Jewish tradition offers a powerful image for understanding this struggle, and a path towards liberation. It all revolves around the idea of "fifty gates of freedom."
Where does this concept come from? Well, the Tikkunei Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah, connects these fifty gates to the fifty times the Exodus from Egypt is mentioned in the Torah. Think about that for a moment. Fifty mentions of leaving slavery. Fifty opportunities for liberation.
The Tikkunei Zohar then makes a fascinating connection to the verse (Exodus 2:12), "And he turned koh va-khoh" – "this way and that." The gematria, the numerical value, of koh va-khoh is 25 + 25, equaling 50. These fifty letters, we're told, are how we unify with the Divine twice each day when we recite the Sh'ma ("Hear, O Israel..."). The Sh'ma itself contains 25 letters in its first line, repeated twice in the context of koh va-khoh. According to the Tikkunei Zohar, this is no accident.
But there's a shadow side to this. The verse continues, "...and he saw that there was no man..." The Tikkunei Zohar interprets this as meaning that no one was aroused for Her – for the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence – amongst them. A sobering thought. It suggests that even with the potential for liberation all around, we can still miss the mark.
The text then shifts, poetically, to the image of the Shekhinah watching from the windows ("ḥalonot"), drawing from the Song of Songs (2:9). These windows are connected to the plea, "ḥalu na," meaning "beseech, please," as found in Malachi (1:9). We are implored to beseech the face of El, that God will be gracious. The cure, the healing, resides in His hands – specifically, the hand extended to receive those who repent.
And yet, the haunting phrase returns: "...and he saw that there was no man." Even with the possibility of Divine grace and healing readily available, Exodus 2:12 reminds us that we may fail to act and seek reconciliation.
So, what does it all mean? It seems to me that the teaching in Tikkunei Zohar is encouraging us to seize every opportunity for freedom. To actively seek connection with the Divine Presence. To look within, and ask ourselves: are we the "man" who is missing, who is not aroused to the potential for redemption within our lives? And maybe, just maybe, by recognizing that absence, we can begin to truly open those fifty gates.