My Personal Religious Credo Revised After September 11, 2001 (a work in progress)
By Leonard H. Berman
I write this because the traditional concept of God taught by the faith and the people I revere, does not fit in with the reality I see around me. I need a new theological construct in which I can believe and through which I might make sense of the world without getting angry and frustrated. The following is a “talking it through” with myself for clarification of what I can believe. This is an ever evolving process.
Why do I and humanity need to believe that some Power in the universe exists?
1.- So we have an authority behind a moral law that does not change from person to person, group to group and government to government.
2.- So that we are not alone.
3.- So that we can believe that we are not caught in a random world governed by chance.
4.- So that we can look to the future with hope.
5.- So that we can believe that we were created for a reason and that we haven purpose.
Key Questions: There is a Cosmic Process we have come to call, God.
Is this God aware of itself and aware of us?
If God, The Process is aware of us, what is our relationship to It? If God, The Process is not aware of us, what is our relationship to It?
Did God, The Process create us to better understand Itself?
Was that on purpose or a chance development?
What is our purpose?
Since the word “God” is so infused with imagery, I shall refer to this creative Power as En Sof, the Cabalistic word for Existence. No limiting imagery is attached to “Existence.”
This is what I am coming to believe:
• There is a Cosmic Process comprising all that ever was and all that ever will be. It contains all the energy for creating the tangible and the intangible, the physical and the spiritual, the sentient and the non-sentient, the animate and the inanimate.
• This Cosmic Process is self governed by inviolate laws that have emanated out of its own being.
• The Cosmic Process manifests Itself in the physical world as matter composed of elements and manifests itself in the spiritual world as energy.
• This Cosmic Process exists outside its creations and yet is an integral component of all its creations because all its creations are composed of Its essence. It is infused in everything that is.
• The Cosmic Process is unique in the Universe.
• The Cosmic Process is its own mover.
• We are the physical manifestations of a sentient Cosmic Process whose sentientcy we cannot fully comprehend.
• We have come to call this Cosmic Process, God, or En Sof and we have personified and personalized this Process because it is impossible to relate on a personal level to a Process.
On how we have limited and disappointed ourselves through the use of images and language:
It is from our need to relate to the Process that created all, that we have created the God beliefs currently in existence. Humanity evolved to the point where it intellectually and spiritually was able to recognize the existence of the Process, but we have not evolved to the point where we can leave off language and approach this Process without tangible images and anthropomorphic metaphors. Thus, the varied beliefs and images humanity has created and called God, have been created so a humanity, limited by language and intelligence, can better relate to something that is so vast that only naming it can begin to contain it so it might be apprehended and approached. Our personification of Ayn Sof has led us to believe that Ayn Sof responds to us and to the world the way a compassionate parent yet critical parent, or trusted friend might respond to our pleas for help. Our expectations of Ayn Sof as a parent has caused us pain, disappointment, and confusion as well as joy and elation. And in our need to feel loved by Ayn Sof, we have deluded ourselves into believing that Ayn Sof is all powerful and all knowing. If Ayn Sof is anything, Ayn Sof is omnipresent.
Our understanding of Ayn Sof is as imperfect as are our images, and we have imperfectly ascribed to Ayn Sof, anthropomorphic qualities that are inappropriate and restrictive.
On the meaning of revelation:
Revelation is our attempt to understand Ayn Sof’s intent and will. As creations of this Process, we are composed of the same physical and spiritual energy as the Process itself and because we contain these same elements, we can access the Process both intellectually and spiritually in a limited way and glimpse limited aspects of the Process itself. The Cosmic Energy contained in both us and in the Process is what enables us to connect with It and with all other things in the universe on an intellectual and spiritual level. We experience fleeting glimpses and sensations as to the nature and will of the Process itself as it moves through us and through all things. Ayn Sof reveals to us only what our intelligence and spirit allows us to discover on our own and humanity accesses the Process in two distinct ways: intellectually through reason, and spiritually through focus and prayer. Either method allows us belief and connection. The intellectual connection takes us out of ourselves into the physical manifestations of the universe to see the order and patterns as proof and the spiritual takes us within for the deeply personal and emotional connection. Some can connect in both ways. Both are available to us. Both require effort.
On the universal truths of patterns, balance, harmony, unity and ethical behavior:
At their core, most religions recognize that Ayn Sof has established patterns, order and balances in nature and these truths remain constant and inviolate.
