During the omer period as I was trying to internalize the concept of the 2nd Beit Hamikdash being destroyed in connection to Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred), I had a vision of the Beit Hamikdash burning and felt that I was some how a part of this. The part of my collective Neshama which felt the unbelievable pain of Hashem's "abandonment,"(Hashem really just hid his face and withdrew some of his light), intuited that if I am in so much pain, then I must have been a part of the cause (At least as much as I am a collective Neshama of the nation if not more). I felt that I was also responsible for the fact that the nation was not in alignment with Hashem's will during this period and consequently its destruction. Therefore I feel a responsibility on soul level to do Teshuvah. Without going into gilgulim etc. the sages also explain simply: “Every generation for which the Temple is not rebuilt, is as though the Temple was destroyed for that generation.”
I have also felt this similar experience in relation to the Shoah. After having many bodily experiences over the years where I felt like I must have had a gilgul in the Shoah, instead of staying in a place of victimization, I turned within and tried to look at how I could due teshuvah on the past. What I witnessed was various memories where I had no knowledge of Hashem during that time period. I felt very strongly that if I had known Hashem at all and followed his Torah, and listened to his guidance within, my experience may have looked different. This sparked much Teshuvah/tikkun on both forgiving Hashem, myself, and allowing myself to re-enter into a relationship with Him.
A practical thought for collective teshuvah during this period:
- To ask Hashem during a period of prayer of meditation to please forgive the part where your Neshama may have had a part in any specific or collective aspect of the destruction of the first or 2nd temple. (The first temple being connected to horrible idol worship). Then to say that this should be a full Teshuvah from love, and should be replaced Beezrat Hashem by this current relationship of love, or desire to get closer to Him.
- To allow yourself to be forgiven as well and feel Hashem's love (That despite anything that we have done Hashem never "severs the tie" and always loves us. Remember that the Shechina even went with us straight into the darkness of Galut!!
*Of course these are my own thoughts I have not had the time to research the idea of collective teshuvah in the sources, though I know that there is some concepts that overlap of the Baal Shem Tov. If someone has some sources, send them my way. Thanks and blessings
Shalom aleichem. Nice blog. If you think about it, there are areas in Torah where we know from the commentaries that so and so was the gilgul of so and so and in fact the neshama split three times etc...I think there is one area with Korach being perhaps the Egyptian fighter whom Moshe struck down and killed for striking a fellow Jew?
ReplyDeleteThere are other inferences/references.
When Moshe asks why do the righteous suffer, Hashem gives His famous answer that "No one may see my face and live" and a parable comes from this - I believe it is in the "Story a Day" series of the man who is shown his neshama's travelings throughout the multiple generations and the other neshamas that are impacted etc...
If you look on Soul Mazal and write to Rabbi David Katz, he may be of great help. He, I believe can answer your question for you with great alacrity and accuracy. He is very knowledgeable.
Shabbat Shalom.
Thank you Leah for taking the time to respond. Greatly appreciated. I had an unbelievable name reading with David Katz, however for gilgulim I think that I will wait and see what Hashem reveals. It seems that when you look into gilgulm, (I have read some of the works of Chaim Vital about gilgulim of various people) the depths of it seems quite complicated and unfathomable which is why I believe that for the most part Hashem keeps all of the intricacies hidden to most people. My belief is that Hashem gives me what I need to know. For example I have seen this same holocaust scene over in my minds eye for the past 12 years of so, have drempt about it in such detail, and have such profound bodily experiences of what happened that it seems to be clear enough. I believe that Hashem highlights for us if/when we are ready aspects of the past gilgul so that we can due tikkun and therefore become more shalem in the present.... and then ultimately let it go... Beyond that I try not to seek out too much more as I really believe that there is a reason that the information is brought to us at that time. Also when it is brought to us I believe that we have the kli and the tools to be able to work with it. For me the teaching was how to recall that Hashem was within all the darkness and pain and that there was a reason that it all happened...ultimately to bring my neshama and the whole world to teshuvah and perfection. I will check out the story a Day as I do love to read about the journeys of a soul. Blessings to you for taking the time to think about what could be supportive to another neshama :)!!!!
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