A Mystagogical and Speculative Theological Catholic Perspective
Drawing from the Jewish roots of the Faith
The following draws explicitly and implicitly from such primary sources as Scripture, Catholic Tradition, Teaching and the writings of the Saints along with secondary sources such as the Jewish Oral Torah from Orthodox Jewish perspectives (and not from the malign perspective of the New Age), and the Divine Will spirituality and private revelations of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta [read more].
Contents
i. Introduction
I. Eucharistic Benediction & the Shaking of the Lulav
& Etrog
II. Lulav as Yesod & Etrog as Tiferet: Bride & Bridegroom
III. Joseph, Rachel & Jacob; Jesus, Mary & Joseph
IV. Behold Jacob, Joseph & Rachel
V. Genesis-Jacob meets Rachel: An Archetype of Joseph and Mary
VI. The Pillars: Malkut-Yesod-Tiferet-Keter
VII. The Significance of 36: Lulav, Etrog and Divine Will
VIII. The Spiritual Fecundity and Blessings of the Divine Will
IX. Final Notations Concerning the Lulav and the Etrog
i.
Introduction
The lulav is one of the Four Species (arba minim) used during Succoth (The Feast of Tabernacles); with
the other three: the myrtle (hadas),
the willow (aravah) and the etrog (citron). The lulav refers both to the lulav
itself and to the myrtle (three branches bound together) and willow (two
branches bound together) when all bound together. Each of the seven days of Succoth
(except the Sabbath) the blessing for the arba
minim takes place, and this is customarily proceeded by the waving or
shaking of the lulav and the etrog in all six directions, shaking it
trice in each direction: east, west, south, north, up and down. During the
blessing, in one’s left hand, the stem of the etrog is to point up; and afterwards (during the waving of the arba minim) the stem is to point down.
Often the Arba minim are associated with various parts of the body of
Adam-Kadmon, which is the mystical ‘blue-print of humanity’ in a sense. Which
as Catholic’s we would associate with the humanity of Jesus (Yeshua) and Mary
(Miriam); and even with the Mystical Body of Christ the Church. The Arba minim are also associated with the
Divine Name: YHVH.
Species Body Part Divine Name
Hadas/Myrtle -Eyes -Yod
Aravah/Willow -Lips -Hey
Lulav -Spine -Vav
Etrog -Heart -Hey
The six directions correspond
with six of the Sephira:
East Tiferet-Beauty: Jacob
South Chessed-Loving
Kindness: Abraham
West Yesod-Foundation: Joseph
North Gevurah-Justice: Isaac
Up Netzach-Victory: Moses
Down Hod-Glory: Aaron
I.
Eucharistic Benediction & the Shaking of the Lulav & Etrog
The Eucharist is the New Covenant fulfillment of the etrog, and the
monstrance can be likened to the lulav.
Thus Eucharistic Benediction (the blessing of the people with the Eucharist) is
a fulfilment of the ritual of the shaking of the arba minim. Since the priest raises the monstrance up off the altar,
then he blesses the people with the Sign of the Cross in all four directions,
and then he places it back down upon the altar. Of course this does not mean
that the blessing and the ritual of the arba
minim has been superseded, but rather that it is a devotion which points to
and cultivates an understanding of the Eucharistic Mystery especially
Eucharistic Benediction.
II.
Lulav as Yesod & Etrog as Tiferet: Bride & Bridegroom
The lulav is Yesod (foundation). The etrog is tifferet (beauty). The lulav
is Yesod because it is shaped like a phallus. The lulav thus represents the Shecken, the male presence of the Blessed
Holy One: that is Jesus Ha-Mashiach. The etrog
is tifferet because it is shaped like a heart and like a womb or torso. The etrog thus represents the Shekinah, the
feminine presence of the Blessed Holy One: that is the Holy Spirit and the
Blessed Virgin Mary. The lulav is
held in the right hand during the blessing, because it is primarily associated
with the masculine. The etrog is held
in the left hand during the blessing, because it is primarily associated with
the feminine.
