Bahir Verse 66

If you want to rise above into the highest places in heaven you'll need to know where the stairs are and when to hold on and when to let go. This next verse speaks to these very things in it's usual obscure fashion. Meanings like memories change as the years go by. They become golden and filled with more poignancy then the original event first inspired. So too does the Bahir, that ancient memory of higher thought bring forth new meanings ever more golden as the inspiration which fired them is still in motion and this day shines its light on you.

Bahir Verse 66. And Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Leviticus 26:28), “[I will chastise you,] also I”? God said, “I will chastise you.”
The Congregation of Israel said, “Do not think that I will seek mercy for you, but I will
chastise you. Not only will I render judgement, but I will also chastise you.”

Commentary: Do not look for your spiritual development outside of yourself. The only judgement is ever takes place is the harmony of consciousness. Are your thoughts in line with your actions? Are you following your heart desire? Are you being true to yourself? A 'yes' answer promotes your internal harmony, no means you have work to do, maybe means that you are on your way and just need to keep at it. What stops you ultimately is your inability to let go of thoughts which are contradictory. These thoughts may have been learned or acquired in any number of ways. You may in fact still be acquiring these thoughts unconsciously. So what is the way through here? Where are the steps that reach higher into your own self awareness. Notice in the above verse there is a change of voice taking place. First the teacher recounts 'God's voice,' and then alludes to another voice, the 'also I' quoted above. It is a key to understanding those in between places in mind. It is where the energy flows in one direction or another. The I voice assumes ownership and rides the wave of thought but only as far as the focus within this I voice continues to rise. When obstacles are reached this I voice learns to transcend these obstacles like the Emerald Tablet of Hermes quotes, 'overcoming every subtle and penetrating every solid thing.' This 'I voice' can know no obstacles. That is why it says 'I will chastise you,' above in verse 66. Chastise means that this voice cannot go any further and therefore will seek and obtain transcendence.

What is missing above is the one true voice which navigates all of the realms of consciousness. It is the called the knower of the field in Eastern terms. This knower is behind all right action. There is a state of mind that puts you into a feeling of distance with extreme connectivity. You can recognize the totality of being from this vantage point. When the Bahir speaks of God, it is speaking of 'that which cannot be known' but only can only be alluded to . When the Bahir speaks about the congregation of Israel, it is speaking about mass mind and the effects of karma. These are important concepts to know as we move forward through these verses. The concept of the knower of the field puts us back in the center of things.

We cannot conceive of being 'that which cannot be known.' We can however imagine the feeling of being connected with everything that is going on while still maintaining our own individuality. We can do this because this is essentially our basic nature. We forget when there is interference which is when we are 'chastised' to return our state of grace which is administered through judgement or the quality of knowing where is the right place to be.