Reincarnation

Now that we have talked about the soul, an interesting aspect of what the soul experiences in the course of time is reincarnation, known in Hebrew as gilgul.  We had mentioned that a soul that does not accomplish a completed repair or rectification in a previous life is given the opportunity to return and try again.

 

Wikipedia has a concise definition: 

Gilgul/Gilgul neshamot/Gilgulei Ha Neshamot (Heb. גלגול הנשמות, Plural: גלגולים Gilgulim) describes a Kabbalistic concept of reincarnation. In Hebrew, the word gilgul means "cycle" and neshamot is the plural for "souls." Souls are seen to "cycle" through "lives" or "incarnations", being attached to different human bodies over time. Which body they associate with depends on their particular task in the physical world, spiritual levels of the bodies of predecessors and so on. The concept relates to the wider processes of history in Kabbalah, involving Cosmic Tikkun (Messianic rectification), and the historical dynamic of ascending Lights and descending Vessels from generation to generation. The esoteric explanations of gilgul were articulated in Jewish mysticism by Rabbi Isaac Luria, know as the Arizal, in the 16th century, as part of the metaphysical purpose of Creation.  The Arizal was so mystical an individual, it was said that he could look at a person and tell him who he was in a previous life. 

 

Although reincarnation is generally into a new human body, Hashem already knows in advance how successful that soul will be.  If it is known that the individual is not going to voluntarily do what is needed for rectification, Hashem will use the involuntary way of helping the soul (see my post The Key to Happiness, 4 April 2012).  This may mean giving rectification by placing the soul into a non-human entity.  Yes, that means that one could come back as the family pet or a plant or a rock.  This is in no way favorable since the reincarnated soul is totally aware of its situation and lives a very shameful and embarrassed reincarnation.  Hashem, however, knows what is best for each of us and designs our time on Earth as needed.  

 

I have an interesting story that happened to me when visiting a cousin in the states.  This cousin did not live in a Jewish neighborhood so when it came time for my afternoon prayers I had no choice but to just go into a quiet room in her house and pray.  As I began, her two dogs entered the room, sat down beside me – one on each side of me, and faced East as I was doing.  When it came time to stand the two dogs stood when I sat down, they likewise sat.  I knew exactly what they were and what they needed.  When I told my cousin that she had two Jewish dogs that had returned from a previous life, she was hysterical and probably could never look at them in the same way again.  I, of course, mentioned to the dogs after praying how happy I was that they could join me. 

 

One more note about animals that is not so obvious.  We come back to finish our correction.  Sometimes this can consist of a single act of high merit that will complete the job.  Hashem uses kosher animals to help us.  If one were to come back, as an example, as a chicken that was bred and killed with proper Kosher procedures and wound up on an observant family’s Sabbath table, one would receive with high merit his or her final correction.  In other words, when people complain about sacrificing animals because that is a barbaric practice, they have no idea how beneficent an act it may be.  The sacrifice of animals and birds in the Temples was always benefiting humans, either alive or dead.  The most interesting thing is that the soul of the animal itself (not just the reincarnated soul of the human involved) received high merit and was very happy with the sacrifice (that is another long story).  Hashem’s system is rarely what it seems but always is for the good.  Death itself is the ultimate atonement for our sins (that does not include suicide which has very horrible consequences for our eternity – don’t do it).  Hopefully, it will be enough to reach our rectification and avoid time in hell (yes, there is such a place and I plan to provide the proof in an upcoming blog post).  Hell is another method of correction along with reincarnation.  Hell could also be pure punishment if the soul was not correctable because of tremendous wickedness (I know, another blog post is needed).   Both methods are avoidable and should be.  All we need to do is the voluntary method while on Earth.

 

We are all, in the end of days, reincarnated individuals.  Since this is the end of the line for world history as we know it, we are getting our last chance to succeed.  I guess this is why I have been so adamant about taking all this seriously and wanting to reach as many people as possible.  Time is just about up but our correction is achievable without the suffering and pain that will accompany the final correction on an individual basis.  I believe that once the Messiah is announced and the time of redemption is obvious to all, we will have a limited time after that until our actual judgment day.  I, in no way, am saying that you can put off doing the right thing for now, since we will have a limited amount of time before that “too late date.”  I just believe that Hashem in His infinite mercy will help us greatly.

 

How many times is it possible to reincarnate?  Good question.  The answer is: I don’t know.  I knew a brilliant, highly scholastic Rabbi who claims that we could only have three lives to get it straight.  I have known others who say “as many times as it is needed.”  I personally think that this is my fourth life.  I have used a method (not hypnosis even though I believe it works) to talk to my soul and I believe I know who I was in my last incarnation.  A few years ago I even had a flashback and saw very clearly, while awake, my previous life (but that would be another blog post that I don’t intend to do).