One of humanities’s objectives is to seeks harmony and balance between and among people. We are to model what nature has provided. Periodically, individuals reveal certain intelligences that enable them to glimpse more than most, and perceive the connections and draw conclusions about the essence and meaning of En Sof. Such a man was Abraham, whose energy was such that he was able to apprehend the unity of the Process Itself and in doing so, cited the concept of unity as a key purpose of The Process. Another such a man was Moses, whose energy was such that he was able to clearly see the society in which he lived and the experiences of his people and understand that the harmony, patterns and balances inherent in the Process could be reflected by humanity through certain ethical principals that would inform the workings of a stable and harmonious society.
The most immediate prior experience of the Jewish People was slavery and a society focused on death. Pain and suffering deny harmony and balance. A focus on death precludes a focus on life. My ancestors saw the world as it might be, not as it had been. Things could be transformed. Slaves could become free. People could choose. There were patterns in nature and patterns in society and old patterns in society that denied harmony and balance could be changed and new patterns established.
The Ten Commandments, for example, and similar laws related to ethics, are based on conclusions drawn from historical experiences as to what is Ayn Sof’s objectives of harmony, balance and justice. The core of a stable society was a stable family. Honoring parents, forbidding adultery, and not coveting were fundamental to family stability. Not murdering, not stealing, and not lying were fundamental to a stable society, were also at the core of stability. Stable patterns in society reflect the stable patterns in the universe. All in balance. Nothing in the extreme. Parameters and boundaries within which one might achieve a harmonious and balanced life. Moses’ energy, intelligence and powers of observation were such that he was able to see the society in which he lived and formulate laws of behavior that would enable people to achieve harmony and balance, thus reflecting the nature of the Cosmic Process itself.
On the concept of hope:
And so the order and balance reflected in nature, give us additional glimpses into the purpose and workings of Ayn Sof. We therefore conclude that to achieve peace and harmony among living beings and reflect the balances reflected in the workings of Ayn Sof, we must behave in such a way that will enable us to achieve this balance and harmony. As humanity perfects itself and learns to employ its own Cosmic Energy to evolve intellectually, emotionally and ethically, it will continue to uncover aspects of the nature of Ayn Sof and perfect the balances and harmonies in the universe. This is hope.
Summary Thoughts
What we have come to identify as the scientific laws governing the physical universe, is only one aspect of Ayn Sof. We have come to partially understand and we conclude that patterns, order, balance, unity, and harmony are aspects of the nature of The Cosmic Process. We perceive that this same unity, order and harmony are also meant to govern the laws regarding human interaction, and because humanity is a sentient being and senses existence beyond what the laws of science has provided, humans have created the duel concepts of faith and religion to better understand the intangible aspect of The Cosmic Process. And by seeing the world through the eyes of science and through the eyes of faith, we glimpse the workings of the world as it is and the order and harmony of the physical laws we project as possible for the laws that govern human inter-action.
On science and religion:
Since all things are contained within Ayn Sof, and are unified in the Process, science and religion need never be in conflict. They are both part of the same entity and explain different aspects of that entity.
On the efficacy of prayer:
We have not evolved enough to fully understand this Process even though we have named it God or Ayn Sof and have come to worship it. Worship is a personal way of addressing and bringing close the energy of Ayn Sof. But no matter what our exhortations, the Process does not directly effect our physical existence. Ayn Sof, Existence, The Cosmic Process, is a process and cannot effect any changes that would violate the laws of physics, the laws of nature or the law of free will and self-determination. These laws, part of Its very own nature, are inviolate. Ayn Sof does not interfere in the physical workings of the universe. The physical working of the universe are part of Ayn Sof. We can ask that the Cosmic Energy that connects all things to strengthen us and empower us to act, but only we can physically effect the workings of our lives and in the workings of the world. Ayn Sof is not a physical being. Ayn Sof, is a mysterious creative energy that moves through all things. Ayn Sof can respond on the spiritual and energy level. Prayer to change a physical condition is wasted. Prayer to ameliorate a spiritual condition is plausible. We may pray for the strength and will to act, but only we can act. In Judaism, prayers are communal because communal prayers energize people to act on their own behalf and on the behalf of others. Communal prayers focus the energy to heal and bring people together for a purpose. Prayers of gratitude to Ayn Sof are appropriate since gratitude is an integral aspect of developing character. But prayers of appreciation, like prayers of supplication are comforting primarily to the petitioner. Prayers asking for the energy and the spirit to act and for the strength to come through difficult times receive, more often than not, a positive response from Ayn Sof. Asking that the physical laws of the universe change is a foolish request. Asking that the apparent randomness of the universe be changed for your benefit, is also foolishness. Ayn Sof does not invalidate the laws of nature nor interfere with the machinations of humanity no matter what the exhortation.
