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I have a question re meditation and this coming Shabbat's parasha Re'eh.
''These are the animals which you may eat... (Re'eh: Deut. 14:4)
The birds and many of the mammals forbidden by the Torah are predators, while the permitted animals are not. We are commanded not to eat those animals possessive of a cruel nature, so that we should not absorb these qualities into ourselves.
(Nachmanides)
The great Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria, taught that every created thing possesses a "spark" of divine energy that constitutes its essence and soul. When a person utilizes something toward a Godly end, he brings to light this divine spark, manifesting and realizing the purpose for which it was created.
In all physical substances, a material "husk" (kelipah) encases and conceals the divine spark at its core, necessitating great effort on the part of man to access the spark without becoming enmeshed in the surface materiality.
No existence is devoid of a divine spark -- indeed, nothing can exist without the pinpoint of Godliness that imbues it with being and purpose. But not every spark can be actualized. There are certain "impregnable" elements whose sparks are inaccessible to us. The fact that something is forbidden by the Torah means that its "husk" cannot be penetrated, so that its spark remains locked within it and cannot be elevated.
Thus, one who eats a piece of kosher meat and then uses the energy gained from it to perform a mitzvah, thereby elevates the spark of divinity that is the essence of the meat, freeing it of its mundane incarnation and raising it to a state of fulfilled spirituality. However, if one would do the same with a piece of non-kosher meat, no such "elevation" would take place. Even if he applied the energy to positive and Godly ends, this would not constitute a realization of the divine purpose in the meat's creation, since the consumption of the meat was an express violation of the divine will.
This is the deeper significance of the Hebrew terms assur and mutar employed by Torah law for the forbidden and the permissible. Assur, commonly translated as "forbidden," literally means "bound," implying that these are things whose sparks the Torah has deemed bound and imprisoned in a shell of negativity and proscription. Mutar ("permitted"), which literally means "unbound," is the term for those sparks which the Torah has empowered us to extricate from their mundane embodiment and actively involve in our positive endeavors.
The "bound" elements of creation also have a role in the realization of the divine purpose outlined by the Torah. But theirs is a "negative" role -- they exist so that we should achieve a conquest of self by resisting them. There is no Torah-authorized way in which they can actively be involved in our development of creation, no way in which they may themselves become part of the "dwelling for God" that we are charged to make of our world. Of these elements it is said, "Their breaking is their rectification." They exist to be rejected and defeated, and it is in their defeat and exclusion from our lives that their raison d'etre is realized.
(The Chassidic Masters)
These are the [land] animals which you shall eat... These you may eat from all that are in the waters... All pure (i.e. kosher) birds may be eaten... (14:4, 9, 11)
Land animals, which were created from the soil, are rendered fit to eat by the severing of both vital passages (the windpipe and the gullet). Fish, which were created from the water, do not require any shechitah to render them fit to eat. Birds, which were created from a mixture of soil and water, are rendered fit to eat with the severing of either one of the two vital passages.
(Talmud Bavli Tractate Chulin 27b)
And the swine, though he be cloven footed, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you (14:8)
Just as the swine when reclining puts forth its hooves as if to say, "See that I am kosher," so too does the empire of Rome boast as it commits violence and robbery, under the guise of establishing a judicial tribunal. This may be compared to a governor who put to death the thieves, adulterers, and sorcerers. He leaned over to a counselor and said: "I myself did these three things in one night."
(Midrash Rabbah)
These shall you eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales you may eat (14:9)
All fish that have scales also have fins (and are thus kosher). But there are fish that have fins but do not have scales, and are thus impure. If so, the Torah could have written only "scales," without having to also write "fins"? ... Said Rabbi Abahu, and so it was learned in the study house of Rabbi Yishmael: This is so that "Torah be increased and made great" (Isaiah 42:21).
(Talmud Bavli Tractate Talmud Niddah 51b)
What is the deeper significance of this law?
The student of Torah is comparable to a fish in water, as in Rabbi Akiva's famous parable . His fins are the means by which he moves forward through the water--the intellect and study skills with which he advances in wisdom and increases the Torah and makes it great with his own contributions (chiddushim) to Torah learning. His scales are his protective armor against predators and adverse elements--his fear of Heaven, which shields his learning from error and distortion.
One might think that the primary requirement for success in Torah is the "fins," while the "scales" serve a secondary function. It is the fins that move the fish forward, while the scales merely preserve what is. After all, learning is an intellectual exercise; piety and fear of God are lofty virtues, but are they of any use in navigating the complexities of a difficult Tosafot?
