Spiritual Detox

By: Ya'akov Gerlitz

Kabbalah teaches that the source of all life comes directly from G-d. Every moment there is a new influx of life. Kabbalah, being rather technical, deals with the flow and location of this Divine influx, describing how it originates in Divinity and how it makes its way down into our world and into our bodies. But, the fact is you don't need to know all the technical nuances in order to benefit from this Divine flow. This article is an introduction to the concept of Divine interconnectivity.

On a practical level we are interested in how we can harness this Divine influx for the use of healing. This is very important, being that it is this Divine flow that is the definition of health. This can be summed up as follows:

"To the extent a person is connected to Hashem there is wellness."

This seemingly simple statement is not so simple, or to unduly complicate matters, is extremely simple. In fact, it is so simple that it is usually overlooked, misunderstood and neglected. I'm sure you're saying, "but we are always connected to Hashem; if not we would cease to exist. If for even a moment the connection were to be severed, poof!" I'm sure you're adding that this holds true for all creation, including the stars, moon, China... whatever.

Every time I mention this Divine connection-wellness statement I get slightly nervous. I'm afraid that people will interpret this statement as a moralistic teaching. That is not my intent. I am not saying that if a person becomes sick they are a bad person (G-d forbid), or that they are not connected to Hashem. It is simply cause and effect. This connection can be very subtle and complex. It weaves through our bodies, minds and souls. The exact nature of this connection is practically unknowable. There are deep crevices in our psyche that have still not been explored - who knows what lies there? The connections become more subtle as we delve deeper in the psyche and soul.

Don't despair! This is mentioned here to illustrate that this concept of "connection to the Divine" should not be taken lightly. In the area of Jewish spiritual healing there are spiritual-diagnostic tests that can be performed to asses one's overall health.

Let's get back to our original question, "if healing is dependent on this Divine connection and we are always connected, then why aren't we all healthy?" The answer is that we should (and could) be healthy. In the original Divine plans of creation there was no sickness and death; we created it. When Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge he poisoned humanity (and all of creation). Since that time it has been our job to spiritually detox from this spiritual poison. This poison is the notion that we are no longer connected from Hashem (G-d forbid). This is only our perception. It is not realty. From G-d's vantage point we are still connected (remember, if this connection were to be severed we would cease to exist). We walk around life thinking that we have independent existence, that our work actually creates things, in short that we are separate from Hashem. It is us who are blocking this Divine healing influx, yet we have the ability to open it. Hashem is always sending it. All we need to do is simply receive it.