In fact, the Hebrew word for "world" - olam - means "hiding". Is this true? I got it from this article by Dovid Gottlieb: http://www.dovidgottlieb.com/comments/AGEOFTHEUNIVERSE.htm who definitely is confused about a few things, free will being one. Anyone know anything about him?
Dear Kharakov, Yes, it is true. The idea is that the divine, however you understand the divine, is the inspiration of all things, or rather, God is the spiritual reality, the I AM, the mysterious "life force" that perfoms the act of existence within all things. One good explanation for the convergence of the concepts world/hiding in the Hebrew word olam is . . . Because there is such an abundance of this reality, it is difficult (some say it is impossible, but, I don't know about that) to give one's complete attention to every single manifestation. As a result, it is all to easy to fall out of the habit of looking deeply into too many things, and their meaning, and their spiritual reality. When this practice is lost, most things become, for the non-observant, merely mundane objects with no apparent spiritual reality or meaning, outside of its possible function as food, as a tool, as decoration, as entertainment, as a weapon, etc. But consider, for example, an orange. Yes, you've seen a million oranges in your lifetime, you have probably eaten at least a few hundred of them, and it is easy enough and rational enough to go through your entire life without ever giving any concentrated thought to the deeper spiritual reality of an orange, but . . . When you get a few free minutes, maybe this weekend, maybe this Saturday or Sunday morning, just sit with an orange. Take your time. For now, if even for just a few minutes, stop worrying about the measure of time and just let this humble orange become the main focus of your reality. Smell it, savor its aroma, feel the polished bumps on its skin, feel the weight of it, let it become the most real thing of which you are conscious. Now, peal it. Appreciate the way the light plays with the misty spray of orange peal oil, the way the light seems to illuminate the translucent sections from within, the way the aroma becomes more intense, almost intoxicating. Savor everything the orange is. Now, as you consider eating a piece, please pause for a moment and consider this . . . this sensory delight is the orange tree's way of sharing its life force, of reproducing its life, of creating more life. This orange is not only the creative agent of the orange tree's life, it is life, it IS a manifestation of the mysterious "life force." Now, as you eat the orange, you may realize this is just one expression of the spiritual reality, the simple I AM, that perfoms the act of existence within all things. It was, and is, always there, but it is just one of those things that becomes mundane when one loses the practice of experiencing it. You may also realize that you can't remember the last time you enjoyed an orange this much. Enjoy Peace and Love