In truth, however, the very opposite is the case. A scholar with fins but no scales is a non-kosher fish. He might swim and frolic with his talent and genius, but his learning is corrupt; it is not Torah, but his egoistic arrogation of the divine wisdom. On the other hand, the Talmud tells us that while there are fish with fins and no scales, all fish with scales have fins (and are thus kosher). If a person approaches Torah with an awe of its divine author and the commitment to serve Him, he will certainly succeed. Regardless of the degree of his intellectual prowess, he will find the fins with which to advance in his learning and contribute to the growth of Torah.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
And these are [the birds] which you may not eat: The eagle, the ossifrage, the osprey. And the white vulture, and the black vulture, and the kite after its species. And every raven after its species. And the ostrich, and the owl, and the gull, and the hawk after its species. The falcon, and the ibis, and the bat. And the pelican, and the magpie, and the cormorant. And the stork, and the heron and its species, and the hoopoe, and the atalef... (14:12-19)
In Hebrew, the 21 non-kosher species of bird are: nesher, peres, ozniyah, raah, ayah, dayah, oreiv, bat yaanah, tachmas, shachaf, netz, kos, yanshuf, tinshemet, kaat, racham, shalach, chassidah, anafah, duchifat, atalef.
The commentaries differ as to the identity of many of these species, so that the above translation reflects but one of many interpretations. Other interpretations include the following species in the list (while eliminating others): griffin vulture, albatross, woodpecker, swan, goshawk, long-eared owl, and/or capercaillie.
The Talmud offers a number of identifying markers that are common to kosher fowl, including the fact that they are not predators. In practice, Torah law rules that due to the many uncertainties as to the precise identity of the non-kosher birds listed by the Torah, only birds with a tradition of kashrut should be eaten.
One of the non-kosher birds on the Torah's list is the chassidah (stork). Chassidah -- which is the feminine form of the word "chassid" -- means "benevolent one"; the Talmud explains that this bird is called chassidah "because she is benevolent toward her compatriots." Why then, asked the Rebbe of Kotzk, is she a non-kosher bird? Because, explained the Chassidic master, "she is benevolent toward her compatriots." One must be benevolent also, and especially, to the "other" -- benevolence directed only towards one's peers is the mark of a non-kosher chassid.''
These are the spiritual aspects of Kosher. If we avoid pig, because we do not want to be two faced, saying one thing, while behaving another way; if we avoid swordfish because we do not want to be cruel; if while eating chicken or duck, we remember the lesson about the chassidah, and become open and loving, to those not just in our in-group, and in our immediate circle or friends, or in our shuls, but equally to those outside them, then the lessons of kosher, from a Jewish Spiritual Renewal or Jewish Renewal point of view, become valid for us.
But eating Kosher ,as we have learned ,will NOT rid us of the character defects of being two faced, cruel, or cliquish. This will only come once we accept that God is Odon Olam, and He is running the universe, not us.
This ridding of defects will only come when we do our chesbon ha nefesh, our accounting of our souls, and find our character defects.
This ridding of defects only comes when we do vidui (confession).
This ridding of defects only comes when we find those defects to be objectionable to us.
This ridding of defects only comes when we do a real Tashlik and ask God to take our defects from us.
And this ridding ourselves of our defects of character will come after we do all of these acts, and then do teshuvah [amends] to those we have harmed with our defects.
And as we are learning now, we most keep this up with daily prayer, meditation, a daily chesbon, daily vidui and teshuva if we erred, and learning how to do derek eretz, walking consciously every minute of our day with God.
Great question!!!
Shalom,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA,USA
via Shamash Org on-line class
Hilton Head Island, SC
Bluffton,SC
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Shalom Talmudim v' Chaverim:In our last class we discussed learning how to pray, spiritually.Prayer is speaking to God.Today we will learn a bit how to meditate.Meditation is learning to listen to God.These are all steps in Jewish Renewal and Jewish Spiritual Renewal, which is the aim of this class.Meditation as you will read is a 100% Jewish practice. We tend to think of meditation as belonging to Eastern religions in Asia. Remember that Judaism is an Eastern religion with its roots in Asia. The Talmud which developed Judaism out of the ashes of the first Temple in 586 B.C.E. took place in what is now Iraq and Persia. Jews have been living in India since then and still remain.Learning to Meditate (Ha Amokat Ha Daat)Explaining Prophet, Nevi, Means Open
Explaining Mitzraim, Egypt, Bondage, Means Narrow, Closed
When We Are Free Of Ego, Resentment, Selfishness, We Are Open To Hear God.
Instructions On How To Meditate
In the last class you learned how to pray and how to set aside time every day for prayers. You learned self-judging prayers to help you improve yourself and grow spiritually, blessings to thank God for all of His gifts and prayers of petition asking God to grant us good health and the wisdom to do His will, to love and be of service to others. You also learned that it is necessary to bless God throughout the day for His bountiful gifts, and to develop an attitude of gratitude. Your prayers are the start of your personal relationship with God as your trusted Supreme Parent.
Equally important as prayer is meditation. If prayer is talking to God, meditation is listening to God.
