The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, a Kabbalistic text whose very name implies unlocking wisdom, wrestles with this very idea. It tells us that even when things seem their most sublime, it’s not absolute perfection at play. Instead, it's the most potent force approaching perfection. Something akin to… heightened consciousness.
Think of it as the mochin (מוחין), that "mental power" we sometimes talk about. These mochin are powerful, potent, and can really get things done.
But here’s the kicker: even this powerful mental energy is part of the cycle, part of the ebb and flow. It's part of what the text calls "the turning of the wheel." These mental powers, because they’re so close to perfection, possess incredible strength to fix things, to make things right.
Now, where do we see this incredible power in action? The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah points to the generation of the wilderness – those Israelites wandering in the desert after the Exodus. Remember them? They grumbled, they complained, they built a golden calf! And yet, they received the Torah.
And that Torah? It's described as being on the level of unity. That is, the kind of unity that stands guard even when things are flawed, even when things are… well, less than ideal.
Why is this unity so important? Because, the text warns, if it weren't there, the world would be destroyed, God forbid! The Torah, given once for all eternity, acts as a bulwark against chaos. It's a testament to the enduring power of connection, even in the face of imperfection.
So, maybe we can't reach pure, unadulterated perfection. But the story of the generation of the wilderness suggests that striving for it – aiming for those heights of consciousness and unity – is what keeps us, and the world, afloat. It's a comforting thought, isn't it? That even in our flawed state, we possess the power to access something truly transcendent.