On the question of awareness:
Ayn Sof, this creative energy in the universe that moves through all things, has infused an aspect of its own sentient energy into the human life form. This Sentient Cosmic Energy we humans have, we have termed, “the soul.” We conclude that since we are sentient beings, Ayn Sof is also sentient but sentient in a way we cannot possibly apprehend. It would be illogical to conclude that sentientcy can arise from non-sentiency. It is this sentient component or soul that makes us spiritually unique among the creatures of the earth and it is this awareness of ourselves that has led us to an awareness of Ayn Sof. The Process was always aware of itself in a way we cannot fathom. As we increased in awareness, intelligence, and became sentient, we attempted to reveal and understand the workings of the universe. As we did this, we become increasingly aware of the Cosmic Process and the Cosmic Process, becomes increasingly aware of Itself through us in a way that was different from Its pre-humanoid sentient awareness.
By increasing our awareness of Ayn Sof, we learn one of our several purposes for being: To add a dimension of sentientcy to Ayn Sof that did not exist before we became sentient ourselves.
Only we can experience the tangible world in our own unique way. This is why Ayn Sof created us: To experience what Ayn Sof creates so Ayn Sof can also experience it. We experience it for Ayn Sof as only each, unique individual can. Thus, we expand the self apprehension of Ayn Sof. Ayn Sof is insatiable to know. We become insatiable to know.
Questions to ponder: Did Ayn Sof know that our ascent to becoming human would do this? Were we created with this expectation or was this serendipity? Was the Process unaware of Itself until we made it aware? Is this insatiability progress? Is it progress at any cost?
On what happens to our sentient cosmic energy:
This soul is the repository and memory of our experiences and, as our experiences cause us to expand or contract intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, so that aspect of Ayn Sof, likewise, expands or contracts. All humanity, energized in the image of Ayn Sof, is therefore, in a mystical way, the physical representation of Ayn Sof, on earth. Ayn Sof continues to expand in the physical universe and we are that aspect of Ayn Sof that is in the process of still becoming and growing. As we grow through our experiences, one aspect of Ayn Sof grows also. How we wish to enlarge or decrease ourselves is our choice. How we wish to increase or diminish Ayn Sof is also our choice. It doesn’t matter what we experience. Ultimately, our soul energy is release back into the universe and becomes part of Ayn Sof. Our soul energies and all the information contained on it which reflects our lives, becomes part of the greater soul energy that is Ayn Sof.
On free will:
Humanity is an experiment in free will and our world is the stage set upon which this drama continues to unfold. Free will is given to humanity and like gravity, it is inviolate. As Ayn Sof does not interfere with the workings of the physical universe it created and moves, so Ayn Sof does not interfere with free will. Without free will, we are not human. Our awareness of the free will aspect of The Cosmic Process was a major leap forward in our development as moral creatures and a key awareness for The Process itself.
On the afterlife:
But for us to truly be free, there logically cannot be a system of rewards and punishments as we imagine it after our lives end because if we believe in such a place, we would be making our choices based on what might happen to us after we die. That would not allow us true freedom. In support of this conclusion, there is virtually nothing said in the Torah about an afterlife. Therefore, this is the only life we have and it is incumbent upon us to make it the best one possible. The awareness that this is the only life we shall ever have is not easy for us because we cannot imagine ourselves as non-existent. But because we are composed of the same stuff as the universe and as part of the workings of The Process, we do not die completely. What we are made of physically, returns to nourish other aspects of the universe. Our cosmic soul energy with our recorded experiences return to its energy source and we permanently increase the awareness of Ayn Sof.
Death is the end of uniqueness and the end of cosmic soul energy in that particular human. My soul with its record of experiences is returned to Ayn Sof. It is as if Ayn Sof is the mainframe and I am a single floppy disk. I enter Ayn Sof’s memory and my “soul experiences” merge with the universal “ soul.” I shall not continue my existence as I am now.
