The Mystical Tradition in the Book of Mormon

 

Kabbalah traditionally makes use of a fourfold interpretive method for reading the scriptures. The method is often compared to a walled orchard (Heb. פָּרְדֵּס PaRDeS) or garden, and one who uses this hermeneutic approach is said to have “entered the orchard.” This is because the Hebrew word PaRDeS is understood to be an acronym for these four ways of examining sacred text. Christian Cabalists sometimes call this exegetical method “entering paradise,” because the word paradise is of shared derivation (originally meaning a “walled enclosure”) and also makes use of the same four letters. The four interpretive levels suggested by this acronym are:

P’shat (פְּשָׁט) = “Plain” —The Literal: simple, direct, contextual meaning (philological)
Remez (רֶמֶז) = “Hints” — The Allusive: hidden, symbolic meaning (allegorical)
D’rash (דְּרַשׁ) = “Seek” — The Homiletic: comparative, moral meaning (midrashic)
Sod (סוֹד) = “Secret” — The Mystical: secret, anagogic, spiritual meaning (revelatory)

The wall of the garden is also called the 'malbush' (Heb. מַלְּבּוּש) or the outer garment of the text, as opposed to the inner garment or interior meaning. Because the word PaRDeS (or paradise if you prefer) is comprised of all four letters, the implication is that one cannot enter in – i.e., cannot be initiated into the heirophantic teaching – without understanding the other three interpretive “levels.”

This may seem a bit odd at first glance, but the idea of a story with an outer meaning intended to cover an interior truth is familiar to many people. Parables function in this way, and parables are characteristic of Jesus’ method of instruction. Similarly, the Sod or inner meaning of a passage is often described as the way it would read “if God whispered the meaning in your ear.” This “whispering” is the inspiration one may gain from using a variety of seemingly non-rational approaches to the text, such as: gematria, or the comparison of words with a shared numerical value in Hebrew; notariqon, or the exploration of acronyms; and temurah, or the exchange of one letter for another (using established ciphers such as atbash or aiq beker).

The tantalizing thought for the Christian is this: what if the stories included in the New Testament were designed in this same way? What if they were meant to be considered for more than their strict literal meaning? I do not believe that an allegorical reading of the story of the Man Born Blind in John chapter 9 need take away from its literal meaning. Rather, viewing him as representative of every person born into the world deepens the personal significance of the story.

Latter-day Saints have even more reason to ask if such a fourfold approach to the Book of Mormon makes sense, as the opening verses of that record inform us that it was created “in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews” (1 Ne 1:2). In other words, the hermeneutic implicit in Judaism – the “learning of the Jews” – might be profitably applied to the Book of Mormon. As a test, I selected four specific passages from the text, to see if this method yielded any additional insight into them. This is not by any means rigorous, complete or exhaustive, but may provide encouragement to others who wish to approach the Book of Mormon in a different way.

INTO THE MOUNT

And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord: wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things. -- 1 Ne. 17:3.

Here, Nephi did not merely ascend the mount. Rather, the language is that he went into the mount, and did so "oft." This signifies the heavenly ascent, whereby one enters into the Presence of the Lord. This same language is found in Exodus 24:12-13, 15-18:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.... And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

So, Moses goes up into the mount, and there receives instruction (“commandments”) while in the Presence of the Lord. This also alludes to the Holy Temple: notice that a cloud (Heb. anan SH 6051) of God's glory (Heb. chabod SH 3519) covers the mount, just as the cloud of God's glory covers the tabernacle: "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" (Ex. 40:34).

As with Moses, so Nephi also ascends up “into the mount” (that is, enters into the Presence of the Lord) often, and like Moses before him, he is there shown great things.

THE LIAHONA

And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness. -- 1 Ne. 16:10.

Here, we find a very interesting passage, which brings together some significant ideas.

1) Tubalcain was the first recorded artificer in brass (Gen. 4:22). However, the most famous worker in brass is described in 1 Kings 7:14, as "a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work."

2) The Book of Mormon identifies those who are able to skillfully work with metals as curious workmen in Helaman 6:11. This suggests that the word curious might refer to the level of artistic or technical skill possessed by the worker. Note that the specific metals mentioned in this verse are gold, silver, and "precious ore," and refining the same is also mentioned.

3) Similarly, the phrase curious workmanship is used in Exodus to describe Bezaleel’s ability "to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass" (Exodus 35:32). Here, the Hebrew word for curious works is MaChaShaBoTh (from SH 4284), and may suggest cunning or ingenious design. A similar word is CHeSheB (SH 2805), which is used to describe the ingenious workmanship of the woven Ephod of the priest. In the KJV of the Bible, this is called the “curious girdle” (Exodus 28:8). The words Ma'OSheH CHeSheB is also used to describe the cherubim "of cunning work" (Ex. 26:1), which the text may suggest as woven into the Veil of the Temple. This last point should capture your attention if you are familiar with the Kabbalah.

