Torah of Awakening
וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמׇּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃ You shall count from the day after the Sabbath, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation, seven Sabbaths; they must be complete… - Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:15
In the supermarket, there are eggs and chickens that are labeled “cage free,” implying that they aren’t confined to tiny little cages as are most commercial chickens, but are instead happily running around a vast outdoor space. Unfortunately, “cage-free” doesn’t really mean cage-free at all. It means that for a certain portion of the day, the doors on the cages are opened so that the chickens can escape if they want to. Only, they don’t; the chickens always choose to stay in their cages. (If you want chickens that actually walk around the farm, I think you have to buy “pastured” eggs and chickens.)
Why don’t the chickens leave their little cages when the doors are opened? Because they are conditioned to be in their cages; they don’t realize they can leave. Perhaps, if they had more time, their instinct for freedom would eventually lead them to discover the opening. But, the doors aren’t open long enough for that; they’re only open long enough for the company to be able to legally label their product as “cage-free.” And, it’s the same with us. At the seder, there is a song in which we label ourselves as free: Avadim hayinu, ata b’nai khorin – we were slaves, now we are free. But are we free? The “cage door” is actually always already open, ready for us to step through. But can we see that? Like the chickens, we only step through if we have the time to discover that open door, if we have the time for that impulse for freedom to grow within. אֲנִ֣י שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי אֶֽת־נַאֲקַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל – “I have heard the cries of the Children of Israel…” It was only after the suffering of the Israelites had become ripe that they were ready for freedom, that God “heard their cries.” We too need to let ourselves ripen, so we can come to “see” our own suffering, so that we may recognize – we are the seeing; we are not trapped. And once the time is ripe, this recognition takes only an instant. But then, after this recognition, we need more time to walk through the door and discover how to roam the “farm,” to explore the wild terrain of the uncharted midbar, rather than return to the security of the cage. In other words, we need to discover how to live our freedom. But like the Israelites, the tendency is to revert, to backslide: הֲֽמִבְּלִ֤י אֵין־קְבָרִים֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם לְקַחְתָּ֖נוּ לָמ֣וּת בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר –“Weren’t there enough graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness?” - Shemot (Exodus) 14:11 So, the journey of awakening has an aspect that takes takes no time at all, that takes only an instant to realize: the cage door is open. But, leading up to that moment, it takes time for awareness to ripen – to disentangle itself from its identifications for long enough to be able to see that this is the case. This is the whole point of sitting in meditation; in the stillness, awareness can, in time, shift and recognize its own freedom from the “cage.” The “cage” is made from the patterns of our thoughts and feelings; it is our identity. But, the open space is our awareness. It is the field of consciousness, within which our experience in this moment is now appearing. Everything within our experience arises from and falls back into this open space, including the cage of thoughts and feelings. In truth, it is not that we must go out into the open space, we are the open space. By taking time to disengage from the activity of thought and feeling, we can recognize – we are awareness; we are already free. In that recognition we can say with sincerity, avadim hayinu, we thought were slaves, but now, ata b’nai khorin – now we realize that we are actually free. לְמַ֣עַן תִּזְכֹּ֗ר אֶת־י֤וֹם צֵֽאתְךָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ – so that you may remember the day you went out from Egypt all the days of your life. - Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:3 But, to then go and live that freedom, to not only see the open door, to not only see the unboundedness beyond the cage, but to step out and live as if that freedom is true, that is an ongoing process. It is not the hurried “going out from Egypt,” when there is no time to let the dough rise. The matzah is that instant realization that happens when the time is ripe – direct connection with the simplicity of the moment, before the “yeast bubbles” cause separation between “me” and the world. But this second, time-bound aspect requires living into this question: how may we translate the freedom that we are into words and deeds, into a way of living? The Sefirat HaOmer is a prompt to that question. As we count each of the 49 days