Reality Concealed Behind the Veil
First presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #89
Center for Bahá'í Studies: Acuto, Italy
June 28 – July 1, 2009
(see list of papers from #89)
Tree of life in Kabala of Judaism is a mystical symbol to describe the path to God as well as the manner in which God created the world and can be identified with the tree of life — mentioned in the Book of Genesis — which granted everlasting life to Adam and Eve. The tree consists of ten holy Sephiroths. The seven lower Sephiroths mentioned in revelation 5:6 are known as seven eyes of God or seven spirits of God sent to earth. Just above the seventh Sephiroth or the seventh spirit, exists a horizon barrier, beyond which lies the perfect first knowledge which marks the boundary of human knowledge and can be associated with Sidrat-al-Montaha, a mystical symbol for outmost knowledge beyond which neither man nor Angles can pass. In Kabalistic tradition this barrier to human knowledge is called veil and is considered as the heavenly counterpart of the temple veil that the High Priest entered past into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for our souls on Judgment Day, the same veil torn in two upon the death of Yeshua as mentioned in the "New Testament" accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Parallel to this stage of passing the veil by the High Priest on Judgment Day, on the kabalistic tree of life too, when the veil is passed, the union of supernal mother and supernal father (first and second Sephiroths) takes place in Da'at (knowledge) by which the concealed face of God behind the veil is manifested. The full knowledge of God comes in effect from that face (Binah) which distinctly reveals the essence beyond the veil.
This paper tries to parallel the seven lower Sephiroths known as seven eyes of God or spirits of God sent to Earth with the seven manifestations, from Adam to the Báb and correspond this moment of passing the barrier just above the seventh Sephiroth known as veil, and its earthly counterpart of passing the veil by the high priest to the holiest on Resurrection Day to the historical events of Badasht, Tahiri's symbolic unveiling and manifestation of all—knowing name of God. The paper further tries to look at the concepts of veil and the reality concealed behind it mentioned in kabala of Judaism, bible and Islamic literature from another perspective by guidance of Bahá'í literature and history.
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