by Gahl Sasson
"And God created Adam in His own image, in the likeness of God created He male and female."
- Genesis 1:27
We are all created by the same divine blueprint, all labeled "Made In God," each one of us a split image of the likeness of God. For this reason mystics warn us not to classify any part of God's creations as flawed or disabled. In the next few paragraphs I wish to share with you some thoughts and feelings about these subjects. I wish to show that we are all imperfect in one way or another. And yet these disabilities make us differently able in other ways. It is our imperfections, be they physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual, that make us perfect.
Kabbalah teaches that our soul reincarnates (Gilgul) while the body with all its abilities and disabilities dies. Each lifetime the divine spark in us, our Neshama, reincarnates into a different vessel, a different body. Our soul chooses the body that will house her. She can choose to reincarnate into a body of a woman or a man, black or white, healthy or sick. These choices, taken by the soul prior to conception, follow the Law of Opportunity. The Law of Opportunity states that the soul chooses to reincarnate into the settings or conditions that would ensure the most opportunities for spiritual growth. The setting would include the choice of body, family, challenges, joys and environment. These opportunities create a platform for the soul to rectify (Tikun) old patterns of past lifetimes so that the soul could grow back into the Light.
The areas in our lives where we struggle the most, where we have our disabilities, are the places that provide us with the most lessons and opportunity to expand. In these challenging areas we are more able to learn and develop. It is our mortal coils and disabilities that force us to evolve and become more spiritual.
For example, consider a soul that chose to reincarnate into a body that has a certain disease that causes the body to be tied to a wheelchair. Obviously this individual will not excel in soccer, but that person's physical limitations might prompt him to evolve in the scientific field. One such "disabled" man is the Nobel Prize winner Stephen W. Hawking.
In the Bible we read a similar story, only this time the hero is called Jacob, who turned lame after a wrestling match with the angel of God. At the same moment, Jacob becomes Israel and he becomes disabled. "And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him." (Genesis 32:26) Jacob called the place he wrestled with the angel of God Peniel (Face of God) because "I have seen God face to face." This is a compelling message for all of us. The place where we experience our afflictions, our disabilities, is where we see God face to face. Our imperfection is our Peniel - our face of God. There are many types of imperfections. I had the honor of meeting at a dinner party two individuals who at birth were diagnosed with Down syndrome. They are supposed to be intellectually inferior to the majority of the population, but in fact the people I met were two remarkable human beings who seemed to be superior in their emotional intellect not only to me but also to most of the people around. They passed from one person to another, addressing their emotional needs, noticing undercurrent feelings that other so called normal people, did not. I was surprised to see how perceptive and psychic they were. The doors of feeling and loving-kindness were wide open before them.
They were talented in the way of the heart. I watched them interact with other folks, the way they played and laughed with children and adults alike. I asked myself, why did these souls choose to reincarnate into that difficult condition?
I slowly drifted into a wakeful meditation, a daydream. I imagined another lifetime they might have had. I imagined a lifetime where they were two highly intelligent people, perhaps scientists in an acclaimed university. I dived deeper into that possible lifetime. Maybe in spite of all that intellectual recognition, they had failed to address their emotional side; maybe they were too busy to feel.
Then I imagined them sitting with God, having to choose the course of their next lifetime. God is presenting them with all the options in the grand scheme of things, offering them to be born a politician, a tribesman, maybe a teacher. I imagined them as two soul mates begging God to be able to reincarnate together once again. Asking at the same time to be born into a setting where they could work to develop their emotional sides.
And so God recommended them to be born into a body that has Down syndrome. Even though they knew some of their human companions would call them "retarded," "mongoloids," patronize or mock them. They lovingly accepted God's offer and they were born with Down syndrome. They met at the age of 22, and have been a couple ever since.
I thought to myself as I snapped out of my daydream, how brave and courageous these two souls were to choose such a difficult lifetime. And then I thought about all the people who are labeled disabled. I thought to myself that only the really great souls choose such a difficult path. All in the name of raising humanity's consciousness and helping us all grow into the Light.
Let us now fly to Tibet, the land of snow, and see how another culture deals with the same questions. "Om Mani Padme Hum" is an old Buddhist prayer designed to invoke compassion and unconditioned love. In Tibet they write this mantra on prayer wheels and spin them continuously. These prayer spheres resemble the 10 spheres of the Tree of Life and work in a similar way. The meaning of this prayer is very profound. It translates to "The Jewel is in the Lotus." The Lotus is a flower that grows in water (the symbol of compassion in Kabbalah as well as Buddhism) out of the mud and dirt. From the darkest and most hidden places the perfect flower emerges. The Jewel is the Pearl. The story of the pearl is the story of the transformation of imperfections and disabilities into a wondrous jewel. The pearl is created when a piece of grit, dirt or sand is caught in the oyster. The oyster, being another profound symbol of compassion, does not discard the piece of dirt nor does it throw it away like we humans do with our garbage and dirt. The oyster caresses it with a layer of white veil. Like a silent kiss, it embraces the dirt, invests in it love and kindness. Slowly, with patience, the piece of worthless dirt becomes a precious pearl.
The oyster teaches us that we need imperfection (the dirt) to create perfection (the pearl). We should treat our imperfections and disabilities the same way the oyster treats the grain of sand. It simply accepts it. Kabbalah in Hebrew means to accept. Kabbalah teaches us how to flow with God's work by accepting it. The oyster holds that same secret; it teaches us to accept our weaknesses and disabilities. We are perfect in our imperfections; that is the secret paradox of life. What makes us perfect is the ability to grow, and we can only grow if we are not yet perfect. As long as we have some imperfections, we are participating in God's creation. That is the key of life and that is the Jewel in the Lotus.
So now spend some moments and think about your own life, in what areas of your life are you challenged by an imperfection, a disability, a block or a piece of sand. Instead of trying to throw it away, destroy it, curse it, label or deny it, try to accept and love it. From your inner enemy it will be transformed like magic to your inner guide. From your imperfection to your perfection; from your disability to your Jewel.
May all your challenges be transformed into pearls. Amen.
Gahl Sasson gives classes in kabbalah, astrology and mythology. Gahl has co-written a Kabbalah book with Steve Weinstein called A Wish Can Change Your Life which will be published by Simon and Schuster in the summer of 2003.
His website is www.lightenterprises.com. His last article in OLAM was "The Golden Calf Within."