The lulav is the bridegroom. The etrog
is the bride. Thus when one waves the lulav
and the etrog in the six directions,
this symbolises the mystical dance between the bridegroom and the bride (on the literal level this occurs at an Orthodox Jewish wedding: Mitzvah tanz). This
mystical dance is the virginal union between Yesod and tifferet which are as
one, for it is written: “and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24b). It is
thus that the lulav and the etrog are brought together side by side
when one performs the blessing and carries out the ceremonial waving. Through the
blessing of the Supernal Lulav with the Supernal Etrog, which the lulav ritual symbolises; Tiferet is
united with Yesod, which is to say, that the womb of one’s soul is united with
the Divine in a mystical conjugal act. This interior fusion of Yesod’s purity
with Tiferet’s beauty culminates in the most sublime act of Divine Intimacy,
wherefore one enters into the highest state of holiness –that of living in
Divine Will (Keter- the Sephira associated with Divine Will, Razon).
III.
Joseph, Rachel & Jacob; Jesus, Mary & Joseph
The name Rachel[1]
has its roots in the word for womb, since Rachel (Resh-Chet-Lamed) is akin to
the beginning of the word womb which is rechem
(Resh-Chet-Mem).[2] The
end of the name Rachel, ‘El’ is the masculine name for God (Aleph-Lamed:
Strong’s 410). Thus literally Rachel can be interpreted to mean ‘Womb of God’
which can be a figurative way of saying: ‘Mother of God’. Tiferet as mentioned
above is associated with womb, and likewise in turn with the etrog. However Yesod and Tiferet though
distinct, are inseparable in a single union, and thus they are as one. This is
reiterated by the fact that the lulav is
associated with the spine, which not only represents Yesod as pillar or phallus
(which are both spine shaped), but Tiferet, since Tiferet is often associated
with the spine. How can this mystery
be understood? Both Jacob and Rachel are associated with Tiferet, yet Rachel (primarily
associated with Shekinah/Malkut) is only associated with Tiferet through Yesod
which is associated with their son Joseph. This is archetypal of the Holy
Family, wherefore in this particular instance Jacob is a type of St. Joseph,
Rachel of Mary and Joseph of Jesus. This also bears Trinitarian allusions; with
Jacob, Rachel and Joseph an icon of Joseph, Mary and Jesus; and Joseph, Mary
and Jesus (in His Humanity) an icon of the Holy Trinity: Father, Spirit and
Son.
For the sake of simplicity
Jacob, Rachel and Joseph will be utilised as the primary motif in this
paragraph, bearing in mind their representations. The outer-face of the etrog represents the bridegroom and
father Jacob (Tiferet) together with Abraham (Hesed), who both form the
masculine face of the heart of Tiferet (Hesed-Tiferet: Loving Kindness or Mercy
fused with Beauty). Whilst the inner-face of the etrog represents the bride and mother Rachel (Shekinah) together
with Isaac (Gevurah/Din), who both form the feminine face of the heart of
Tiferet yet only through Joseph-Yesod (Shekinah/Malkut-Gevurah: The feminine Presence
of God fused with Justice).[3]
Although Jacob and Rachel united with each other many times in the martial act,
it was only once their first child Joseph was born that their oneness took
flesh in Joseph himself. It is thus that the lulav, Yesod and Joseph, unite the inner and outer face of the etrog, Tiferet. Through the Yesod of
Joseph therefore, not only does the Tiferet of Jacob find its union with the
Shekinah of Rachel, but through the Yesod of Joseph the Tiferet of Jacob and
the Shekinah of Rachel find their union with the Hesed of Abraham and the
Gevurah of Isaac; which is to say that through and in the offspring of Joseph
(the offspring or son of the covenant) the promised seed of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob is fulfilled.
IV.
Behold Jacob, Joseph & Rachel
Whilst it is Yesod-Joseph who
unites Tiferet-Jacob with Shekinah-Rachel, it is Shekinah-Rachel who unites Tiferet
and Yesod, Jacob and Joseph; since the wife and mother is the bond between
father and son. In Kabbalah[4]
the Sephirah of Malkut or Shekinah is primarily associated with the feminine;
whilst Tiferet and Yesod are deemed to possess a balance of both the feminine
and masculine. Yet when Tiferet and Yesod are associated with Shekinah, they
are considered to be the male counterparts to the feminine Shekinah; and this
befits the allegory of Jacob and Joseph with Rachel. This is interesting
because the etrog understood as the
heart is associated primarily with the Sephirah of Tiferet, and thus with Jacob.
