The Flood
Usually water refers to purifying the environment, the light of Hassadim
(mercy). However here the strong streams of water surrounding man became
inundating and deadly. What are these forces that outwardly resemble waters,
but in reality bring along death? When external and all sorts of conflicting
thoughts and desires overwhelm a person, this becomes like the Flood.
Although the Flood comes as a very harsh force that can destroy everything,
this very force purifies with its harshness.
However, it only purifies us if we, as Noah did, erect the ark around ourselves.
Noah represents a person who falls into a state in which the heavy waters of
the Flood try to distract him from the path. If a person continuously consorts
with foreign forces and intentions, they will turn into the Flood. He will not be
able to escape them. He will be constantly bombarded by the deadly desires
of the surrounding people, dictating to him what he has to do.
Some crave money; others want power or fame, etc…Everything around us is
impregnated with somebody else's desires. Only one thing can save one's
soul: an even deeper connection with the purpose of creation. We have to
build a surrounding layer, a screen, around ourselves. This screen will protect
us from outside obstacles that attempt to distract, seduce or frighten a person.
If we cannot construct the protective shield that will shelter us from all the
useless folly of this world, we will not able to progress spiritually. The ark
represents a make-shift screen, this is a shielding force that one builds for
themselves. One who holds the purpose of creation cannot be exposed to any
other influences. The ark is only one of many actions that we need to perform
if we want to advance spiritually.
Man Becomes Slightly Better – Slightly Better Becomes the World
Noah is the next man after Adam. He starts the entire journey on Earth. In
Hebrew, earth is "Eretz"; it is our internal desire "Ratzon". One cannot embark
on their journey on Earth (transform something inside) without first securing
this power, support, and internal system which will free man from any external
obstacles. The ark is the means that Noah (that is, the soul that reached this
spiritual degree) chose in order to progress towards the goal.
The entire world exists inside of our soul. Representatives of the entire
existence and the root of the world are inside of it. We exist at the highest
level of our world, meaning that our soul includes all the animate, vegetative,
and inanimate souls.
The entire world changes in accordance with us: we become slightly better –
slightly better becomes the world. By ascending, that is correcting ourselves
by overcoming obstacles we elevate the rest of nature along with ourselves.
In this Chapter, the example of Noah shows us how we should behave when
we find ourselves in a peculiar environment or face obstacles. In such a state,
we have to take the already corrected parts of our soul (i.e. animated,
vegetative, and inanimate, what is called “male and female of all flesh”) and
build around ourselves an ark. That is, a surrounding shield that will protect us
from all external obstacles. This shield has to be absolutely altruistic. If we
need nothing, if we are completely indifferent to all but the purpose of
creation, then nothing around can harm us. If we are connected with the
purpose of creation we simply raise above all the obstacles so much that we
stop feeling them. They cannot affect us or alter our path.
The Creator instructs us how to build our protective shield from above. It is
said that Noah enters this shield and the Creator "closes the door behind
him". Enormous impure and infringing forces separate Noah from the Creator.
Noah had to work against them all the time so that he could correct all these
infringing forces during the next stage – the Flood. This is the essence of our
advancement.
It is necessary to try isolating oneself, to limit oneself from external influences.
This is what is called making the ark. We need to examine ourselves a little; to
brake away from all infringing forces of this world and try not to interact with
the cruel environment. We need to do it in order to bear something inside of
ourselves that will subsequently trigger the development of humankind.
"Humankind" refers to the forces that help one to attain the Creator. Then all
the forces that are about to drown us are gradually corrected, their correction
allows us to reach the purpose of creation. However, under no circumstances
should any influence be interpreted as a negative one. On the contrary, one
should relate to everything as necessary, and as the desired means for the
attainment of the goal.
This is why the powers that emerge as obstacles are not really harmful. On
the contrary, one should feel in them the Creator's call to use them for the
next spiritual correction. Afterwards, we will be able to step on the new land.
This land will be purified for us, and we will look at it differently. Then, truly, we
will be able to continue our spiritual ascent and our spiritual growth.
When Noah Goes Forth From The Ark, The Creator Offers A Covenant
With Him
Noah resides in his ark until the land, that is, all the desires ("Eretz" – land,
from the word "Ratzon" – desire) are completely immersed in the waters and
drawn in it, meaning in the light of Hassadim (in Kabbalah, water refers to the
purifying light of Hassadim). Until the rest of the desires are sufficiently
purified, Noah remains in the ark so as to utilize them correctly, that being
only for the sake of his inner personal desire. How did this happen? First,
Noah managed to separate his desires from the desires of other people,
developing his yearning for the spiritual as the sole driving force. He then
turned back to the remaining desires, the actions of this world, and began
using them for spiritual progress.
When Noah goes forth from the ark, the Creator offers him a Covenant, that
is, a connection, a union with Him. Why was this Covenant offered? Its
purpose was to receive strength from the Creator and commence living.
Meaning Noah has to use these newly received desires, the new bare ground
that emerged out of the waters, and cultivate his further states on top of them.
The correction Noah performed (that is, had kept all of his inner spiritual
forces suppressed), resulted in his worthiness of having the ground emerge.
The land previously cursed by the Creator now yields fruit and bears life,
which gradually brings man towards the correction, the purpose of creation.
The Secret Meaning of the Bible
M. Laitman
