This lecture given in Jerusalem on July 27th 2022 by the internationally-known speaker and scholar, Rabbi Mendel Kessin, offers an in-depth understanding of the Divine Plan of Creation from the first recorded conversation of loshon ha'ra between the nachash - primordial snake - and Chava until today and beyond. This outstanding lecture weaves together all the strands--both spiritual and physical--into a magnificent tapestry which explains the march of history to this present day and well into the messianic future and Olam Ha'Ba. If you cannot answer the question: "What is the purpose of Creation?" then this lecture is for you.
Uh, excuse me, Rabbi Kessin, but while I found interesting your connecting the topic of diminishment of telomeres (i.e. death) with the concept of the Sitra Achra having become empowered [over telomeres] within the physical domain, I'm sorry to say, but my experience regarding suffering has been very different than what you've conveyed. Because during the brief period that I experienced the LEAST suffering as a small child, THAT is the time I was most enveloped by spiritual flow. It's later suffering which actually BLOCKED me from spirituality. And that can never become undone. So please validate that there's at least one exception to the rule! Please acknowledge the whole truth. Namely, that a person can feel like "nothing" due to suffering, and simultaneously feel very unspiritual, caused by same suffering!
To anyone in the know: Toward the end, the rabbi responded to someone:
"the זיכוך (now that the Satan is gone) will be in the year 6000."
He had also responded to someone, that once the Satan is gone, there's no death...no illness.
From this, may I deduce that the Satan will first be gone in 6000, and that there won't be genuine healing, prior to that year? I don't have such a good memory to have retained all the dates he's mentioned throughout his shiurim.
No, the Satan will be gone long before 6000 because we have techias hamaisim before that, and everyone will know the truth, so there will be no more evil or suffering well before that date. I can't quote Rabbi Kessin because I don't remember that part of the shiur, just saying what I already learnt.
The below questions also just occurred to me, re: cessation of "physicality", materialism, whatever, and I don't know if any rabbi's ever addressed these questions.
Is enjoying the sight of a beautiful flower garden considered materialism? Is enjoying the scent of ditto ditto? Is cultivating/harvesting vegetable & flower gardens ditto? Is enjoyment of beautiful music considered materialism? Is enjoyment of fishing or swimming, ditto? Is enjoyment of dolphins, horses or pets ditto? Is enjoyment of feeding animals ditto? Is enjoyment of holding a baby, or fun with kids ditto? Is partaking of the Shor Habor materialism? This list can go on forever! M.M.
I guess it all depends on the situation and the individual. If you are admiring the horse because it is a beautiful animal created by G-d, then that's a spiritual experience. If you are admiring it because you own it and are planning to use it and profit from it, that is materialism. Music... can be spiritual or material depending again on the attitude of the listener. Other people may think differently to me and give you a different perspective.
I have little patience to listen to most of the Torah shiurim because they usually take an hour or more. Also one needs the time to listen. What I want to say is that everyone seems to have different interpretations of what the messianic era will be. I have always learned that the messianic era will be bliss in the same physical way as we are today but evil and all that is attached to it will be gone. No more sickness and no more death! As far as insuating that there will be no more materialism makes no sense but it will be a life where all Jews will be connected to H' just as our forefathers were (Avraham, etc.) but even moreso, and they enjoyed life also in the material world. By the 7th millenium, we will be like spiritual beings and there are also different interpretations to that too, such as there are those who say we will be totally spiritual beings and there are those who say we will be the same physical beings but on a very high spiritual level that it is hard for us to fathom now. I believe that we will be physical beings but totally connected to H'. H' wants His Abode also in this lower world of physical beauty that HE Created. Up until the 7th millenium, life will go on the same but with pure bliss, happiness, health, life in total safety and security in our holy Eretz Yisrael which will be called Yerushalayim. The rest of the world will be populated by the Bnai Noach living also in bliss and the world will be called 'Israel'. That is what is meant by the 'knowledge of Hashem will fill the earth as the waters cover the seabeds'.
Yes agree with you Anonymous about the Messianic Era. Also, now Rabbi Kessin's shiurim have transcriptions after a few days, so you can read what he has said.
Devorah, I read your thoughtful reply, but insofar as horses, there can be a middle ground. Someone can enjoy horses without necessarily always thinking of it as being G-d's creation, yet nor will they be thinking in terms of profits. They're simply living in the moment, and enjoying the horse! I think that's usually the case with most people.
Also, another question for Rabbi Kessin (or whoever) just occurred to me. I believe i heard that at techiyat hameisim, souls will be resurrected into whichever anatomy within which s/he had done the most mitzvot (or least sins) during the lifetime associated with performance of said mitzvot. For example, if you lived during two Gilgulim, i.e. Gilgul #1 and Gilgul #2, you'd be resurrected into the body associated with Gilgul #2, if that body did more mitzvot than when its soul was in Gilgul #1. So the question is, what about those who are already among the living during techiyat hameisim? Do those people transmutate into the genetic-anatomy associated with whichever of their gilgulim they did the least sins?
OK, thanks, though my past experience is that i'd mostly not get answers to questions which i used to ask various well-known rabbi's, and so I had many questions that remained unanswered. M.M.
A relief that Rabbi Kessin didn’t mention this time that Trump has to come back and we have to wait until next motzei shemittah (5790) until Moshiach!