 

Instead, let us talk about reliable information from reliable sources.  The many individuals that have used Facilitated Communications (FC), such as the autistics and severely retarded, have all known who they were in their previous incarnation.  Since they are in touch with Heaven, they know why they had to come back in that condition.  They also knew what they had to accomplish to complete their rectification and, in some cases (possibly all cases) they knew when this would happen, giving them the actual date of departure from Earth.  Since they were in an unbearable situation, they were happy to complete their work and leave.  They were totally aware of the wonderful life that follows for those who do well here.  There are books on the subject such as Galia.  Galia was a FC miracle.  The story of her messages from Heaven, her reincarnation, the correction that she needed to accomplish and her leaving this world are told by her mother on this video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUZcPmIxoM

 

The English version, 2003, book with this amazing story is called “Galia, Messages from Heaven.”  I highly recommend this book and “Secrets of the Soul,” (2000 for the English version) the miraculous stories of many FC participants.  The essential Kabbalistic text that discusses the idea of "gilgul" is called Sha'ar Ha'Gilgulim ("The Gate of Reincarnations"), based on the work of Rabbi Isaac Luria (and compiled by his disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital). It describes the deep, complex laws of reincarnation. 

 

There are many famous people in history that we know who they were before.  There are books on the subject but I thought I would give you some examples:

 

·        Moses as the gilgul of Abel, and Rabbi Akiva as the gilgul of Cain.  Cain also came back as the Egyptian that Moses killed.  Cain killed Abel and Abel came back to kill Cain.  How’s that for justice.

·        The Hasidic Rebbe, Moshe Teitelbaum of Ujhel (1759–1841), who was one of the founders of Hasidism in Hungary, told his followers that he had been reincarnated three times, which he recalled.  His first gilgul was as a sheep in the flock of the Biblical Patriach Jacob.  He sang to his followers the song, he said, that Jacob sang in the pastures.  His second gilgul was in the time of Moses, and his third gilgul, which he did not disclose out of humility, was in the time of the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.  His followers asked another Hasidic Rebbe, who identified the third gilgul as the Biblical Prophet Jeremiah.  In Hasidic history, his daily life especially reflected a yearning for the building of the Third Temple with the arrival of the Messiah.  In his later days he wore his Shabbat clothing the entire week, anticipating the Messiah's arrival.

·        The contemporary scholar of Kabbalah and Hasidut, Yitzchak Ginsburgh, identifies Isaac Newton as the modern reincarnation of Noah.

This is not meant to be offensive, only to tell you the absolute truth.  The Torah tells the story of Jacob and his wicked twin brother Esau.  Esau hated his brother and wanted to kill him (it is mentioned many times throughout scriptures).  We are told that as long a Jacob studied Torah, Esau was powerless to kill his brother.  When Esau knew he would not succeed, he married the daughter of Ishmael and told Ishmael to kill Jacob.  This is all prophecy since the Jews are descended from Jacob, the Romans and eventually the Christians were descended from Esau and the Muslims are descended from Ishmael.  For two thousand years the Christians have tried to kill the Jews (the Inquisition, the Crusades, programs, the Holocaust, Jew hatred, etc).  In every country that the Jews lived they started out by staying to themselves and studying Torah.  But, after a while the Jews started to assimilate into the gentile society and found themselves hated and even killed.  Hashem has sent a strong message to the Jews throughout history not to assimilate.  The worst assimilation in history was the Jews of Europe before the Holocaust (get the picture, they didn't).  The Jew hatred of today is commensurate with the vast amount of assimilation.  Fortunately, we also have the greatest amount of Torah study today that we have had in history.  

Back to the story of the Christians.  When they saw they couldn’t kill the Jews, they turned the job over to the Muslims, which is what we see today (intifadas, terrorist activity, Jew hatred).  Be aware that the terrorists have been successful only with the help of all the gentile nations.  They buy their oil, support many of their programs and even negotiate on their behalf, always to the detriment of the Jews.  There is no coincidence that the President of the United States today happens to be a Muslim pretending to be part Christian.  That is the prophecy fulfilled of Esau marrying the daughter of Ishmael.  Obama is absolutely the worst enemy to come along for the Jews.  Obama, by the way, is the gilgul of the Pharaoh of Egypt.  Also, Nimrod and Sancherev, King of Assyria.  Both were very detrimental to the Jews.  

 

There is extensive proof of how the prophecies of scriptures became the story of history.  But, keeping with our topic, the Arizal said 500 years ago that Esau came back as Yeshu, the Christian deity.  Watch this short video from Rabbi Glazerson showing where this is found in the Torah:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGKwTQHmv94

 

The last video that I invite you to watch is from a Rabbi Eliyahu Kin of Torah Ohr in California.  Rabbi Kin is a fascinating speaker with many videos on a variety of Jewish subjects.  This one happens to be reincarnation:

 

http://www.torahtube.com/video/180/Rabbi-Kin-on-Reincarnation