Kabbalah for Beginners Only (3) -- What is God Doing to Us?

Jealous of their father's love for Yosuf (Joseph), his brothers ambush him, strip him of his coat of many colors, throw him in a pit and then sell him into slavery. He is taken down into Egypt, but over the next 17 years he rises up to become the Prime Minister to Pharaoh.

God Makes Me Fruitful

Yosuf marries the priestess Asenath (Zuleika)
And travels through the land

She wins his heart. (See the Qur’n) Sufi mystics tell a great love story
Between Yosuf and the woman who had him thrown into the dungeon
She repents and after her husband dies, takes on many austerities
Becoming ever more purified until her inner beauty
Becomes so evident and radiant, Yosuf can no longer resist her

In the seven years of plenty the earth brings forth in heaps
He gathers and lays up all the food in the cities and the fields
So much as the sand of the seas until they leave off counting

Before the famine two children are born to Asenath and Yosuf
Manasseh meaning God makes me forget my toil
And Ephraim meaning God makes me fruitful (a mantra)

Children as named in scripture are often fruits or qualities described
That we may draw on also. What a blessing to let go the past
What a blessing to be fruitful and prosperous for the benefit of all

In all the lands the seven years of famine begin
But there’s bread (food) in Egypt

When the land of Egypt is famished, the people cry to Pharaoh
Go to Yosuf, he says. Yosuf opens the store houses

All the countries come to Egypt to buy corn (grain) Gen. 41.57
They come to Yosuf who's called Zaphenat-Paneah
Food-Man-of-the-Living (the Provider). He’s feeding everybody



Provisions for the Way

There’s famine in the land of Canaan.
Yakov (Jacob) learns there’s corn in Egypt and says,
Why look at one another
Go down there and buy some that we may live and not die

Yosuf’s ten brothers go down to Egypt, but not Benyamin
Lest harm befall him, says Yakov. The sons of YisraEl (Yakov) go

Yosuf is governing the land and selling food to all the people
His brothers come and bow before him faces to the earth

He sees and knows them, but makes himself strange to them
He remembers his dreams and says: Where do you come from

He is dressed and bearded as an Egyptian noble
He uses an interpreter to speak with them

From Canaan to buy food. Maybe you’re spies, he says
To see the nakedness of the land. My lord, we’re your servants

We’re all one man’s sons and upright men, twelve brothers
The youngest is with our father and one is not.

To see if there’s truth in your words, says Yosuf.
One of you go get your brother. Until then you’ll be bound here
He imprisons them all together

The tradition calls Yosuf a tzaddik, a righteous one
And an enlightened spiritual master. In that context
Observe how Yosuf is leading his brothers toward redemption

On the third day Yosuf says, because I’m in awe of God
If you’re truly upright men, let one of you be bound in prison
But go, take food for your families and bring your brother back

They speak to one another: Concerning our brother
Surely we’re guilty. We saw his distress. He besought us
But we would not hear. Thus has this distress come upon us

I said, don’t sin against the youth, says Rubin,
You wouldn’t hear. Now his blood is required of us

Ever since Yakov’s grief overwhelmed him – and all of them
Yosuf’s brothers sorely repented their cruel jealousy and envy
Since then, their conspiracy has bound them in guilt
They are not surprised by their fate, even accepting of it

Not realizing Yosuf can understand them (There’s no interpreter)
He turns away to weep. Then he returns and says
Take that one (Shimon) and bind him before their eyes

Each of us gets just what we need for our illumination and fullness
This is not always obvious and calls forth our faith
Shimon has a magnificent destiny. But in his unenlightened youth
He is strong and very proud. When his humility arises, he will awaken

(Unbeknownst to them) Yosuf commands:
Fill their vessels with food. Restore every man his money
And give them provisions for the way Gen 42.26



What is God Doing to Us?

