Bahir 147

A brilliant explanation of the 'light' follows but what does it all mean?

147. And Rabbi Yochanan said: There were two [types of] light, as it is written, "[let there be light,] and there was light." Regarding both of them it is written (Genesis 1:4) , "[And God saw the light] that it was good." The Blessed Holy One took one [of these types of light] and stored it away for the righteous in the World to Come. Regarding this it is written (Psalm 31:20), "How great is the good that You have hidden away for those who fear You, that You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You..." We learn that no creature could look at the first light. It is thus written (Genesis 1:4), "And God saw the light that it was good." It is furthermore written (Genesis 1:21) "And God saw all that He made, and behold, it was very good." God saw all that He had made and saw shining, brilliant good. He took of that good, and included in it the 32 paths of Wisdom, giving to this world. This is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 4:2) , "I have given you a doctrine of good , My Torah, do not abandon it." We say that this is the treasury of the Oral Torah. The Blessed Holy One said, "This Attribute is considered to be included in this world, and it is the Oral Torah. If you keep this Attribute in this world, then you will be worthy of the World to Come, which is the good stored away for the righteous." What is it? It is the force of the Blessed Holy One. It is thus written (Habakkuk 3:4) , "And the glow will be like light, [He has rays from His hand, and His hidden force is there]." The glow that was taken from the first Light will be like [our visible] light if His children keep the "Torah and Commandment that I wrote to teach them." It is thus written (Proverbs 1:8), "Hear my son, the admonition of your father, and do not abandon the Torah of your mother."

Commentary: Two kinds of light. 1)Let there be light, and 2)there was light. First let there be...this is the allowing of light or the recognition of light as the prime source behind all of creation. Another way of looking at this light is when it says 'and God saw the light and it was good.' This is the first part of the light described as let there be or and God saw the light. Recognition initial inspiration. Then 'there was light coupled with it was good is the second light. It is the evidence of the image of light reproduced through the intentional creation of Will. Will is the precursor of our heart's desire and it what our focus is held in place by. Will is the shaping tool of Intention.

It is the first light or the let there be light that is taken away and stored for the righteous for the world to come. The initial inspiration is the guiding light pointing the way to the world to come. The world to come is what we make of our heart's desire as it comes into being. It is the most intense light because within it is contained all of our good. Not just the good that we see before us in terms of this life but all the good that has ever been there for us in all lives, indeed in all of existence. This light it says above is stored away for the righteous. Who are the righteous? It is they who keep focused on their good with the intention of producing this good wherever they are or whatever circumstances they are in. The righteous acknowledge the right way of being listening always for more good in their world and in the world to come.

You expand your mind by extending the light that is referred to as 'there was light.' It is the resultant light that comes about as a result of energizing the body of form referred to as man but more aptly known as the transformer of consciousness. (Psalm 31:20), "How great is the good that You have hidden away for those who fear You, that You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You..." This good is the internalization of the YHVH presence that connects with Elohim via the agency of the transformer of consciousness or the man form directed by his or her intention towards the fulfillment of specific configurations of the life force. Each thought is directed internally and because of this internal alignment that first takes place within thought it may not be easily recognizable. It becomes immersed in the form as well as hidden in the subsequent thoughts that arise. It continues to grow and will produce the bliss of awakening each time it is remembered. What is this fear that is translated sometimes as Awe? It is the sense of discovery that we need to be attuned to. If we do not pay attention to this discovery we lessen the joy of our lives opening up the way for chaos to take over. If we however, pay attention to what we are thinking long after the thought has come up then there will be a connection with this thought that promotes the experience of the mystery. This experience is that which we cannot directly look at because it would defy our understanding. It is the first light following the generations of thought and remains pure and truthful to its original appearance.

We can experience this first light without understanding it fully. We may recognize its appearance and operation in everything that we do. It is then what was called 'and God saw all that he had made and saw shining brilliant good.' This good is the connection between the initial thought and every permutation of that thought. It is all good. It is all under that umbrella of what was made from this initial inspiration.

'I have given you the doctrine of good.' The Torah is this doctrine. It is the truth of the word made form. It is a coded allegory that speaks about the how and the why and then points unerringly to the mystery in the moment. The treasury of the Oral Torah is this secret message that our thoughts are but the leading edges of the mold of our awareness through which YHVH must pass in order to fulfill the passing of thoughts into form. Do not abandon the way of thinking that unifies your contemplation and makes for the most perfect of lives in concert with your heart's desire. The Oral Torah is what we are teaching ourselves to listen to. Even this explanation here becomes a part of the Oral Torah because it has been sent through from the passing of thoughts into form by our Intention to discover just how everything works. Of course you would find shelter here because it is after all your true home to be where you have sent your thoughts and formed your heart's desire out of.

"...if you keep this attribute (Oral Torah) you will be worthy of the world to come." This is very clear. The world to come is the demonstration of thought into form. This world to come is a direct result of what we are thinking about. It is the mold of our thinking that produces the worlds of our thinking however, there is more to this. It is spoken of in this verse as "the good stored away for the righteous." Then it is explained that this good is "the force of the Blessed One." The Blessed One is none other than YHVH resident within as our connection to all that is and the channel through which Elohim is constantly flowing. YHVH called Lord is the supreme recognition of Elohim. This force within us called YHVH is our indwelling spirit or soul raised to higher and higher levels of communion with Elohim. It flows through us in response to the unification of ideas coming from Torah and all elements of higher thought that have ever been associated with Torah. It is this strongest of forces that flows through us and brings about the world to come including what is stored up for us if we have been thinking right or righteously our heart's desire. Yes be careful what you wish for because this strong force moves of its own to pass through and then form the embodiments of the mold or models of our thinking.

If we keep in mind the above explanations then the next part about the glow of light becomes readily understood. This glow of light is the action of YHVH moving within in response to our unifications that take place through the study of Torah yes but also when we are listening for YHVH in every aspect of our lives. This movement does produce a glow that is felt as bliss within. This movement is not from one place to another but is rather a change of state of being. The entire world therefore undergoes transformation each time this movement occurs.

The admonition of the father is the flowing of Elohim with the guiding principle of Torah that is the mother and progenitor of our thoughts giving them a holiness that allows these thoughts not to decay but to serve as inspirations for each aspect of our life.