Yankele was watching his father, a Rabbi, write one of his shabbat speeches.
"How do you know what to say, Daddy?" Yankele asked.
"Why, son, God tells me", said the Rabbi.
"Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?"
God is always talking to us. He is always giving us Good Orderly Direction. Indeed, the Torah and wisdom in the Talmud and our other sacred texts are this Good Orderly Direction put to writing.
So few of us listen, though. We go about our business living a life without God, or worse, thinking that we are doing God's will when we are doing the opposite, and we don't even realize it.
A life of peace, joy and bliss is the natural state that God created for us. We are the ones who have undermined the natural state. Using a biblical analogy, it was human character defects that got us tossed out of the Garden of Eden, a perfect paradise. It is the ego careening out of control that sabotages our natural state of peace, joy and bliss. Left to its own devices, the ego is a powerful force driving us to prove that we are right—an action that time and time again creates stress and conflict.
What is the natural state of the mind? For most people, it is to let the mind wander, always darting from one thought to the next. The mind oscillates between thoughts of the past and thoughts of the future, bringing on stress caused by regrets about the past or anxiety about the future. When you stand with one foot on tomorrow's worries and the other on yesterday's regrets, you are straddling today and wasting a precious gift. You want to stand with both feet firmly planted on today.
We are all born in a blissful state, but most of us lose it as we grow due to various external factors that condition the mind and disrupt our true nature. A state of bliss is everybody's true nature and it is our birthright to enjoy each and every moment to its fullest. We possess an unconscious yearning to connect with the source of bliss that is the Divine spark in each of us. Layers of mental patterns and emotional disturbances act as barriers when we try to reach this ocean of bliss and peace.
Meditation is the phase of your Jewish Spiritual Renewal in which you will remove the barriers. Psychiatrists and neurologists have proven that our natural state is to be happy. Our selfish will puts us in conflict with the natural state in which we were created. Meditation is the means to block out instructions from the ego and the selfish will in order to hear Guidance.
When you are extracted from your natural state, the culprit is your selfish will. Do not be fooled by anyone who tells you that society or modern day life is at fault. This is nothing but an excuse meant to absolve one's self of life's responsibilities. While it may be true that the modern world offers many more distractions from the Divine spark than in older times, you possess the same power to overcome them as somebody who lived thousands of years ago. The cause is, always has been and always will be the same; a life that is not spiritually centered.
We often ignore the signs our bodies send us, suppressing our basic need for rest and daily spiritual renewal. We ignore Shabbat, God's wonderful gift to us. We do not sleep enough. We do not take time to breath correctly. We overwork and overeat. We teach our bodies to forget their natural state of harmony and blissfulness, and this keeps us in a state of stress. Research has shown a correlation between obesity and under-sleeping. When the body does not get its required rest it produces "tiredness chemicals" that the body confuses with "hunger chemicals." In an overly tired state, you might eat something to energize yourself, but food is not a substitute for the sort of energy that you get from proper rest. So when your body does not respond to the food, it thinks that it needs more food, putting you in a vicious circle that can lead to obesity and related diseases like diabetes and coronary heart illnesses.
The Zohar (The Book of Radiance of the Kabbalah) teaches that the source of all of our stress is resistance. Resistance is judgment, while relaxation is acceptance and knowing God's unconditional love. The sages teach that, "Love and stress increases where judgment and resistance decreases".
Forgiving, as you learned in an earlier chapter, is letting go of judgments and expectations. Expectations are just resentments waiting to develop. All of these character defects lead us not only to ill behavior towards others, they make us physically ill as well!
Remember, before you took the time to identify your character defects, sins and grudges while doing your Chesbon Ha Nafesh, you were living in the grips of your ego. You were, in essence, your own jailor. You were living a very narrow life, called Mitzraim, which is the Hebrew word for Egypt. That way of life was a self-imposed slavery and because it was so narrow your channel to God was constricted. You could not hear Him because He was drowned out by your own voice screaming in your ears about your fears and resentments. You were guided by your yetzer ha ra.
Remember also the folly of trying to control situations and other people. It is a delusion because control is never really in your hands. It is in God's hands and you have learned to hand over the controls to Him as He is omnipotent. Jacob arrives at this conclusion in Genesis 32: 24-29. He had accumulated material wealth through his twenty years laboring for Laban, yet not a shekel of it was of any use as he wrestled with the unknown. He stood alone, naked in front of God, as we all are, but Jacob left that confrontation, with a new name, Israel (God wrestler), a blessing and a limp.
Ask anyone who has survived a severe illness and they will tell you it can be life changing. Our holiday Sukkoth is all about giving up the material and learning to depend on nothing but God. The Talmud discusses free will and the sages decide that God knows all, even as we exercise our will.
