Va’Ethanan

Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11

Reading Torah is a unique experience.  We begin on the earth, grounded as it were with the simple understanding of the words.  Then we flow mentally and mystically through the roots of the words. If we are very fortunate, we find ourselves playing in the branches of our sacred tree (“It is a tree of life to all who hold fast to it”עץ חיים"  "למחזיקים בו).   

Many have struggled with the question of why Moshe Rabbeinu, the Holiest of humans was not allowed to cross over into the promised land.  Here is yet another interpretation.

כג  וָאֶתְחַנַּן, אֶל-יְהוָה, בָּעֵת הַהִוא, לֵאמֹר.

23 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying:

My Translation/Interpretation: At that time, I needed G to cover, comfort, wrap me in G’s grace. I gave expression to my need:

כד  אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, אַתָּה הַחִלּוֹתָ לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת-עַבְדְּךָ, אֶת-גָּדְלְךָ, וְאֶת-יָדְךָ הַחֲזָקָה--אֲשֶׁר מִי-אֵל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-יַעֲשֶׂה כְמַעֲשֶׂיךָ וְכִגְבוּרֹתֶךָ.

24 'O Lord GOD, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts?

My Translation/Interpretation: “Oh Wholly One of Being, My Council, You have begun the process of showing me, teaching your follower, how You thread everything together and Your strong direction. Who else can do as You have done so splendidly with heaven and earth?

כה  אֶעְבְּרָה-נָּא, וְאֶרְאֶה אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה, אֲשֶׁר, בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן:  הָהָר הַטּוֹב הַזֶּה, וְהַלְּבָנֹן.

25 Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon.'

My Translation/Interpretation: Let me cross over, or let me at least see that good land that is across the Jordan: This good mountain and Lebanon.”

כו  וַיִּתְעַבֵּר יְהוָה בִּי לְמַעַנְכֶם, וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלָי; וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי, רַב-לָךְ--אַל-תּוֹסֶף דַּבֵּר אֵלַי עוֹד, בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה.

26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and hearkened not unto me; and the LORD said unto me: 'Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter.

My Translation/Interpretation: And G crossed over with me (in my soul), but for your sake did not focus on me.  And G emanated to me: “It is already a great thing (that you have done); do not try to add to this matter with more word/things.”

כז  עֲלֵה רֹאשׁ הַפִּסְגָּה, וְשָׂא עֵינֶיךָ יָמָּה וְצָפֹנָה וְתֵימָנָה וּמִזְרָחָה--וּרְאֵה בְעֵינֶיךָ:  כִּי-לֹא תַעֲבֹר, אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה.

27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

My Translation/Interpretation: “Go up to the top of Pisgah and turn your eyes to the sea, to the south and the east. Let your eyes see, because you will not cross this Jordan.”

There is so much to unpack in this Parasha.  In it we find the first paragraph of the Shema.  This paragraph councils us, with compassion and humor, to focus and to love and even offers deep teachings on the ‘how’. It begins with the challenge to believe in the Oneness that is the source of all creation.  And immediately guides us to a path of love.  We are commanded to love. We ask in our hearts: “How?” The answer comes; “heartfully, soulfully, fully!” Again we ask how. And the answer wafts from the black fire on white fire: “Keep these teachings close to your heart.” And like a young child, we ask again: “How?” And HaShem with patience and compassion answers us. The key to remembering is to share these teachings with our children.  And because HaShem is such a good teacher of us, G’s children, there is humor added to the mix. We are to speak of this powerful teaching only two times in a day, when we are standing up and when we are not standing up.  And for those of us who still don’t get the joke it is repeated. We only have to focus on the power of love when we are at home and when we are not at home. And to help us remember the sacred power of love, the power of holy focusing on the source of love, we are to wrap these words on our arm and wear them as jewels on our heads.  They are our strength and our crown.  And more, we are to write them as reminders on our doors and gates. And even when we are doing well, we must remember the power and purpose of love and the source from whence it and all things flow.