Jacob is in this sense the etrog. The
lulav is shaped like a phallus and is
thus Yesod; yet the lulav is generally
associated with the spine-Tiferet, however this is one way of saying that Jacob
is in Joseph; that the spine –the uprightness and righteousness of Abraham and Isaac
that was in Jacob- is in Joseph and in his phallus, his loins. Joseph is thus
in this sense the lulav. Yet what
about Rachel? Let us come to that now:
Holding the etrog in his left hand the rabbi said:
“Behold, Jacob.” Then holding the lulav
in his right hand he said: “Behold, Joseph.” And then drawing his hands together,
and gesturing with his eyes to both the etrog
and the lulav he said: “Behold,
Rachel.”
How can this be so? For Rachel
is one in flesh with Jacob as is a wife to her husband; and because Rachel is
one in flesh with Joseph as is a mother to her son. Indeed in understanding
Rachel as a type of Mary, Jacob as St. Joseph and Joseph as Jesus we gain
insight into a deep mystery. Now Rachel is the etrog in the sense that she is the womb of Jacob and the heart of
Jacob (with womb and heart both associated with Tiferet). Whilst Rachel is the lulav in the sense that she is the mouth
and eyes of Joseph (with mouth associated with the willow of the lulav and the eyes with the myrtle of
the lulav). Wherefore it is written
in the Zohar: “Jacob gazed upon Joseph,
his soul was fulfilled as if he had seen his mother –for the beauty of Joseph
resembled the beauty of Rachel.”[5]
And this can be understood to mean that Joseph had the eyes and lips of Rachel,
for it was the myrtle of her eyes that pierced Jacob’s heart, and the willow of
her lips that overcame him (Gen 29:10-11). Furthermore, considering Rachel as
an Old Testament icon of the Holy Spirit, Jacob as an icon of God the Father
and Joseph as an icon of God the Son, we glean a further abundance of understanding.
Perhaps it might be argued that this metaphor is a poorly insufficient allegory
of the Trinity, yet although poor it is not entirely insufficient for the rest
of our fictional rabbi’s metaphor is as follows:
After a brief
pause, whilst his student remained puzzled, the rabbi whilst gesturing with his
eyes to both the etrog and the lulav which were held together one in
each hand, said: “Behold, Jacob” and then after another brief pause, with the
same gesture: “Behold, Joseph.” “But together the lulav and etrog are but
one, how can they be three?” “It is a mystery but what you said is Truth”
replied the rabbi.
V.
Genesis-Jacob meets Rachel: An Archetype of Joseph and Mary
The following is the account from Genesis where Jacob
meets Rachel; wherefore we can draw insight into Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Now when Jacob
saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban
his mother's brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well's mouth,
and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. (Gen 29:10-11).
Now when Jacob saw Rachel –that is to say, when St. Joseph saw
Mary- he beheld the three sparkling lights (the Glorious Trinity) in the
reflection of the moon of her countenance, along with the multitude of the stars of his spiritual
decedents, the Church –the sheep of Laban
his mother’s brother.
Jacob went up –which is to say that by St. Joseph’s righteousness, avowal
to virginity, and bold confidence in prayer with God, he removed the stone that
covered the mouth of the well; that mouth below of the New Rachel’s (Mary’s)
womb which was sealed in virginity and was opened figuratively to the Holy
Spirit thus allowing the possibility for the waters of the New Joseph (Jesus)
to enter into the world. For only through St. Joseph and his cooperation with
grace and with God’s plan for the Incarnation, was it possible for the Virgin
Mary to bear the upper waters of the Torah, the Word, in Her Immaculate Womb.
On this matter St. Francis de Sales writes: “she belonged to him and was
planted right close to him like a glorious palm tree near her own beloved palm
tree, which, according to the design of divine Providence, could not and ought
not produce fruit [Jesus] unless it be in his shadow and in his sight.”[6]
And watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother –which is to
say that through St. Joseph, God the Father gave to drink the waters of the
Mashiach and of the Divine Will (Razon, Keter) to their –Joseph and Mary’s- future
spiritual offspring –Israel the Church, especially those who come to live in Divine Will- and in advance to Mary the New Rachel.
