A beautiful 13 step practice

A rabbi colleague, Yosi, posted this 13 step practice and I wanted to share it with you.

"... and these things, through which the Divine-I interconnects with you today -- place them upon your heart / let them settle on your mind ..."

what things might these be - "had'varim ha-eileh" ?

perhaps here, an answer to be found in the beginning of the book ...

the book, that is, of Devarim which we began last week by reading:

"eileh had'varim ..." -- *these* are the things ...

... which Moshe, the Consciousness Drawn from the Waters of Binah / Mother-of-All-Understanding is giving over, to us, today ...

could it be - that the macro-level encoding of the parshiyot of the entire book of Devarim is none other than a prescription for Teshuvah Shleimah, of Complete Return to Divine Essence, in preparation for continuing (re-) entry into the Land of (Fullfilling Our True) Promise?

a brief exploration / meditation, perhaps the basis for yet another form of 13-step practice:

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1) Devarim - words, and things : take stock of my things, what is essential, what do I really need? ... what no longer serves? ... what do I value the most? -- and -- how do the words I say, and the things I do -- to myself - and to others - affect my perception, and Life Itself?

2) V'etchanan - “and I prayed / I pleaded / I beseeched” - or - “I sought grace” - may I be graced to recognize, that even when outcomes seem very far from that for which I fervently hope, the passion of prayer itself has the power to bring me closer to Source, and into alignment with my highest truth

3) Eikev - that which follows on the heels - consequences - consider them well

4) Re'eh - See! - see the potential for blessing and renewal in all places and at all times -- and -- Be Seen! - show up just as you are now, and with all the gifts that are you

5) Shoftim - judges and guardians - station them at each of your gates - let them guard and watch over all that you take in - and everything that you put forth into the world

6) Ki Teitzei - when you go out ... here Moshe speaks specifically of going out into battle ... and what is the greatest battle of all, if not - as our sages teach - the battle to gain dominion over one's inclinations ... for only in this way do we have free choice - the possibility to make the best decision in every moment.

7) Ki Tavo - when you come in ... into the New Land, the Land of Promise, the Land of your True Inheritance ... when - even for the briefest moment - you begin to glimpse and realize and see yourself becoming the person you are

intended and destined to be ... then - in great gratitude - will you bring offerings of the fruits of your harvest - and recount the unique story of your personal deliverance - from slavery to freedom - from deep darkness to great light - as a beacon of encouragement and continuing hope

8) Nitzavim - you, yes you, are standing -- poised at the precipice between past and future -- the present moment -- the choices are yours -- right here, right now -- it's time ... take your stand

9) VaYeileikh - and he went ... here Moshe Rabbeinu calls us to realize, that to fully connect - to love one's fellow person as one's self - one must begin by going to meet each person - right where they are, right now ...

10) Ha'azinu - give ear, oh heavens and I shall speak -- and may the sayings of my mouth fall to earth like precious dew -- give ear, listen well -- and speak well -- consider that the whole earth hangs in the balance, and that the reflections of your thoughts, words, and doings - indeed are of heavenly proportions

11) V'zot HaBrakhah - and this is the blessing -- seek the blessing in all, find the blessing, recognize the blessing -- and follow the "prime directive" of our spiritual heritage - v'heyeh berachah -- and you, yes you -- BE a blessing.

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keitzad shlosh esrei ? / so how to reach thirteen from eleven ?

take two, your choice:

ahava v'yirah, ohr v'choshekh, shalom va'rah

love and fear, light and darkness, wholeness and separation

and now, in your heart of hearts,

breathe - slowly, oh-so-very-deeply,

and draw all of these things together / l'yacheid ...

... into the One Love

... which is truly All there Is

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biv'rakhah u'v'todah / in blessing and gratitude,

yosi

* aspects of this offering inspired by my dear teachers reb dovid zeller z"l, ora shoshana, and hazzan jack, whose practice it is to remind me continually to remain focused (melodically speaking, and more) on the One.

God, Where Shall I Find You?

One of my favorite liturgical poems was written by Judah Halevi who lived between 1075 and 1141.
To me it says:

God, where shall I find you? If I look, you are with me. If I don't look, you are with me. If I believe in you, you are there and if I don't believe in you, you are still there. You are the constant source of my light and love, my balance and my energy.

Here is how Judah HaLevi wrote it (with my literary license to the translation):

Lord, where shall I find You?
Your place is lofty and secret.

And where shall I not find You?
The whole earth is full of Your glory!

You are found in our innermost heart,
yet You fixed earth's boundaries.