Parashat Va'Etchanan is always read on the Shabbat after Tasha B’Av, the day of great sadness, and is known as Shabbat Nahamu, taking its name from the opening words of comfort in its special haftarah.

The concept of binding love on our arms and wearing the love as a crown on our heads has come down to us as a memory device called Tfillin.  So powerful is Tfillin that the Sages of the Talmud teach that the Wholly one of blessing, dons Tfillin every day (BT Brachot 6a); they suggest that in the boxes of G’s Tfillin are verses paralleling the boxes worn by Jews.  In G’s Tfillin are the teachings of love for all humanity, for our planet and for out process.

There is ‘Nahamu’/comfort in the spiritual image of laying Tfillin with the Wholly One of Being, the Source of all being, our Holy Council.

The Sacred and Hope filled Tears of Tisha B'Av

Tradition teaches us that Tisha B’Av is a time of mourning. We mourn the destruction of the first and Second Temple. Over time we have added expulsions, inquisitions, the Holocaust and some have even tried to make a connection with 9/11. The mental gymnastics involved in some of these equations are strenuous to say the least.  Yet I would propose that we do not need to struggle with a Pilpulish effort to make the event meet the date on our calendar.  Rather, let us simply accept that on a warm summer day, we take a break from our busy lives and allow ourselves to acknowledge that there is sorrow in the world.  There has always been sorrow in the world and that until the Messianic age (and maybe after) there will be sorrow in the world.

And there is sorrow and hardship in our own lives.  Without allowing that sorrow to dominate our lives, should we not recognize and reflect and even weep for the sadness that is in our world, in our tribe and in ourselves?

I weep for our world and the careless destruction that we heap upon it. My tears flow for lost loved ones and friends and my Rebbe for whom I ache. I look heavenward tearfully and silently wail for the struggles of friends and family and even strangers, I cry out at missed and squandered opportunities. I am dismayed over my loss of strength and physical abilities and memory and mental acuity. I take a day to let go, not to control my emotions, not to smile in the face of adversity.  I say to myself: “There are times when I must be strong.  This is not one of them.

The 9^th of Av usually falls around my birthday giving that day a bittersweet quality.

And yet…

I need this day of mourning to help me refocus.  I need this day of mourning because I do not want this annual event to spiral down into a daily occurrence. I need this day to inspire me to rebuild what has been destroyed. After this day of mourning must come a day of building. After this day of mourning I can once more enjoy the warm summer days and be touched by the cool, crisp fall air and prepare for the cold and wondrous winter.

There is a story told or Rabbi Akiba (and I paraphrase) who stood on a hill overlooking the ruins of the Temple with other Rabbis. They saw foxes running through the destruction.

Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Akiba saw a fox emerging from the place of the Holy of Holies. The others started weeping; Rabbi Akiba laughed.

Said they to him: "Why are you laughing?"

And he said to them: "Why are you weeping?"

They cried: "This is such a sacred place and now foxes traverse it, it is a time for weeping.”

He responded: "That is why I laugh. Just as Uriah the Prophet foretold of this day, Zechariah foretold of the rebuilding of the Temple.  Could the latter happen without the former?”

For me, Tisha B’Av is a time of weeping over the destruction.  But I know that a new day will break and I must roll up my sleeves for the joyous task of rebuilding.