For Rachel means ewes, which is the
plural of female sheep, thus indeed Rachel along with the flock must have drank
from this water too, a water foreshadowing that Celestial Water to be consumed
by the Supernal Rachel.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel –which is to say that then St. Joseph
pronounced his Fiat in remaining married and not divorcing the Virgin Mary the
New Rachel, and by this he consented to the mystery of the Incarnation; which
although had already occurred, since it says: “fear not to take unto thee Mary
thy wife, for that which is conceived
in her, is of the Holy Ghost.” (Mt 1:20); this mystery of the Incarnation only
took place because God knew in Divine Foresight that Joseph would pronounce his
Fiat. A Fiat fused with the Fiat of God the Father that Eternally Begot the Son;
so that Joseph’s Fiat that was pronounced in time, through eternity became one
with the Fiat of Mary, and thus these two Fiat’s together came to bear the fruit
of the Incarnation of the Living Torah who is the Word. As St. John Paul II
declared: “And while it is important for the Church to profess the virginal
conception of Jesus, it is no less important to uphold Mary's marriage to Joseph,
because juridically Joseph's fatherhood depends on it.”[7]
And wept aloud- because after Jacob beheld the comely countenance
of Rachel with his very own eyes; and then having tasted with his lips the delicate
and sumptuous fruits of her innocent beauty, Jacob was simply overwhelmed; for
the surging’s of love had pierced his soul’s heart, and had granted to his
being a glimpse and taste of she who he had always longed for, and pined for,
with groans in the night. Wherefore it is written: “I loved her and sought her
from my youth, and I desired to take her for my bride, and I became enamored of
her beauty.” (Wis 8:2). This of course is but a dim shadow of the virginal yet
most passionate love held by St. Joseph for the Blessed Virgin Mary, She who is
the feminine Created Wisdom, Binah
–Understanding. This foreshadowing love between Jacob and Rachel took flesh in
the Patriarch Joseph, whilst the love between Jacob and Joseph was Rachel. On
the other hand, the Love between St. Joseph and Mary was the Child Jesus;
whilst the love between St. Joseph -icon of God the Father- and the Child
Jesus, was and is the Virgin Mary –icon of the Holy Spirit.
And wept aloud- since furthermore, it is said in Oral Torah that
Jacob’s kiss was a kiss of purity, and that most likely he kissed Rachel upon
the forehead. Jacob by kissing Rachel’s forehead, tasted the sweetness and
delight of the Divine Forehead: Divine Will –Keter; yet this sweetness was
mingled with the bitterness of sorrow, for Jacob foresaw, as Rashi states, that
Rachel would not be buried by his side, and that she would weep for her
children; wherefore through the prophet Jeremiah the Lord says: “A voice was heard on high of lamentation,
of mourning, and weeping, of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be
comforted for them, because they are not.” (Jer 31:15). Furthermore, in beholding
and kissing Rachel, Jacob received a portion of the sorrow and suffering of his
future son Joseph, as well as receiving a portion of the joy of seeing Joseph
in all his glory as Chancellor of Egypt; since in Rachel Jacob saw his son Joseph, and later on, in his son
Joseph, he saw Rachel. This alludes to St. Joseph who by uniting his Fiat to
that of Mary’s came to taste in his soul the delight of the Fruit of the Tree
of Life, that Fruit of Keter made flesh in Jesus. Yet mingled with this sweetness
of Divine Love was the bitterness of sorrow, the sorrow of Mary the Supernal
Rachel -made one with the grieving Spirit of God who mourns that Her children
live not in Divine Will- a sorrow which St. Joseph foretasted, and thus after
having pronounced his Fiat, he was not only inundated with overwhelming joy
but with profound sorrow. Through his Fiat he came to share not only in the
sorrow of Mary, but –as they are inseparable- in the sorrow and sufferings of
Jesus his adopted Son who was to be betrayed and crucified. Yet the tears of
St. Joseph were also tears of joy, for whilst tasting the bitterness of his son
Jesus’ future sorrow, he also tasted the future joy and glory of His Resurrection.
Thus it is written: And wept aloud.
 |
| Rachel Weeps |
VI.
The Pillars:
Malkut-Yesod-Tiferet-Keter
Now when one brings the etrog and the lulav together, left hand and right hand, one brings together Jacob
who is father and husband with Joseph who is son and heir. It is Rachel who is
mother and wife that brings about this union (mystically she with Shekinah
preserved Joseph’s life and led Jacob to him) between Jacob and Joseph, and in
turn the generations. Wherefore it is written: “These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph…” (Gen 37:2), without
the verse mentioning Jacob’s other sons, therefore Joseph and his lineage are
the generations of Jacob, and all his brothers flow from him because it is
written: “And Joseph caused his fathers
and his brothers to live” (Gen 47:11a).[8]
Thus we come to understand that it is Shekinah or Malkut that brings together
Tiferet and Yesod; and through them all the other Sephira (‘generations’) are
brought together, illumined and birthed. This is the significance of the bond
between Malkut-Yesod-Tiferet (Rachel-Joseph-Jacob; Mary-Jesus-Joseph); which
together with Keter-Divine Will form the ‘Pillars’ or ‘Central Column’ of the
Sephira.[9]
This is to say that it is the Virgin Mary that brings together St. Joseph and
the Child Jesus, and all other souls in this triune-bond are generated and birthed
into holiness, and above all, into the state of living in Divine Will (Keter).[10]
It is thus that the shaking of the lulav and
the etrog is symbolic of doing one’s
rounds in Divine Will, performed first by the Holy Family, and as espoused
through the private revelations of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta.
 |
| The Sephira or Sephirot (In English and presented without New Age perversions): What in Hebrew is similar to what is understood as Energeia in Eastern Orthodox theology and Divine Attributes in western Catholic theology) |
The ‘Pillars’ or ‘Central Column’
of the Sephira as mentioned above is in ascending order:
Malkut-Yesod-Tiferet-Keter (Da'at is not included). These four Sephira that compose the ‘Pillars’ can
be associated with the ‘Four Species’: arba
minim. In the mode of this understanding the etrog can be said to represent Keter as the fruit of Divine Will; whilst
Malkut-Yesod-Tiferet the three species that compose the lulav. Malkut/Shekinah is represented by the willow-aravah, since Malkut is associated with
the mouth as is the two branches of the willow. Yesod is represented by the myrtle-hadas, since the myrtle is associated
with the eyes and so is Yesod since it is written: “they had the foundation of this temple before their eyes” (Ezra
3:12). Tiferet in this perspective is thus represented by the lulav- palm frond, since Tiferet is
associated with the spine as is the lulav.
The following is two interpretations of who represents the ‘Central Column’,
the spine of the Divine Will (Keter) through which all come to receive and
enter into It’s activity; just as the limbs of a body receive the nervous
impulse from the head through the spine. Both interpretations (few of many
possible) are alternate perspectives of the single Truth.
Keter: Triune Godhead or Jesus in His Humanity (Triune Godhead)
Tiferet: St.
Joseph or Virgin Mary
Yesod: Jesus in His Humanity or St. Joseph
Malkut: Virgin Mary or The Little Daughter of the Divine Will
VII.
The Significance of 36: Lulav, Etrog and Divine Will
The first letter of aravah (willow), hadas (myrtle) and lulav, which together form the lulav, leaves one with the letters: Ayin-Hey-Lamed. These letters make up the word עלה (Ayin-Lamed-Hey) which can mean to come, ascend or mount up to God (Strong’s 5927: i.e. Song 3:6, 8:5). By forming an anagram from the first letter of these letters (i.e. Ayin =Aleph, Hey =Hey) we are left with the anagram AHL, using the letters Aleph-Hey-Lamed, which form the Hebrew word: Ahal, which means to move a tent from place to place (i.e. Gen 13:13, 18).[11] Furthermore, the gematria (absolute value: A=1, H=5, L=30) of AHL is 36, a number which is associated with Divine Will-Keter, and of the highest sanctity of living in It.[12] Since it is said in the Talmud that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, in the Divine Will –the Supernal Light- for but thirty-six hours. The word light also appears 36 times in the Torah (first five books of the Bible).[13] And Rachel is said to have died at the young age of 36. Fusing the understandings drawn by both these anagrams (Ayin-Hey-Lamed and Aleph-Hey-Lamed) of the three species that compose the lulav, we can say that the mystery of the lulav speaks of moving the tent of ones soul from height to height in the sanctity of living in Divine Will.