A thought to ponder: I do not understand the value of this procedure since it implies that the end for those who increase Ayn Sof is the same as those who decrease Ayn Sof. It raises the questions as to why people should be good?
Chance, environment and genetics put us where we are and we do what we can with the resources at our disposal. Because of the latter circumstances, some of us do a little, some of us do a lot, and some of us do nothing. Ayn Sof is insatiable for human experience.
On our purpose as a people:
Through the eyes of religion, we have glimpsed certain aspect of Ayn Sof.
One great awareness was that since this was the only existence we will have, my people have concluded that we best serve Ayn Sof if we make this world the best place it can be for ourselves and the rest of humanity. My people have opted, as a people to increase Ayn Sof through our efforts and contributions.
Another great discovery to aid us in our quest to perfect the world was the discovery of a universal moral law to make society stable and reflect the harmony and balances in the natural world. Over the centuries of observing the workings of the world, what is good and what is not, we concluded from what was revealed that we had the freedom to write laws as a guide for our behavior. And through these laws, we taught ourselves the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. I hold these laws to be universal and set a standard against which we are to perform. When we act, we know if we are increasing ourselves or diminishing our selves and with each behavior, we raise or lower the bar. We know when we fall below expectations and we know when we have raised the bar and exceeded our personal best.
Above all, our purpose as a people is to bring to the world the idea that there is a creative, sentient force in the universe whose primary expectation is that sentient beings reflect the balance and harmony of nature and we are to do this by treating one another ethically.
On the importance of the law:
The ethical laws promulgated by our ancestors are guides or better, the gate within which one may operate for spiritual and physical safety’s sake. Because we truly have free will, we have the power to leave and live outside this gate, but we also know that behavior outside the gate may lead to an experience which may not be spiritually or physically safe. We believe that when our ancestors devised these laws, they did not set us up to spiritually fail. All the ethical laws concerning our treatment of one another are accessible.
On rewards and punishments:
Therefore, Ayn Sof has told me to choose life so my spiritual legacy will be established on earth and continue and it will be recorded and become part of God for the good. Here I am talking of spiritual life, not physical life. If I choose only a physical existence, than spiritual death is what I may earn for myself and Ayn Sof is lessened, not increased. If I choose life, I am rewarded here on Earth with spiritual awareness, knowledge that I have done well and made a difference, and whatever goodness comes with such knowledge.
My punishments for not behaving well comes from the responses of others and my personal feelings of having been lessened in my own mind, the minds of others and the awareness that I must look over our shoulder to see if someone is coming after me. Painful memories are punishments. If my behavior continues to degenerate and my personal standard becomes less and less, I enable myself to do things that are increasingly horrific and eventually, I lessen my human potential and I decrease En Sof and the energy which connects me to The Process. What greater torment is there then to know that my choices and my existence have lessened humanity, lessened Ayn Sof, and separated my self from The Process itself? What greater reward is there than to know that my existence has benefited humanity and increased Ayn Sof?
On the fairness of life:
Choosing life within the parameters of the gate does not guarantee that life is going to be good or fair. It does guarantee that there will be some degree of ease of mind when it comes to knowing that we have behaved well and obeyed Ayn Sof’s law. Our rewards are generated by the response of others to our behavior and the feelings of satisfaction that we have for a job well done.
Final Thoughts:
I am in my own hands through my choices, yet my soul, since it is part of En Sof, and hence part of everyone else, can connect with Ayn Sof and with all others for strength and guidance. I am not alone in this life.
Because I am created in Ayn Sof’s spiritual image, and because I am a part of The Process for understanding the universe, I, too, am sacred.
Ayn Sof is without and within and the Ayn Sof energy within me is the most accessible. No intermediary is necessary, no angel or saint. I have only to look within to connect. Correct belief and correct practice are not factors. If I choose to live a righteous life, Ayn Sof’s energy, the Cosmic Energy of the Process, is alive in me and continues expanding and I continue to become a positive force. The good things I do are like planting seeds that will sprout and that the fruit of that tree will nurture and inspire those who will come after me.
When I die, my soul and the experiences attesting to how I increased or decreased the world, will return to Ayn Sof and The Process will be increased or decreased by me. All is recorded included missed opportunities and negative experiences. To be human is to be flawed. No one escapes this life unscathed.
A good thing to remember as we move through life is that since we are adding knowledge to Ayn Sof with the possibility of expanding Ayn Sof’s understanding of Itself, Aynn Sof, our Creator, deserves to become the best we can be.