You are a strong tower for those who are near,
and the trust of those who are far.

You are enthroned on the cherubim,
yet You dwell in the heights of heaven.

You are praised by Your hosts,
but even their praise is not worthy of You.

The sphere of heaven cannot contain You;
how much less the chambers of the Temple!

Even when You rise above Your hosts on a throne, high and exalted,
You are nearer to us than our own bodies and souls.

You have no Maker except You.
Who shall not be in awe of you?
All bear the breath of your kingdom.
And who shall not call out to you?
It is You who sustain us -- breathe into us -- dance us -- continue to create us.

I have sought to come near You,
I have called to You with all my heart;
and when I got towards You,
I find you coming towards me.

I look upon your wondrous power and awe.
Who can say that they have not seen You?
The heavens and their Hosts proclaim your power
without sound.

Psalm 122 - three different versions

From Psalms for Praying, an invitation to wholeness
by Nan C. Merrill

My spirit soared when a Voice
spoke to me:
"Come, come to the Heart
of Love!"
How long I had stood within the
house of fear
yearning to enter the gates
of Love!

The New Jerusalem, the Holy City,
is bound firmly together;
All who seek the Heart of Love,
those who have faced their fears,
Enter the gates in peace and with great joy,
singing songs of thanksgiving.
There, in harmony with the cosmos,
the community gathers united
in love.

Pray for the peace of the world!
May all nations prosper as one!
May peace reign among all peoples,
and integrity dwell within
every heart!
Then will friends and neighbors, and
former enemies as well,
cry out, "Peace be within you!"
For the good of the universe and
in gratitude to the Beloved,
Let us serve the Holy One,
of all nations
with glad hearts.

From Psalms of the Jewish Liturgy, A Guide to Their Beauty, Power, and Meaning,
by Miriyam Glazer who writes of this psalm:

When God created the world, says the Zohar, God placed the waters of the ocean around the earth and in the heart of the inhabited world, God placed Jerusalem. For many Jews, it does feel as if Jerusalem is, still today, the center of the world, whether we are talking about Yerushalayim shel' ma'lah, heavening Jerusalem, or the Jerusalem of everyday. When the state of Israel is threatened, when war comes, when terrorist bombs explode in the city's bustling downtown, Jews all over the world gather together, urgently reciting Ps 122.

That is when Ps 122 feels most like a prayer coming from one's very soul, and the pain one feels for the disparity between the hope and the reality is most acute.

But the wars within and around Jerusalem are also evidence of more profound divisions within us and in the world as a whole. To pray for the peace of Jerusalem is thus in a sense to pray for the whole world; not because Jerusalem is the world, but because to achieve a true, full peace for that long-troubled city would take such a revolution in human consciousness, all humanity would be affected.

Se translates this psalm as follows:

I rejoiced when they said to me,
"Let us go to the House of Adonai!"
Our feet were standing within your gates, Jerusalem
Jerusalem, built as a city bound together well

It was there the tribes went -- God's tribes -
to fulfill laws of Torah be giving thanks to Adonai
for there in Jerusalem the thrones of judgment stood,
thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,
May those who love you feel tranquil!
May there be peace within your ramparts,
serenity in your citadels.
For the sake of my comrades and friends,
I pray for your peace
For the sake of the house of Adonai, our God
I seek your good.

Psalm 122 – Interpretation

Copyright Rabbi Shawn Zevit begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 1998

I rejoiced in my heart when they said to me
Let us go to the House of God
And now my feet are standing
Inside your gates, oh, Yerushalayim

L'man achai v'reyai adabrah nah shalom bach
L'man beit YHVH Eloheynu, avaksha tov lach

Pray for the Peace that holiness brings
May those who love you prosper
Pray for the freedom beyond all walls
And the hope security offers

L'man achai v'reya adabrah nah shalom bach
L'man beit YHVH Eloheynu, avaksha tov lach

For the sake of my brothers, my sisters and friends
I call out “peace be with you”

For the sake of the name of the One our God
I wish the best for you

L'man achai v'reyai adabrah nah shalom bach
L'man beit YHVH Eloheynu, avaksha tov lach

And as a postscript, let me leave you with Micah 4:1-4:

...the many nations shall go up and shall say
"Come, let us go up to the Mount of Adonai...
That we may be instructed in God's ways,
And walk in God's paths.."
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not take up sword against nation;
they shall never again know war.
Every one will sit under their vine and fig tree
And no one will make them afraid."

Let us breathe peace into our hearts, minds, and spirits this week. shalom, saalem, shanti