The Kabbalistic book, the Zohar, written some 2,000 years ago, reveals for us many levels of depth underlying Torah text, divulging secrets embedded therein we'd not have the intelligence to determine for ourselves. (Why did they know, back then, what we know not today? Because prior generations had more intelligence and wisdom than pursuant generations [in contradistinction to the belief held by today's "evolutionary theorists"]. The closer a generation was to Moses' generation, the greater was their wisdom.)
This is, by the way, one good reason why a translation of Torah cannot possibly do justice to the script it translates, because the Torah's Hebrew language, unlike any other language, is G-d's language, with infinite layers of profundity beneath the surface text. In fact, a translation of scripture actually does a disservice - because it implies existence of only a surface layer.
One such revelation in this book predicts Moshiach's arrival and the Era of Final Redemption will happen during the 6th millennium. Some people err to think this will happen only in the next millennium, but this the Zohar clearly rejects, "In the 6th millennium and not at its very end" (New Zohar, Beraishis, 21, 1). In other words, although the 7th millennium will have its own ideal features, a preceding period is necessary in order to prepare the world for this Sabbatical millennium. And the first Messianic era will happen towards the "evening" of the 6th millennium. This parallels our requirement to taste on Friday from that which is cooked for the morrow, to get a foretaste of the day of Sabbath.
The verse from which the Zohar learns of the pre-Sabbatical, inaugural, preparatory phase is based on Genesis 7, 11 (where the Torah begins to narrate the onslaught of The Great Flood): "In the year of 600 years in the life of Noah … all the wells from deep down burst open and the floodgates from heaven opened." This verse alludes to comparable future phenomena. Explains the Zohar, "During the 6th millennium, the presence of G-d will begin to unveil itself, to shake off its dust [so to speak], and the unveiling will proceed gradually. But then a critical milestone will be reached [from when such events shall proceed rapidly], when in the 6th century of the 6th millennium the gates of wisdom will open from above and the wellsprings of wisdom from below, and the world thereby will be fixed to enter into the 7th millennium." (Zohar, Vayera part 1, 117, 1)
The Zohar speaks of two wisdoms whose advent will precipitate meteoric changes in the world starting in the year 1739 (or in the year 5500 from creation), one from "above", which refers to Chassidus breakthroughs (the innermost aspects of Torah), and one from "below", which refers to the secular technology breakthroughs, both happening simulataneously. In fact, the secular breakthroughs come as a direct result of the Chassidic breakthroughs.
It's quite understandable how Chassidus, lofty concepts that relate to G-d and Torah, can prepare the world for its ultimate elevation, but how, you might ask, does secular scholarship and technology provide such a boost? For one thing, Jews today can better disseminate the concepts of Chassidus using modern technology. The airwaves and other signals too carry this knowledge to all corners of the world. The big world is being networked together so the ultimate moment can easily be broadcast and appreciated far and wide. The unity sought for and to which physics is inching closer also renders the concept of G-d as One much more comprehendible. In this way, the world is being "fixed" from a secular perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment