When
will it come to me?
I shall
walk with innocent integrity of heart, within my house.
Psalm 101: 2
Introduction
Tariqa Eliyahu
is a "new old" development in
the history of both Judaism and Sufism. Some have said it is not sufficiently Jewish and others have
said it is not sufficiently Sufic. Some recognise in its practices an
imaginative recreation of the core curriculum of the prophetic schools, some see it as verging on
heresy.
The practice of
unity in diversity is not an easy virtue to generate or promote in our contemporary
Jewish milieu. Political and sectarian polarisation has increased in
recent years, particularly in Eretz
Yisrael, and unity has often become squashed by self-righteous bigotry.
Yet debate "for the
sake of heaven" is a
generative part of the rabbinic
tradition and the various and
sometimes divergent paths on which a
Jew may walk and yet still believe
an essential unity has been preserved are legion.
This is also
true in the various streams and
threads of Jewish Mysticism and Jewish
Contemplative Practice.
We are renewing
the Judeo-Sufism of the mediaeval Egyptian Pietists but we are also developing it,
and it is my duty as Founder to
present the manner in which I hope that development
should flow.
The path of the
Maarat HaLev may be termed "The Path of Simplicity"
and it is this path that should unite the
members regardless of their individual theological or denominational
differences and allegiances.
This chapter aims
to present the Founder's exposition of (i) the way the Tariqa was
created to develop the core message
and practices of Kuntres Maarat HaLev; and (ii) the manner in which Tariqa Eliyahu's
ethos and practice (adab) as a new Jewish-Sufi Order can actually generate
unity in diversity.
Most of the Tariqa's members (myself included) are not academics. We are contemplative practitioners focused on a personal and interior journey, so for those salikun who are new to the Tariqa and may need a little background, we will begin by describing something of the historical diversity of major Jewish Mystical schools. We will then try to situate both the Egyptian Pietists and Tariqa Eliyahu within that context to show that we are actually part of a quiet spiritual revolution that is equally Jewish and Sufi.
This will be followed by a presentation of the Derech HaTemimut so that new members may see the manner in which that revolution may be effected by those who "take hand" and join our Tariqa's circle.
oooOooo
The Maaseh
Bereshit and Maaseh Merkabah traditions are the
undisputed pioneer theosophical paths of post-biblical Jewish Mysticism. Their texts
and the
Heikalot hymns have made
their way into the mystical
writings of succeeding generations
and even into the Siddur and
Machsor. They were also radically reviewed and enlarged upon by the
Rambam who, in many ways, saw the
former in relation to Aristotelian
physics and the latter in relation to philosophical
metaphysics.
In our day, these and
many less studied or practiced forms
of Jewish theosophy and
cosmology are not as popular
as those of the later
versions of Kabbalah. Those later
versions spread throughout the entire Jewish world, largely through the channel of
the Hasidic movement of
Europe and the West.
That Later Kabbalistic School's particular path (tariq/derech) was
expressed in the writings and teachings of R.Yosef Karo (1488-1575), R. Moshe Cordovero
(1522-1570), R.Shlomo Alkabetz (c1505-1584), R.Yitzhak Luria (1534-1572) and R.Hayim Vital(1542-1620) all of which make prominent use of the
Zoharic texts. This School, which
we might term the "Safed
Kabbalah" is perhaps
the most actively followed mesorah in contemporary Jewish mysticism,
particularly in its Sefer Zohar-inspired and Lurianic presentations.
The Lurianic Kabbalah is a revolutionary and highly original system distinguished by its complex and minutely detailed theories of sefirot,
partzufim, tzimtzum, klippot, and tikkunim. It is perhaps the most widespread form of the Safed School's system and it has left its mark on all subsequent
forms of Jewish contemplative practice
to this day.
But the "Safed Kabbalah" is by no means the only
school of (comparatively modern)
Jewish Mysticism and though its principles and practices, along with the Zoharic
literature, are certainly a great inspiration to many—there are also many Jews
whose religious and contemplative practice makes little or no use of them.
Indeed the
systems and practices of the Lurianic mekubalim might almost
be seen
as marks of a denomination within
Jewish mystical practice, and as such
they have acquired almost as much opposition as support. The same might be said of (for example) the Breslov, Chabad, and Rambanist
(Maimonidean) groups in twenty-first
century Judaism. These are also popular
schools of mysticism in our day, and despite their sometimes widely different perspectives and practices, they all share very similar spiritual goals. Judaism has never been a
"one-size-fits-all" religion and disagreement for the sake
of heaven is part of its
very nature. It is not necessary for all Israel to follow the same mystical or philosophical mesorah and the process of disagreement between the
factions may even assist some
people to find their true places
in the spectrum of choices, or come to
a state of peaceful coexistence that
will ultimately further the nation's
unity. Unity in diversity is surely the
most noble form of spiritual unity.
Though we
have the guidance of Chazal and that of our more recent yet expert Leaders,
Sages, and Scholars to guide us, each
Jew hears and understands the Torah
in accordance with their own individual capacity and the nature of their unique soul with its
equally unique vocation. In the
realm of contemplation and mystical experience this is especially true, and each Jew follows their personal karma (as
it were) in searching for the teachers and teaching that can inspire them most personally and most
directly. Some Jewish contemplatives
might be most comfortable devoting
themselves exclusively to one Rebbe's path or one sect's mesorah; some might prefer a more pick-and-mix cocktail of
spiritual guidance; and some might prefer to travel the Jewish spiritual path comparatively alone.
In the last half-century it seems to me that certain, previously dormant, schools of Jewish mysticism have grown in significance, partly (i) because of the discoveries made in the Cairo Geniza and other manuscript collections;(ii)due to the ever-expanding body of academic translation and transliteration work that has recently been done on these texts; but also, I believe (iii)because of a Divinely generated and providential outpouring and impetus given to us to inspire us in our own particular era.
In Jewish
theology and philosophy it seems to me that there has been a remarkable
flowering of Rationalist and neo-Maimonidean activity that is well
underway as I write, but in the field of experiential Jewish meditation and contemplation, I believe that the
two emergent and principal streams that are currently being intensively
resurrected and renewed are the
Abulafian stream and the Jewish-Sufi
stream. One of the
links between these three Movements or
Schools (NeoMaimonidean, Abulafian, and Judeo-Sufic) is that they all in
their very different ways share
a common factor: Their final
goal is the attainment of prophecy—sometimes after much human effort, but ultimately through a deep receptivity that
leads to a profound form of dialogic
relationship with the Divine.
Each of these schools present a different view of what the term "prophecy" might describe or entail but the goal of all three is always the development of an intimate relationship with G-d.
For R. Abraham ben Ha Rambam, for example, the term "prophecy" was synonymous with wusul: infused enlightenment and intimate encounter with the Divine. He coined the Judeo-Arabic phrase Suluk al Khass (The Special Path) to describe his own vision for an esoteric and pietist path to be followed in addition to The Common Path of mitzva observance and formal liturgy, and its goal is not so much the attainment of prophetic activity of inspired speech or prediction: but of gnosis and intimacy with G-d.
Recently, I was greatly encouraged to see that Ronald C.Keiner
also identifies these three Schools of
contemporarily active Kabbalah as
follows:
“The thirteenth century is the decisive one for the development of
Jewish mysticism. During this century, at least three distinct Jewish mystical
schools or movements emerge: (1) the so-called Spanish Kabbalah,
constructed on the Bahir’s revolutionary doctrine of the ten sefirot as
emanations of God, culminating in the Bible commentary known as the Sefer
ha-Zohar (or “Book of Splendor”) written in central Spain in the late
thirteenth century; (2) the so-called prophetic Kabbalah of Abraham
Abulafia, the peripatetic Spaniard who traveled throughout the
Mediterranean basin, including war-ravaged Palestine in 1260; (3) and the
esoteric pietism of Abraham Maimuni, son of Maimonides, and his disciples, in
Ayyubid Egypt.” *(i)
oooOooo
Abraham ben HaRambam was insistent that his liturgical and paraliturgical reforms, together with the Egyptian Pietist's emphasis on solitude and meditational practices, were all restorations of what he considered to be the forgotten ways of the Schools of the Prophets.
One must remember however that he was consistently opposed by the thought-police of those in the Jewish community of Fostat who considered his work to be heretical innovation. Their opposition was vociferous and verged on persecution for largely political reasons. In such an environment he clearly felt an urgent need to justify and defend the Jewish-Sufi position and prove its validity within normative Judaism—and I believe this is the principal reason he underlines the connection with the biblical Bnei haNeviim so frequently. Later Maimuni leaders of the group were under similar pressure and will have felt the same need to defend the movement.
In this context, it is notable that whenever the Egyptian Pietists borrowed a concept,
term, or an entire passage from the
Quran or a later Islamic text in their writings, nine times out of ten they found a Biblical or Talmudic example to replace or
support it. Abraham ben HaRambam stands
out as being particularly brave in
making explicit the Egyptian Hasidic
movement's debt to Islamic Sufism.
The most oft-quoted passages of such defence are from the
Kifaya:
"Do not regard as unseemly our comparison of that [the true
dress of the prophets] to the conduct of the Sufis, for the latter imitate the
prophets [of Israel] and walk in their footsteps, not the prophets in theirs." *(ii)
And
"We see the Sufis of Islam also profess the discipline of
mortification by combatting sleep… Observe then these wonderful traditions and
sigh with regret over how they have been transferred from us and appeared
amongst a nation other than ours whereas they have disappeared in our midst." *(iii)
Detailed information on the ethos and practices of the Schools of the
Prophets is minimal and is largely confined to the following : (i) that their organisation formed communities;(ii) that
they displayed a strong predilection for
musical stimulation (both instrumental and
vocal) as a contemplative aid;(iii)that they embraced the practice of
desert dwelling retreat; (iv) that their
behaviour could be somewhat wild when they
were in ecstatic mode; (v) that they had their
preference for rough, simple attire, and the use of a mantle as an initiatory device; (vi) that they
believed certain (largely forgotten)
contemplative practices might lead to various levels
of prophecy; (vii) that they believed a specific training can be
given to prepare one for this
potential Divine influx.
Each one of
those factors was clearly both present and predominant in the
Islamic Sufi movement and each
one of them (with the possible exception of number iv) provided a major inspiration for both Abraham and for
all the leaders of the movement in the centuries that followed. And yet, in the
absence of detailed evidence of the curriculum of the
Schools of the
Prophets, Abraham must surely have
had to exercise creativity and imagination when composing the Kifaya for the members of his
Tariqa. In his position it was the only way to actually make the connective link between the Islamic Sufism he observed and his vision of what the Schools of the Prophets had actually practiced. In one
of his letters, and speaking about certain forgotten liturgical traditions he states:
"We can be considered as having revived them after their
death, because trace of them had vanished, moreover, it could be
said that we have re-created them".
Maasei Nissim, p. 107 *(iv)
For our purposes here, the significant part of the
passage is his admission that he was "recreating" rather than reinstating these liturgical traditions of his
congregation and one wonders
if the
same principle might also apply to his renewal of the ways
of the Schools of
the Prophets.
In reforming
the Carmelite Order, Teresa of Avila
created detailed systems and even
rules of her own yet attributed them to the legendary early
Carmelites of the time of Eliyahu HaNabi. The
same spiritually attributive
process is demonstrable in many of the writings of the
founders of Islamic Sufi Orders, and
many would view Moses de Leon in
the same light. This is
the way of many who form " new-old religious groups" and it is certainly the way I
followed in founding Tariqa Eliyahu—specifically
as a way to promulgate and develop
the specific Path of Kuntres Maarat
HaLev. To that highly significant
removal of a veil we will now
turn.
The Derech HaTemimut
The specific
"Path" of Tariqa Eliyahu Ha Nabi is derived from the "Simple Path" of
Kuntres Maarat Ha Lev.
The
Order was founded to renew the Jewish Sufi Pietist movement of the mediaeval era— but at its deepest level—its purpose was (and is) to promote the contemplative ethos and practices that I presented in that Kuntres
in 2005. Some of the Tariqa's members have joined us because of a Maimonidean or a Sufi connection—but the majority of our members joined after reading Kuntres
Maarat Ha Lev and were responding to
its message and call for contemplative action through a
kind of "Prophetic" training
in simple attentive meditation.
Of course the Order is very closely bound to the spiritual silsila and mesorah of the later Maimunis and their circle—but you will now appreciate that, in fact, I founded the tariqa because (somewhat late in the day around 2022) I recognised a profound similarity between the path I had described in Kuntres Maarat HaLev and (i)the Islamic Sufi Path;(ii)the path of the Kifaya, the Murshid, the Hawwdiya, and the writings of Abraham HeHasid Ha Dayan. Perhaps the most significant recognition that occurred was to discover that the functional goal of the Maarat HaLev is exactly the same as that of the Egyptian Hasidic movement, namely: preparation for the return of prophecy. Both are focused on devekut and receptive hitbodedut and both aim to develop a system of training that might prepare one for the influx of prophetic inspiration —and for both the Jewish-Sufis and in the Maarat HaLev that does not mean the return of a group of "Prophets" to lead Israel, it means a state of ruah ha kodesh that will be shared by everyone under the sun.(Zechariah 14:9).
In a very real sense therefore: Tariqa Eliyahu
is a vehicle for the promulgation of the Derech HaTemimut
of Kuntres Maarat HaLev.
In the Cave and
under Divine tuition alone, it took Elijah the Prophet some
time to see that it is necessary to quell the turmoil of over-zealous activity and simply be
still before one can "know" G-d. (Psalm 46:10). At the moment of revelation in the cave, after a lifetime of commendable but somewhat violent activism and, it seems, an obsessional focus on what HE had done for G-d... it was only when he was shown that he needed to stand still for a while and actually let G-d get a word in edgeways. (
We walk an
Elijan path by turning away from self-promotion, mystical distractions, and compulsive spiritual or scholarly tourism by making a "vacated space"
in the soul's Cave of the
Heart, a state in which one can begin to listen to the Divine Voice.
Our Tariqa specialises in promoting this Elijan path. Referring to I Kings:19:10-12, one might
express it like this:
*Our Tariqa is Elijan in the
sense that it avoids the EARTHQUAKE of religious conflict caused
by partisan bigotism or proselytism (to
a particular Jewish sect or stance).
*It is Elijan in the sense
that it avoids the WIND of
argument and ratiocination and chatter in its spiritual courtyards and
replaces them with silence, a shiviti consciousness, and with individual and communal
hitbodedut/hitbonenut.
*It is Elijan in the sense
that it avoids the FIRE of certain "inebriated" forms of religious or sufic practice and prefers "sober" and reflective
ones.
*It is Elijan because it recognizes the pre-eminence of the fragile and interior STILL SMALL VOICE
that is the unique form of tuition that G-d alone
can give. *(v)
oooOooo
As a defining
term, the religion we call "Judaism" encompasses many
variations in opinion and interpretation that may sometimes seem contradictory.
Yet its People are essential one.
Similarly,
the term "Sufism" can be applied to a wide range of both theory and practice. The profound
philosophy and unique theories of Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) are as complex and
creative as those of the Arizal;
the halachic strictures of Al Ghazali
(1057-1111) are as tight as those of
the Rambam; the illuminationist visions
of Suhrawardi (1154-1191) are as arcane
and esoteric as those of
the Zohar; the lyricism of the
beautifully crafted aphorisms of Rumi (1207-1273) is also to be found
in the early mystical texts and
hymns of ancient and classical Judaism,as well as in the writings of more recent Hasidim like R.
Nachman of Breslov, the Berditchever,
and the Kotzker Rebbe.
So,one can readily see that the
Jewish and Sufi traditions are equally varied and within both there
are "Paths" that can be complex
or simple.
In Christian
practice these variations produced
the formation of clerical and monastic religious Orders—each designed to focus on a
particular aspect of religious life and
perform it mehadrin ha mehadrin for
the benefit of the
whole. So, for example, The
Jesuits were founded to perfect the
intellectual approach;the
Dominicans to focus on polemics and theology, the Carthusians
and Carmelites on the contemplative. Each of those Orders attracts people with
personalities, one might say souls, that
are in synch with the vision of each
Order's founder.
Tariqa Eliyahu is inspired by
the Jewish-Sufi movement of the later Maimunis and several of the above
mentioned Islamic theorists and authors, but its particular "flavour" as a new-old sufic Order is provided by the simple path of
the Maarat HaLev: A form of spiritual practice that is
not overly intellectual or
pre-occupied with minutely detailed theology or philosophy, that does
not focus on study or discussion—but which does focus on the privately
experienced relationship of the soul
with the Divine, and with the
Judeo-Sufic contemplative practices of
silence, solitude, and receptive
meditation so dear to both the classical Islamic Sufis and
the Jewish Egyptian
Hasidim.
