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Constructed by Larry Green

 

 

 

 Answers to Frequently asked Questions

 

Q.  The title of your book is provocative, some might even say controversial. Could you comment on this?

A.  While considering various titles, the words Resurrection and Reunification rushed into my head. The words are strong, purposeful, and reflect the message throughout my book. They refer to the quote from Ezekiel 37:15-19, which is used at the beginning of Rabbi Rebibo's foreword, regarding prophecy for our future as a united people. I wanted to grab peoples' attention;  to get them to question and react. This is our language, it comes from our Teachings, and I want us to reclaim and understand it. The graphic of the double circle of The Twelve Tribes of Israel is a reinforcement of the title: our rising up from the dead, so to speak: becoming Israel reunited.


Q.  Could you expand on the theme of Resurrection and its relevance to the global Jewish community?

A.  The past sixty years of our 3300 year history have been full of huge historical events: the holocaust, our return en masse to The Land and the political establishment of The State of Israel, our swing from rapid assimilation to more observance including the explosive growth of the Chabad movement, our reappearance from Russia, to Africa, to remote areas of India, Burma, etc. This is all part of the continuing process of our collective resurrection. As we have continued to evolve, our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world also evolves.  Our future potential as a United People and fulfillment of our own unique destiny are part of our resurrection.


Q.  You refer to the Jewish people as the Children of Israel throughout your work. Can you comment on this? What are the limitations of thinking of Judaism as a religion?

A.  We are called into being as The Children of Israel in The Torah. We are never referred to as Jews, which is a derivative of the name of the tribe of Judah, and of the Judean territory. In our writings over the centuries, our rabbis have stressed that a name contains one's mission on earth: our name and our mission is Israel. We were called Judeans by our conquerors. We are not all from the tribe of Judah. Due to civil war, and external attacks, the Judean territory became home to representatives from all of our tribes: but we were not all Judeans (i.e. "Jews"). In exile, we reinvented ourselves and this name stuck. This is our name in galut (exile). We are often referred to as the people OF the book. I am restating this as: we are the people IN The Book. The People IN The Book are The Children of Israel.  There is no division in The Torah between what we now term secular and religious. The Torah is a blueprint for a complete way of life and conduct to be enacted by the society of The Congregation of Israel. We are A People and A Civilization. Our intended mission as laid out in The Torah is to live according to our Teachings, as A Holy Society. Religion is not how we, historically, have defined ourselves in our own writings. It is how the outside world came to define us, especially in the 1800's. Religion, as we currently use the word, limits us, and separates us internally. We compete with one another, judge one another, antagonize one another, and challenge one another on perceived degrees of observance or lack thereof. We do not see what unifies us: we operate on what divides us. By changing the way we label ourselves, Orthodox, Hasidic, Reform, Conservative, Reconstruction, un- affiliated, etc. which divides, and seeing ourselves as belonging to a bigger House, The House of Israel, and clarifying our purpose, we can refocus on how we can become and manifest as A United People. Religion is style;  Torah is substance.


Q.  You have studied with Rabbi David Rebibo for over fifteen years. Does Resurrection and Reunification grow directly out of that relationship? What role does he play in your life?

A.  For over fifteen years, I had the privilege of studying one on one with Rabbi Rebibo. The Book is a direct result. I came to him overwhelmed with certain concepts I could see in The Torah, which were deeply imbedded in my thought process. He fed me books, provided me with his own profound insights, questioned me, challenged me, yet he allowed me to express myself freely. Never did he tell me I shouldn't see something the way I did, or that I needed to conform my thoughts, or that I was being too radical in my thinking. He allowed me free reign within a scholarly process. I walked into his door seeing Israel as A Circle from the book of Numbers, saying over and over that this is who we really are, and after all the years of our conversations and my studies, that's where I wound up. The result, with his invaluable encouragement and unique ability as a teacher, is the book. He remains a profound influence in my life; a guide, a teacher, a friend.


Q.  Did you write Resurrection and Reunification with a particular reader in mind? Who do you see as its target audience?

