The Monkey Test

To trap a monkey, hunters will drill out a coconut, fill its innards with peanuts, yet leave a hole in the husk just big enough for a monkey to put its hand inside and grasp a handful of peanuts. Then, hunters will tie the coconut securely to a tree. The hole left in the husk of the coconut made by the hunters is not big enough for a monkey to remove its hand as it clenches a fistful of peanuts.

Hunters know that the coconut, tied tightly to a tree, cannot be dislodged by the struggle of any monkey against it. Neither will a monkey drop the clenched peanuts, thereby enabling it to remove its hand. Thus, a monkey can be effectively trapped and killed by hunters.

All because a monkey refuses to let go of the immediate good (peanuts, knowledge) for the promised good (life, ultimate redemptive knowledge).

This monkey story is a story of being able to exit the PaRDeS (levels of consciousness) in peace (remaining whole instead of being destroyed). In the event in my closet when I was six, there was a monkey test. In fact, there were two monkey tests - one to run ("go up") and one to return ("come down").

The first one was before turning inside-out (where consciousness moved from a katnut (constricted) state into a gadlut (expanded) state). As "all" rushed out through me (still basically in katnut consciousness), the wondrousness of the knowledge tempted my mind to hold it within the mind. It was such a treasure. A treasure the mind wanted to keep. Only after letting it go, in all its splendor and beauty, did I turn inside outside and enter into kadmon consciousness.

The second instance where letting go by the mind was required was when coming down from kadmon consciousness, returning to a katnut state, and becoming recentered with the body. Again, the mind was tempted to retain within its borders all that it had been able to apprehend with kadmon consciousness. Again, letting go enabled the mind to safely cross the barrier which marked the transition between states of consciousness.

Why is it important to let go? I think that the act of letting go is the mechanism through which the Divine Will penetrates into and is enabled to itself act within the mundane physical world directly. It is not so much "going up", nor even all that one can apprehend there in that state (kadmon), that is important. Letting go releases the essential energy which drives unfolding of Divine Will into and within this lowest world. Also, holding on to great knowledge and bringing it down into the rational mind prior to preparation of the mind to receive it (shabbat consciousness or "mighty" consciousness) would have been catastrophic to an unprepared mind, which mine was, at 6 years old. This "letting go" of knowledge prior to its time represents rectification of the sin (holding onto knowledge the mind is unable to safely contain) of the tree of knowledge.

The monkey test is like the mitzvah (magickal deed) of the bird's nest - one can't prepare for it.

When I was six years old, entirely unprepared and unlearned. Yet, I let go (in exchange for a promise). There was no time to think. There was nothing for me to understand in that time. There was only a promise and a question of trust. Yes or no?

Essential bitachon (divine faith connection). An essential mitzvah. A mitzvah of the moment. No time to think. Only to react. And that reaction comes from atzmut, the essence. As it must.