between Pesakh and Shavuot, we walk the path from liberation to revelation – from the instantaneous realization of freedom (Pesakh) to the long-term project of living that freedom (Shavuot). The Sefirat HaOmer gives us a map of seven times seven spiritual qualities: Hesed – “Lovingkindness” – are you motivated by love? What about when something that doesn’t feel loving happens to you? Can you be a warrior of the love motivation, or do you become a victim? Life has plenty of the opposite of love in it. But living freedom means choosing to live from love, even when external and even internal forces are pushing you in other directions. Which brings us to Gevurah – “Strength.” In Pirkei Avot, Ben Zoma says, Ezehu gibor? Who is strong? Who has Gevurah? Hakoveish yitzro – one who masters their own motivation. Because then you’re not tossed around by circumstances – then you can radiate gracefulness, equanimity. And that’s the third quality: Tiferet – “Grace, Beauty.” Through this inner balancing, you can be victorious over the powers of time and change, knowing HaMakom, the Eternal Space within which everything is happening, and knowing yourself as that Space. That is Netzakh, which means Victory, but also Eternity. And from that rootedness in the Eternal, arises a gratitude for the ever-present simple blessings, a humble gratitude for the simple privilege just to be. That is Hod, which means Gratitude and Humility. And out of the positive vibration of this simple humility and gratitude arises the pleasure of connection – the Eros, the joy of living, of communing with the Presence as it manifests in this moment. That’s Yesod, which means Foundation, because the enjoyment of life is the foundation of life. If you can’t enjoy, then all the richness of meaning and value will slowly drain away. But with that joy, there can also arise a deep sense of Presence in the body, on this earth, of trusting the process, of trusting that Reality has its own endgame, in a sense. That is Malkhut, “Kingdom,” pointing to the idea that all Reality is really a Divine “Kingdom/Queendom,” and that the union of “King” and “Queen,” of Kudsha Brikh Hu Ushekhintei, the Holy Transcendent Space with the Imminent Presence, happens through us, through our Pesakh realization and our Shavuot application, through our counting of the qualities and bringing them into being in our own lives, day after day, each day anew. There is a story that a disciple of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev came to the master and asked: “In the Talmud it says that a tzaddik, a perfect person, can’t stand in the place of the Ba’al T’shuvah, one who was wicked but who has turned to the Divine and transformed. According to this, one who has been blameless from youth is at a lower level than one who has done many misdeeds. How can this be?” Rabbi Levi Yitzhak replied, “A person who perceives a new light every day, light that wasn’t perceived the day before, must leave behind the way they lived in the past, and start afresh to embody the new light. The blameless ones who believe they are already perfect don’t perceive the new light, and so there is no transformation.” May the counting of the Omer remind us to constantly open ourselves to a new light every day, to find a fresh path for embodying the freedom that we are…
Read past teachings on HaOmer HERE.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat (literal level)
The parshah opens in the Sinai Desert encampment, with the Children of Israel receiving instructions to conduct a census of men suitable for battle from the twelve tribes, between 20 to 60 years of age. The tribe of Levi is excluded, but included are the two sons of Yosef, keeping the number of tribes twelve. The tribe of Levi, who is to serve as the spiritual leadership, is counted separately. These Levi’im (Levites) are given responsibility for the Mishkan (Sanctuary), and all of its vessels and sacrificial equipment. Whenever the Children of Israel would break down the camp to travel, the three Levite clans would dismantle and transport the Mishkan, and then reassemble it at the center of the next encampment. They then erected their own tents around it. The Kohathites, who carried the Sanctuary’s ritual objects (such as the Ark and menorah) on their shoulders, camped to its south; the Gershonites, in charge of its tapestries and roof coverings, to its west; and the families of Merari, who transported its wall panels and pillars, to its north. Before the Sanctuary’s entranceway, to its east, were the tents of Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons, who served as the kohanim, the priests. Beyond the Levite circle, the twelve tribes camped in four groups of three tribes each. To the east were Yehudah, Yissakhar, and Zevulun; to the south, Reuvein, Shimon and Gad; to the west, Ephraim, Manasheh, and Binyamin; and to the north, Dan, Asher and Naphtali. This formation was kept also while traveling. Each tribe had its own nassi (prince or leader), and its own flag with its tribal color and emblem...
