R E S P O N S E--T O:  MAAMAR - VEYADAATA  I finally had a chance to read through the MAAMAR - VEYADAATA. Frankly, I was unimpressed. Like other works there is more lack-of-explanation than there is explanation.  The thing that strikes me about the MAAMAR - VEYADAATA is what it does not say. The FIRST statement we should find is, "I have had the mystical experience of Light". If the writer cannot say this, right up front, then all that follows is just hearsay. A second-hand rehash of someone trying to tell about someone-else's misinterpreted experience without really understanding it themselves.  The writer asks a question: "What is the connection between the exodus from Egypt and the entry [of the Jewish people] into Eretz Yisrael and the verse, "And you shall know"?" But, this question is never answered or resolved satisfactorily. I DO answer this question completely as well as relate it to its contemporary corollaries in the pagan religions surrounding the Israelites. I know of no other book that does so.  Then the writer says; "The light is simple" and "the source of light is simple". Well, if they are so simple explain them in simple terms! What follows is a lot of verbiage but the explanation is far from clearly elucidated. Then we are give a number of terms (Atzilus, Beriah, heichalus Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh, Ihu ViChaiyeihu Chad. hester, ponim, avodah, mitzvos etc. etc. etc.) without expiation of how they help with our knowledge of the Light. S. Katz said, "What we are given are a new set of labels with the belief that the problem has now been solved. But the problem remains unsolved precisely because mystical experience continues to resist explanation and is therefore unsuitable for use in our explanation."    The SECOND omission is: "Here is how to achieve the experience we have been talking about". Whether its 'descending to the Markava' or 'ascending the tree of life',,, something is better than nothing. How to go about having the experience is the central theme of my book. After reading it you will also see (understand) the things that are NOT being said in the MAAMAR - VEYADAATA and all the rest of the writings that purportedly explain The Light.    The THIRD omission is to explain and show how and where the experience had by the speaker relates to the specific parts of the various works spoken of by the writer. Merely quoting or referring to other peoples work is useless without explicit corollaries that relate to the experience and the method to achieve it.  When it comes to works from the ancient world I do not find in them any great knowledge or wisdom that is not far surpassed by more modern thinkers. Our modern minds read far more into them than the original writers could even conceive of. The people back then were not all that smart. Their conception of the biosphere they inhabited was one simplistic error after another. I read a transliteration of the Incantation Tablets of Assurbanipal's library and the only thing that amazed me was their lack of knowledge and understanding. It has been that way with all the ancient works I have read.  "The Torah has a body made up of the precepts called gufe Torah (bodies), and that body is enveloped in garments made up of worldly narratives. The senseless people see only the garments, the mere narratives". J Dan said, "It is a well-known fact that every word of the Torah can change by the modification of its diacritical points even though the letters remain unaltered. If you vocalize some words one way, then all the letters are linked to the root. If you take these same words and vocalize them differently, its content changes and one of the letters becomes a connective". Behind all the convoluted, allegorical, mystical language was the mystical experience spoken of only in recondite terms and hidden behind a veil of sophisms. That experience was the same and can be found as the central theme of many if not all ancient religions.  The Sefirah Yetzirah, the Bahir, the Zohar (the Markava Chariot - Shekinah), the Bible (Light - Revelation), the Hindu Vedas (light - Vergo), the Greater Mysteries of Elusis (light-bringer - epoptikon), the Upanishads (Light - Jyoti), the Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures (Light of enlightenment - Amitabha), Gnosticism (Light - Gnosis), the Sikh scriptures (Light - Chandna). All ancient religions contain bits and pieces of the puzzle that leads to the Light but my book is still the first to bring all these pieces together to demonstrate the true nature of, and a tested method to reach, the mystical experience of Inner Light.    As far as the glyphs are concerned, the act of endowing them with some nonsensical magical qualities like 'spirit' or power to cause 'openings' only leads into the labyrinth of circular-reasoning. Kind of like a repetitive compulsive disorder that leads to psychic entrapment and breakdown rather than enlightenment. George Fox, founder of the Quakers, also called his feelings "openings". Ms. Knight said, "His psychical nature was very delicately poised between hysteria and sanity."  This is just another twist on the ancient Shamanistic belief (fallacy) that words (inscriptions, letters, symbols, glyphs, whatever) contain magical power. And, if these magical words are vocalized (or concentrated on) by the right person, at the right time (often during the full moon) the gods will be forced to comply with the wishes of the speaker. Please tell me you do not believe that that is reality.  Trying to find the meanings of the glyphs by tracing meanings from the 'original intent' to today's modified, transformed, added on to, changed, warped meanings is a study in reverse. I hope I do not seem to be too pushy but you do need to get a copy of my book.    The purpose behind ambiguity in terminology stems from the need to modify argument according to forthcoming circumstances. The Jews found this out when they wrote down the LLX. Before that time, they could easily change their argument against other religions because of the flexibility of oral tradition. After the LLX was codified in writing it was not as easy to modify debate, change justification, add to, or reinvent history. This is the reason why there came a need for the Talmud, Mishna, Hekhalot, Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha, and other writings.   