The
Zohar is a Jewish mystical text from 13th century Spain in which rabbis discuss the sod, or esoteric knowledge of the Torah. It is part of a larger literature known as the Kabbalah. I found a passage that I like very much, and wanted to share:
Come and see:
Abraham, who was pure, what is written of him?
'He came into days.' (Genesis 24:1)
When he left this world
he entered into his very own days and put them on to wear.
Nothing was missing from that radiant garment:
'He came into days.'
The metaphor of the garment reminds me of the Hindu concept of
karma, or the fruits of one's actions. According to the Zohar, the righteous will be "privileged to wear a radiant garment of their days" in the afterlife, but those who have been wicked will not. Karma could also be conceived as a patchwork garment that is stitched together in one's lifetime, and as both burial shroud and swaddling, it is what one wears into the next life -- for better or worse.
It is interesting to think about one's life as an outfit, and I could get really distracted with considering all of the design possibilities. :) Thanks to Jewish mysticism for helping me procrastinate today!
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