Studying an Old Book of Jewish Prayers
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Carlos Cardoso Aveline

The power or strength of a prayer must be
examined, lest its practice becomes worse than useless. Blind faith is better
avoided, and egotistical prayers can only lead people into self-defeat.
What is then the source
of the healing power present in some prayers? And how can it be expanded?
“In Jewish tradition”,
says Irving M. Bunim, “man is a microcosm, a world in miniature. Think, if you
will, of a military general planning a campaign. Before him lies a small-scale
representation of the field or theatre of battle, and on it he places and moves
little objects. Is he amusing himself with some innocent child’s game? -
hardly. The little objects represent soldiers and equipment; the little
movements that he makes with them will be translated into large-scale
action. And as a result, men will live
or die, emerge whole or injured; battles - perhaps an entire war - will be won
or lost.”
I.M. Bunim proceeds:
“Even so, Jewish
tradition indicates, is man the microcosm in relation to the world without. All
that goes on within him is translated into far-reaching effects: his influence
radiates into the far reaches of the macrocosm. In Jerusalem stood the Sanctuary,
the Holy Temple. When the people grew thoroughly wicked and would pay no heed
to the prophets of the Almighty [1], the Temple was destroyed, the
people were expelled, the entire land became desolate. Similarly, man is the temple of creation, so
to speak, and the human heart is the holy of holies. If we entertain thoughts
that are immoral or emotions that are unworthy, it is as if we had defiled the
Holy of Holies itself. To do this is to call down destruction upon the entire
world. For man is the sole connecting link between heaven and earth, bearing
within him the essence of all life on earth and all the spirituality in
heaven.” [2]
The same teaching will be
found in the book “The Secret Doctrine”, by Helena Blavatsky, and other
classical writings of theosophy. Being a
universal tenet, the idea is present in every authentic tradition of wisdom.
The universe uses
symbolical language to express itself. When students of theosophy or devotees
of different religions think of G-d, Krishna, Christ and Buddha, or meditate in
the Tao, the Law, Zoroaster, Jehovah or Parabrahman, they are in fact
concentrating their hearts in culturally created metaphors which symbolize both
the intelligence of the Cosmos and their own spiritual souls.
The process is similar every time a student thinks
with reverence about the immortal sages who have guided human evolution - since
time immemorial - through different religions and philosophies. The practical
role played by such Masters is to stimulate the awakening of the divine, universal soul in citizens of
good will, wherever and however situated. The main temple is in one’s own
heart, and there is no need for bureaucratic intermediation regarding one’s
contact with the sacred world.
“In other religions”, Bunim clarifies, “the
ordinary person needs intermediaries, clergymen: he must go through the proper
ecclesiastical channels to reach the Almighty and merit His aid. The Jew,
however, has no need of intermediaries, and he is not confined to approved
channels. He comes to the synagogue or he prays at home, and his sincere prayer
will reach Heaven directly.” [3]
Such is the theosophical approach to the expansion
of human connection with divine wisdom. It has been shared since the beginning
of present mankind by the true mystics of every nation. The inner world of an
individual of good will is mysteriously
unlimited in space and time. His interaction with eternal truth transcends the
universe of words. In spite of that, right thoughts and utterly sincere wording
are necessary in order to activate in him the fire of direct perception.
An old book of Jewish prayers, edited in the United
States, offers an effective evocation to the spiritual soul of each student.
The “Prayer to One’s Higher Self”, as we might call it, says:
In this glad hour of worship, I draw aside from
toil and care, and lift my heart unto Thee for light and strength, for faith
and courage.
In the stress and turmoil of daily striving, I
yield only too often to selfish ease and mean ambitions. I become so entangled
in the things of earth that I lose the sense of life’s simplicity and nobility.
Fortify my spirit, enlighten my reason, and elevate
my aims and desires, that I may devote all my powers of body and mind to Thy
service.
Thou hast implanted within me the yearning for the
unseen and the infinite; instil Thou also within me fresh zeal and purpose,
when my soul faints and my vision grows dim. O that my ideals would pervade all
my thought and labors, that I might never lose sight of Thy supreme realities!
I bow in reverence before Thee, Strength of my
heart, my never-failing Light. Amen. [4]
These verses make us see the divine presence in the
temple of our conscience. In other words, they improve the connection of every
truth-seeker with his own “Atma” or higher self. Regardless of our outward religion, this prayer
gives us a lesson in altruism and self-responsibility; in self-knowledge and
self-control.
As we meditate on it, we realize something that is
as obviously decisive as it is neglected and forgotten in our present
civilization:
“Before desiring, one must deserve. The peace we want to find in the world
must start in our own hearts.”
NOTES:
[1] Almighty - in esoteric
philosophy, the impersonal cosmic Law of Karma or Justice. The personifications
of G-d in different religions are but symbolic tools to be decoded on the
wordless levels of immediate
consciousness.
[2] “Ethics From Sinai”, an
eclectic, wide-ranging commentary on Pirke Avoth, by Irving M. Bunim,
three-volume edition, Philipp Feldheim, Inc., New York, 1964, see volume 3, p.
8.
[3] “Ethics From Sinai”, Irving
M. Bunim, Philipp Feldheim, Inc., New York, 1964, see volume 1, p. 3.
[4] “The Union Prayerbook for Jewish Worship”,
Part I, Cincinnati, USA, 396 pp., 1953. See pp. 58-59, “Silent Prayer”.
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The above text is also published in a
theosophical blog at “The Times of
Israel”: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-prayer-to-ones-higher-self/.
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See here a two-minute video produced
by our associated websites:
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