Elevating the Flesh - Jewish Slaughter
Translated by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky from the Writings of the Ari
The following are the meditations my master [the
Arizal] of sainted memory taught to Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, of blessed memory.
The Jewish people were given the commandment to
slaughter animals according to specific rules before eating their meat: "You
must slaughter any of your herd or flock, which G-d has given you, as I have
commanded you. Only then may you eat [of them] in your gates as much as you
desire." (Deut. 12:21)  | | " Spiritualization of the physical flesh depends a great deal on the purity of thought and intentions..." | | |
In contrast to an everyday butcher, the ritual
slaughterer (called a "shochet" in Hebrew) in Judaism is a position of
great honor. In order to be a shochet, a person should ideally be of
exemplary character, a Torah scholar, pious, and G-d-fearing - in addition to
being well-versed in the laws of ritual slaughter and expert in their
performance. This is because, as we will see, the act of ritual slaughter - the
first stage towards the eventual consumption of the flesh by the Jew - is an
intensely spiritual act, and the spiritualization of the physical flesh depends
a great deal on the purity of thought and intentions of the shochet.
As you know, regarding the mystical intentions one
should have while eating, all creatures of this world need to be rectified and
refined. This is in order that they reach the spiritual level of the primal
matter of which they were made when the world was created.
The primordial sin, that of eating the fruit of the
Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, caused a spiritual fall in the ability of
material creation to sustain spiritual consciousness. Our task in life is to
refine the physical world so that it can once again be receptive to this level
of divine awareness.
This [level of refinement] is similar to [that
exemplified by] the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair.
Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was a Talmudic sage. His donkey
refused to eat untithed barley. (Chulin 7a) | | " It happens many times that human souls are reincarnated into animals..." | | |
In addition, it happens many times that human souls
are reincarnated into animals. If the animal is slaughtered with the proper
intentions, its helps extricate the reincarnated soul from the punishment it is
undergoing. It can then re-enter a human body the next time it enters this
world, as it was meant to originally.
There are thus two basic objectives of ritual
slaughter: to elevate the spiritual nature of the material animal flesh, and, in
sporadic instances, to help the reincarnated soul finish its process of
rectification.
The mystical purpose of ritual slaughter, then, is to
sweeten all the judgments.
Both the descent (i.e., de-spiritualization) of
material reality and the rectification process of the reincarnated soul are
manifestations of G-d's attribute of judgment (which was invoked in the first
place by the sin or wrongdoing of man). Counteracting this attribute by
spiritualizing reality is called "sweetening" the judgment.
The first step of ritual slaughtering is preparing the
knife. The knife must be perfectly smooth and free of any nicks. The shochet
must check the knife by running it gently over his thumbnail before proceeding
with the ritual slaughtering.
When you inspect the knife and sharpen it on the
stone, your intention should be to remove all its defects [i.e., nicks]. The
numerical value of the word for "defect" [in Hebrew, "pagam", spelled
pei-gimel-mem] is [123,] equivalent to three times the number of letters in
the divine name Eh-yeh when it is spelled in its simple form and two
iterations of its spelling-out.
These [iterations of the name Eh-yeh] are thus
all manifestations of the attribute of judgment; you should intend to sweeten
them.
The divine name Eh-yeh is associated with the
sefira of bina. Whereas chochma is the pristine experience
of transcendent insight, bina is the analysis of the insight and its
integration into the pre-existing mental structures of the mind. The mental
process of chochma is an experience of wonder and openness, while that of
bina is an experience of evaluation and judgment. Thus, the name Eh-yeh
is associated with judgment. | " Will it be slaughtered in order to...augment the world's consciousness
of G-d...?" | | |
It is instructive to note that the only time this name
is used in the Bible is in the exchange between G-d and Moses at the burning
bush. Moses asks G-d what he should tell the Jewish people G-d's Name is. G-d
answers: "I shall be who I shall be". Rashi explains that G-d was telling Moses
to reassure the Jewish people that G-d will be with them in future exiles, just
as He was with them in the Egyptian exile. Thus, even the basic meaning of the
name Eh-yeh is associated with exile, a manifestation of the divine
attribute of judgment.