A.  I wrote Resurrection and Reunification first and foremost for my own people: The Children of Israel. I want us to fall in love with our Teachings. Through my work, I hope to inspire us to bring honor to God's Name by recognizing and acting upon the depth, intelligence, and exquisite beauty of our Torah, which has molded and guided us for over 3300 years. My Book encourages us to see ourselves reflected in our own mirror: not through the eyes of other people. I want us to be wowed and to get turned on by the prospect of fulfilling our own unique destiny. Simultaneously, I want to reach all seekers of wisdom and ethical teachings: especially, the Evangelical Christian audience, who share a deep commitment to the Bible, who base so much of their own perceptions of themselves and righteous conduct on our teachings, who have a deep connection to the concept of prophecy, and who have been such invaluable supporters of Israel and of our well-being. By inviting the evangelical audience in, I hope to portray us through our own eyes, to stimulate new understanding of us and our intended purpose, and to stimulate continuing friendship between our respective peoples.

Q.  You have referred to your book as a companion to the Torah. Please explain how it can be utilized as such.

A.  Ask a question, then open The Torah. Dimensions of answers are there to be discovered. Resurrection and Reunification was written with two big questions in mind: Who are we REALLY? What is our future potential as a united people? I am interested in the big picture, the broad brush stroke. What makes us who we are, collectively. There are many Torah classes available. There is an abundance of self-help and how to classes with varied approaches. What makes this approach to Torah study unique is the purpose behind it: SELF-AWARENESS: so we can reclaim our name/identity, and our destiny. My emphasis is not from the perspective of Halakah or ritual. My intent is for us to understand the importance of our transcending self-created intolerance for one another, of recognizing our authentic identity, claiming it, and preparing our future through the analysis of our Torah.

Q.  You discuss prophecy in your book. Isn't prophecy something that happened a long time ago? Is prophecy relevant in today's world?

A.  Prophecy is extremely pragmatic and no-nonsense in the guidance it provides, and is timeless in its content. It serves as a mirror of our behavior: a wake-up call to encourage correct behavior, to discourage harmful behavior, to warn us of the potential consequences of our choices. Most importantly, it serves as our reminder: not to ignore who we are meant to be and how we are meant to live. Prophecy is eternal in content, all- be- it with certain timely lessons which were relative to specific periods in our history.  Our prophets never claimed to have unique powers. They were transmitters of truths they received from God- obligated within their societies to admonish and warn their people in order to ward off impending misfortune. This was done out of a genuine concern for the well-being of the society. More often than not, the prophets were telling the people things they did not like hearing.  As stated in Deuteronomy, a prophet is a prophet only when his prophecy comes to pass. Most of what was predicted for us as A People has come to pass EXCEPT: Our Reunification as The Children of Israel and our re-establishment as A Kingdom of Priests and A Holy Nation, living in peace, on The Land. And ultimately, our prophets predict peace on earth for all. It is extremely important to recognize that prophecy is not a situation whereby something occurs without action. It is about choice, action, and the ability to change direction.

Q.  What role has the study of Kabbalah played in your life and in the writing of this book?

A.  Teachings which are handed down by tradition fall under the body of wisdom called Kabbalah. Today the word is used and mis-used in the same breath as the word mysticism, to define a personal communion with God. Within the framework of my studies, I use Kabbalah strictly to refer to the body of writings known as The Zohar, an esoteric commentary on The Torah. The circles and colors which appear throughout my book were partly inspired by language and images I found in The Zohar, and my book contains direct references from this profound body of literature. In that much of my imagery was indirectly received by me through night dreams and day dreams, my entire body of work has been referred to as A Kabbalistic journey into God's Eternal Israel.

Q.  Resurrection and Reunification is a large-format, visually-enthralling work, rich with illustration. Does the Book's format reflect its content? Can you describe an illustration and explain its importance?