Most importantly too, it became harder to incorporate pagan themes, modify them to fit within a Jewish integument, then use them back against the pagans as argument. Much of what is in the Torah is modified Mythology (the original Noah was Utnapishtim of Chaldea, etc.). The entire theme of the "dying and resurrected savior god whose flesh must be eaten as a sacrifice in order to commune with the god" is pure Pagan Mythology. It could not have come out of nascent Judaism. It was an attempt by Hellenised Jewish writers to incorporate the (then current and) popular Pagan ideas into Judaism. But, it was absolutely rejected by the average Jew of the time [see John 6:52.]. Then, it got away from them and took on a life of its own. The Jews could not, and to this day cannot, admit it was their attempt the incorporate Pagan Mythology into Judaism without exposing themselves to the easily substantiated charge that it was just a continuation of what they had been doing for a thousand years before that time as well. ------------------------------------ Let us look at some of the statements we find in this work:  In truth, the power of intellect exists within the soul before it enclothes itself in the brain, and the power of sight exists before it enclothes itself in the eye. Indeed, these [powers] exist within the soul on a much higher plane than they exist after they are enclothed within the limbs.  Please show me where it says anything like THAT in the bible! What we have is someone's attempt to over-intellectualize matters that they themselves cannot show proof of. Grandiose statements may impress the under-educated of the world but to be accepted on any non-religious level must demonstrate more than just putting an "In truth" in front of such a claim. Besides, the "power" of sight is in the mind not the eye. The eye is just the organ of sight and would be of little value without the mind to interpret what is being seen.    Here is another close to the end:  Through the slavery in Egypt, [the Jews] corrected the sin of the dor haflagah. Their enslavement and hard labor with mortar and bricks corrected the sin of "And the brick took the place of stone for them," as explained in other sources at great length.  [Based on the above, we can now appreciate the connection between the exodus from Egypt and the verse, "And you shall know" mentioned at the beginning of the maamar.] For it was the slavery in Egypt, which enabled [the Jews] to see [the miracles of] exodus through which it was revealed that "Havayah and Elokim are all one." The wonders and miracles of the Ten Plagues and the Splitting of the Red Sea which went beyond the limits of nature revealed a transcendent level of G-dliness on this earthly plane.  Where is the explanation?! Only a couple of sentences, that's all we get as explanation? Then we get a put-off: "explained in other sources" This whole work designed to explain something that, in the end gets no explanation at all !!! Between the question (in the third paragraph above) and the supposed answer there are almost 14,000 words without once mentioning Egypt or "And you shall know" or a discussion about the subject! There is a whole chapter in my book giving a much more comprehensive explanation to the allegorical story of Moses.   And once again:  Similarly, [in the communication of an idea from] a mashpia [teacher, lit. source of influence] to a mekabel [student, lit. recipient]: It is necessary for the mashpia to condense, veil, and limit the concept [he is teaching] so that it can be grasped by the mekabel.  Were the mashpia to reveal the essence of his appreciation of an idea, it would be impossible [for the mekabel] to comprehend it.  Similarly, it is necessary [for the mashpia] to limit the scope of his appreciation of the idea so that it does not extend beyond the appropriate limits of the mekabel's ability to grasp it.    As in the Teasdale document we are given this extremely arrogant attitude of 'we are so smart and you are so stupid.' The above, or a variation of it, is repeated over and over. The 'Sage' (mashpia) has intelligence that has "depth and breadth" while the student, the mekabel, is treated as an incompetent idiot. You stupid mekabel.  To quote Mr. McCracken, "All this is splitting hairs and straws, as is evident, and quibbling, the usual props that bolster bad cases in the courts; indeed to put it more accurately, we have here the veneer of sophistic disputes by which not the truth but its image and appearance and shadow are always sought after".  Again, this is done to give the impression that the subject matter is SO incomprehensible to you average idiots that we super intelligent ones cannot explain it to you. My response to that again is: Hogwash! Mysticism and mystical experience are only MADE TO BE difficult by people, like the writer of this document, that are incapable of explaining anything and rather than dazzling us with their knowledge they con us with the ploy that we are not smart enough to understand.    Once YOU understand that belief is irrelevant and that the only prerequisite for having a genuine mystical experience is to be a human being, then, the difficulties disappear. This does require that one leave behind the need to justify one's stand and outlook with naive notions about gods, goddesses, boogy men, devils and the like. When a person finally matures beyond the need of these products of stolen mythology the understanding of mysticism and mystical experience comes easy.   Once again, the thing that is most striking (by its' absence) is no talk whatsoever about how to go about having a genuine mystical experience. MARIHUANA the Burning Bush of Moses, Mysticism and Cannabis Experience is still the first book ever to show a tested method to achieve the genuine mystical experience of Inner Light with the CORRECT use of cannabis. All these subjects and many more are covered in depth in the book. Order your copy today.     Return to Response Home  /  Mysticism  /  Rings  /  Links Feedback / Trade Links  /  Order