We depart and at a lodging place on the way open our sacks
See our money in the mouths of our sacks and trembling
Exclaim: Our money is restored. What is God doing to us
A question that we all wonder at one time or another

We come to Yakov our father in Canaan and report it all:
He said, bring your youngest brother I’ll know you’re not spies
And look, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack

Yakov: You’ve bereaved me of my children Yosuf and Shimon
And now you’d take away Benyamin (Benjamin)? Rubin urges him
Slay my two children if I don’t bring Benyamin back to you
Sure, Yakov will kill his own grandchildren? Rubin’s wasting his breath

His brother is dead. My son will not go down with you
If harm befalls him, you'll bring down my grey hair to the grave

Yosuf and Benyamin are the only children of Yakov’s beloved Rachel
Who died giving birth to Benyamin. Yosuf seemed to be the favorite
Now Benyamin, the youngest of them, all is especially dear

But famine is sore in the land and the food from Egypt is eaten
Go again, says Yakov, buy a little food. Yahudah (Judah) speaks
The man said we won’t see his face less our brother be with us

Send the young man with me that we may live and not die
Also our little ones. I’ll be surety for him.
If I don’t bring him to you, I’ll bear the blame forever

What good is blame? says Yakov, will that bring back the dead?
And yes, I know you and Rubin will try to protect him

YisraEl (Yakov illumined) says:
Take of choice fruits of the land as a present
Also balm, honey and spices and double money in your hand

Yisra-El literally translates: the one who wrestles with God
And/or: the one who goes straight to God

Also take your brother and arise. Go to the man
And God Almighty give you mercy. And as for me
If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved Gen. 43.14

Sometimes in life there’s only one choice
And God Almighty give you mercy

More to kome See Sections 1 and 2 also

Who Does God Worship?

Here's a story my guru Swami Satchidananda used to tell:

Once Lord Vishnu was walking around the palace carrying a small wooden box, looking into it with great interest and holding it very closely, like a precious treasure, again and again peering in very closely, even reverently. His wife Lakshmi saw his going about like that and became curious. "What's in the box, dear?” she asked.

"Oh nothing, nothing," he said and quickly hid it behind his back. But she saw him do that and got up and came over.

"Come on now, what's in that box, honey?"

"Nothing at all to concern yourself with," said Lord Vishnu. But then he looked in the box again very closely.

"Okay, give it to me," demanded his wife, putting her hand out.

"No, no," said Vishnu. But after all, Lakshmi is the Goddess. So she simply reached over and took it out of his hands.

He stood still and watched her. Lakshmi opened the box and peered inside.

Nothing. She couldn't see anything. She peered very closely. Then she said, "Why there's nothing in here but some dust." And she leaned close pursing her lips to blow it out.

"No, stop!" cried Vishnu. She froze. Gently he took the box from her hands and held it before her. "See, this is dust from my devotees' feet," he said. "It's the most precious of all that I have."

“Look at that,” said Gurudev, “the Lord worshipping the dust of his devotees' feet. That shows you how precious to God is your devotion.”

Don’t Come Empty-Handed

Selections from Devarim/Words in Re’eh Deuteronomy 11.26-16.17

This day I set before you a blessing or a curse
Hearken to God’s teachings or ignore the wise guidance

Pass over the Jordan; go in and possess the land
God is expanding your borders
(Your holdings and your understanding)

Destroy the nations you are dispossessing
Who have been serving lesser gods
(Vanity, self-image, greed, selfishness, gossip, anger, etc.)

God is blessing you and causing you to rest
From all your enemies round about you
(Those old thought patterns)
Dwell in safety

Rejoice before God with your sons and daughters
And also with those who serve you
And with the Levite (the holiness) within your gates

Love God with your heart and soul
Do what is right and good in God’s eyes

We are a people consecrated to God
Rejoice before God in all that you put your hand unto

Set aside every year a tenth part of the yield
Spend the money as you want

Don’t harden your heart before the needy
Rather open your hand; give readily without regrets
Feed outsiders, orphans, widows and widowers

Remember we were enslaved
Remember the day of our departure from bondage

Sacrifice in the evening at sundown
Don’t come before God empty-handed

We each bring our own gift
According to the blessings God is bestowing on us