I write this because the traditional concept of God taught by the faith and the people I revere, does not fit in with the reality I see around me. I need a new theological construct in which I can believe and through which I might make sense of the world without getting angry and frustrated. The following is a “talking it through” with myself for clarification of what I can believe. This is an ever evolving process.
Why do I and humanity need to believe that some Power in the universe exists?
1.- So we have an authority behind a moral law that does not change from person to person, group to group and government to government.
2.- So that we are not alone.
3.- So that we can believe that we are not caught in a random world governed by chance.
4.- So that we can look to the future with hope.
5.- So that we can believe that we were created for a reason and that we haven purpose.
Key Questions: There is a Cosmic Process we have come to call, God.
Is this God aware of itself and aware of us?
If God, The Process is aware of us, what is our relationship to It? If God, The Process is not aware of us, what is our relationship to It?
Did God, The Process create us to better understand Itself?
Was that on purpose or a chance development?
What is our purpose?
Since the word “God” is so infused with imagery, I shall refer to this creative Power as En Sof, the Cabalistic word for Existence. No limiting imagery is attached to “Existence.”
This is what I am coming to believe:
• There is a Cosmic Process comprising all that ever was and all that ever will be. It contains all the energy for creating the tangible and the intangible, the physical and the spiritual, the sentient and the non-sentient, the animate and the inanimate.
• This Cosmic Process is self governed by inviolate laws that have emanated out of its own being.
• The Cosmic Process manifests Itself in the physical world as matter composed of elements and manifests itself in the spiritual world as energy.
• This Cosmic Process exists outside its creations and yet is an integral component of all its creations because all its creations are composed of Its essence. It is infused in everything that is.
• The Cosmic Process is unique in the Universe.
• The Cosmic Process is its own mover.
• We are the physical manifestations of a sentient Cosmic Process whose sentientcy we cannot fully comprehend.
• We have come to call this Cosmic Process, God, or En Sof and we have personified and personalized this Process because it is impossible to relate on a personal level to a Process.
On how we have limited and disappointed ourselves through the use of images and language:
It is from our need to relate to the Process that created all, that we have created the God beliefs currently in existence. Humanity evolved to the point where it intellectually and spiritually was able to recognize the existence of the Process, but we have not evolved to the point where we can leave off language and approach this Process without tangible images and anthropomorphic metaphors. Thus, the varied beliefs and images humanity has created and called God, have been created so a humanity, limited by language and intelligence, can better relate to something that is so vast that only naming it can begin to contain it so it might be apprehended and approached. Our personification of Ayn Sof has led us to believe that Ayn Sof responds to us and to the world the way a compassionate parent yet critical parent, or trusted friend might respond to our pleas for help. Our expectations of Ayn Sof as a parent has caused us pain, disappointment, and confusion as well as joy and elation. And in our need to feel loved by Ayn Sof, we have deluded ourselves into believing that Ayn Sof is all powerful and all knowing. If Ayn Sof is anything, Ayn Sof is omnipresent.
Our understanding of Ayn Sof is as imperfect as are our images, and we have imperfectly ascribed to Ayn Sof, anthropomorphic qualities that are inappropriate and restrictive.
On the meaning of revelation:
Revelation is our attempt to understand Ayn Sof’s intent and will. As creations of this Process, we are composed of the same physical and spiritual energy as the Process itself and because we contain these same elements, we can access the Process both intellectually and spiritually in a limited way and glimpse limited aspects of the Process itself. The Cosmic Energy contained in both us and in the Process is what enables us to connect with It and with all other things in the universe on an intellectual and spiritual level. We experience fleeting glimpses and sensations as to the nature and will of the Process itself as it moves through us and through all things. Ayn Sof reveals to us only what our intelligence and spirit allows us to discover on our own and humanity accesses the Process in two distinct ways: intellectually through reason, and spiritually through focus and prayer. Either method allows us belief and connection. The intellectual connection takes us out of ourselves into the physical manifestations of the universe to see the order and patterns as proof and the spiritual takes us within for the deeply personal and emotional connection. Some can connect in both ways. Both are available to us. Both require effort.
On the universal truths of patterns, balance, harmony, unity and ethical behavior:
At their core, most religions recognize that Ayn Sof has established patterns, order and balances in nature and these truths remain constant and inviolate.