Torah of Awakening
וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩ לַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְצֵאתָ֛ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃ שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כׇּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֔וֹת כׇּל־זָכָ֖ר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃ Hashem spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year from the Exodus from he land of Egypt, saying: “Raise up the heads (take a census) of the whole (battle ready) assembly of the Children of Israel according to their families, according to their ancestral houses, listing the names, every (battle ready) male, according to their count.” - BaMidbar (Numbers) 1:1,2; Parshat Bamidbar
Yankel wasn’t inclined to do physical exercise. But as he got older, he realized that he had better take care of his body, or he would be in trouble. So, he hired a personal trainer to motivate him out of his sloth and help him to work out. The personal trainer began by coming to his house every day. First, she taught him the exercises that would be best for him. But when it came to actually doing them, Yankel was so lazy, that the trainer would have to yell cheers to get him to exert himself. “Come on you can do it!” she would shout. “That’s seven, just three more to go! Do it!”
Over time, Yankel’s resistance seemed to drop away, and it became easier and easier for the trainer to motivate him. After several weeks, the trainer didn’t have to do anything except come over and make sure Yankel was working out, simply by witnessing him. Yankel even shouted out his own motivational cheers: “I can do it! One! Two! Just eight more to go! Getting stronger! Three!” Eventually, the trainer didn’t even come inside, but just listened at the door. She would hear Yankel yelling to himself: “Getting stronger and stronger! I can do it! Five! Six! Four more to go!” When she would hear him yelling through the door, she would leave, satisfied that he had established his workout habit. But, when they had a meeting after several months to evaluate and adjust his routine, she noticed that he didn’t look like he was exercising at all; he was just as unfit looking as he had been before they began. “How strange! I hear you working out every day, but it seems to not be working!” “Oh, I haven’t been working out,” said Yankel. “But I come by every day and hear you doing it!” said the trainer. “Oh, that’s just me yelling, not actually working out,” said Yankel. “I figured if you heard me yelling, you would think I was working out and leave me alone.” When it comes to prayer, many folks are just like Yankel – perhaps going through the motions, saying the words, but nothing is really happening. It’s not that the words are irrelevant – as with working out, the cheers and counting of reps can be a good accompaniment to exercise, but they do not substitute for exercise. Similarly, with prayer, the traditional words are a beautiful accompaniment, and even a beautiful expression of prayer, but they are not the prayer itself. As long as the words are helping us do the real inner activity of prayer, they are doing their job. But if they become a substitute for prayer, then we are missing a vital opportunity. It is understandable that the form of prayer – how many times per day, what texts to say, and so on, could easily eclipse the real, inner reality of prayer, because the form is quantifiable. You can easily define how to fulfill the prayer in form. But the inner reality of prayer is connection with the Timeless, with Un-Countable… שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כָּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל – Lift the head (take a head count) of the whole community of the Children of Israel… This is about quantifying the people, giving them a number, so as to know how many soldiers they have. On the other hand, the haftaora begins…
וְֽ֠הָיָה מִסְפַּ֤ר בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כְּח֣וֹל הַיָּ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יִמַּ֖ד וְלֹ֣א יִסָּפֵ֑ר וְֽ֠הָיָה בִּמְק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יֵאָמֵ֤ר לָהֶם֙ לֹֽא־עַמִּ֣י אַתֶּ֔ם יֵאָמֵ֥ר לָהֶ֖ם בְּנֵ֥י אֵֽל־חָֽי׃
The number of the Children of Israel shall be like sands of the sea, which are not measured or counted; instead of being told, “You are Not-My-People,” they shall be called “Children of the Living God.” - Hosea 2:1
The text then leaves this uplifting vision, “Children of the Living God,” and talks about how they have strayed from the Divine and run after idols, the ba’alim. Israel is compared to a harlot, an unfaithful wife, running after other lovers. Why does she do this?
