We have reiterated many times that our destiny is to know the Creator of all. There are many moments in life when we ask the usual existential questions such as what I am, where do I come from, what's the purpose of my life, and where I suppose to go the rest of my life. As long as we believe in a Creator, all the answers point out to Him. In this context we must understand our return to God as evoked by our Prophets in their messages to Israel. In this return everything is revealed to us. All the mysteries and paradoxes about life and the material world are solved. The prelude to our return begins when we realize from where we came from, and also through what we have gone in our history. Thus we understand that slavery and exile precede freedom and Redemption, darkness before Light, ignorance before knowledge.
In this frame of thought we realize that all belongs to Oneness, and there is no separation in God's Creation. Everything is part of an ongoing never-ending process set in motion by God. Thus we become aware that all we perceive in human consciousness belong to something we eventually assimilate in order to experience it, learn from it, and know all about it. One of the laws of Science is that "matter as well as energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be change from one form to another". Though we know there is a Creator of all that exist, we are also aware that "the only constant is change", as Science also states. Let's reflect for a moment in these principles based on human observation. From a philosophical approach, the former principle doesn't seem to apply to us in spite of the fact that we are made out of matter. We know that we are born and we die, and we live to transform and change our material nature in order to grow up, decay and die. In this pattern we quickly grasp the latter principle, which proves itself manifesting constant change.
It seems that Science cheated on us. We may wish to live forever in an everlasting transformation, without loosing sight of who we are in that process. The idea behind this brief reflection on matter and life is to look up to our Creator in order to get the real answers. As long as we look in our human "scientific" observations for existential answers, the way back to our Creator turns farther than we can imagine. The first step to return to the Creator is to know Him in order to know where are we going back to.
"The Lord has been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore you say unto them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return unto Me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return unto you, says the Lord of hosts'." (Zechariah 1:2-3)
In our relationship with God, as presented in the Hebrew Bible, we must understand that the way He relates to us is the result of the way we relate to Him. We insist constantly in being aware that the ways we think, feel and act must be inspired and motivated by God's ways and attributes, as the Torah teaches us. If we are displeased or uncomfortable with these, we invite Him to approach us likewise. Our Pact with God is "a two-way street", and we have to realize that we establish the terms of our relationship with Him. God gave us His terms in the Torah as also our terms in the Pact, which defines our permanent bond with Him. Hence, when He is displeased with us is because we are displease with Him after making our choice to live by different terms. If He asks us to return to Him, we do it through His ways and attributes, as our own Essence and true identity. Interestingly, the Creator asks us to return to Him as the God of hosts, the Maker of endless multitudes that also encompass endless dimensions.
"(...) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return you all now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings; but they did not hear, nor attend unto Me, says the Lord." (1:4) "(...) so that they turned [away] and said: Like as the Lord of hosts purposed to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so has He dealt with us'." (1:6)
God reminds us through the Prophet that the ways and attributes we chose to live in are not His. Evil ways and negative actions are not His ways or doings, therefore He indicates us that in order to return to Him we have to return to His ways as our true ways. In this context we understand that Love's ways do not cohabit with anything different from their qualities and attributes. God tells us that we perceive Him also according to the ways and actions we choose to live separated from His ways. As we deal in life we also think and feel God dealing with us.
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped for evil. Therefore thus says the Lord: I return to Jerusalem with compassion: My house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem." (1:14-16)
We are jealous for what we love the most. In this sense jealousy represents care, protection, loyalty and faithfulness for what we love. What would be the most beloved to us but our permanent bond with the Creator? This is what Jerusalem represents in our consciousness. Our permanent connection with God is accomplished when our Love and His Love bond together as one. This means that, as far as Love's ways and attributes lead all aspects and dimensions of consciousness, there is no room for any form of negativity represented by the "nations". As we separate from Love and allow the lower thoughts, feelings, emotions, passions and instincts rule our life, we are displeased with God's ways and consequently He is displeased with our negative ways. However, He does not abandon us in the desolation left by ego's fantasies and illusions once we abandon God's Love. In the compassion of His Love, God awaits our return to Him. He rebuilds Jerusalem as Zion in His compassion and loving kindness.
"(...) 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein. For I, says the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the Glory in the midst of her." (2:8-9) "(...) 'Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord." (2:14)
As we allow Love's ways and attributes to lead all facets of life, our consciousness becomes an opening and encompassing space. There all levels, aspects and dimensions of intellect, thought, feelings and emotions (represented by the multitude of men), as well as passions and instincts (represented by cattle) are gathered together in harmony. This means that there is no need for walls to restrain or limit the expressions of the entire consciousness under the guidance and rule of Love as the material manifestation of God's Love, which will be manifest as His Glory. This is the most sublime rejoicing of all, for it comes by God's Presence in us and in our midst.
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