Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah opens in the aftermath of the deaths of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, and God warns that one must only enter the innermost chamber of the Sanctuary in a particular way in order for it to be safe. Only the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, may enter to offer the sacred ketoret (incense) once a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Another feature of Yom Kippur is the casting of lots over two goats, to determine which one should be offered to God, and which should be sent off to “Azazel” in order to carry away the sins of the Children of Israel. The parshah then warns against bringing korbanot (animal or meal offerings) anywhere but in the Sanctuary (or later the Temple), forbids the consumption of blood, and details the laws of incest and other types of prohibited sexual relations…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה דַּבֵּר֮ אֶל־אַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֒יךָ֒ וְאַל־יָבֹ֤א בְכׇל־עֵת֙ אֶל־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ מִבֵּ֖ית לַפָּרֹ֑כֶת אֶל־פְּנֵ֨י הַכַּפֹּ֜רֶת אֲשֶׁ֤ר עַל־הָאָרֹן֙ וְלֹ֣א יָמ֔וּת כִּ֚י בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן אֵרָאֶ֖ה עַל־הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃ Hashem said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come at any time into the Holy behind the curtain, in front of the cover that is upon the ark, so that he not die; for I appear in the cloud over the cover… - Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:2; Parshat Akharei Mot
There is a story of Rabbi David Lelov, that before he became a great rebbe himself, he was a mystic who wished to experience the Divine through fasting and other harsh practices. After six years of asceticism, he still had no more perception of the Presence then he had before he began, so he went on another six years. Still nothing! So, he went to see Rabbi Elimelekh of Lizhenzk, whom he heard might be able to help him.
When he arrived on Friday afternoon just before Shabbat, he went to the House of Prayer with the other hasidim to see the rebbe. Rabbi Elimelekh greeted everyone warmly one by one, but when he came to David, he immediately turned away and ignored him. Shocked and feeling as if he had been stabbed in the heart, David retreated back to his room at the inn. There he sat on his bed in silent disbelief about what had happened. But after some time, he began to think that the rebbe must have not noticed him. Of course, it had to be an accident! How is it even possible that a rebbe could behave that way? So, he decided to go back. When he arrived, they were just finishing the evening prayers. David made his way up to the rebbe and extended his hand in greeting. Again, the rebbe simply turned away and ignored him. His worse fear confirmed and feeling dejected, David went back to his room again and cried bitterly all night. In the morning he resolved not to visit the rebbe nor pray with the community, but to leave as soon as Shabbos was over. Hours of agony and boredom went by. Eventually it was time for Shalosh Seudes, the Third Sabbath Meal toward the end of the day as the sunlight waned. He knew this was the time when Rabbi Elimelekh would be teaching, and he suddenly felt a pull to go visit him one last time, even though he had resolved not to go back. Before he knew it, he was making his way to the House of Prayer a third time. When he arrived, he stationed himself outside a window, hoping to hear a few words of Torah without having to go inside. Then he heard the rebbe say: “Sometimes a person wishes to experience the Divine Presence, and so they fast and torture themselves for six years, and even another six years! Then they come to me to draw down the Light for which they think they have prepared themselves. But the truth is, all that fasting is like a minute drop in an ocean, and furthermore it doesn’t rise up to the Divine at all, but instead only rises only to the idol of their own egos. Such a person must give up on all of that nonsense, and instead go to the very bottom of their own being, and begin again from there.” When David heard these words, he almost fainted. Gasping, he made his way to the door and stood motionless at the threshold. Immediately the rebbe rose from his chair and exclaimed, “Barukh Haba! Blessed is he who comes!” The rebbe rushed over to David, embraced him, and then invited him to come sit in the chair next to his at the table. The rebbe’s son Eleazar was confused by his father’s conduct, and took him aside. “Abba, why are you being so friendly? You couldn’t stand the sight of this guy yesterday!” Rabbi Elimelekh replied, “Oh no, you are mistaken my son – this isn’t the same person at all! Can’t you see? This is sweet Rabbi David!” Rabbi David Lelov needed Rabbi Elimelekh’s fierce grace; he needed to have his ego “slaughtered” by the rebbe. Through all those years of fasting he had tried to purify himself, but it turned out that his asceticism was like the ego trying to commit suicide – it doesn’t work. Such a path is only more ego, only a spiritualized ego. The only way out for Rabbi David was to have that spiritual ego smashed. When we need to have our egos smashed, life is usually easy to oblige; this world is full of opportunities for that. And while we certainly don’t wish such a path on anyone, it is useful for each of us to remember in the midst of our difficulties. But there is a second path – one not of smashing ego, but of exposing it to the light of awareness, and letting it vanish on its own – this is the fruit of meditation. Painful insults are not the only way. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע, אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּי חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם הוּא אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל הָרָעָה. וְאַל תְּהִי רָשָׁע בִּפְנֵי עַצְמְךָ: Rabbi Shimon says: Be careful in the chanting the Sh’ma and in the Prayer. When you pray, do not make your prayer a fixed form, rather, mercy and supplication before the Place, It is Blessed, as it says (Joel 2, 13): “For (the Divine is) gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and relenting of harm.” And do not be wicked to yourself. On one hand, Rabbi Shimon says הֱוֵי זָהִיר – be careful or meticulous with your practice. This is something we are all empowered to do ourselves; we need not rely on the power of Grace, but rather we must be decisive about our practice. This inner strength and decisiveness we need is represented by the sefirah of Gevurah, which also represents the self-restricting practices of asceticism. And yet, on the other hand, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע – do not make your prayer a fixed form. It doesn’t seem to make sense – it just said to be careful and disciplined about it, and now it’s saying not to make it a fixed form? Then it explains: אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם – Rather, mercy and supplication before the Place – in other words, your prayer must come from your heart, from the very “bottom of your being.” On this level, it is not a fixed form, because each time you must find your way back to your essence, and begin again from there… וְאַל תְּהִי רָשָׁע בִּפְנֵי עַצְמְךָ…הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע – Be careful in the chanting the Sh’ma… and do not be wicked to yourself… The Sh’ma is the affirmation of the Oneness of Being, so it is saying: don’t be wicked to yourself by forgetting that you too are essentially part of that Oneness! You must know that, however separate you seem to feel, you can find that Reality of Oneness within your own being, because It is who you really are. And so, while prayer takes us into humility by pointing out our egos, the Sh’ma takes us into Divinity by pointing out our Divine nature. When you have both, you have the preferred path… וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יי אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אַחֲרֵ֣י מ֔וֹת שְׁנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן בְּקָרְבָתָ֥ם לִפְנֵי־יְהוָ֖ה וַיָּמֻֽתו׃ The Divine spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they drew close before the Divine and they died… The death of Aaron’s two sons points to the destruction of ego – not the preferred way. It then proceeds to outline a preferable way: אַל־יָבֹ֤א בְכָל־עֵת֙ אֶל־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ... וְלֹ֣א יָמ֔וּת He is not to come at any time into the Holy…so that he not die… Aaron is instructed not to come into the Holy בְכָל־עֵת at any time. Meaning, you can’t enter the sacred through time – through the egoic perspective which sees oneself as achieving something over time. No amount of fasting, ritual, or learning – no amount of any accumulation that happens in time can get you there. Rather, it is only in becoming naked of time that we come into the Presence, because the Presence is not something separate from who we are, beneath all the accumulations of ego. That is וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם רַחֲמִים – compassion and supplication before the Place. “The Place” is a Name for God; it is always the “Place” where we find ourselves Now, the space within which this moment unfolds. Its revelation is rakhamim – compassion – in response to our takhanunim – our genuine longing; in other words, it is an act of Grace. At the same time, that doesn’t mean we are passive; the Grace becomes available when we have the Gevurah – the strength and boundaries to be zahir – to be careful and meticulous in our practice and open ourselves again anew, day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment. In this week of Gevurah and Akharei Mot, may we renew the boundaries of our Jewish meditation practice while going again and again to the depths of our essence within the space of those boundaries.
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