facebook. It is clear that many Jews like celebrating Halloween. Traditional Judaism often sees Halloween as something that Jews are not to associate themselves with because it’s of pagan origins, and I respect that. When I see the imitation of magic in decorations and interesting recipes for Halloween, I actually think of Jewish values that I interpret from a Torah perspective.

What Halloween inspires in me:

1. We are not afraid of anything at all because we have sovereignty over our lives, and through beauty, we can see how it’s all intrinsically good and part of the one God.
2. There is always revealed (as well as concealed) magic in everything, and endless magic can be revealed. My favorite affirmation that I came up with is that things always turn out “Better Than You Wished For”, the title of my first book or “Ineffably Divine,” the title of my very new second one.

In the Torah, Pharaoh appreciated Joseph’s spirituality, seeing the power in his faith because it also empowered Pharaoh, (All Ineffably Divine, 345-347). Can we, too, form better connections in the world the same way: by empowering the divine nature in those that are considered so-called “enemies”? Again, we are all one, so I’m not afraid of anything.

In mysticism, we traditionally kept certain aspects secret, but in fact, if someone really understood those very principles, that person would not be doing this out of fear since that goes against the basic premises of our sovereignty in our lives where we are one with God. I like learning about traditions, but the truth is that spirituality, metaphysics, or “magic” is as simple as you can imagine. For example, for me (as it can be for you), remembering the perfection of the divine emanations (sefirot), part of Jewish tradition, allows me to experience what is ideal to me. I have a video coming up soon on that! I will post here when it is ready. Even at the very beginning of this week’s parashah, Vayera, Abraham sees the pattern of God before he sees that the strangers are standing beside him, meaning with him.

“Magic” all comes down to what you believe is possible and what you, as an individual, actually want to be possible, based on the kind of world you want to live in. 

For myself, in particular, my spiritual practice is about revealing what already is true instead of changing something (even if I believe that we can each live in any version of reality we want). This way of being is not a value attached to any specific culture.

When we focus on what we love and what empowers us the most, we don’t have space to think about what doesn’t resonate. We make space to experience an empowering reality in our hearts and lives. 

When we connect with our own unique divineness, it is more exciting than Halloween. We are connected to all humanity more deeply than a tradition of paganism while still being in line with Jewish law. 

So to answer my earlier question, whether Jewish or not, we are not bound to each other through culture itself, but through the desire of divine experiences. Today is not like any day before, and I think more than ever, people want to believe in some form of magic. 

As divine beings, since we potentially encompass a variety of identities and archetypes that are expressed at different times and in different ways. I’ve chosen one archetype in particular that I have defined here and in All Ineffably Divine which anyone can identify with and has the potential to encompass other identities and archetypes within it. When you realize that you are diverse in any capacity or way, you are a “Divine Trickster”. This is not just because we realize that we choose our lives, but also because we “glide” between different words, automatically transforming the so-called “negative” into the positive through our wits. 

Any negative topic can be rewritten positively, in a way that is immediately empowering, only uplifting people, and that creates unity. This way, what you do has purely and immediately positive effects. This is what I do with all of my work: I take my individual experiences and make everything I do into art in the form of completely productive “spells” for the world. Without ignoring the so-called negative, let’s add energy only to the positive. May my words give you more courage to tell your own divine experience.

I would love to hear about what you’re working on, be it any field of work, so do feel free to email me .

Email: oragadarah@gmail.com