Jewish Meditation Online
  • Home
  • About
    • About
  • Offerings
    • EVENTS
    • Calendar
    • Monthly Community-Wide Meditation
    • Bring Brian Yosef to Your Community
    • Wisdom School Bar and Bat Mitzvah Program
  • Teachings
    • What is Jewish Meditation?
    • Weekly Torah
    • Weekly Torah and Holiday Index
    • Learn Integral Jewish Meditation
    • Instagram Posts
  • Donate
  • Contact

Doing and Being: Parshat Ki Tavo

9/8/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
“V’hayah ki tavo el ha’aretz – It will be when you come into the land that the Divine gives you..."


Parshat Ki Tavo begins, “V’hayah ki tavo el ha’aretz – It will be when you come into the land that the Divine gives you as an inheritance, to possess it, and to dwell within it…” It then goes on to talk about a special ritual of gratitude that involves putting the first fruit of your harvest into a basket, making a pilgrimage to the Temple, and offering the fruit in gratitude for having come out of slavery in Egypt, and into the the "land flowing with milk and honey."
 
On a simple level, this is a farmer’s gratitude ritual for the goodness of the land. But on a deeper level, V’hayah ki tavo el ha’aretz – coming into the land means coming into the place you already are, coming into the full Presence of whatever is present. This is hinted at by V’hayah ki tavo – It will BE when you come in – meaning, coming in to the mode of Being. Our lives consist of both Doing and Being, but we tend to identify with the Doing mode. Doing means, constantly going out– constantly reaching toward a goal we imagine in the future. This is how we create and accomplish things, which is wonderful and necessary. But if it’s not balanced by the mode of Being, if there’s total identification with the mind and with Doing, then there’s no peace, there’s no contentment, there’s no coming in.
 
So, what’s the solution? V’hayah ki tavo el ha’aretz – come into this place that you are, by connecting your awareness with the Presence of the aretz- the earth on which we live, this body through which we live, and with whatever else happens to be present. The mind tends to lurch toward some imagined fruits in the future. Instead, bring your focus to the fruits that are already here, in the basket of this moment. Then you will be able to say as the ancient farmer said, “Vayotzieinu Hashem mimitzrayim – Hashem brought us out of Egypt – meaning, we are brought out of the contracted bundle of mind-identified ego through simply Being, because the Hebrew Name of God actually means, Being. V’samakhta v’khol hatov – and then you will rejoice with all the goodness that you are given, you and the strangers among you. 

So on this Shabbat Ki Tavo – The Sabbath of Coming In, may we reel in our awareness from the tendrils of thought and time, into deeper connection with the earth, with the body, with our senses, with all the fruits that are just now ripe, giving thanks for this moment of Existence as it is –
Good Shabbiss!!
1 Comment
    Free Guided Meditation Here.

    Daily Meditation on Zoom: Experience our growing community Here

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    October 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    RSS Feed


Jewish Meditation

Jewish Meditation Online

Jewish Meditation Techniques

Jewish Meditation Guided
Torah of Awakening © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. 
  • Home
  • About
    • About
  • Offerings
    • EVENTS
    • Calendar
    • Monthly Community-Wide Meditation
    • Bring Brian Yosef to Your Community
    • Wisdom School Bar and Bat Mitzvah Program
  • Teachings
    • What is Jewish Meditation?
    • Weekly Torah
    • Weekly Torah and Holiday Index
    • Learn Integral Jewish Meditation
    • Instagram Posts
  • Donate
  • Contact