In 2005, this is how
I introduced the "Simple Path"
in Kuntres Maarat HaLev itself:
"Our kabbalistic tradition has formulated many beautiful and
complex prayers and meditations composed around the Shem Havayah and around the
permutations of this and other ‘Names’ of G-d.
They are all above my pay-grade, as it were. I have similarly been dazzled and gripped by lines extracted
from the Zohar but almost all the
classical forms, analyses, and systems of kabbalistic meditation are just too
complex and intellectual for me. They may well be so for you too. If you are
reading this book hoping for some insight into such meditational techniques you
will be disappointed— what I am sharing in this book is extremely simple….. my
instinct tells me there are others out there who may actually need to read
these words. It is a method for those who are fired by what can only be
described as an ache to be connected to G-d and to be of use to Him, but whose
psychological or intellectual inadequacies make the ascent of Mount Carmel or
Mount Horeb necessary by a less travelled side-path. It is a simple path, but in no sense is it an
easy short cut—and travelling on it can often be boringly uneventful."
Kuntres Maarat HaLev p.9
In a sense my
motivation in searching for kindred
spirits who intuit
that this path is "for them" might seem to be elitist, but the serendipitous advantage of its
simplicity means that anyone who
seeks G-d can walk on it. It is
true that it is presented as an
alternative to the more currently popular mainstream systems of Jewish Mysticism but one can practice it
simultaneously and freely alongside one's involvement with the methods and cosmology of other Jewish Schools.
Nevertheless, it
remains a path which is very specially appropriate to a certain type
of Jew who (as it were) has a
sufic mindset that seeks the
humble and uncluttered simplicity of interior and intimate seclusion with the Beloved alone. Jewish Contemplatives of this kind choose to focus on the development of their shiviti consciousness above all other valuable types of Jewish practice, and ultimately at its highest
levels above all else. (Psalm 27:4)
Kuntres Maarat
HaLev's first
reference to this "Derech HaTemimut" was further
developed here:
"The esoteric systems and complex meditation practices of the kabbalists, the
deeply intellectual forms of hitbonenut proposed by the Chabad hasidim,
and the frequently cathartic expressions of
hitbodedut practiced by Breslover hasidim are beyond the scope of
this little book. There are
several reasons for this. As I have indicated, I am neither a scholar
nor a rabbi. I am not qualified or
experienced enough to make deep
analytical comment on these jewels in Judaism’s contemplative crown. You can find shelves full of books which deal
with these subjects by many gifted authors without too much effort.
But the main reason you will not find them, or theosophy, or
theurgy, or self improvement methods
discussed here is because I am presenting a somewhat simpler path—a path for those
whose primary focus is to seek intimacy with G-d, and maybe to become a selfless channel for His activity in this
world.
This is the aim of anyone who would draw near to G-d hoping to
receive the spirit of ruach hakodesh that approaches prophecy, and I believe
this to be the core tachlit (aim/goal)
of all prayer in the Cave of the
Heart."
Kuntres Maarat HaLev p.19
A particularly recommended contemplative practice is then presented as a simple method of emptying the soul to make
space for the influx of inspiration.
"In order to meet G-d in private contemplation,
we really only need to do one simple thing:
We need to make some time to
be with Him Alone
and give Him our undivided and loving attention.
Contemplative Prayer is giving G-d a chance to speak to us/do
something to us.
It is not about us, it’s about Him.
The method is simply: Stand or sit in His Presence; Make space
inside yourself for Him to act; Then listen with focus to whatever He may have
to say to you, personally and individually.
That’s it.
Yes…. That’s all of it."
Kuntres Maarat HaLev p.31 *(vi)
oooOooo
Unity in Diversity
Tariqa Eliyahu has members
from many denominations and sects with
distinct and sometimes conflicting ways: yet they are all Jewish.
They are Jews who are Breslovers or Chabadniks; Neo-Maimonidean rationalists;
Kabbalistic practitioners; Litvish Jews, Askenazic, Sefardic; and Mizrahi Jews; Jews
whose Jewish Sufi practice involves membership of other Sufi Orders and those whose bond is solely with Tariqa Eliyahu; Jews
who love the Zohar and the mysticism of the Ari—and
those who really do not; Jews who have had Islamic or Innayati
initiation and those who have not and
who would never consider
undergoing such a practice: So how can
it be said that every one of the Tariqa
Eliyahu members follow this same Path
of Simplicity?