The etrog represents the Food or Fruit of Divine Will[14], the Fruit of Keter, the Fruit of the Tree of Life: that very fruit which Adam and Eve never were able to taste, for they chose instead the sensual food of the Tree of Knowledge. Whilst the sweet apple can be said to be the Fruit of the Tree of Life (the Divine Will) as it would have been experienced by man prior the Fall; the etrog represents the Fruit of the Tree of Life (the Divine Will) as it is experienced in this life of exile: bitter, fragrant and overwhelming, though very good for the health. In fact the etrog has been referred to by the Greeks of old, as the Median Apple or the Golden Apple. The Rabbi’s associate the etrog as ‘the fruit of beautiful trees’ from the following verse in regards to Succoth, the Feast of Tabernacles: “And you shall take on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days!” (Lev 23:40). Lastly, the lamed-vovniks, literally meaning the thirty-sixers, is a concept in mystical Judaism that refers to the ‘thirty six hidden righteous ones’ which is often interpreted as 36 righteous Tzadiks who live in each generation, preserving the world from God’s Justice. However as espoused by the opinion of Br. Gilbert Joseph, what the lamed-vovniks really refers to is those who live in the Divine Will (Keter) and are present mystically in every age through eternity. Amalgamating these many varied concepts together, we come to an understanding that the blessing over the arba minim is a devotional means and symbol of invoking the Divine Will, to reign in us as it did in Adam and Eve. The shaking of the lulav and the etrog symbolises doing one’s rounds –fusing oneself with the activity of the Divine Will- in Divine Will, which takes one from glory to glory, sanctity to sanctity, or in other words as the word Ahal (equals 36) means: to move one’s tent from place to place. This is done so that one might come to taste the Supernal Etrog of permanently living in Divine Will, as a lamed-vovnik: as would have Adam and Eve if they remained faithful until past the Sabbath, yet as did St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary (and modern holy ones such as Luisa Piccarreta, St. Padre Pio etc.) –and of course as did Jesus who is the Supernal Etrog, He the Fruit of Keter who is made available to us in the Holy Eucharist. This amalgamation, though poorly expressed, is most poignant because it relates many mysteries together, including that of the arba minim, Succoth, the Garden of Eden, the Holy Family, the lamed-vovniks, and the highest state of sanctity of living in Divine Will.
VIII. The Spiritual Fecundity and
Blessings of the Divine Will
Eve, Rachel and Mary in Her
office as Mother of the Church are associated with Malkut or Shekinah. Adam,
Jacob and St. Joseph as Father of the Church are associated with Tiferet. The
Fruit of Divine Will (Supernal Etrog)
and Jesus in His Divinity is associated with Keter; whilst Joseph the Patriarch
and Jesus in His Humanity is associated with Yesod.
It is held in Jewish belief
that the etrog is a source of
blessing for fertility and childbirth. Indeed this bears significance when
Jacob is understood to represent the etrog,
he who was most fruitful and was promised to have countless descendants. Similarly
as Rachel is associated with the etrog,
those who suffer from barrenness or infertile, shall like her overcome this
obstacle through the blessing of the etrog.
This is a mystical way of saying that through Mary and Joseph who are one with
Jesus the Supernal Etrog, one shall
become fruitful in the spiritual life and bear many sons and daughters –that is,
Divine Lives which are mystical duplications of Jesus in each and every word,
thought and deed; just as Jesus is present in many Eucharistic Hosts.
The stem of the etrog faces up during the blessing,
since it symbolises the heart or womb of the Daughter of Zion: the soul, Mary and
the Church, receiving the blessing of the Divine Will. The stem faces down,
with the pitam (brown tip) facing up, resembling a breast, during the waving of
the lulav and etrog since whilst one does their rounds in Divine Will, they, or rather
the Divine Will in, with and through them, is pouring out blessings of Celestial
Milk upon the whole world: past, present and future; whilst feeding God with
His very own bounty, as did the Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus.
 |
| The Virgin Mary Nursing the Child Jesus |
IX.
Final Notations Concerning the Lulav and the Etrog
- The etrog symbolises the heart of Jesus the Masculine Adam Kadmon, as well as the heart of Mary the Feminine Adam Kadmon. These two hearts are one in flesh and thus cannot be separated or considered dividable. In this instance perhaps the lulav itself can represent the soul, with the three willow branches symbolising the faculties of the intellect, memory and the will; and the two myrtles, the phantasy and the imagination: all of which must be fused to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
- The arba minim (Four Species) represents the Four Living Creatures or Four Hayot; mentioned in Ezikiel chapters 1 and 10; and in Revelation 4:6-8. Mystically these four can be said to refer to the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) and the very little one who is the daughter of the Divine Will.