Rocky Mountain Hai

scribbling upon a dream

Berasheet and the Mateh

I am sharing my story for the first time. And it is about time. I have been here since the beginning, even before the beginning. What does that mean, you ask? It means that I am not some descendant of ancient race; I am the antecedent of an ancient race. I am the Mateh מטה, I was taken from the original tree in the original garden. I was there before any of the 4 leggeds and before the 2 leggeds and all the other leggeds. I am from the family of one leggeds, the trees. We are far superior to the other leggeds that scurry around all over the place chasing or being chased. We stand and grow tall digging our roots into the very earth that the 2 legged and 4 legged scamper over without thought. We are the watchers, we trees, we Aitzim עצים and I come from the original watcher the Tree of Life. Before the time of the 2 leggeds, before the time of the 4 leggeds, before the time of mother earth herself, even before the time of time, I was there. Well it wasn’t exactly me for there was but G and beginnings had not yet begun., Before there was an I or a Thou, before time and space, before the before there was but G. And G created all and it was all done with a beginning. G began beginnings and the path that was to be, began.

G began the beginnings and then created concepts and turned them into matter and energy from which came space and time. And it all started with the idea of creating, the very blueprints for creation.
Oh when you read in the Sacred Guide called Torah תורה you may not get the depths of meaning, after all you are merely a two legged. But I am the Matehמטה I understand. The very first words, “Beraesheet Bara Elohim בראשית ברא אלוהים” are the first clue. It means “By means of a beginning did G create.” And I was there and when G created that perfect Garden, I as part of the Tree of Life was put into it and the Tree of Knowledge as well. We are sisters related by root. The Tree of Knowledge was put in to help the two leggeds grow. I from the Tree of Life was given to them to find the deeper reality, the mystical meaning of life.
Now if you read that portion called Beraesheet בראשית you know of the troubles of the first 2 leggeds. They were naked and knew nothing. But what you don’t know is that I from the Tree of Life helped them to take the first steps on the spirit path. I held myself in such a way that the wind blew through me coaxing the female one toward the Tree of Knowledge. It was so subtle as G’s Ruah רוח, ‘Wind Spirit’ blew the words; “Don’t eat from that tree in the middle of the Garden!” Oh you silly two leggeds. How easily manipulated you are. If you are told you are not to do something, you just can’t resist. But G added a little encouragement in the form of Sammy. Sammy is a Nahash נחש a snake. We call him Sammy the Snake. It is a colorful nickname. Now Sammy was supposed to be a crawly reptile without legs. But before G completed the job, G had Sammy sit on the tree and speak to the female. He was wily that Sammy was. He said: “Why don’t you eats from this tree?” The female said; “No, G has said that we can’t eat or even!” You have to hand it to Sammy. With that little exaggeration, he knew that he had her. “I am touching it, try nothing will happen.” G just said that because if you eat from this tree you will become wise and G wants to keep you down.” I had to chuckle when I heard that. She reached out and touched it and then, when nothing happened she tasted it. G had made the fruit to taste really good so that she would want the fruit of the tree of knowledge. So with her mind beginning to open she offered it to the male two legged. He ate it too and enjoyed. But of course knowledge is not all happiness and fun. For example they received the knowledge called guilt. G blew the Ruah רוח, ‘Wind Spirit’ through my branches again and the couple heard it as anger and punishment. So they left the perfect garden where I, the perfect tree resided.

Now I need to stop here and share something with you. After all you are only a two-legged and might not understand. G had tricked the couple into receiving a great gift. Learning, gaining knowledge is one of the greatest gifts that G ever made. But how do you get people to accept a gift that will require some effort on their part. Why not stay in the garden or eat of me, the tree of life. Oy the four choices were there. What, don’t you see them? Let me help you, after all I am the Mateh מטה, the guide. The first choice would have been to eat nothing, to obey G blindly. They would have lived their lives in ignorance and passed on with no heir and there would be an end to the two leggeds. The Second choice would have been to eat from me and not the tree of knowledge. Oh the tragedy. They would have lived forever, never had children (for that is the price you pay for eating from the tree of life) and never grown or learned. Everlasting cattle, (no offense is meant to those four leggeds) with no chance for spiritual growth. The Third choice would have been a punishment beyond any horror that you could imagine. What if they had (G forbid) eaten from both trees. They would have lived forever, learned and learned and grown and grown but never have been able to pass it on to their children. The awareness that eternity awaited, that learning would go on but with no one to share the joy, no one to receive the wisdom. Oh the pointless existence that would have been.