In accepting your powerlessness, you actually become more powerful as you no longer waste time with anger, jealousy, ego, low self esteem or trying to please others. Instead, you use your power to love and give altruistically and you'll find that you don't tire as easily because you're using less energy while going with the flow.
There was once a rabbi who lived in a shetel, a little village in Russia. He had been the village's rabbi for 30 years. He lived on one side of the village square and the synagogue was located on the other.
This village was run by Cossacks so, of course, the police chief was a Cossack. Most of the time they got along okay, the rabbi and the Cossacks, but there were flare ups from time to time.
Every morning the rabbi would cross the village square to lead morning prayers at the synagogue. As he crossed the square one particular morning he encountered the police chief. "Good morning Rabbi," said the chief. "Where are you off to?" as if he did not know.
"I don't know," the rabbi answered.
Angered by what he perceived to be disrespect, the Cossack police chief grabbed the rabbi by the coat and dragged him off to jail.
As the cell door slammed shut, the rabbi said, "See. You never know."
You never know what the next moment will bring. But you must have belief, faith, trust, and experience with God to know that wherever He takes you, it is always for the good, even if you do not understand it at the time. King David called life's trials and tribulations "afflictions of love."
"If a person sees that he is suffering, he should examine his conduct.... If he has examined his actions and found no wrongdoing, he should attribute the suffering to bitul Torah (neglecting Torah study). As it says, "Fortunate is the person whom You, God, afflict; You teach him from Your Torah." (Ps. 94:12). "And if he finds that he is not guilty of neglecting Torah study, then these afflictions must be 'Afflictions of Love.'"(Yesorin shel Ahava). As it says in Talmud Bavli Tractate Beracoth 5a, "God rebukes those whom He loves." (Prov. 3:12).
Your faith in God led you to do the Chesbon ha Nefesh Gadol honestly and you were not afraid to be naked before God. You learned to find your character defects abhorrent and you did Tashlich to cast them into open waters, asking God to take them away. A weight was lifted from your shoulders and you were cleansed and purified. You now monitor your life on a daily basis with a Chesbon ha Nefesh Katan and you have made amends with the people harmed by your character defects through selicah and teshuvah. You have done your teshuvah to a forgiving God, and you have learned to pray to God.
A rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, "So, you tell me that your mother says your prayers for you each night. That's very commendable. What does she actually say?"
The little boy replied, "Thank God he's in bed!"
Your channel to God is now open. The Hebrew word for open is Nevi, which is derived from the word for Prophet. The Hebrew word for Prophets is Nevi'im, one of three sections of the TaNaK. The blockage is gone and as you continue through your life you will work to prevent new defects or resentments from causing new blockages. You now ask God each day to keep you from ego, resentments, selfishness and dishonesty.
Now you are prepared to meditate and hear God's Guidance.
''Your mind is a fertile field, but first its soil must be softened and furrowed. Open it to the wisdom that rains down from the heavens, let the dew of Torah sink into your soul, the seeds laid by tzaddikim enter your heart. Learn to lie still as they awaken and take root. Quietly await the spring. In the place of thorns and a tangle of weeds will grow a bountiful garden. Where once wild and brazen delusions sprang forth, a tightly focused beam of light will shine,'' says Rabbi Freeman.
The Talmud Bavli in Tractate Shabbat 10a tells us that one of God's names is Shalom (peace), but to Jews Shalom has a deeper meaning than does the English word "peace." In English, peace means the absence of conflict. In Hebrew that is but one attribute of peace. Peace, or shalom, comes from the root word, Shlema, which means wholeness.
Wholeness means integration. Our minds, souls, limbs and bodies all work in synch with one another. We cannot teach Torah class, for example, while holding a grudge against someone.
Meditation's goal is to hear God's guidance for achieving this integration, or Shalom. When you become integrated and are at one with Shalom, you will be at one with God.
One Friday night I was in the shul and the Rabbi was giving his usual sermon. At the end of his speech, he told the congregation, "Before we continue, I would like to inform you that our shul has decided to collect goods for the most needy people in our area. It's for a good cause and we need your help. Please bring us this Sunday anything you have lying around your house that you can spare or have no great need for. For example, I'm sure that you can all think of something of which you have an excess."
Behind me I heard the voice of an old lady saying to her neighbor seated next to her, "Yes…tsouris." ( A word referring to all problems, trouble, grief, aggravation and heartache).
When we are confused we live the mantra of ''don't just sit there, do something!'' When we are in true shalom, we live the words of King David, from Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God." By being still, we learn to hear, shema, what God is telling us to do.
How do you know if what you hear comes from God and not your own ego? There is a simple four way test that has been used for millennia. Check your Guidance. Is it based in Love, Honesty, Altruism and Purity? If not, you are talking to yourself. God wouldn't tell you to start the Crusades, but Pope Urban II, by saying "Deus Vult" (God wills it) started hundreds of years of death and destruction.
