Mordecai finishes his morning prayers and contemplates the invitation again. Consolidex? Endron? Large companies made the rabbi a little nervous. He knew that if you looked hard enough into the biggest businesses, behind the suits and boardrooms, one would inevitably uncover the presence of the Amalekites - what the gentiles called the Technocratic Union. The age-old enemy. Their hands were in and around everything, slowly squeezing the wonder out of HaShem’s creations, soiling His good works.
The invitation, as innocuous as it seems, leaves the rabbi with a nagging doubt. But rather than kvetching about it, he phones an Uber. The old man goes to find Schlomo; as usual, the golem is standing motionlessly in the corner, staring at nothing. Mordecai checks the integrity of the inscription on its forehead, and then retrieves a strip of vellum. Taking a moment to prepare himself and achieve the proper breathing, he carefully scrawls one of the Lord’s names on the paper.
Names have power; all Qabbalists know this. In the Book of Genesis, Adam literally brought things into existence by naming them. The inherent power of names, especially G-d’s names, was not something to be taken lightly. It was for this reason that observant Jews avoided using the holy names of G-d, instead using respectful substitutes such as Adonai ("The Lord") and HaShem ("The Name"). That same care was also shown in the written word, which was why Jews didn’t spell out the Lord’s full name, preferring to write "G-d".
Mordecai takes his time; his eyes following the lines of each mystical Hebrew character. It’s about more than just writing the words. It’s also about reaching
kavanah - a state of pure intent invoked by contemplating the spiritual permutations and secret meanings of the Divine Name. To reach that point at which one connected with the Lord’s higher mysteries, well... it isn’t easy; Mordecai could do quickly now, but it had taken him decades of painstaking practice and devotion.
As Mordecai’s senses transcend the boundaries of Malkuth and touch upon the sephirot beyond, he experiences a warm rush of ecstatic energy. It’s euphoric and deeply moving to draw miracles into the world. The rabbi can’t help but wonder if this is what the Prophet Moses felt like when he parted the Red Sea.
The euphoria receding, Mordecai rolls up the vellum and places it into the golem’s mouth - little more than a narrow slot on a vaguely human-like stone face. The mouth seals shut and Schlomo’s eyes suddenly move. It’s body shifts as though waking from a nap. The rabbi gingerly smiles and wipes his brow with a handkerchief.
"Time to go, little one."
Last edited August 1, 2019 3:13 pm