One of humanities’s objectives is to seeks harmony and balance between and among people. We are to model what nature has provided. Periodically, individuals reveal certain intelligences that enable them to glimpse more than most, and perceive the connections and draw conclusions about the essence and meaning of En Sof. Such a man was Abraham, whose energy was such that he was able to apprehend the unity of the Process Itself and in doing so, cited the concept of unity as a key purpose of The Process. Another such a man was Moses, whose energy was such that he was able to clearly see the society in which he lived and the experiences of his people and understand that the harmony, patterns and balances inherent in the Process could be reflected by humanity through certain ethical principals that would inform the workings of a stable and harmonious society.
The most immediate prior experience of the Jewish People was slavery and a society focused on death. Pain and suffering deny harmony and balance. A focus on death precludes a focus on life. My ancestors saw the world as it might be, not as it had been. Things could be transformed. Slaves could become free. People could choose. There were patterns in nature and patterns in society and old patterns in society that denied harmony and balance could be changed and new patterns established.
The Ten Commandments, for example, and similar laws related to ethics, are based on conclusions drawn from historical experiences as to what is Ayn Sof’s objectives of harmony, balance and justice. The core of a stable society was a stable family. Honoring parents, forbidding adultery, and not coveting were fundamental to family stability. Not murdering, not stealing, and not lying were fundamental to a stable society, were also at the core of stability. Stable patterns in society reflect the stable patterns in the universe. All in balance. Nothing in the extreme. Parameters and boundaries within which one might achieve a harmonious and balanced life. Moses’ energy, intelligence and powers of observation were such that he was able to see the society in which he lived and formulate laws of behavior that would enable people to achieve harmony and balance, thus reflecting the nature of the Cosmic Process itself.
On the concept of hope:
And so the order and balance reflected in nature, give us additional glimpses into the purpose and workings of Ayn Sof. We therefore conclude that to achieve peace and harmony among living beings and reflect the balances reflected in the workings of Ayn Sof, we must behave in such a way that will enable us to achieve this balance and harmony. As humanity perfects itself and learns to employ its own Cosmic Energy to evolve intellectually, emotionally and ethically, it will continue to uncover aspects of the nature of Ayn Sof and perfect the balances and harmonies in the universe. This is hope.
Summary Thoughts
What we have come to identify as the scientific laws governing the physical universe, is only one aspect of Ayn Sof. We have come to partially understand and we conclude that patterns, order, balance, unity, and harmony are aspects of the nature of The Cosmic Process. We perceive that this same unity, order and harmony are also meant to govern the laws regarding human interaction, and because humanity is a sentient being and senses existence beyond what the laws of science has provided, humans have created the duel concepts of faith and religion to better understand the intangible aspect of The Cosmic Process. And by seeing the world through the eyes of science and through the eyes of faith, we glimpse the workings of the world as it is and the order and harmony of the physical laws we project as possible for the laws that govern human inter-action.
On science and religion:
Since all things are contained within Ayn Sof, and are unified in the Process, science and religion need never be in conflict. They are both part of the same entity and explain different aspects of that entity.
On the efficacy of prayer:
We have not evolved enough to fully understand this Process even though we have named it God or Ayn Sof and have come to worship it. Worship is a personal way of addressing and bringing close the energy of Ayn Sof. But no matter what our exhortations, the Process does not directly effect our physical existence. Ayn Sof, Existence, The Cosmic Process, is a process and cannot effect any changes that would violate the laws of physics, the laws of nature or the law of free will and self-determination. These laws, part of Its very own nature, are inviolate. Ayn Sof does not interfere in the physical workings of the universe. The physical working of the universe are part of Ayn Sof. We can ask that the Cosmic Energy that connects all things to strengthen us and empower us to act, but only we can physically effect the workings of our lives and in the workings of the world. Ayn Sof is not a physical being. Ayn Sof, is a mysterious creative energy that moves through all things. Ayn Sof can respond on the spiritual and energy level. Prayer to change a physical condition is wasted. Prayer to ameliorate a spiritual condition is plausible. We may pray for the strength and will to act, but only we can act. In Judaism, prayers are communal because communal prayers energize people to act on their own behalf and on the behalf of others. Communal prayers focus the energy to heal and bring people together for a purpose. Prayers of gratitude to Ayn Sof are appropriate since gratitude is an integral aspect of developing character. But prayers of appreciation, like prayers of supplication are comforting primarily to the petitioner. Prayers asking for the energy and the spirit to act and for the strength to come through difficult times receive, more often than not, a positive response from Ayn Sof. Asking that the physical laws of the universe change is a foolish request. Asking that the apparent randomness of the universe be changed for your benefit, is also foolishness. Ayn Sof does not invalidate the laws of nature nor interfere with the machinations of humanity no matter what the exhortation.