אֵלְכָ֞ה אַחֲרֵ֤י מְאַֽהֲבַי֙ נֹתְנֵ֤י לַחְמִי֙ וּמֵימַ֔י צַמְרִ֣י וּפִשְׁתִּ֔י שַׁמְנִ֖י וְשִׁקּוּיָֽי׃ – “I will go after my lovers, for they will give me my bread and water, my wool and linin, my oil and my drink.” In other words, the Children of Israel aren’t satisfied; they want more. Rather than appreciate what is present, they run after that which is not present; they imagine they can achieve more gratification. But…
וְרִדְּפָ֤ה אֶת־מְאַהֲבֶ֙יהָ֙ וְלֹא־תַשִּׂ֣יג אֹתָ֔ם וּבִקְשָׁ֖תַם וְלֹ֣א תִמְצָ֑א וְאָמְרָ֗ה אֵלְכָ֤ה וְאָשׁ֙וּבָה֙ אֶל־אִישִׁ֣י הָרִאשׁ֔וֹן כִּ֣י ט֥וֹב לִ֛י אָ֖ז מֵעָֽתָּה׃
Pursue her lovers as she will, she shall not overtake them; and seek them as she may, she shall never find them. Then she will say, “I will go and return to my First Husband, for then I fared better than now.”
Eventually, Israel realizes that the obsession with more, also called “idolatry,” only causes her suffering, and so she comes to appreciate the gifts she had and thereby returns to true connection with the Divine. The hint here is that, on a deep and practical level, “idolatry” really means to fixate on that which is not present; it means to elevate the images we “engrave” in our minds above the actual Reality right in front of us. The “idol” is that which is not present; the true Divine is Presence.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with imagining what we need or want in the future; that is the job of the mind. We have to count and quantify; we have to make maps of the world in order to navigate life. The point is not to elevate the map over the territory; the point is not to live in your mind, but to live in the Living Present. The maps of the mind are useful, but they are not alive: פֶּֽה־לָ֭הֶם וְלֹ֣א יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ – They have mouths, but cannot speak… - Psalm 15 The “Divine,” however, means That which speaks to us from amidst the “wilderness” of life: וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י – The Divine spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai… Right now, and always, Hashem is speaking. The words aren’t necessarily conveying a conceptual message, but when we deeply connect with the truth of this moment, then Reality Itself can be received as the Divine Speech, shaking us from the virtual reality of the mind and into the Living Present. And when we receive the moment in this way, hearing the unfolding of Reality as Divine Speech, then we can connect with the essence of prayer, putting our conscious intention into each syllable, as we call back to the One that constantly calls to us. This is the Path of פ Pei, “Presence in Speech.”
Read past teachings on BaMidbar HERE.
