By: Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui
The bible has no vowels or punctuation. That’s because, the bible is the wisdom of an infinite G-d and when G-d presented His wisdom to the world, within the confines of words and letters, He intended that an infinite amount of messages should be drawn from and through these very special words and letters.
So, besides the very literal meaning of the words in the context in which they are said and meant to be understood, our sages tell us there are 70 faces to the Bible and 70 faces to those 70, ad infinitum.
When the bible speaks of Noah and the flood, G-d commands Noah to enter the ark so he can be protected from the raging flood waters. In addition, Noah was commanded to place a light in the ark. Some Rabbis are of the opinion that this was done in the form of a luminescent stone that would light up the ark “like the light of the afternoon.” In Hebrew the word for “ark” (Taivah) in a different context could also mean – “word”.
The great Rabbi Elimelech of Lizansk said the following. Words are very powerful. G-d created the world through the medium of words and commands. Words when emitted create a very powerful reality. The bible here is commanding every person, that his words should be cherished and valued like an expensive stone. A person must recognize the incredible power and preciousness there is in every word emitted. Every word a person says should always shine like a powerful light and should never be taken cheaply or lightly. A person’s words should always shine to help another and lead them to clarity.
If a person recognized the incredible impression their words make on their surroundings and atmosphere around them, they would never walk in the street without saying G-dly holy words from the bible, the psalms, and from the prayers.
The Holy Baal Shem Tov explained. There are raging flood waters that are constantly flowing in our minds and hearts to inundate us and deluge us with over powering tidal waves of concern, worry, and anxiousness.
In Hebrew the word for light (Tzohar) G-d uses to command Noah to place in this ark, can be rearranged to mean pleasing, anguish, and the original order of the letters, which means light.
Says the Baal Shem Tov. When a person says the words of his prayer with intense concentration, because he isn’t just mumbling the words but is putting himself fully into the meaning of the words, which will then give birth to a fiery enthusiasm in ones heart for his bond with the one he is praying to, the words become an ark of protection from all the elements of nature that would threaten the person. Words of this sort, lift the person above all the currents that would drag a person downstream.
Words of this sort, light the person up, fire him up, so that later on in the day when he reaches the afternoon and feels worn out, the impression made earlier, will re-ignite the inner spark to keep on going and to overcome the struggles of life.
Within every difficulty if approached properly are the elements of blessing just by rearranging the letters that are already here and currently exist.
A person who protects himself with these kinds of heart felt words and puts himself entirely into them, they are said with all his heart because he enjoys praying and reading the Bible and the psalms, the words are pleasing to him, rearranges any kind of distress and anguish in his life, to become light, joy and happiness.
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