So to hear God, you have to learn to "unbusy" yourself. Sight is the dominant sense to the rest of the world, but for Jews seeing is not necessarily believing. We are taught Shema…listening. At Sinai we said, "Na'ashe v'ni'shmah - we will do and we will hear (Deut. 5:24). To be spiritual, you need to shut out the noise in your mind and in your heart. All that you have learned to this point will help you do this.
When learning to meditate you must first learn how to breathe. This may sound strange at first because breathing is something you do automatically without thinking about it. Hey, look at that! You're doing it now! When you meditate, though, you concentrate on your breathing.
Take a breath through your nose and hold it for a count of ten. Then let it out slowly through your mouth for another count of ten. Repeat this until you to hear nothing in your head but your breathing. ''Make friends with your breath, make friends with your body. Little by little by little, make friends with what's arising. Keep the awareness intense and a little more intense. And pretty soon, by familiarity, fear retreats'', says Norman Fischer.
Practice this twice a day to get yourself breathing correctly for meditation and learn to clear your mind. Do this for a week or two. Do not give up. Everything takes practice. "The ear is given only what it is capable of hearing."(Avot of Rabbi Nathan A2). When God is ready for you to hear, you will begin to hear.
Follow your breath as it comes in through your nostrils. Hear it as it passes the throat and into your lungs, filling them with life that God has given you. Hear the breath go into your tummy. When the count of ten has passed, hear the air in the reverse process: tummy, lungs, throat and out of your mouth. Each breath is cleansing.
Meditation does take discipline and dedication but so does every other task you have undertaken so far for Jewish Spiritual Renewal. Pray to God for patience.
Jewish meditation is not a "new age'' gimmick. It is part of Judaism. There is evidence that Judaism has had meditative practices from the earliest times. For instance, in the Torah, the patriarch Isaac is described as going "lasuach" in the field - a term understood by all commentators as some type of meditative practice (Genesis 24:63). Similarly, there are indications throughout the TaNaK that Judaism always contained a central meditative tradition.
Famous rabbis through out the Middle Ages all had their own meditation practices and books have been written about their techniques. Some of these are Abraham Abulafia, Isaac the Blind, Azriel of Gerona, Abraham ben Maimonides, Moses Cordovero, Yosef Karo, Isaac Luria and Nachman of Breslov.
Hisbonenut is a common Hebrew term for meditation. The ancient sages said your ''soul will become like a chariot.'' The spirit of God spoke to me, and His word was on my lips." (Samuel II 23:2). Hisbonenut is our ability to analyze Guidance in depth. To let the mind be still and concentrate without effort is meditation. In Hebrew this is Ha Amokat Ha Daat, which literally means the delving of the concentration.
As you practice breathing, be still. If distracting thoughts come to mind, gently ask them to be quiet and continue.
Issy and Rabbi Samuel were sitting next to each other on a train one night. Issy was returning home after another wild party in the city and Rabbi Samuel was going to the Yeshiva to study. They often saw each other on the train and, not for the first time, Issy smelled of beer, his shirt was stained, and his face was covered in lipstick.
Issy unfolded his Jewish News and began to read. After a few minutes, he turned to the Rabbi and asked, "What causes arthritis, Rabbi?"
Rabbi Samuel replied, "It's caused by loose living, being with cheap, uninhibited women, drinking too much alcohol and contempt for your fellow man."
"Really?" replied Issy, "It says here in my paper that the well known Rabbi Jacobs has a very bad case of arthritis."
Once you are comfortable with your breathing and stillness, you will add what the Eastern religions call a mantra. For our discussion, we'll start with one from Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot 1:2). You can pick you own of course as time goes on, or have different ones for different times and seasons of your life. For now, concentrate on this: "The world rests upon three fundamental pillars, Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chassadim, or Acquiring wisdom, the service of the heart and deeds of loving kindness." Just say the words, "Torah, Avodah, Chesed" over and over, either out loud or silently. Don't just say the words, though, concentrate on them.
Torah as we learned is more than just the Five Books of Moses. It is our great wealth of knowledge. God being omniscient, Who knows all, will always give you the best Guidance. "The beginning of wisdom comes from the love and awe of God" (Psalm 111:10).
Avodah literally means work or service. It originally referred to Temple service, the animal and grain sacrifices, but our Talmudic Rabbis said that the ''service of the heart'' replaces the Temple service. And what is the service of the heart? Prayer. (Talmud Bavli Tractate Ta'anit 2a).
Gemilut Chassadim are deeds of loving kindness. We will use the word Chesed, kindness, in our mantra. This short word encompasses the edict of loving your fellow as yourself, which as both Rabbis Hillel and Akiva taught is the sum of Torah, including Talmud et al.
For one week, practice this breathing technique and repeat the three-word mantra twice a day following your prayer sessions as learned in the preceding chapter.