The way this is done is by raising the number 41 to
the number 42. Forty-two is the number of letters in the divine name Havayah
when it is spelled in its simple form and two iterations of its spelling-out.
The divine name Havayah is associated with G-d's
attribute of mercy. There are four standard ways in which this name is
spelled-out. If we consider the first three ways of spelling the name, we note
that the number of letters in the simple spelling and two iterations of
spelling-out together is 42.
[You should count only the number of letters in the
spellings-out of] the name Havayah whose numerical value are 72, 63, and
45. Three times 42 [= 126, which] is the numerical value of the word for
"defect" ["pagam", 123] plus one for each of the three letters that
compose the word itself [pei, gimel, and mem].
These names Havayah indicate divine mercy,
which you have now substituted for the attribute of judgment indicated by the
41 letters of the name Eh-yeh, as we said.
The fourth spelling-out of the name Havayah,
whose numerical value is 52 and is spelled out using the letter hei, does
not possess 42 letters [in its simple spelling and two iterations of
spelling-out].
Therefore, it cannot "counteract" the 41 letters of
the spelling out of the name Eh-yeh and does not figure in this
meditation.
Now, when you slaughter the animal, have in mind that
the numerical value of the word for "the slaughtering" [in Hebrew, "hashechita",
spelled hei-shin-chet- yud-tet-hei] is 337, which is three times the
numerical value of the word " Yabok" [spelled yud-beit-kuf, which
has a numerical value of 112].
3 x 112 = 336; adding 1 for the value of the word "Yabok"
as a whole gives 337. "Yabok" (or "Jabok") is the name of the river
next to which Jacob wrestled with the angel of Esau. Slaughtering is thus a
specific case of the cosmic struggle between good and evil, divine consciousness
and gross material consciousness. Will the animal be slaughtered in order for
man to satisfy his craving for meat, to aggrandize his animal nature? Or will it
be slaughtered in order to heighten the awareness of G-d's magnificence in
creating the taste and satiation that accompany eating, and by utilizing the
energy gained from eating to augment the world's consciousness of G-d through
Torah study and observance of the commandments?
[112] is also the combined numerical value of the
names Havayah [26] and Elo-him [86]. These two names are situated
in the throat, which is where the animal is slaughtered.
This will be explained presently. Whereas during the
sharpening of the knife, the negativity of the name Eh-yeh was sweetened
by the name Havayah, during the slaughtering itself, the negativity of
the name Elo-him will be sweetened by the name Havayah.
Have in mind that the numerical value of the word for
"throat" [in Hebrew, "garon", spelled gimel-reish- vav-nun, which
has a numerical value of 259] is three times that of the name Elo-him.
86 x 3 = 258; adding 1 for the value of the name
Elo-him as a whole gives 259.
These [three names Elo-him] are the three
immature "brains" which descend there [i.e., to the throat], as part of the
development process of Zeir Anpin, as is known.
As we have explained previously, Zeir Anpin
passes through three stage of consciousness in the course of its development as
a partzuf. These are fetal consciousness, suckling consciousness, and
mature consciousness. Mature consciousness is characterized by the mature
influence of the intellect over the emotions. In other words, the consciousness
of the intellect must, so to speak, descend into the realm of the emotions. | " The ideas and consciousness
of the intellect...
contract in order to pass through the neck on the way to the heart..." | | |
The conscious powers of the soul are all associated
with corresponding locations within the body. Intellect is, of course, "in" the
head, while the emotions are "in" the heart or torso. Between the head and the
torso is the neck, which is of much smaller diameter than either the head or the
torso. Thus, we may envision the ideas and consciousness of the intellect having
to contract in order to pass through the neck on the way to the heart, where
they can expand again to inform and permeate the emotions. This contraction is
necessary, since intellect and emotion are two different worlds, and were the
consciousness of the intellect to attempt to influence the emotions without any
quantum leap of level (tzimtzum), the emotions would not be able to
"relate to" or internalize any of the intellect's level of awareness. This
neck-stage is thus crucial for the emotional maturation of Zeir Anpin
(and by extension, every human being, who is a projection and manifestation of
Zeir Anpin).