Firstly: These members all share two things: (i) As aspiring Jewish Sufis (for whom the
state of "perplexity" is the
humble yet enlightened acceptance of one's inability to declare total
certainty) they don’t proselytize for their own denomination or insist their own views are the only correct ones; and (2) they are in synch
with the basic Derech HaTemimut of The
Cave of the Heart.
The focus there is on practice
not theory: Simple contemplative, silent,
and receptive prayer—with no
teacher but G-d—All can subscribe
to that.
Secondly:
Tariqa members are totally free to follow
their own chosen paths alongside that of Tariqa Eliyahu. For
this reason a Neo-Maimonidean
rationalist may spend their private meditational time engaged in philosophical reflection
while still following the sufic (and
later Maimuni) tenet that philosophic knowledge only scratches the surface of a knowledge of The
Reality—that "dhawq" and the intuitive gnosis of
"wusul" alone can reach. An Abulafian or Kabbalistic practitioner
may spend their private meditation time
engaged in complex permutional activity, but
they can always remember the Sufic and Maimuni tenet that such
intellectual (or even theurgic) systems
are guides to focus and not guaranteed
methods to attain enlightenment by our own efforts. Above all, they know that our khalwa experience takes place silently and
privately in the hearts of each individual practitioner, and there die gedanken sind frei.
Thirdly: there
are built-in factors within the structure of our meetings that ensure
freedom of personal activity, even in a congregational setting. At our
meetings,we do not share our interior experiences or our extra-mural spiritual preferences with other members
during congregational prayer meetings — that only happens in one
to one conversations—and then
always in total privacy and never with the group or its
members at a gathering. When
congregated in the zawiyya for prayer, that prayer should occupy 99.9% of the
agenda anyway. We have a monthly
meeting where we discuss and socialise, but at our weekly meetings
there is minimal conversation or none at
all.
Our Silent Dhikr
at those meetings is never formalized. There is
no adherence to any method or particular practice other than the Maarat
HaLev's " attentive
listening" to the Divine—in
whatever form the member might
envisage that. The chapter on Dhikr from our Manual for Novices expresses it like
this:
" This silent dhikr is an unguided activity during which members are
free: to engage in acts of worship and
petition; to practice combinations of
their own preferred yogic or meditational systems; to silently
recite or meditate on texts or Names; to engage in a discussion with their
inner selves; to pray for others; to
examine their lives and sort-out their
problems; and also— to attempt to empty
their minds and hearts to make room for
G-d. That last possibility may be termed the
Dhikr of Silence."
And our handout for visitors
attending our meetings expresses
it as follows:
"We hope to bring
together local contemplatives (and would-be contemplatives) from all
streams of Judaism and of Israeli society: streams whose members can so
often be shockingly antagonistic, dismissive, or intolerant of one
another. In these times of denominational, sectarian, racial, and political
turmoil in Israel (and globally) it
is hoped that by keeping shared
contemplative silence, all religious, sectarian, racial, or political
differences may be shelved (however briefly) by the commonly shared desire
to be personally attentive to the
‘Voice of G-d’ within all of us."
Like the spectrum of
Light itself—each wavelength has
its own character—but all is G-d.
oooOooo
Afterword
When I was
preparing this chapter for the Manual for
Novices I came across a
beautiful photograph that my New Zealander friend Michael Nixon had just posted
online. His photograph seemed to express what I was thinking in a somewhat synchronous
manner. In this chapter I had been trying to express the way in which
a Tariqa member maintains their own choices of denominational allegiance
or mesorah in total freedom whilst simultaneously following the simple
path shared by all true salikun (seekers on the Sufi path) but, I think his photograph has given me a way to express it a little more lyrically.
 |
Photo: Be'er Ora,Israel (Michael
Nixon.NZ)
In this photograph, there are three paths in the foreground—but as the paths ascend, they eventually seem to become one as they approach a first low summit in the middle-ground. Enclouded in a mysterious haze in the far distance is an even more elevated summit—but we cannot actually see the path that leads there in the photograph.
