The Covenant Of Revelation

Reprinted with permission of the Holy Beggars’ Gazette Vol 2 No 3

Not for commercial redistribution without consent
from the Estate of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

House of Love and Prayer, San Francisco CA, 5734
Rabbeinu speaking:

THE COVENANT OF REVELATION

  The Torah says vayera elav and G-d revealed Himself to him. Usually it says
G-d spoke to Abraham, G-d spoke to Moses. Here it says vayera,  He revealed. If I
meet a friend and I have to tell him something very important we are not real
true friends yet. If I just want to see you even if I really have nothing special to
tell you, I just love you and I want to see you. Before Abraham entered into the
covenant with G-d, G-d spoke to him when He had something to say. After the
covenant G-d said, “I really have nothing special to tell you, let’s just look at
each other. I want to reveal Myself to you,”

    This is very deep. Some people are in contact with G-d, but the only contact
is when they have something to tell G-d, or G-d has something to tell them. It is
a stock exchange that is going on. It’s the highest, holiest stock there is, but it is
still on the level of business. Being in the covenant with G-d means the
relationship with G-d has nothing to do with anything in the world. It doesn’t
depend on anything.

    Sometimes you meet little people who really know there is one G-d. They do
everything right and good and sweet, but their knowing of G-d is only that they
know exactly what G-d wants of them at four o’clock, at five o’clock at eleven o’clock.
They know everything exactly, but G-d never revealed Himself to them. They
may know G-d’s will, but not G-d. Wants are just a manifestation of self. There
is something bevond wanting. If your deepest depths which are beyond wanting
are a vessel for G-d, then G-d reveals Himself. if your relationship to G-d is
only to doing His will, whict is very holy, then G-d tells you His will. Being in
the covenant with G-d is beyond will, beyond wanting, beyond everything. If
you enter a covenant with G-d it means your entire being is turned to G-d and,
so to speak, G-d turns to you also.

    The Talmud says it was the third day after circumcision and Abraham, being
an old man already, was a little bit sick. it is really beautiful how the Midrash
says, “Why did G-d come to see him? G-d came to visit the sick.” How do
friends visit each other? How do people console each other? People came to visit
me when I was sick. They would say, “You think you have back trouble? I had
back trouble, and my aunt had back trouble, and you should have seen ...
This is not consolation. It is even worse if more people are sick. What kind of
consolation is that? G-od said to the prophet Isaiah nachamu, nachamu ami.  Console,
console my people. Could you please console my people with consolation? Do
not console my people with other tragedies. How does G-d come to console
people? He doesn’t tell them anything. When G-d visits Abraham to visit the
sick He doesn’t say anything. He just sits there, He reveals Himself to Abraham, I
am here.