So, first, the three brains (chochma, bina,
and daat) descend into the neck region on their way to the heart. But, as
we said, these are mentalities of constricted consciousness, created by the
power of contraction of the name Elo-him. This name indicates G-d's power
and strength of restraint. In order for these levels of consciousness to be able
to influence the heart properly, they must be influenced here, before descending
any further, by the name Havayah, indicating G-d's mercy.
At this point, these names are manifestations solely
of G-d's judgment. Therefore have in mind to elicit three names Havayah,
indicating mature consciousness. [Combining the names Havayah and Elo-him
thus] will give three times Havayah-Elo-him, which as we said, is the
numerical value of the word for "the slaughtering". | | " By removing the blood...one allows...mature consciousness to shine into the soul incarnated into the animal..." | | |
By removing the blood [which embodies] the attribute
of judgment, one allows the three names Havayah that embody mature
consciousness to shine into the soul incarnated into the animal. This rectifies
it.
Blood is red, the color of severity and judgment ( gevura).
After this, meditate on the fact that there are two
channels in the throat [i.e., the trachea and the esophagus]. The numerical value of
the word [used here to refer to an indicator of kosher slaughter] "sign"
[in Hebrew "siman", spelled samech-yud-mem-nun, 160]
is the same as that of the name Eh-yeh when spelled-out with the letter yud.
The numerical value of the first iteration of the
spelling out of the name Eh-yeh using the letter yud is 161. So
this equivalence requires adding 1 for the value of the word for "sign" as a
whole.
The numerical value of the word for "trachea" [in
Hebrew, "kaneh", spelled kuf-nun-hei, 155] is the same as that of
the name Eh-yeh, when spelled out with the letter hei, plus 4 for
sweetening each of the four base-letters of this name.
The numerical value of the first iteration of the
spelling out of the name Eh-yeh using the letter hei is 151.
The numerical value of the word for "esophagus" [in
Hebrew, "veshet", spelled vav-shin-tet, with a numerical value of
315] is seven times the numerical value of the word for "man" [in Hebrew, "adam",
spelled alef-dalet-mem, equaling 45]. This number [315] is also related
to the 320 states of severity associated with the blood of the throat, which is
also a manifestation of severity.
We are to picture the mentality of the brain
figuratively descending through the two channels of the throat into the torso.
The act of ritual slaughtering, which empties these vessels of their blood,
neutralizes the negative forces that threaten to thwart the safe passage of
divine consciousness from head to heart.
Seven is the number of emotions that compose Zeir
Anpin, the archetypal man-figure, as we have noted. It is these seven
emotions whose rectification depends upon the successful transference of
mind-consciousness through ritual slaughter. Thus, the seven man-emotions are
rectified via the esophagus.
The number 320 is derived from the 288 Sparks of
divine light that fell from the world of Tohu and became embedded as
self-oriented consciousness and egocentricity in the fabric of the lower worlds,
including ours. To this number is added the number 32, the number of times the
name Elo-him (the name signifying divine judgment and severity) appears
in the story of creation. The "320 states of severity" thus signify the
negativity and egocentricity inherent in creation since the fall accompanying
the primordial sin, which our task is to counteract by eliciting divine mercy
and love.
The equivalence of 315 and 320 is arrived at probably
by adding the definite article ("the", indicated by the Hebrew letter hei,
which has a numerical value of 5) to the word for "esophagus" ("ha-veshet").
Now, through ritual slaughter, the dross in these
states of severity is sweetened and refined.
[Note: Certain Talmudic sages are also known to have
known various animal languages.]
One Thursday, we were sitting before my master, and a
goat came up to us and placed its two front paws on the table. My master began
to converse with it in its language. He then told me to go buy this goat, and
have it slaughtered for Shabbat. He then told Rabbi Moshe Sofino to slaughter it
according to the [above detailed] meditations. [...] When I later asked my teacher
what this soul did that it had to be punished by being reincarnated into this
goat, he said that this soul was a great scholar from Talmudic times who had
engaged in marital relations with his wife by candlelight. May G-d preserve us,
Amen.
Marital relations are supposed to be conducted in the
dark, for reasons of modesty and intimacy. The Hebrew word for "goat" ("eiz")
also reads as "brash" (in Hebrew, "az").
[Shaar HaMitzvot and Taamei HaMitzvot,
parashat Re'eh]
Visitor Comments: 1
Anonymous, 3/15/2005
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