What Does It Mean to Be a Spiritual Master: Marc Gafni

posted by Marc Gafni’s assistant

Here we come to the essence of the whole Temple archetype. The priest’s most important job was to give blessings. The specific language employed by the sources to describe the priestly vocation is actually to “bless the people with love.” The priest was the model of the lover. He loved so much that he showered good will and blessings on the people.

Moses Isserles, one of the most important Hebrew Judicial authorities to emerge out of Europe in the last five hundred years, has a wonderful phrase which describes the priest and his blessings. He writes: “Tov Ayin Yevarech”: “The one of good eye gives blessing.” The one of good eye gives blessing — what a beautiful epigrammatic comment!

Its intent is clear from the context. The priest must be “of good eye” — i.e. he must see well — in order to bring love into the world. The secret is in the eyes. If there is something which blocks the loving perception of the priest, then he cannot give the blessing of love. If he is inordinately drunk, depressed, or too caught up in his own personal predicaments, blinded with preoccupations, then he cannot be a true channel for love.

If the priest is somehow de-eroticized, his perception is blurred and the love does not flow, for love is an erotic perception. But when the priest is fully perceiving — with good eyes open wide — then the brilliance of his act of blessing is as beautiful as a sky wrapped in rainbow or as the shimmering face of a prince.

What’s more, if one beholds this great and mighty act of the priest’s heightened perception during blessing and is not moved by it, then that person’s eyes will be dimmed as well. For to see love and not be moved means that you yourself are lacking the ever-precious perception needed to apprehend the glory that is placed before you. Only love can perceive love.

posted by Gafni assistant
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