On the question of awareness:
Ayn Sof, this creative energy in the universe that moves through all things, has infused an aspect of its own sentient energy into the human life form. This Sentient Cosmic Energy we humans have, we have termed, “the soul.” We conclude that since we are sentient beings, Ayn Sof is also sentient but sentient in a way we cannot possibly apprehend. It would be illogical to conclude that sentientcy can arise from non-sentiency. It is this sentient component or soul that makes us spiritually unique among the creatures of the earth and it is this awareness of ourselves that has led us to an awareness of Ayn Sof. The Process was always aware of itself in a way we cannot fathom. As we increased in awareness, intelligence, and became sentient, we attempted to reveal and understand the workings of the universe. As we did this, we become increasingly aware of the Cosmic Process and the Cosmic Process, becomes increasingly aware of Itself through us in a way that was different from Its pre-humanoid sentient awareness.
By increasing our awareness of Ayn Sof, we learn one of our several purposes for being: To add a dimension of sentientcy to Ayn Sof that did not exist before we became sentient ourselves.
Only we can experience the tangible world in our own unique way. This is why Ayn Sof created us: To experience what Ayn Sof creates so Ayn Sof can also experience it. We experience it for Ayn Sof as only each, unique individual can. Thus, we expand the self apprehension of Ayn Sof. Ayn Sof is insatiable to know. We become insatiable to know.
Questions to ponder: Did Ayn Sof know that our ascent to becoming human would do this? Were we created with this expectation or was this serendipity? Was the Process unaware of Itself until we made it aware? Is this insatiability progress? Is it progress at any cost?
On what happens to our sentient cosmic energy:
This soul is the repository and memory of our experiences and, as our experiences cause us to expand or contract intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, so that aspect of Ayn Sof, likewise, expands or contracts. All humanity, energized in the image of Ayn Sof, is therefore, in a mystical way, the physical representation of Ayn Sof, on earth. Ayn Sof continues to expand in the physical universe and we are that aspect of Ayn Sof that is in the process of still becoming and growing. As we grow through our experiences, one aspect of Ayn Sof grows also. How we wish to enlarge or decrease ourselves is our choice. How we wish to increase or diminish Ayn Sof is also our choice. It doesn’t matter what we experience. Ultimately, our soul energy is release back into the universe and becomes part of Ayn Sof. Our soul energies and all the information contained on it which reflects our lives, becomes part of the greater soul energy that is Ayn Sof.
On free will:
Humanity is an experiment in free will and our world is the stage set upon which this drama continues to unfold. Free will is given to humanity and like gravity, it is inviolate. As Ayn Sof does not interfere with the workings of the physical universe it created and moves, so Ayn Sof does not interfere with free will. Without free will, we are not human. Our awareness of the free will aspect of The Cosmic Process was a major leap forward in our development as moral creatures and a key awareness for The Process itself.
On the afterlife:
But for us to truly be free, there logically cannot be a system of rewards and punishments as we imagine it after our lives end because if we believe in such a place, we would be making our choices based on what might happen to us after we die. That would not allow us true freedom. In support of this conclusion, there is virtually nothing said in the Torah about an afterlife. Therefore, this is the only life we have and it is incumbent upon us to make it the best one possible. The awareness that this is the only life we shall ever have is not easy for us because we cannot imagine ourselves as non-existent. But because we are composed of the same stuff as the universe and as part of the workings of The Process, we do not die completely. What we are made of physically, returns to nourish other aspects of the universe. Our cosmic soul energy with our recorded experiences return to its energy source and we permanently increase the awareness of Ayn Sof.
Death is the end of uniqueness and the end of cosmic soul energy in that particular human. My soul with its record of experiences is returned to Ayn Sof. It is as if Ayn Sof is the mainframe and I am a single floppy disk. I enter Ayn Sof’s memory and my “soul experiences” merge with the universal “ soul.” I shall not continue my existence as I am now.
A thought to ponder: I do not understand the value of this procedure since it implies that the end for those who increase Ayn Sof is the same as those who decrease Ayn Sof. It raises the questions as to why people should be good?
