Gershon Winkler sends word that Bob Levin has died peacefully at age 85. Bob lived in New Mexico for many years, and was a widely loved and influential elder in Jewish and Native communities. I met him on a journey to Israel which Gershon and family and friends organized six years ago. During my recent year in New Mexico it was a great pleasure to visit his home for lively shabbat afternoons as well as a few personal meetings for his sharp advice and big smile.
Gershon sends this old story:
From the second-century Rabbi Tanchuma:
(Midrash Tanchuma, Pi’koo’day):
When a soul is about to leave the heavens to come into this world she protests, saying: “I love it here. Why remove me from this wonderful world!” Against her will, the angel Ly’lay is assigned to usher her nevertheless from the heavenly world into the Womb World, where she protests once more about the darkness after having basked for so long in the Light. And as time goes by, she begins to experience the bliss of the womb, the comfort, the tranquility, the peacefulness, the effortless nurturance she enjoys through the umbilical cord. The same angel. Ly’lah then returns after nine moons and beckons to her once again. She protests, saying: “I love it here. Why remove me from this wonderful world!” Ly’lah gently guides her against her will out of the womb world into this world, she protesting throughout the process, screaming, crying, not wanting to go. But then, as time goes on, she begins to experience the bliss of this world, its variety of beauty, color, fragrance, sensualness, joy, even amid the periodic sorrows; life here becomes precious and she clings to it with everything shes got. After many years, Ly’lah returns again to usher her out of this world back to the heavenly world. And again, the soul protests, saying: “I love it here. Why remove me from this wonderful world!” This time, Ly’lah responds and whispers gently to her, saying: “Do you not remember how you felt in each world that it was the ultimate, and you protested each transition, and yet as you came to every subsequent world you found it more enticing and pleasurable than the one before? Try to remember those past transitions and see this one, too, as a journey toward an even better place.” At that moment, the soul is consoled and breathes a sigh of relief, a final sigh, a final breath, through which she glides peacefully, happily, toward the next world.
