In the third book of the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), God instructs Moses to declare to the Children of Israel: “You will be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” A powerful statement. What does it mean?
The Hebrew word that is translated to mean “holy” is “ka-dosh.” A more accurate understanding of this word is “different” or “separate.” This leads to an alternative phrasing of what God is saying: “You will pursue a different aspect of your life, with the emphasis on the way that I, the Lord, your God, am different.” God is separate from the physical world because God is not physical. God’s essence is that God is the only conceived entity that is 100% spiritual.
God is informing the people that they have a separate ability to be different in a similar way that God is different. This does not mean they are or should be different from others. In fact, Israel has a duty to teach that all people can explore this otherworldly aspect of being human.
A person perceives his or her nature as a physical entity interacting in a physical universe. We know who and what we are through our senses, thoughts, and emotions. We understand ourselves from wisdom, insights, and hopes. Our self-knowledge increases as we observe our reactions to and interactions with other people and our environment.
Some believe that we are commanded to be holy. Not all agree. Suggesting that we become holy is opening up that possibility for us. It is certainly a statement of God’s being. And that we, in our being, can take advantage of a similar heavenly aspect of ourselves. God’s statement is informing all of humanity that we intrinsically possess this celestial quality and that we should make use of it.
Because the material world is so distracting, it is not easy to be mindfully aware of the soul. The soul is discussed as if it is an entity not contained within us. Not like the heart or the brain.
It is part of us, like all that we direct observe.
Every person is born with personal exceptional potentials. Each individual possesses natural abilities. Someone may have to seek out her or his unique skills. It may require years of indulgence to realize and develop such talents.
If a boy is a very good baseball player in grade school, he may never realize that he is also a great basketball player. He may concentrate on what he knows and not expose himself to other possibilities. He could miss the opportunity to develop a greater skill in life.
A girl in high school may have discovered that she naturally understands physics without really trying. She may then choose to pursue this obvious skill. But if she never picks up a violin, she may not learn that she has genius talent with that instrument.
There are many paths before every person in our material world. We cannot wander down most of them. There is no guarantee that we will stumble upon the tracks that reveal an innate predisposition.
Even if he dribbles a basketball, or she bows a violin, the special affinity may not immediately reveal itself. Some period of nurturing and development may be necessary before the truth is illuminated. Before the epiphany ignites.
Discovering oneself spiritually is even more mysterious and disconnected than finding one’s true calling in life. it’s not a palpable or tangible effort. Just like God’s words, it is inherently ambiguous. Connecting with the soul does not result in a linear or definable feedback verification.
There is nothing in the material world that can be manipulated to connect with or activate one’s spiritual nature. Just as aerobic exercise will strengthen our respiratory and cardiovascular systems, “exercising” the soul fortifies the bond between the heavenly and the earthly. There is a way to spiritually train oneself.
The spiritual nature that we each possess adds to life’s experience. It influences us to pick up the basketball and to play the violin. It accounts for the mysteries in life. It explains why life contains amazing coincidences. A person may ask, “How was I so fortunate to find the perfect mate, such a fitting community, or the appropriate career in my life?” That happens when that a force of heaven is interwoven with the physical world.
There are many instances wherein the soul is at work. Have you ever noticed how much people “get away with” in life? it is amazing that there are not a lot more automobile accidents. Most people fantastically avoid serious injury. I think that “good fortune” happens much more often than makes logical sense. The interaction of one’s soul with one’s life leads to serendipity, fortuity, opportunity, flukes, and realized destiny. We all interact with our souls to bring about these types of events. We can intentionally and consciously influence this heavenly/earthly interaction.
The soul is activated when we are meditative. A focused mind stimulates the heavenly power within us. This energized spiritual entity then affects our physical lives. This effect is often something not logically explainable. But it produces real world consequences, many of which tend to be positive.
Everyone has many moments of meditative focus in their lives. Whenever we concentrate and remove distraction, we are meditating. We do this without calling it meditation. We often are unaware that we are connecting to soul in activities of everyday life.
By actively clearing our minds and focusing, we can add to the awakening activity of our souls. By performing this type of activity consciously, we become holy in the way that God is holy. That is, we become more spiritual.
That does not mean that this is a shortcut to success. There is no guarantee that a life of meditation will lead to great wealth. It’s possible that such a life will lead to the goal of NOT having wealth. Meditation is not meditation if we are asking for favors. Requesting reward through meditation is itself a distraction from being focused.
So, God wants to activate our spiritual sides.
The Torah gives us instruction in how to do this. Understanding these instructions (commandments) is not straight forward. Not surprisingly, many of these commandments seem to be telling us to be good people (“Do not kill” “Do not steal” etc.). This is useful for having a functional and moral society.
To best relate to the spiritual, acceptance of the existence of the soul is a prerequisite. We start this process by following God’s advice: We should decide to make ourselves holy (distinctive from the material world), just as God is holy (spiritual but connected). Thus, we begin to engage the soul by accepting that it is real. Because such an acknowledgement may not happen spontaneously, God has to inform people of this gift.
God declares us to be holy so we can desire to access this wonder. The soul is the non-physical part of ourselves that is intertwined with our lives. God wants us all to realize that humans possess something that is similar to God. This path brings God into our material existence. Thus can our physical world be repaired.
Health and Spirit by Dr. Jack Zoldan 