Whirling from World to World to World

Spinning Dervish Lute Rose Window,    31.5" x 17.75"

I was tuned into NPR's All Things Considered when I caught Robert Siegel interviewing Orthodox Rabbi Joseph Telushkin about the afterlife. The rabbi's comments were pretty unremarkable until the subject of reincarnation came up. Despite the disclaimer that it is really not part of "The Tradition" (at least not his tradition), he did mention that it does sneak into some Kabalistic parts of the liturgy. One reference I was not familiar with turns up in the meditation (traditionally) recited as part of the Sh'ma while in bed before falling asleep. 

I turned to my baby siddur (~5"x3.5"x1") that contains all such meditations and found it. Below is my (paraphrased) translation:

The Four Worlds

Master of the Universe,
I am here to entreat You that anyone who has angered or irritated me, or done me dirty,  be it through bodily injury or provocation, injuring my honor or anything else of mine, through force or desire, doing unintended harm or out of out and out corruption, whether it be through speech or action in this incarnation or another (the word used here is GILGUL, which comes from the root for circling or spiraling), do not make me the cause of their punishment !!!

On the other hand,  if I screw up royally, I ask that it be erased through Your great Compassion, just not through torture or really bad illnesses.

Now, I think that's fair and quite a positive way to transverse to dreamland.


When it comes to circlings and spiralings, I love the Kaddish that sings of going from world to world to world.  My dear friend Jacob Goldberg a"h spoke about accessing the simultaneously existing worlds spoken of in the mystical tradition at any moment that our hearts were open and available to their realities (and our minds didn't object).

Kaddish

Sleep well and happy travels!

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