ReplyDeleteAmen! Good Shabbos.
ReplyDeleteUh, excuse me, Rabbi Kessin, but while I found interesting your connecting the topic of diminishment of telomeres (i.e. death) with the concept of the Sitra Achra having become empowered [over telomeres] within the physical domain, I'm sorry to say, but my experience regarding suffering has been very different than what you've conveyed. Because during the brief period that I experienced the LEAST suffering as a small child, THAT is the time I was most enveloped by spiritual flow. It's later suffering which actually BLOCKED me from spirituality. And that can never become undone. So please validate that there's at least one exception to the rule! Please acknowledge the whole truth. Namely, that a person can feel like "nothing" due to suffering, and simultaneously feel very unspiritual, caused by same suffering!
ReplyDeleteTo anyone in the know: Toward the end, the rabbi responded to someone:
ReplyDelete"the זיכוך (now that the Satan is gone) will be in the year 6000."
He had also responded to someone, that once the Satan is gone, there's no death...no illness.
From this, may I deduce that the Satan will first be gone in 6000, and that there won't be genuine healing, prior to that year? I don't have such a good memory to have retained all the dates he's mentioned throughout his shiurim.
No, the Satan will be gone long before 6000 because we have techias hamaisim before that, and everyone will know the truth, so there will be no more evil or suffering well before that date. I can't quote Rabbi Kessin because I don't remember that part of the shiur, just saying what I already learnt.
ReplyDeleteThe transcription will be available soon, at torahthinking.org
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know when it appears, so you can see what he actually says.
Thanks Devorah :)
ReplyDeleteThe below questions also just occurred to me, re: cessation of "physicality", materialism, whatever, and I don't know if any rabbi's ever addressed these questions.
Is enjoying the sight of a beautiful flower garden considered materialism?
Is enjoying the scent of ditto ditto?
Is cultivating/harvesting vegetable & flower gardens ditto?
Is enjoyment of beautiful music considered materialism?
Is enjoyment of fishing or swimming, ditto?
Is enjoyment of dolphins, horses or pets ditto?
Is enjoyment of feeding animals ditto?
Is enjoyment of holding a baby, or fun with kids ditto?
Is partaking of the Shor Habor materialism?
This list can go on forever!
M.M.
I guess it all depends on the situation and the individual. If you are admiring the horse because it is a beautiful animal created by G-d, then that's a spiritual experience. If you are admiring it because you own it and are planning to use it and profit from it, that is materialism.
ReplyDeleteMusic... can be spiritual or material depending again on the attitude of the listener.
Other people may think differently to me and give you a different perspective.
I have little patience to listen to most of the Torah shiurim because they usually take an hour or more. Also one needs the time to listen.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to say is that everyone seems to have different interpretations of what the messianic era will be. I have always learned that the messianic era will be bliss in the same physical way as we are today but evil and all that is attached to it will be gone. No more sickness and no more death! As far as insuating that there will be no more materialism makes no sense but it will be a life where all Jews will be connected to H' just as our forefathers were (Avraham, etc.) but even moreso, and they enjoyed life also in the material world. By the 7th millenium, we will be like spiritual beings and there are also different interpretations to that too, such as there are those who say we will be totally spiritual beings and there are those who say we will be the same physical beings but on a very high spiritual level that it is hard for us to fathom now. I believe that we will be physical beings but totally connected to H'. H' wants His Abode also in this lower world of physical beauty that HE Created. Up until the 7th millenium, life will go on the same but with pure bliss, happiness, health, life in total safety and security in our holy Eretz Yisrael which will be called Yerushalayim. The rest of the world will be populated by the Bnai Noach living also in bliss and the world will be called 'Israel'.
That is what is meant by the 'knowledge of Hashem will fill the earth as the waters cover the seabeds'.
Yes agree with you Anonymous about the Messianic Era. Also, now Rabbi Kessin's shiurim have transcriptions after a few days, so you can read what he has said.
ReplyDeleteDevorah, I read your thoughtful reply, but insofar as horses, there can be a middle ground. Someone can enjoy horses without necessarily always thinking of it as being G-d's creation, yet nor will they be thinking in terms of profits. They're simply living in the moment, and enjoying the horse! I think that's usually the case with most people.
ReplyDeleteAlso, another question for Rabbi Kessin (or whoever) just occurred to me. I believe i heard that at techiyat hameisim, souls will be resurrected into whichever anatomy within which s/he had done the most mitzvot (or least sins) during the lifetime associated with performance of said mitzvot. For example, if you lived during two Gilgulim, i.e. Gilgul #1 and Gilgul #2, you'd be resurrected into the body associated with Gilgul #2, if that body did more mitzvot than when its soul was in Gilgul #1. So the question is, what about those who are already among the living during techiyat hameisim? Do those people transmutate into the genetic-anatomy associated with whichever of their gilgulim they did the least sins?
Thanks,
M.M.
MM I will ask Rabbi Kessin's assistant to look at these comments and pass them on to him.
ReplyDeleteOK, thanks, though my past experience is that i'd mostly not get answers to questions which i used to ask various well-known rabbi's, and so I had many questions that remained unanswered.
ReplyDeleteM.M.
MM: see this https://www.mayimachronim.com/is-playing-sports-a-mitzvah/
ReplyDelete