Chance, environment and genetics put us where we are and we do what we can with the resources at our disposal. Because of the latter circumstances, some of us do a little, some of us do a lot, and some of us do nothing. Ayn Sof is insatiable for human experience.
On our purpose as a people:
Through the eyes of religion, we have glimpsed certain aspect of Ayn Sof.
One great awareness was that since this was the only existence we will have, my people have concluded that we best serve Ayn Sof if we make this world the best place it can be for ourselves and the rest of humanity. My people have opted, as a people to increase Ayn Sof through our efforts and contributions.
Another great discovery to aid us in our quest to perfect the world was the discovery of a universal moral law to make society stable and reflect the harmony and balances in the natural world. Over the centuries of observing the workings of the world, what is good and what is not, we concluded from what was revealed that we had the freedom to write laws as a guide for our behavior. And through these laws, we taught ourselves the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. I hold these laws to be universal and set a standard against which we are to perform. When we act, we know if we are increasing ourselves or diminishing our selves and with each behavior, we raise or lower the bar. We know when we fall below expectations and we know when we have raised the bar and exceeded our personal best.
Above all, our purpose as a people is to bring to the world the idea that there is a creative, sentient force in the universe whose primary expectation is that sentient beings reflect the balance and harmony of nature and we are to do this by treating one another ethically.
On the importance of the law:
The ethical laws promulgated by our ancestors are guides or better, the gate within which one may operate for spiritual and physical safety’s sake. Because we truly have free will, we have the power to leave and live outside this gate, but we also know that behavior outside the gate may lead to an experience which may not be spiritually or physically safe. We believe that when our ancestors devised these laws, they did not set us up to spiritually fail. All the ethical laws concerning our treatment of one another are accessible.
On rewards and punishments:
Therefore, Ayn Sof has told me to choose life so my spiritual legacy will be established on earth and continue and it will be recorded and become part of God for the good. Here I am talking of spiritual life, not physical life. If I choose only a physical existence, than spiritual death is what I may earn for myself and Ayn Sof is lessened, not increased. If I choose life, I am rewarded here on Earth with spiritual awareness, knowledge that I have done well and made a difference, and whatever goodness comes with such knowledge.
My punishments for not behaving well comes from the responses of others and my personal feelings of having been lessened in my own mind, the minds of others and the awareness that I must look over our shoulder to see if someone is coming after me. Painful memories are punishments. If my behavior continues to degenerate and my personal standard becomes less and less, I enable myself to do things that are increasingly horrific and eventually, I lessen my human potential and I decrease En Sof and the energy which connects me to The Process. What greater torment is there then to know that my choices and my existence have lessened humanity, lessened Ayn Sof, and separated my self from The Process itself? What greater reward is there than to know that my existence has benefited humanity and increased Ayn Sof?
On the fairness of life:
Choosing life within the parameters of the gate does not guarantee that life is going to be good or fair. It does guarantee that there will be some degree of ease of mind when it comes to knowing that we have behaved well and obeyed Ayn Sof’s law. Our rewards are generated by the response of others to our behavior and the feelings of satisfaction that we have for a job well done.
Final Thoughts:
I am in my own hands through my choices, yet my soul, since it is part of En Sof, and hence part of everyone else, can connect with Ayn Sof and with all others for strength and guidance. I am not alone in this life.
Because I am created in Ayn Sof’s spiritual image, and because I am a part of The Process for understanding the universe, I, too, am sacred.
Ayn Sof is without and within and the Ayn Sof energy within me is the most accessible. No intermediary is necessary, no angel or saint. I have only to look within to connect. Correct belief and correct practice are not factors. If I choose to live a righteous life, Ayn Sof’s energy, the Cosmic Energy of the Process, is alive in me and continues expanding and I continue to become a positive force. The good things I do are like planting seeds that will sprout and that the fruit of that tree will nurture and inspire those who will come after me.
When I die, my soul and the experiences attesting to how I increased or decreased the world, will return to Ayn Sof and The Process will be increased or decreased by me. All is recorded included missed opportunities and negative experiences. To be human is to be flawed. No one escapes this life unscathed.
A good thing to remember as we move through life is that since we are adding knowledge to Ayn Sof with the possibility of expanding Ayn Sof’s understanding of Itself, Aynn Sof, our Creator, deserves to become the best we can be.