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Coming Today to the Wellspring of Nothingness             Parshat Hayey Sarah

11/13/2014

1 Comment

 
We have so many needs and desires- from food and shelter to companionship to livelihood to enjoyment- the list goes on. But at the root of all that we want and aspire toward is this common simple adjective: “good”. We want a delicious meal because it’s “good”, right?

But what is “good”? You might think that the delicious food is the cause of the goodness you experience. But if you look more closely you will see- besides the sensuality of the food itself, there is a deeper goodness that is not from the food. It is a goodness that arises from your appreciation, from your openness and presence with the food. While it is true that the food may have elicited this experience, it isn’t the cause of it. This goodness is the basic quality of what you are. In fact, it is the basic quality of what everything is- it is simply Being Itself. Beneath your thoughts and feelings, there is this wellspring of nourishment, of bliss without a cause. The mind thinks it needs this and that in order to have goodness- but let go of all the conditions and you will see- the goodness is there, shining forth from everything.

In this week’s reading, Parshat Hayey Sarah, Abraham’s servant Eliezer is sent out on a mission to find a wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac. Eliezer finds Rebecca by a wellspring of water after praying for a sign. He prays that the one he seeks should give him water to drink and also water his camels. Immediately, Rebecca appears by the spring and fulfills his prayer.

In the symbolic language of Torah, both the wellspring and Rebecca herself represent the Divine as the simple goodness of Being, shining forth from everything. In Kabbalah, this goodness is the feminine Divine Presence- the Shekhinah. When Eliezer recounts how he came upon Rebecca, he says, “va’avo hayom el ha’ayin”- literally, “I came today to the spring.”

The Hebrew of this phrase is so rich- “ayin” means “spring”, but it also means “eye”- hinting that the way to “come to the spring”- to tap the wellspring of goodness within- is to come into your senses, to come out of your mind and into what your senses are receiving. Coming into the senses brings you into “today”- hayom- the present!

Even deeper- the word for “to” in the phrase “to the spring” is "El", which also means “Divinity”. So come into your senses, enter the present, and drink from the wellspring of Divinity that offers Herself to you constantly. Like Rebecca, she is generous, and her waters are unceasing.

There is another word with the same sound as ayin but spelled a little differently. This other ayin means “nothingness”, hinting at the stillness needed to receive Her ever-present flow. The mind must give up its activities, its obsessions, its busyness. Then, into that space flows the life giving waters, nourishing not only our spirit, but healing our bodies- our “camels” as well. May this Shabbat open a true space in our lives and may we all be nourished by the goodness that flows into that space!

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1 Comment
Wayne M
12/2/2014 07:50:16 am

Once again, I thank you for the teachings. as so much is gained. And much is like a seed that is planted. One forgets about them, until the Spring brings forth the sprout, summer(light) provides the growth, and the fall brings forth the harvest. So many of the lessons that are given do not evidence themselves until much later.
There have been several blogs that concern the concept of the good. One talked about a master who was approached to consider how he was able to weather the storms of the bad, along with the blessings of the good. He replied, I am the wrong person to ask, for I have never experienced the curses of the bad. That reminded me of the painting called "The Three Vinegar Tasters." This Chinese scroll painting showed three masters: Confucius, the Buddha, and Lao Tse. Confucius saw it and showed that it was sour. The Buddha, because he saw life as suffering, showed bitterness. Lao Tse, because he saw in all things, the working of heaven, showed a face that was sweetness. The response of this teaching is that life will show its presence when we ask(pray), and not only that, but the provisions will be for more than us(the camels as well). Eliezer was sent on a search and his quest was answered. We, or many of us, are seekers, yet we don't know how to ask. And our prayers are often answered, but we do not realize the signs of yes. And yet that wellspring is abundant and well-known. Thank you again for teachings which are rich and overflowing.

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