| |
PARDES
The pardes refers tro the 4 levels of understanding any piece of scriptural
text.
Pardes means orchard and it usually refers to a story of 4 famous Rabbis
who went into the orchard hoping that the 4 levels of hidden secrets
of the TORAH, the esoteric mystical wisdom, would be revealed to them.
Wikipedia
Four men entered paradise [pardes] — Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher
[that is, Elisha], and Akiba. Ben Azzai looked and died; Ben Zoma looked
and went mad; Acher destroyed the plants; Akiba entered in peace and
departed in peace.[3]
One came out mentally deranged, one came out a heretic, one died and
only Rabbi Akiva came out unscathed.
The story has been used as a warning not to dabble with the mystical
unless you are well prepared. It is a strange story because currently
the mystical, esoteric teachings of all faiths are being taught openly,
extensively and urgently.
In the past 50 years we have seen numerous holy men from India, Gurus,
bringing universal mystical traditions to all faiths and beliefs. Some
would say that at times like today when religion has become so divisive,
humanity needs urgent reminders that there is only one God and we need
to be reminded that we all pray to the same God.
Pardes also refers to the 4 levels of communication and the subtle difficulties
at each level
The psychiatric world talks of the hidden and the manifest
meaning.
We can all recognise the dialogue between two people
mutually flattering each other but with malice in their hearts. Like the
hidden motive when the serpent in the Garden of Eden persuaded Eve to
eat from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, or when Shimon and Levy
perpetrated the massacre on Schem with their fine words. Somebody is telling
you a simple story but within that story is a hidden message or warning.
One can also look at the phenomena of communication in a beneficial way.
When Newton saw the apples falling from the tree he learnt a great deal
from it. Teachers often say that they learn more from their pupils than
vice versa. Such wisdom from the innocent mouths of babies! Freud said
that his theory of psychoanalysis came from his patients.
Communication works both ways. Sefer Yetsira 1:1 says
that God created the Universe with 3 manifestations of the Sephirot, one
of which is communication. Sipur. Telling a story
Regarding the scriptures, it is the acronym of the more precise meaning
as below
PARDES what is this?
PESHAT.......The simple meaning
that a child would understand.
REMES. Means a hint to a
different meaning of a communication. Usually biblical but our sages reveal
in REMES an ancient universal truth.
It can be a hint to a more subtle meaning of a biblical
story. When. the Chumash, the bible, uses this device, which are abundant,
It usually accompanies the hint with another sign. A good example of this
is when Lot was advised to get out of Sodom before it was destroyed “HE
hesitated” ..........., hinting that he rather liked this place
The Chumash has a particular musical note ,a Shalshelet (There are only
4 times the bible uses this device) to accompany the hint to a more subtle
activity going on...
It also relates to the way people communicate and the
misunderstandings which can arise, both in the written or the spoken word.
How often do we make mistakes in dates and times...can these be a hint
to the wish to avoid the meeting... The Freudian slip is considered a
hint to what is really meant... Communication between people is not simple.
It can be often be difficult to say what we mean or what we want to say.
NLP uses eye movements to give a hint as to what a person is really meaning
DROSHA.... ...Sermon. The language of Midrash which knows
no bounds in the mixing of time and place. Like the events in dreams Aesops
fables, two dogs fighting over a pice of meat and the 3 rd dog runs away
with it, is a profound metaphor to show the risk of argument.
Folk proverbs or expressions like "cutting your nose to spite your
face" are often sermons on good behaviour
SOD The secret meaning.
Often the moral of the story or the Kabbalistic meaning. The meaning of
the dream, like Joseph’s understanding of dreams..
The PURIM story is recognised as being
one of the best examples of the 4 levels of Pardes
|