Intro - An Interpretation
The Lived Religion - An Interpretation
Chapter 1
1 With Kodesh Scriptures, no matter how pure the original inspiration poured out from the Divine Ruach-ual Fountainhead, they still have to pass through fallible human hands,
2 and this could lead to differences of interpretation and discord among the readers, things most undesirable, where harmony and unity are to be the rule,
3 to avoid all such differences, and for the sake of accord and unity, the interpretation of Kodesh Writings should be restricted to conform with the following rules:
4 The interpretation must accord with authentic traditions,
5 it must accord with reason and experience, faith never contending with reason,
6 though it is realised and acknowledged that the nature of life, being as it is, many things have to be accepted and undertaken without logical explanations:
7 The continuance of life beyond the veil of death may not appear to accord with worldly experience and reason,
8 for the benefit of man there is a Mishpat prohibiting any assurance of this,
9 that life does, and other such things, have to be accepted on faith,
10 therefore, worldly experience cannot be taken as the yardstick in this instance, as in many other instances;
11 apart from worldly experiences, there are Ruach-ual experiences, and these can only be known and understood by the one having endured them,
12 what is told of these to others must be accepted on faith.
Chapter 2
1 Whenever there is a meeting among brothers, they should assemble in good order, with goodwill and harmony in their hearts, they should likewise disperse!
2 while things are done in this manner there will be prosperity and progress,
3 they will remain while the teachings are esteemed and the doctrines hallowed,
4 while the leaders are held worthy of loyalty, and the brothers of comradeship;
5 progress and prosperity will not depart while the brothers are upright and steadfast,
6 while the maiden sisters are modest and virtuous, and the married sisters are decent and decorous,
7 while the elder brothers are wise and diligent in preserving all that is good,
8 while the elder sisters are careful in all they do, and considerate for the welfare of the younger ones;
9 it is for the old to keep watch and ward, and for the young to dare and do;
10 the harshness of the Mishpatim should be mitigated with loving kindness,
11 and when brothers or sisters are seen to be falling into the ways of wickedness, they should first be warned,
12 let some able and discreet person take them in hand and counsel them,
13 after being warned, they should be reminded, and only after this should they be disciplined;
14 these teachings are always right:
15 Those which teach the proper channelling of the desires and urges of the body, not those which would pander to them or ignore them,
16 those which place Ruach-ual objectives above worldly things,
17 and those which uphold the virtues and principles of humanity, and attack anything which would bring them down!
18 when any disagree as to a teaching, each shall converse with the other with friendliness, self-control, and reason, following at all times the road of common sense!
19 frugality is not meanness, prudence is not fear,
20 wastefulness is not generosity, weakness is not kindness,
21 happiness is not pleasure, apathy is not shalom,
22 the defence of principles is not intolerance, idealism is not prejudice,
23 to compromise is not to surrender,
24 to defer to the wishes of a loved one is not weakness of character,
25 to avoid argument and discord within the family requires strength, while assertion displays inconsideration,
26 they who stifle hasty or thoughtless words are better than they who speak according to their thoughts,
27 to stand up for your rights is not necessarily right, and to do all things for shalom and harmony is often wrong, the way of goodness traverses a very narrow ledge!
28 the man who says, “Perhaps I am wrong” is always right, the man who says, “I am certainly right” is always wrong,
29 to avoid a fight is not cowardice, to fight with the certainty of victory is not courage,
30 weak men may often fight and strong men often run, motive is all that matters,
31 to judge anyone by his actions alone is to judge unfairly.
Chapter 3
1 Scriptures come in many tongues, they serve different purposes and vary in value,
2 but each suits and serves a group of people in a particular stage of ruach-ual development,
3 the lessons of an infant are as essential to its future as are the lessons of an older child,
4 each Scripture gives a glimpse of the light, a Ruach-ual revelation from a different viewpoint,
5 but in each case the light is the same,
6 for there is only one light of Truth!
7 however, Divine Writings need interpretation, for they conceal more than they reveal, and they are never just what they appear to be on the surface,
8 if a particular Scripture proclaimed that fire actually gives out cold instead of heat and that the sun really sheds darkness instead of light, the shallow-minded person would turn from it in scorn,
9 but this irresponsible and thoughtless attitude cannot be applied to Kodesh Words,
10 and it would be much wiser to assume that the Scripture intended to convey a meaning and message quite different from the superficially apparent one,
11 Divine Scripture cannot be treated like entertaining and valueless literature! therefore, delve deeply and diligently!
12 the only conclusion an intelligent person can come to is that all Kodesh Scriptures, read properly and really understood, originate at One Source,
13 and, reveal only a fraction of the whole on the surface, and so,
14 in worldly matters,
15 in rules of life, and code of conduct and morals,
16 in all things governing life on Earth,
17 they will be interpreted strictly, according to their obvious meaning and intent;
18 in all things pertaining to Ruach-ual matters,
19 the afterlife,
20 the Divinity,
21 or not strictly concerned with earthly life and existence,
22 they need not necessarily be interpreted literally, for writing as an earthly medium is inadequate to express such things concisely.