The Eternal Jew’s Tale, #175, Abarbanel 4.81

In this episode Fibonacci heartbeats…

The Eternal Jew’s Tale
Twentieth Era, Part 5, ~1483 C.E., Iberia

The Abarbanel Cycle, 4.81
The Ladder of Ascents, 8.1
Compiled by Isaac Abarbanel
With the help of the Eternal Jew and his wife Batkol

3.0 The Third Palace

From here to the Palace of Neshamah, the third and highest Palace in the soul, is endlessly far but contiguous, and this is the ladder to take you there…

*Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuto Layolam V’ed*.
*-* a translation: Bless, name, honor Hem Kingship
that is infinite and eternal

Fibbonaccis pulse in it. Two, three, five, eight, thirteen pulses of the breath.
Baruch; Baruch Shem; Baruch Shem Kavod; Malchuto Layolam V’ed.

3.1 The Third Palace, its First Gate

Come and hear. Expand the blessing like this, to an infinite series in a single thought:
In the beginning, a Divine Baruch* created Light and Adam’s** life. And we were awoken from the surfy sea and eternal night and mindlessness; and awoken again, to a greater light, knowing chance and choice and change. And the Lor blessed us even thrice, yet a greater light, holiness, to practice justice and pursue truth.
* Blessing; ** others say: ‘atomy’

3.2 The Third Palace, its Second Gate

Us, in this third age of the soul, walkin’ the surfaces of the Lor. Now we must learn to amplify the Lor’s blessings by blessing the Lor, and blessing the turbulent world of the Lor, and blessing every living soul, thrice blessing what is thrice blessed.

In the beginning to bless the world, our roots send out new shoots beneath the surface, inside our thoughts, unseen, unheard, unfelt, unknown, a fine tremor, like the hiss of foam within the roar of crashing waves; or like the happy squeal of a child amidst the din of a carnival; or like a horse’s foamy snort amidst a thunderous battle charge. So, our Ruakh sends out shoots. And what begins as a faint hum silently inside our words, invisible within our thoughts, an unimagined murmur in us, will sprout buds and vine out into new stalks and leafy branches. And every branch can then produce abundant flowers, fruit, and seed. And now that silent hum breaks out, and now we hear it in our thoughts, and now a Voice inside our soul.

And once that Voice is heard in us, we begin to know its tone, and we begin to know its Names, Names that we have heard before, but they were separate, far, and strange, now familiar and resonant —
Adonai, El Shaddiy, El Elyon, and Ha-Makom.
And many another Name and Face will speak us thru our Adam shell, urging us to hear still more, arising thru Baruch Shem.

3.3 The Third Palace, its Third Gate, part 1

Now the surfing of the Ruakh waves ingroans and heaves, curl and spray, thrusting in the heavy winds and lifting the listener into Kavod. Three times three degrees of force; the kevah* of it opens the dor. The kavanah** expands the range. The hiddorim*** increases the light on Shekhina’s face and luminous touch.
* steady practice; ** intension, engagement
*** beautification, amplification

Pursue your kevah like this meshal:*
* parable

There is a king of flesh and blood who has a daughter, marvelous and fine. Many a prince seeks her hand, (but mostly they’re seeking more than that). But our king, he knows the flesh and blood, and so he protects his luminous one. He set a task for them who would court her: to study every book of law that lays out the laws of the king’s realm, every case and counter-case, and report daily to the king on what was read and what was learned, and what was right and what was wrong.

And many a youth turns away — who can read such dry-as-dust? And many a youth begins the task — but such a schedule, who can endure? And a few youths persist in the task, but the king cross-examines them, and who can satisfy such a king?

But there be one youth that won’t be turned. Thrice daily he sits and reads, at a set hour for a fixed time. When the time comes, so he reads, every day, invariant. And every book upon the shelf he studies them consecutively. And so his knowledge daily builds, fact by fact, law by law, judgement by judgement, case by case. And every day when the sun has set he comes to the court to face the king, and report to him and be assessed — what did he miss or misunderstand — knowing the king is a righteous judge, and no better way to learn the law. And so this youth proves his worth, and so admitted into the court.

This be the kevah to open the door.
As for the parables of kavanah and hiddorim, and the remaining chapters of The Ladder of Ascents, if you would like to read them, please write to the author of this blog.

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In the next episode we return to our story of Don Isaac Abarbanel, his life and times.