Of interest to those reading Nephi's account is the fact that the Hebrew word for the phrase curious workmanship (MaChaShaBaH, SH 4284) has a value of 758, equivalent to the word Ha-KiPhuRiYM, or The Atonement. The Atonement, then, is the ingenious design of God in relation to man, and the Liahona represents the great wisdom of God in relation to the human family. Here, I think the veil is taken back slightly, that you might see the meaning behind the symbol.

4) The Hebrew word most commonly used in the Bible for copper, brass or bronze is NeChoSheTh. However, the related Aramaic word NaChaSh (SH 5174) is also used, specifically in the Book of Daniel. In light of our discussion of the Liahona, which was made of fine brass, it seems significant that one synonym for NaChaSh means to divine, as in to read a sign or an omen (SH 5172). As the Liahona was a device for obtaining the will of the Lord by "reading" or divining it’s internal spindles upon which certain writing would appear, the word NaChaSh seems relevant to its operation:

And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director--or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it. And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness. And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day. -- Alma 37:38-40

5) Another close cognate of this word in Hebrew is NaChaSh, meaning serpent. This reminds us of the brass serpent (Heb. NaChaSh NeChoSheTh), which Moses lifted up in the wilderness. As most Kabbalists know, a most important fact about this is that the word NaChaSh has a value of 358, equivalent to the word MoShiYaCh (SH 4899), which is the Hebrew word for messiah, but may also mean one anointed or consecrated (as prophet, priest, or king; the name Mosiah is a close cognate, as is Moses). This uncovers the mystical connection between the brass ball of curious workmanship, the brass serpent which Moses raised in the desert, and the Messiah, to whom we must all look if we would live:

"And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land [as also with Moses], shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow to a far better land of promise. O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look  [upon the Brazen Serpent, or upon the Brazen Compass] they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look [to the Messiah, or his Anointed Ones] we may live forever" (Alma 37:45-46; see from v. 38).

TRAVELLING THE TREE OF LIFE

Finally, to one trained in the mystical tradition, the confidential instruction of Alma to his son Helaman is not without deep significance:

[The Liahona] did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey; therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions. -- Al. 37:40-42

Here, the Hebrew expression for marvelous [work] is Ha-PaLaH (see Is. 29:14; value of 116), which kabbalistically alludes to LVX OCCULTA (value of 116), or the Hidden Light (Heb. or ganuz). The suggestion is that God taught Father Lehi the Secret Doctrine: as with Moses, and as with Nephi, Lehi ascended to the Heavenly Throne, beheld the Mystical Rose, and received a Book (see 1 Ne. 1:8, 11). The expression also alludes to Chesed, the Mercy of God and the 4th Sephirah on the kabbalistic Tree of Life. It is the equivalent of the word OLiYAH (value of 116), which means to ascend or go up, as in one's ascent to the Temple – that is, one’s ascent of the holy mountain. As you may know, the word aliyah is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew OLiYAH, and refers to the pilgrim's journey to Makkah; the pilgrimage to Makkah is also a symbolic ascent.

Here, I would like to suggest another possibility. The word OLiYAH in this context may mean the ascent of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Alma rightly teaches that there is more than one way to progress on this journey; one may tarry and travel the various paths of the Tree, experiencing the trials of the extremes of the pillars of Severity and Mercy (symbolized by hunger on the one hand and thirst on the other). However, one of single-minded faith may also "travel a direct course," which refers to the ascent of the middle pillar of the kabbalistic Tree to makon olyah l’elohim (MaKVN [value of 116] OYLAH [value of 116], the Most High Place, L'ALoHiYM [value of 116]) and enter into the Presence of God (see Gen. 17:7).

BRASS PLATES

I suspect that the words brass plates might also allude to salvation in much the the same way as the bass ball or Liahona:

And moreover, he also gave him charge concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass ... [and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness] which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him. – Msh 1:16.

I believe that the grammatical construction may make it hard to see, (i.e., the use of the word was instead of were), but this states that the plates of brass (and the sword of Laban) were also "prepared by the hand of the Lord," together with the Liahona, "that thereby they [and WE] might be led."

Deos anyone want to explore the Hebrew phrase for the sword of Laban, and see what they can find?

Kindest,
Joe Swick
Heretic