Now you are ready to ask God a simple question. "Dear God, what is your will for me today?" Have some paper and a pencil or pen handy. Keep this question in your mind as you breathe and recite the mantra. When an answer comes to you, write down exactly what you hear. Then apply the four way test.
As you master this question, you will be able to ask God more vexing questions in your life. In the beginning, it is a good idea to run these by your rabbi to make sure you have heard Guidance and not your ego. If you do not have a spiritual rabbi, I will be happy to assist you.
Avrahom is a 12 year old known for his total lack of religious study, so when his bar mitzvah day arrives Rabbi Bloom is not about to let this go without comment.
Avrahom performs his bar mitzvah as best he can with his minimal preparation and when it comes time to receive his presents, Avrahom gets what most bar mitzvah boys are given, a daily prayer book, a set of Jewish Festivals prayer books, a kiddush cup from the congregation's ladies guild, an encyclopedia; The History of the Jewish People from Bible Times to the Present and a TaNaK.
Rabbi Bloom then addresses the bar mitzvah boy, "My dear Avrahom. You have received today a number of treasures of Judaism in book form that will surely enrich your life and make it holy in the eyes of God. I also have a gift for you."
With that, Rabbi Bloom pulls out an umbrella from behind the lectern and says to Avrahom, "I present you with this umbrella because I want to give you something that at least I know for certain you will open."
As already mentioned, meditation's goal is to have you obtain a closeness with God and a personal relationship with Him. You want to be able to access His Guidance and wisdom. You want His help to become integrated, shlema, and live a life of Shalom and serenity. Knowing that God is in charge means that bad things may still happen, but you will not be shaken.
When praying and speaking to God, and when meditating and listening to God, our very words are ruach ha kodesh, the holy spirit of God. This comes from the spark of God that lives inside each of us. The more you practice prayer and meditation, the larger that spark becomes until it is a flame of God's love, kindness, mercy, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and strength inside of you. As soon as you make prayer and meditation regular practices, you will receive Guidance from God. You will find the right way to meditate and speak to God by being honest with Him and by keeping your prayers fresh with kavenah, spiritual intention.
The goal of spirituality is to rid yourself of all fears, worries, jealousy and resentments; to learn to meet detractors, and even hate, with love. When living spiritually, you will not be afraid of earthly powers. Nothing will frighten you. God is the only one before whom you will stand with awe, love and reverence.
With spirituality you attain genuine humility. You learn to place your soul into prayers and into all that you do. Self and ego will be negated, and you will be able to live without any thought of personal gain. You can do your best, trusting God, without being attached to outcomes. You will no longer see your fellows as competitors, even if they do.
Pirkei Avot 6:1 says this about Guidance from God: "Rabbi Meir would say, 'Whoever studies Torah for Torah's sake alone, merits many things; not only that, but the creation of the entire world is worthwhile for him alone. He is called friend, beloved, lover of God, lover of humanity, rejoicer of God, rejoicer of humanity. The Torah clothes him with humility and awe; makes him fit to be righteous, a chassid, correct and faithful; distances him from sin and brings him close to merit. From him, people enjoy counsel and wisdom, understanding and power, as is stated, `Mine are counsel and wisdom, I am understanding, mine is power. The Torah grants him sovereignty, dominion, and jurisprudence. The Torah's secrets are revealed to him, and he becomes as an ever-increasing wellspring and as an unceasing river. He becomes modest, patient and forgiving of insults. The Torah uplifts him and makes him greater than all creations.'"
When meditating (this will take some time), you will feel your sense of self and body disappear, as if you are floating in God's all-capable loving Hands. Then you will have very clear Guidance from God and will discover the His instruction, Torah. This can be achieved through meditation and it is a joyous experience. This joy is nothing like the happiness you have experienced before. You will become spiritually awakened and at one with God and His universe.
Rabbi Gold was conducting his very first service at one of New York's oldest shuls. All was going well up until the 'Shema' prayer when only half the congregation stood.
The seated commanded the standing to sit down while the standing ordered the seated to stand up. Rabbi Gold, though knowledgeable about much of the law, did not know what to do. It must be something to do with the shul's tradition, he thought.
After the service, Rabbi Gold consulted Abe, the shul's oldest member. "I need to know, Abe, what the shul's tradition is with regard to the Shema prayer. Is the tradition to stand during this prayer?"
Abe replied, "No, that is not the tradition."
"So the tradition is to sit during Shema?" said Rabbi Bloom.
"No, that is not the tradition."
"But," said Rabbi Bloom, "my congregation argues all the time. They yell at each other about whether they should sit or stand and I don't know what to do."
"Aha. THAT is the tradition!"
In the next class you will learn to develop a conscious contact with God throughout each moment of your day.
As always, a d'var Torah is below.