A.  Every page has a purpose.  Every color and graphic has been carefully chosen and constructed to reinforce the authentic identity, continuing evolution and future potential of The Children of Israel.  The colors are inspired by the rainbow which appears after The Flood. They are used consistently throughout the book to reinforce the readers' awareness of the story which is unfolding, and to enhance the beauty I perceive. The colors become signposts: subliminal guides, so to speak: purple becomes the harmony of time in the universe; blue becomes holiness and appears in color (as instructed in Numbers 15:37-41) on the tallit fringes found on the "border" graphic; yellow becomes enlightenment, etc. All of the colors and imagery are alluded to in The Torah. The first circle which came into my consciousness appears in Numbers 2:32-34. Here is the description our exact layout for pitching camp and breaking camp; each tribe with our own unique banner. Who was on the east, on the south, on the west, on the north, around The Levites, who were around The Tabernacle. Here we are actually laid out in a circle. Here we can see the reality of ourselves in a circle, as a nation, living around and directed towards our Torah, our Teachings, in the center of the circle. A practical lesson exists here: imagine yourself in a tribe: pick a color: then imagine that the people opposite you in the tribe of the same color, are your harmonious reflection within the nation. Now, imagine someone you don't relate to, you don't care for. They too, are The Children of Israel, and still belong in the circle. They are in another tribe, in another place in the circle. Not opposite you. Next to you. Maybe several spaces away. We each have a particular part to play, various strengths and weaknesses. We all belong. We are all facing the center: focused on and directed by our common mission.

Q.  Your book is infused with the concept that the Children of Israel have a mission. This idea is rooted in the Bible. What is unique about your articulation of this concept? Do you offer a new interpretation of this mission?

A.  As stated in The Torah, The Children of Israel are "To be unto God A Kingdom of Priests and A Holy Nation", Exodus 19:3-6. After this statement appears, the rest of what we read is a description of what this concept is all about. The Torah becomes the blueprint for achieving this unique "Holy State of Being", for manifesting this particular society within The Great Whole of Civilization. My book provides the reader with a new way of seeing exactly what these Teachings really entail: a comprehensive way of life based on a harmony between heaven and earth. Holiness, as defined by God in The Torah, is a dignified state of being to be manifested in our personal and societal conduct. What we eat, how we dress, how we treat one another, from the smallest daily matters to the most important matters. Every act, every purpose in our Torah is directed towards the ultimate goal of reflecting Holiness. We are to become mirrors of this concept, reflecting into the world God's definition of this word. My approach is to clarify this mission through defining the major topics through which we can accomplish this calling. By color coding and grouping text under definitive headings, we can begin to re-analyze what we are meant to accomplish, and how to reappraise the practical application and fulfillment of this mission. My main headings, which follow the order found in the generations of Creation in Genesis, are (1) Beginning-purple: Marking ourselves in time (2) Separation-blue: holiness (3) Inheritance-green: The Land and its care (4) Enlightenment-yellow: The Ten Words (5) A Humane Society-orange: social ordinances (6) Review and Witness-red:  (7) Honoring The Sabbath;  all of the colors. The Torah states that this is our life, our well-being, our safety, our peace. Over the centuries of our existence on earth as A People, with The Torah to guide us, we have attempted to fulfill our mission in bits and pieces, leaving ourselves vulnerable. My challenge to all of us is to go for it in totality. What have we got to lose by trying? Who knows what we might be able to accomplish?

Q.  There is a distinct structure to Resurrection and Reunification. Could you describe the meaning of this structure?

A.  We tend to look at history from where we stand in time, backwards. Through inviting the reader to begin this journey by climbing to the top of Jacob's ladder, I take the reader from the top of time as we know it, down through time, so we can clearly see our inception, historical evolution, current place, and future potential in an uncluttered format. Through observing ourselves and our mission outside ourselves, and in looking at our Teachings within the context of A Plan to be executed, we can begin to clarify our authentic identity, our place in this world, and our mission on earth.

Q.  If the Children of Israel are on a unique journey, where are they now on the continuum of history? Is there one particular challenge or goal for the Children of Israel right now?

A.  I conclude that we are in the period of time called The Messianic Era, a major point in our evolution as A People and a major point for all of humanity. This period is also referred to in The Torah and associated writings as The End of Days, which according to our Teachings is NOT the end of time, but rather that period of time where people on the earth will be challenged to rise to new levels of understanding. Currently on the earth, all the ancient civilizations are visible. All Teachings are being revived and due to our technology, we can all be aware of one another. This is a challenge for humanity. Can we learn to accept, understand, respect, and tolerate, each others place on the earth??? Will the impetus towards totalitarian rule be deflated and defeated? Is this the time of the ultimate struggle between good and evil that is spoken of in many ancient texts?


Q.  For readers who are inspired by your book, what is a good next step? Is there a particular organization or way they might get in touch with you?

A.  Please Email all inquiries to 12stones@charter.net

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