Metaphysical meaning of Levi (mbd)
Levi, le'-vi (Heb.)-joining; clinging; wreathing; entwining; infolding; uniting; loving.
Third son of Jacob by Leah. "And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi" (Gen. 29:34).
Jacob's blessing of his son Levi is given jointly with that of Simeon (Gen. 49:5-7):"Simeon and Levi are brethren;Weapons of violence are their swords.O my soul, come not thou into their council;Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united;For in their anger they slew a man, nd in their self-will they hocked an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;And their wrath, for it was cruel:I will divide them in Jacob,And scatter them in Israel.
Moses' blessing on the tribe of Levi was (Deut. 33:8-11): "And of Levi he said Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy godly one [him whom thou lovest, margin],Whom thou didst prove at Massah,With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have not seen him;Neither did he acknowledge his brethren,Nor knew he his own children:For they have observed thy word,And keep thy covenant.They shall teach Jacob thine ordinances,And Israel thy law:They shall put incense before thee,And whole burnt-offering upon thine altar.Bless, Jehovah, his substance,And accept the work of his hands:Smite through the loins of them that rise up against him,And of them that hate him, that they rise not again."
Meta. The faculty of love in human consciousness. Love is the uniting, joining force of Divine Mind. When Leah (human soul) brought forth Levi, she said: "Now this time will my husband be joined unto me." We connect our forces with whatever we center our love on. If we love the things of sense, they become part of us and we lose the ability to enter into the realms of Spirit mind. This is why the Lord commanded Moses not to make any graven image of Him. Graven images are made by mental pictures. The thought that God is a great king in a place called heaven makes just such a mental image in one's thought realms, and one grows to believe in and worship such an imaginary being instead of the true God, who is Spirit.
Jacob's blessing on Levi, which seems more of a curse than a blessing, reveals how the strong emotions and feelings of man, before coming under the dominion of divine love, are often exercised in very adverse and destructive ways. Levi, meaning joining or uniting, signifies, in the body, feeling; in the soul, sympathy; in the spirit, love. Therefore when love is expressed through the body as feeling, apart from love's dominion, violence may result instead of kindness and unselfishness and an irresistible power for good.
Moses' blessing on the tribe of Levi reveals a great unfoldment and lifting up of the love faculty in consciousness. In this stage, however, it is still of the intellect and its true spiritual quality has not yet been realized, although a degree of perception of its perfection has been attained.
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Preceding Entry: Leummim
Following Entry: Levites