Shalom,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
via Shamash Org, on-line class service
Hilton Head Island, SC
Bluffton, SC
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:CHUMASH CANDESCENCE: PARASHA RE'EH: DEUTERONOMY 11:26-16:17
CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
PARASHA RE'EH
DEUTERONOMY 11:26-16:17
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
"See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me"
("Tommy", The Who)
SYNOPTIC ABSTRACT:
Our portion this week has Moses promising Israel both blessings and
curses. The sanctity of the Land is reiterated. Rules of eating are given
which allow the people to eat meat even if it is not part of the
sacrifice. Rules against false prophets and one who entices others to go
astray are given. Commandments about "kosher" foods, tithes, loans,
charity, slaves, and the pilgrimage festivals are listed. To learn
further insight into some of these topics and to find some ways you can
put your learning into action we invite you to read on Please note the
"call for volunteers" at the bottom of this d'var Torah.
Our parasha is called "Re'eh." It is the command word "see" in the
singular. Two Shabbats ago, the people were commanded to "hear" (shema).
What is the difference between the way we learn with our eyes and the way
we learn with our ears? The sages say in Talmud Tractate Rosh Ha Shana
that "hearing is not comparable to seeing."
Why does the Torah sometimes command us to "look" and other times to
"listen"? What does Rabbi Israel Salanter, founder of the musar (ethics)
movement of Judaism means when he writes, "the distance between the mind
and the heart is greater than the distance between the sun and the
earth"? Which affects us more, an event that we heard about or an event
that we witnessed? When we learn something in our minds, it is useless to
us until we can move it into our hearts and act on it.
Reform Judaism places a high premium on individual choice and action.
Vision and seeing are unique senses. Our eyes are windows to our soul.
Reform Judaism came out of the Enlightenment in Europe. Developing our
own personal philosophy, our own "outlook", is called "hashkofa" in
Hebrew. It is derived from the root word "to look." Each of us has to
"see" as individuals. No one can do this for us. To see clearly, our eyes
must remain open. We cannot be spoon fed "does and don'ts". We have to
use our eyes to read and to study, so that we can see for ourselves. The
last thing modern Judaism needs is a modern halakah turning us into a
"reformadoxy."
We say the "Shema" in every prayer service we attend. But as we read in
my d'var on parasha Vaetchanan, few of us act as though those words have
made it into our hearts. There is a Talmudic adage that says that a wise
man is one who can foresee the outcome of actions. The parasha this
week is asking each of us individually to "see" what a different place
this world would be if we follow its teachings.
The Torah this week teaches us about "giving." Deuteronomy 15:7-19 says
"if there shall be an impoverished person from among you or any of your
brethren in your cities...you shall not harden your heart nor close your
hand...rather you should surely give to him and you shall not harden your
heart when you give to him." Why does the Torah repeat the phrase
"to him"? There are two parts of tzadakah, the recipient and the patron.
Many times these two feel detached from one another, especially when we
follow the Rambam's (Maimonides) view that it is best to give anonymously
to an unknown recipient. Besides giving, the Torah is also asking us to
identify with the needy. They are only the flip-side of the giver's
situation. At any moment, the giver could come into circumstances that
make him a recipient.
The Torah also this week warns against idol-worship (Deut. 12:29-31). The
Ramban (Nachmonides) says that this passage is not really referring to
idol-worship, but is really talking about using the methods used in idol
worship to serve God. Talmud Tractate Ketubot 68A says that "anyone who
looks away from giving charity, is as if he served idols." The sages
also say in Tractate Sotah 4B that anyone who is haughty is an idol-
worshipper.
We learned last week about haughtiness. A haughty person is one who
thinks all of his blessings came from his own hand and not from God. One
who does not give charity believes he has earned his own money, and
therefore can keep all of it. He does not believe that all that he has is
really a loan from God, and can be taken at any moment. He does not have
faith in God to part with some of his wealth, as he secretly fears he may
not be able to have his success continue. Tractate Ketubot 66B says that
giving to others is the way to guarantee that you will have a plentiful
amount. It says that the "salt" for money, meaning its preservation, is
to make sure some of it is missing, by giving to charity.
If we look at the first sentence of our parasha (Deut. 11:26), we see
that while the word "see" is in the singular, the word "before you"
(lifneichem) is plural. In Talmud Tractate Kedoshim 40A, the rabbis say
that a person should see the world as if it is half good and half bad.
He should see the world as half meritorious and half lacking. He should
see that he as individual can make the difference by doing tzadakah and
tilting the entire world toward good and merit with his actions.
When Moses says that he presents us with a blessing and a curse, it is our
choice to choose. We can make our world into a blessing or a curse. God
does not do it for us. We have free will. We are not just to hear this
and to know it intellectually. We are to see it and know it in our hearts
and to act upon it. We are all interconnected. We are all responsible for
our own actions, and our actions do have consequences for those around
us.