When (for example) a Beshtian-School Hasid, a Maimonidean rationalist, or a Lurianic-School kabbalist joins Tariqa Eliyahu they are at a point where they choose to unite with the other practitioners because of a shared interest in either Jewish-Sufism or the ethos of the Kuntres Maarat HaLev.
As the journey ascends towards that first lower summit they walk a united path where their previous differences in opinion or mesorah are maintained privately, but transformed.
What then happens in the barzakh of that intermediate summit is something they can only experience in silent receptive prayer/meditation….each one in their own heart…
How they get from that point to that second more veiled summit in the distance is a knowledge and encounter that only G-d himself can grant.
We are unable to see what lies between the first summit and the distant one.
Perhaps the Path has actually disappeared totally.
Perhaps the passage from one summit/state to the other is completely outside time and space.
Perhaps it is a passage that should not be expressed in words because it simply cannot be expressed at all.
oooOooo
ADMONITION
I will conclude with a brief Hegyon HaLev commentary on the psalm verse which heads this chapter. It is also a benevolent literary "Admonition" given after the Maimuni fashion.
"I shall concern myself with the Path of Simplicity. When will it come to me? I shall walk with innocent integrity of heart, within my house."
"I shall concern myself with the Path of Simplicity."
Whatever
mesorah a Tariqa member chooses to follow in addition to that of our
Order: When present at a meeting
in the Zawiyya and when
voicing opinions in our publications each member should remember to keep to the very Simple
Path of the Maarat HaLev and
the example of the later Maimunis and their Jewish-Sufi Order. Striving to avoid controversy or partisanship—by
keeping things simple—is the way to
generate an atmosphere of peace and
unity amongst the members who
come to the zawiyya to meet G-d in shared silence,
not to engage in debates or conflicts.
We should remember we hope to generate the "peace of coexistence" when chanting the final Oseh Shalom prayer that
concludes our meetings.
"When will it come
to me?"
The Sufic masters all share the view that we can prepare the way
for the
receipt of ruah ha kodesh and
(eventual) Universal prophecy but that it comes to each individual only
as G-d's gift, for He is gracious to whomsoever
he might choose" (Exodus 33:19). If granted,
this gift is the "death before death" of fana.
Many of us never reach that state in our
earthly life, but our search should be
insistent and ever hopeful. The Derech Ha Temimut
may be simple, but it can be arduous and
for years we may feel very little
progress has been made. But we should
remember that G-d alone knows our
maqam (station) and hal (state) and we cannot ever judge ourselves or others.
"I shall walk with innocent integrity of heart, within my
house."
Though
we meet as a congregation (either in person or in spirit) each one of us practices Khalwat dar Anjuman
(solitude in the group) within the "house" of their own heart. The
meeting is a situation where the entire Tariqa is meeting G-d—united in Him in
shared silence. Whether they are joining the
meeting geo-physically or "in spirit", each meditating member
is bonded to the group but simultaneously utterly private in their intimate,
attentive, and (hopefully) receptive dialogue with the Divine. The congregational Khalwa of Tariqa
Eliyahu is an everpresent remembrance
and a reenactment of Sinai.
Nachman Davies
Safed
October 29th 2005
---------------------
NOTES
*(i) Keiner R.C. "Jewish Mysticism in the Lands of the Ishmaelites" in The Convergence of Judaism and Islam,Religious, Scientific, and Cultural Dimensions. p156. Edited by Michael M. Laskier and Yaacov Lev. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011
*(ii) Rosenblatt S:,
The High Ways to Perfection of Abraham Maimonides, vol. II, p 320 (Baltimore:
The Johns Hopkins Press, 1938))
*(iii) Rosenblatt S., vol. II .p 322
*(iv) see also Friedman
M.A: “A Controversy for the Sake of Heaven : Studies in the Liturgical
Polemics of Abraham Maimonides and his Contemporaries" Teuda, X (1996)
*(v) see pages 36-47
of Kuntres Maarat HaLev for a description of this Voice and
a commentary on its activity.
There is also a commentary on
the entire scriptural passage referred
to on our website here: https://jewishsufis.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-barzakh-of-al-khidr-in-cave-of.html
*(vi) A more
detailed guide to this method is found at Kuntres Maarat Lev pp 48-54)