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“Coming Into the Field of Being”| ד DALET – “Receptivity”
Parshah Summary – P’shat (literal level)
The parshah opens on mount Sinai (b’har – “on the mountain”) with the laws of the Sabbatical year: every seventh year, all work on the land should cease, and its produce becomes free for the taking for all, human and beast. Seven Sabbatical cycles are followed by a fiftieth year— the Jubilee year, on which work on the land ceases, all indentured servants are set free, and all ancestral estates that have been sold revert to their original owners. Additional laws governing the sale of lands, and the prohibitions against fraud and usury, are also given… Torah of Awakening וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם וְשָׁבְתָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהֹוָֽה׃ שֵׁ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ תִּזְרַ֣ע שָׂדֶ֔ךָ וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהֹוָ֑ה שָֽׂדְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע וְכַרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר׃ Hashem spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: When you come into the land that I give to you, the land shall rest a sabbath of Hashem. Six years you may sow your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in the yield. But in the seventh year the land shall have a Sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of Hashem: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard… - Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:1-4; Parshat Behar A disciple asked Rabbi Simha Bunem: “It is written, אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּדַבֵּ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל – These are the words which you shall speak to the Children of Israel. (Ex.19:6) "And Rashi comments, לֹא פָּחוֹת וְלֹא יוֹתֵר אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים; – ‘These are the words’- no more, and no less. What does he mean by that?” Rabbi Bunam explained: “Moses was overflowing with the teaching and wanted to reveal everything. But, the people wouldn’t have been able to receive it, for a person needs to seek and strive for wisdom; being spoon-fed doesn’t work. Moses has to say just these words to them, no more and no less, so that they might feel: something is hidden here, and we must strive to discover it for ourselves. “That is why, further on, we read: וַיָּ֣שֶׂם לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם אֵ֚ת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה And he set before them all these words – meaning, the words that were spoken, no more and no less, as well as the words that were not yet discovered…” Anyone who teaches knows that it is a relational process: the student must want to learn and, to some degree, discover for themselves. Attempting to teach when there is no desire to learn can be a frustratingly futile activity. But, when the student seeks to learn that which they do not yet know, then the learning becomes alive and new; old information is received with fresh insight, as if for the first time. שָֽׂדְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע וְכַרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר – you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard… “Planting fields” refers to grain, and from the grain is made the ancient staple, bread. “Pruning vineyards” is a reference to grapes that are made into wine. וּמַלְכִּי־צֶ֙דֶק֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ שָׁלֵ֔ם הוֹצִ֖יא לֶ֣חֶם וָיָ֑יִן וְה֥וּא כֹהֵ֖ן לְאֵ֥ל עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ – And King Melchitzedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High… - Bereishit (Genesis) 14:18 Wine and bread are not only basic foods, they’re also sacramental foods, forming the ritual part of sacred meals on Shabbat and festivals. The earliest reference to this practice is this passage in which Malkitzedek, the priest-king of Shalem, blesses Avraham and brings him bread and wine. There is a teaching attributed to Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach which points out that wine gets better and better with age; you pay more for wine depending on how old it is. Bread, on the other hand, has to be fresh; no one wants a fifty year-old loaf of bread. Similarly, there is an aspect of the spiritual path that is ancient and an aspect that is fresh and new. For example, Torah, including the whole Jewish tradition, is ancient. There is a special richness in being connected to this ancient lineage; so much so that many are able to tolerate the many passages of Torah that feel disturbing, unethical, and sometimes completely wrong. And yet, that richness doesn’t really come to life unless it is combined with fresh, new insights and interpretations. For the tradition to really live, it also has to be like bread – we need hidushim – new insights, new ways of reading the texts and practicing the tradition. On a deeper level, the very practice of Presence Itself also contains these two aspects. On one hand, there is nothing more ancient than the present moment. There is nothing that has ever existed outside the space of this one, eternal moment; there has never been and can never be an instance of the present moment being absent. That is why one of the names of God is Atik Yomin – the “Ancient of Days.” And when we become fully present to the eternal space of The Present, there is a feeling of transcendence that arises, a knowing of oneself as that space, an intoxication in drinking from the “wine” of Being. At the same time, in becoming present to That which is most ancient, there is also a spontaneous letting go of the past – a dropping away of mental and emotional baggage so that the fullness of this moment appears not as ancient, but as radiant, alive and new – like a freshly baked challah. In this way, that which is most ancient gives rise to that which is most new – in meeting this moment, free from the conditioning of the past, we are greeted by a new potential, never before seen. But if the “field’ and “vineyard” are the eternal and ever-renewing fruits of our practice, what does it mean that we may not harvest them? Is there a time when we should not reap the benefits of the path? וְשָׁבְתָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת – The land shall rest a sabbath… Actually, the “Shabbat” for the “land” is the very essence of the path. There are many factors that must support our practice – we must plan and organize of lives to allow for the daily “tending the Land.” But, when we engage the practice itself, we must let all that go and come fully into the moment… כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם – When you come into the land that I give to you… This is the true Shabbat Shabbaton – to “come into the land” means to recognize that the appearance of Reality Now is the Gift of Being. It is “given” to us from the Mystery; it is not the result of our intentions or efforts. And while it is true that from the point of view of ordinary life we must attend to the blossoming of this realization with our efforts, to truly live this realization we must fully “come into the land” – we must rest in the field of Being that is not separate from the consciousness we are. This is meditation. And to truly rest in the “Shabbat” of meditation, we must become fully receptive to all that is now arising. This is the Path of Dalet ד – the middah of Receptivity, of resting in the recognizing that everything emerges from the Mystery and returns there, a gift both new and ancient, this holy moment…
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Parshah Summary – P’shat (literal level)
The parshah opens with special laws for the kohanim (priests) and sacrificial offerings, including laws about ritual impurity, marriage, and the animals that may be offered. Included are the laws that a newborn calf, lamb or kid must be left with its mother for seven days before being eligible for an offering, and that one may not slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day. The second part of Emor lists the festivals: the weekly Shabbat; the bringing of the Passover offering on the 14th of Nissan; the seven-day Passover festival beginning on 15 Nissan; the bringing of the Omer offering from the first barley harvest on the second day of Passover, and the 49-day “Counting of the Omer,” culminating in the festival of Shavuot on the fiftieth day; a “remembrance of shofar blowing” on the 1st of Tishrei (Rosh Hashanah); a solemn fast day on the 10th of Tishrei (Yom Kippur); the festival of Sukkot, beginning on the 15th of Tishrei, which involves the practices of dwelling in huts for seven days and the ritual of waving the “Four Species”; and finally the holiday of the eighth day of Sukkot, called Shmini Atzeret. The parshah then discusses the lighting of the menorah and the lekhem hapanim (the “showbread”), which is placed on a special table each week. Emor concludes with the penalties for murder and for injuring one’s fellow or destroying their property. Torah of Awakening דַּבֵּ֨ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְאֶל־בָּנָ֗יו וְיִנָּֽזְרוּ֙ מִקָּדְשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְלֹ֥א יְחַלְּל֖וּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֑י אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵ֧ם מַקְדִּשִׁ֛ים לִ֖י אֲנִ֥י יי Tell Aaron and his sons that they should withdraw from the sacred offerings of the Children of Israel – that which they sanctify to Me – so as not to desecrate My Holy Name – I am Hashem. - Vayikra (Leviticus) 22:2; Parshat Emor Once, when the Baal Shem Tov was about to enter the synagogue, he stopped at the threshold. Those behind him waited patiently, but after some time passed, one of them politely asked him if he was going to go in. “I can’t go in,” replied the Baal Shem, “there is no room for me – the entire space is crowded with teachings and prayers. How can anyone enter when there is no space?” They looked at him dumbfounded. Then he explained: “When prayers and teachings don’t come from the heart, but are merely repeated mechanically, they don’t rise to heaven, but rather they fill up the room from floor to ceiling. That is why there is no room for me to enter!” Anyone who takes care of a pool knows that you have to regularly put more water into it, because the water evaporates over time, especially when it’s hot. That is what happens to awareness as well, especially when we “heat up” with reactive emotion. But even without reactivity, consciousness tends to “sink down” unless we are deliberate in “refilling our pool,” so to speak. That is the whole point of prayer and meditation – to “fill up” with consciousness, so that we can live from the fullness of our inner depths. But sometimes, formal practice is not enough, because if our consciousness has sunk to a low enough level, our practice will be from that low level, and then we will only be mechanically going through the motions. In those cases, we have to somehow wake ourselves up first to even begin. וְיִנָּֽזְרוּ מִקָּדְשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל – they should withdraw from the sacred offerings of the Children of Israel… The word for “withdraw” – וְיִנָּֽזְרוּ vayinazru – comes from a root which means to “abstain” or “renounce” on one hand, but also to “sanctify” or “consecrate,” on the other. (An example of this is the Nazir who both renounces wine and also becomes consecrated to the Divine.) The traditional understanding of this verse is that it speaks of priests who have become ritually impure – tamei – and so must excuse themselves from dealing with the offerings that people bring, until they become pure – tahor – again. וְלֹ֥א יְחַלְּל֖וּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֑י – and not desecrate My Holy Name… The word for “desecrate” – יְחַלְּלוּ y’khal’lu – comes from the root which means “to empty.” The “Holy Name” is the Tetragrammaton – the four-letter name which the kabbalists associate with the human body, based on the notion that we are בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים b’tzelem Elohim – the “image of the Divine.” Thus, to “desecrate the Holy Name” means to “empty” our Presence from our own bodies, and become disconnected from our own inner depths that are available to us through body-Presence… When that happens, when we sink to such a low level of awareness, disconnected from our bodies and the present moment, holy prayers and Divine Names become temporarily useless; the “Name” becomes “empty,” and formal prayer and meditation are not enough to pull ourselves up. There is a remedy discussed in the rabbinic wisdom text Pirkei Avot: רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע, אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם Rabbi Shimon said, “Be meticulous in the chanting of the Sh’ma and in prayer. And when you pray, don’t make your prayer rigid and fixed; rather, compassion and supplication before The Place…” - Pirkei Avot 2:13 On one hand, Rabbi Shimon acknowledges the importance of having a regular, formal practice: Be meticulous in the chanting of the Sh’ma and in prayer. On the other hand, if all you have is a formal practice, that won’t work: Don’t make your prayer rigid and fixed; rather, compassion and supplication before The Place. In other words, when we have sunk to a low level of consciousness, we may not be able to elevate ourselves with formal practice alone; we need humility. We need to acknowledge how low we’ve sunk: “Oh Ribono Shel Olam, help me out of this low place!” That’s the compassion and supplication before The Place. It is interesting that the Divine is here called הַמָּקוֹם HaMakom – The Place, hinting that the point is not theology, the point is the sacred quality of space itself, and how we affect those with whom we share space. The point is not what you believe about God, it is about keeping your inner space Godly; it’s about openness and humility. You are the “priest” of your own inner space. Sometimes your space becomes contaminated, so then it is time to become vulnerable and call out from the heart with humility. The person who opens to that humility and vulnerability truly “serves God,” even if they say they are an atheist. On the other hand, the person who complains about what happens, who harbors grudges and anger, who judges others while refusing to take responsibility for their own inner space – that person is the true atheist, even if they profess to “believe.” Beliefs about “God” are not the same as actual God. People have believed in various gods for a long time; we seem to have an innate capacity for bowing to something greater than ourselves. Much, if not all extraordinary human achievements and as well as horrific crimes come from that capacity, whether it’s bowing to the God of the Bible or the cause of science; whether it’s Democracy or Facism. Bowing to something greater is empowering, but it’s not necessarily good. That’s the essence of the Jewish prohibition against idolatry – don’t bow to some parasitic ideology, something that is not good. Rather, the inner message of Judaism is: יי הוּא הָאֱלֺהִים Hashem Hu HaElohim! Meaning: Existence, Being, Reality, That is the true Divinity. In other words, take your innate devotionality and aim it at Reality Itself. Reality always Is what it Is, it always Will Be what it Will Be, gifting us with the power to bring forth what Could Be… אֶֽהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶֽהְיֶה Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh “I Will Be That Which I Will Be” Let us bow to That – let us not resist what is, but rather let us find the peace within our own being that comes from openness and acceptance – that is the Path of Hod, of Humility and Gratitude. And from that Place of openness, let us rise up – let us envision a better reality and offer our actions toward that goal with intention and consistency – that is the Path of Netzakh, of commitment and action…
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