- The three branches of the myrtle can be said to symbolise the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and/or the Holy Family –the three myrtle eyes that lived in Divine Will.
- The ‘Four Species’ consist of seven items altogether, which can be said to represent the lower seven Sephira. However in line with the main perspective offered by this short treatise, we can consider its relation in regards to the sons of Jacob. The species are four (dalet) and the number of items total seven (zayin), whilst there are but two main species (beit); added together this equals 13. The seven items represent the seven children of Leah; and the four species represent the two sons of Bilah and the two sons of Zilpah; whilst the two main species (lulav as a whole and the etrog) represent Joseph and Benjamin respectively.
[1]
Often
Rachel is interpreted to mean ewes, that is the plural of female sheep. Yet this
is but one of many meanings. Rachel can also mean ‘Fortress of the Spirit’
since Spirit-Ruach (Resh-Vav-Chet)
and Fortress-Chel (Chet-Yod-Lamed)
together can form Ruch-chel which is in similitude to the pronunciation of
Rachel in Hebrew: Raw-kale. Thus Rachel
and her name is a significant archetype of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
[2]
Rachel
(Strong’s: 7353); Womb (Strong’s: 7358);
[3]
Why
is Isaac associated with Rachel? Because it was Isaac who sent Jacob to find a
wife, and thus Isaac is responsible for the encounter between Jacob and Rachel;
therefore it is the left hand of Gevurah/Justice that leads to the encounter
between Shekinah and Tiferet. After all, Jacob encountered Rachel because of
the justness of heeding his father Isaac’s command. However it was Abraham who
caused this encounter to lead to a union made flesh in Joseph, since this bond
is the fruit of the original covenant that was made with Abraham. Therefore it
is the right hand of Hesed/Mercy that leads to and results in the union
(Yesod-Joseph) of Rachel the Bride of Shekinah with Jacob the Bridegroom of
Tiferet.
[4]
Kabbalah
is part of the mystical tradition of Oral Torah, and although many new age
wackos twist and pervert Kabbalah in a diabolical fashion, it is when treated
as it ought to be (i.e. by Orthodox Judaism), a source of profound wisdom and
insight which Catholic’s such as the Doctor of the Church: St. Lawrence of Brindisi,
took great advantage of, since he understood its significance and relevance.
[5] The
Zohar, Vol.III., Trans & Ed., Daniel Matt, 304.
[6] Francis
de Sales, Oeuvres completes, ed. Of
the Vistitandines of Annecy, vol. 6, p. 354.
[7] John
Paul II, Redemptoris Custos: On the
Person and Mission of St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church,
Apostolic Exhortation, 7.
[8] Furthermore there is the dream of Joseph: “I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and
the moon, and eleven stars were bowing themselves to me.”(Gen 37:9). The
sun being Jacob a type of St. Joseph, and the moon Rachel a type of our Lady.
[9]
This is one means of understanding the Holy
Family in regards to the Sephira, especially in regards to the lower functioning
of the Holy Family and God in Christ in the earthly realm. Otherwise Keter can
be understood as Jesus, Hokhmah as St. Joseph and Binah as Mary; whilst the
three heads or sparkling lights of Keter could be said to correspond to the Three Persons of the
One God, and could correspond in the following manner: AIN (Nothing)-God the Son; AIN SOPH (Limitless)–God the Father; and
AIN SOPH AUR (Limitless Light) –God the Holy Spirit.
[10]
Of
course St. Joseph generates sanctity in souls only insofar as he is the chosen
instrument of God the Father to carry this work out; and Mary births souls into
the sanctity of Divine Will only insofar as She is the chosen instrument of the
Holy Spirit. Together Mary and Joseph form souls into living images of Jesus.
[11] Strong’s:
167.
[12]
36
is akin to the absolute value of the same words that mean: tabernacle, tent,
Palace of the Sun (reminds one of St. Teresa of Avila’s innermost Mansion), dwelling
place, the temple; and to be bright, to gleam and shine- just like the blessed
in Paradise and like Adam and Eve in the beginning.
[13] Rokeach.
[14] “Jesus
saith to them: My food is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may
perfect his work.”
(Jn 4:34).
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