Well, you're not alone. When we delve into the world of Kabbalah, the mystical heart of Judaism, we often encounter terms like "before" and "after," or references to specific places. But here's the thing: these terms aren't meant to be taken literally. This is a crucial point, especially when you're exploring texts like the Sulam Commentary.
So, what do they mean?
The Sulam Commentary (and Kabbalah in general) operates on a different plane. Forget your watches, your calendars, your GPS. As it says in Introduction to Sulam Commentary 61, "It is important to know, with regard to all expressions in the wisdom of Kabbala relating to time and place, that they do not refer to the conceptualized time and place that operate in the material reality." In other words, we're not talking about Tuesday afternoon or the corner of Elm Street. We're talking about something much more fundamental.
Instead, "before" and "after" are stand-ins for cause and effect. Think of it this way: the cause always precedes the effect. The seed comes before the sprout. The thought comes before the action. In Kabbalistic language, we call the cause "before" and the effect "after" precisely because that's how causality works. It's a sequential relationship, but not necessarily a temporal one in the way we normally understand time.
Why is this so important? Because if we get hung up on literal interpretations of time and place, we completely miss the point. We get bogged down in the details and lose sight of the bigger picture: the underlying forces and relationships that shape our reality.
Kabbalah is about understanding the interconnectedness of all things, the flow of energy and influence from one level of reality to another. It's about tracing the chain of cause and effect back to its ultimate source. When we read about "before" and "after," we're being invited to explore these connections, to understand how one thing leads to another on a spiritual and cosmic level.
So, the next time you encounter these terms in a Kabbalistic text, remember: you're not reading a history book or a travel guide. You're entering a realm where time and space are transcended, and where the true subject is the dance of cause and effect that underlies all of existence. What does that mean for you? Perhaps it's a reminder to look deeper, to see the hidden connections in your own life, and to understand how your actions today shape the world of tomorrow.