Five hundred years ago, a student diligently recorded the teachings of his master, Rabbi Isaac Luria. The teachings were so extraordinary that they revived enthusiasm, consolidated communal views, re-instituted prayer, established the foundation for modern Jewish revival and birthed the study of human psychology. At 38 his holy soul departed our world. I have extensively read those writings and their modern commentaries in a brilliant book entitled "Apples from the Orchard" and decided to share just a glimpse of their genius.
Awareness of ritual impurity is a cornerstone of holy life, especially when a national temple existed for the Jewish people. For example, if a woman conceives and gives birth to a son, she shall be impure for seven days, as in the days of her menstrual period. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. The word for this impurity is 'tazria' relating to a condition once known as tzara'at. A flesh swelling, a scab or a bright spot, not quite the equivalent of modern leprosy, rather a skin disease that only existed in the spiritually elevated temple times.
As a backgrounder: About the questions Jewish people would ask, Moses was instructed to tell them it is because Eve transgressed what she was told, she was made to suffer the impurity of menstruation, but by circumcision of the foreskin the power of impurity along with evil lust will be weakened. The original Eve physiology was such that menstrual cycle and giving birth was once painless and bloodless. In the process of human spiritual maturation the phenomena will return. But how?
Marginally the foreskin effects the experience of marital relationships, it increases gross sensual pleasure, which can decrease a mans sensitivity to his wife. By removing it, sexual experience becomes less narcissistic, more spiritual. During a menstrual period a woman is more self conscious, unable to orient toward the proper selfless, yet self-serving intent, the interaction of both parties enjoying martial relations. Circumcision improves this relationship behavior, a man is less likely to succumb to gross sensual pleasure and more inclined to the sensitivity of his wife's spiritual state of mind.
Circumcision is the "sign" of the Jewish covenant between man and God, a reminder of servitude toward higher authority. Here, it was placed between menstruation and disease to remind about haughtiness that could blot out its spiritual designation and purpose. With the disease a swelling is caused by public facing humility, but private egocentricity; a scab, deep in the skin is a feeling of superiority over peers, but not others; and worst of all a bright spot results from feeling and acting superior to everyone. These are personality traits that God despises, that's why a verse in psalm 93 states "God reigns, He is robed in haughtiness", a reference to the clothing that masks His humility.
The oral and written traditions know about the time the snake stood upright that the defilement of Eve was caused by the injection of its poison. The antithesis of Godly attributes, the snake personified 'evil', selfishness and egocentricity that actually had intercourse with Eve, then it was banished to the dust under its belly. Inflated consciousness, when not being used for Divine purpose feeds the alternative and is termed 'evil'. A soul comprises the animal and intellect that each person must appropriately blend toward selfless expression or the snakes perspective will dominate and suffering persists. The more one centers on a spiritual life toward selfless expression, as guided by God's commandments the more one is liberated from the alternative entrapment.
It's for this reason Adam was created outside the Garden of Eden, from dust of the earth representing selfless, Divinely inspired existence and only brought into it after. But, Eve intermingled the seventy gentile nations with Israel represented in the purity of Adam as the soul of the future Jewish people. This is why Eve menstruated at the moment of her son's birth who shed the blood of his brother. The Talmud relates the father supplies the white bones, sinews, nails, brain and white of the eye. The mother, red skin, flesh, hair, blood and black of the eye. God gives spirit, soul, facial features, eyesight, hearing, speech, ability to walk, understand and discern. As if to illustrate Eve's dominance we are told, when the wife gives seed first the baby is male.
The Torah uses the expression uncircumcised for only four organs; procreative, ears, heart and mouth. So why is the procreative organ the only one circumcised? Because the term 'orlah' is shared and relates foreskin to the fourth of four years fruit is commanded to be left on a newly planted tree, before it can be consumed. It's as if we are blocked off by some type of 'orlah' or foreskin. Analogous to circumcision the fruit of the fourth year is to be taken to Jerusalem and eaten only in the confines of the holy city.
Kabbalah explains fruit of the first three years belong to three realms of absolute evil that human consumption cannot possibly rectify, but the fourth comes from the "bright" or translucent realm that has potential to be transformed by our actions. Therefore, the heart, ear and mouth must be blocked off, scrupulously guarded to ensure that egocentricity, selfishness and uncorrected animal behavior does not dominate our persona. Through this true and especially marital relationships endure.
These three 'demonic' realms, replete with angels of good an evil are the battleground for the forces enabled by our actions on the fourth, ultimately to prevail and elevate our world to a more pure, spiritual, pristine existence. In the final healing and purification from these diseases, the sufferer brings two birds to the temple altar, one is slaughtered, the others wing is dipped in the slaughtered birds blood and freed in an open field.
As if to show that liberation from our disease is dependent on the slaughtered bird we can begin to appreciate the symbolic importance. These commandments remain a practitioners guide to a better way of life, even to the extent that childbirth will ultimately be painless and free from blood once again.
