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The Reality of Illusion
by Velvel "Wally" Spiegler

One single, solitary man (representative of all people) is chained in a cave; unable to move; light enters from behind to cast shadows on the wall in front of him. Not aware of anything else but the shadows, he has been chained there so long that he actually believes these apparitions are reality. One day the man breaks loose from his shackles turns around and sees the light. This fantasy is a condensation from the Allegory of the Cave, a segment of Plato's celebrated dialogue, the Republic. It stood out as a beacon in a world coming to civilization. Is there a Jewish counterpart to this story? Of course, it's the Exodus from Egypt which depicts the story of one nation chained to slavery for so long that they can only see the shadows--their material needs, the foods they got to know in spite of the hardships of slavery. It took ten plagues to break the chains of bondage so the Israelites could finally see the light (the land of Cannan), after forty long years of wandering in the wilderness. These are both age-old stories of the distinction between reality and illusion.

The problem is that illusion is short-lived, anxiety and illness provoking while reality is permanent, eternal and health enhancing. Illusion can be very deceiving. We get confused about what is real and what isn't, like the guy in the cave, because we have become habituated to the outside world. Senses can be misleading and the mind can store misinformation so we become victims to illusion.
Twentieth century science could go down as the age of paradox; reality, as we have come to know it, is actually the illusion and what's real emanates from the infinite nothingness. Quantum physics bears out this notion. The material world, we know so well, is the illusion. Moses finds this out, all too well, when he's bombarded with the unfettered grumbling about how good it was in Egypt. The Israelite slaves, not unlike us today, were enchanted with the "good life". God's plan for the Children of Israel, as it is for us too, is to break loose from the captivity of society's values--consumerism, fierce competition, and celebrity worship--and seek reality in the spiritual worlds. "How is that possible?” you may ask. Not only is it possible, it is our destiny.
We're given a hint from the proverbial Tree of Life that stood in the Garden of Eden.  Trees are symbolic of man; a presence whose head reaches towards the sky with his feet firmly planted in the earth. Once in a while, I take note of myself. I walk, I talk, I breathe, but yet I know that someday I will cease to exist. So, who am I? Am I that person who not only lives in the present, but who will also vanish one day? If so, how can I be real, if realty is eternal? If I'm not, then the opposite--my spiritual nature, my invisible features--must be what is real.
So, as I go about my business each day, in the secular world, doing ordinary things, I remain alert and focused on what is eternal--the present moment. "A neat trick", you say. It's not a trick at all, but the result of contemplative practices, which I developed in the course of searching for my inner self. Let me give you an example. I do certain mitzvot in the course of a day. Before putting a morsel of food in my mouth I utter the appropriate blessing, most often silently. In that very moment, I am focusing my attention on God and acknowledging that I am in His presence. It only lasts for a moment, but it's enough. When you are together with the Eternal, the ultimate reality, several times a day, you ultimately see, over time, the invaluable difference it makes.

It's important to understand the difference and to know that illusion and reality are not necessarily black and white; there lies a spectrum between the visible world and the spiritual world. Jewish mysticism distinguishes between four worlds, an arbitrary number, when actually there may be an infinite number of realms-various shades of thoughts and emotions and spiritual states. We can get a sense of what's real and what's not by asking ourselves such questions as, what's more real, saturday or Shabbat?  Having a drink with some friends or making kiddush? Listening to popular music or classical music? What's real stands the test of time.

I'm not suggesting anyone follow my route. I think it's important, however, to understand that we could be fooled at any moment, much like the aging Isaac was fooled into believing that Jacob was actually Esau, unless you can trust beyond your senses. Yet, each of us, as unique individuals, needs to find his or her own route into the eternal, deep unconscious, into the unchanging reality, and into a life of health and happiness.