We are being taught in this first verse, as we discussed in last week's
d'var Torah, that doing good is its own reward. As Rabbi Samson Raphael
Hirsh explains, every time we do a mitzvah our entire being takes a step
forward, and we bless ourselves whenever we do a good deed. Deuteronomy
15:10 says that after you give charity "do not let your heart sink." This
is a very human thing...giver's remorse. Rashi says we should therefore
give "100 times" to make a habit of it.
The Rambam says that, even though
one tremendous selfless act can have a great impact on a person, even a
100 smaller deeds will have a large influence. Rabbi Kagen, the Chofetz
Chaim, says that it is better to give 100 individual dollars to 100 poor
people than all to one person. This way, one learns to fight his miserly
inclination 100 times, and it will be easier in the future to give. He
says it is not enough just to write a large check to the "Federation" or
a "building fund." This may be tithing, but it is not tzadakah or ahavath
chesed, which are different mitzvoth. Tithing is "checkbook Judaism." It
is not a substitute for acts of loving kindness. It does not bring you
closer to spirituality or to your fellow man.
Why does the word "heart" come before "hand" in Deut. 15:7? Do not the
poor benefit from our hand rather than from what is in our heart? Rabbi
Isaac Karo (16th-century), uncle of Joseph Karo (author of the Shulchan
Aruch-compilation
of Jewish Law), says that this teaches that one should give charity with
a smile on one's face. It also teaches that even if you have nothing to
give, you should at least give kind words to the poor.
What does the Shulchan Aruch say about giving? "How much should be given to the poor?
If he is starving, feed him. If he needs clothing, clothe him. If he
needs items for his house, buy him those items for his house. Even if he
was used to riding on a horse with a slave running ahead of him while he
was rich, and now he is poor, buy him a horse and the slave. Each man
according to his needs." Did Marx and Engels quote Karo? They foresaw, as
did our sages, what can happen to a world of haves and have-nots. The
rabbis say in Tractate Shabbot 139A that "the world and Jerusalem will be
redeemed only through tzadakah." Remember that tzadakah just doesn't mean
charity. Its proper translation is "justice."
We are commanded not to "close our hand" to the poor (Deut. 15:7). When
we close our hand we make a fist. That is an act of meanness. When our
hand is in a fist, all of our fingers look equal. When we open our hands,
we see that some fingers are longer than others. This reminds us that not
all of us are enjoying life equally. Rabbi Akiva Eiger has gone so far as
to write that one must give tzadakah even if he is so poor that he would
have to give away the very food that is in his throat!
We are also taught this week that we should "walk in God's ways and to cleave to Him"(Deut.
11:22). We need to try to emulate God. This means we are to be
compassionate and kind to others. One might think that doing ritual
brings one closer to God. The most essential ingredient in cleaving to
God is caring about our fellow human beings.
This parasha usually coincides with the month of Elul. Our Kabbalistic cosmology teaches that each month has a
special spiritual opportunity for success. Elul is the time to work on
personal growth. The Kabbalists write that the Hebrew letters of Elul is
an acronym for the words of King Solomon's Song of Songs "ani l'dodi
v'dodi li" (I am to my beloved, my beloved is to me). These words are
shared at marriage ceremonies. Elul is the time of year of heightened
spirituality. It is a time, in the terms of the Zohar, when God is closer
and more approachable. It is a time of introspection and preparation for
Rosh Ha Shanah. As we know, this is the time to take stock of ourselves
and mend our ways.
Just as we need to see; God also requires that we be seen by Him. "Three
times a year all...shall appear before God"(Deut. 16:16). "Seeing", as we
discussed above, is a personal, private, introspective affair. "Being
seen" requires a public display. It reminds us that we are part of a
community. This is why most of our prayers are in the plural. It reminds
us that we are responsible for one another. The Torah says (Deut. 15:11)
that "destitute people will not cease to exist." We can never give up.
This is why the Torah says twice to open our hands to the needy (Deut.
15:8 and 15:11). We are commanded to continually "see."
Doing ahavath chesed and tzadakah helps not only the recipient. but also
the donor. The feeling one gets from giving of his time and resources is
indescribable. Even when it is frustrating, we are asked not to give up.
We need to continually see that we really do have before us the choice of
blessings and curses "this day." Proverbs 8:34-36 sums up the point of
this d'var wonderfully. "Fortunate is a man who listens to Me, and sits
by My doors every day, guarding the entrances of My house. Those who find
Me have found life and will obtain favor. A sinner damages his soul.
Those who hate Me, love death."
Shabbat Shalom,
RABBI ARTHUR SEGALHILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC
BLUFFTON, SC
ORIGINAL VERSION WRITTEN WHEN SCHOLAR -IN-RESIDENCE AT CONGREGATION TEMPLE MICKVE ISRAEL, SAVANNAH, GA
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