But they did as G intended. They ate from the Tree of Knowledge and this is really where my story begins. For G’s Ruah רוח, ‘Wind Spirit’ broke off a limb from the tree and it fell at their feet. They picked it up, well they picked me up, I am that limb I am the Matehמטה and I have been with the two leggeds ever since. I am the spirit guide; upon me can they lean as they travel across the planet. By the way, do you know the names that G gave these two first two leggeds. It is very telling. He was called Adam אדם the Earthling for he came from the dust of the earth as, indeed, we will all return. But her name is something else. She who started the process off was called Hava חווה the Life Giver. Is that not a beautiful name? And that is how the story of the two leggeds began on the Earth that G created for all life.

New location for Reb Bahir's blog

Hi friends, family and fans!

We have moved Reb Bahir's blog to reside ON his website at RockyMountainHai.com

We would really love to have you come visit us over there and subscribe, if you feel like it!

Thank you so much for your continued support of Rocky Mountain Hai!

-- Talia & Reb Bahir

From Where I Sit - Purim

From Where I Sit

My Dear Friends


Many may argue the facts behind the fable. Some will tell you that its origins are rooted within the mists of mythology; god and goddess. Marduk and Ishtar joining in ascendancy and certainly there are elements of that. Traditionalists will tell you that the story is exactly accurate as written. The story is the word of G in which we see the hidden hand of G. Historians will tell you that Ahshverosh (sounds like a sneeze) was really Xerxes and on and on.

But as for me, in reading Sacred scripture, I have the one and only definitive and absolutely correct answer to the fractured fracas of factuality of the chronicles.
(Drum roll please…)

The answer is: "I don't care!"

I do not go to my sacred guide to ferret out facts; I wander through TaNaCh (Bible) tracking truths, personal paths to probe.

When I read the text, I first peruse the Pshat, the simple contextual meaning. Pshat is the preface to the magical mystical tour of Torah learning. It is a step not to be skipped. But it is only the first step.

The next level requires the Sherlock Holmes in us. It is called Remez.

Remez are the hints that we use to discover the deep mysteries within the parable of Purim. Remez becomes questions.
Oh look here is one now>>>> “which forces are visible and which go on behind the curtain of this juicy holiday?”

To explore the answers we must delve deeper than Pshat. We wade into the waters of Kabbalah. Here, truly we find the magical mystical Mikvah and immerse ourselves freely, openly.

If we are going to play the Kabbalist Sherlock Holmes (KSH) we must be willing to descend deep into the waters, the source of life. To us, as KSH (Kabbalist Sherlock Holmes), it is evident that whatever we find in those sacred waters is, in reality deep within our own psyche, our spiritual DNA just waiting for us to open the treasure trove. In that treasure trove is the dangerous but delightful Drash lurking, waiting for us to feed upon it.

Drash is the personal interpretation that will be right to one person but meaningless to another. My Drash might be formidable fuel for my future and yet without meaning or merit to someone else. This is the unique power of Drash. When I use it to power my search for meaning, my Spirit Quest, it is very powerful search engine. If I use it to try to convince others of the rightness of my path, its dangerous sharp sharded sides reveal themselves.

In the Drash interpretation that we find when diving deep into the sacred waters of the story of Purim we must dare to open that hidden treasure trove. It has a power to replenish our soul's life force. That force will lead and guide us to direct and control our responses to all the future events in life. It might even hold the key to our personal power and the bounty that will abound through us in the Assiyah world where we all reside.

In the eyes of KSH, Megilat Esther speaks to the forces that unfold in the innermost parts of our five-fold soul. Forces that direct us, point out for us the riches of relationship with the Wholly One of Being. It becomes a guide to the life giving waters, a treasure map to the treasure trove. We discover through our exploration of Drash the names of these forces; they are called Mordechai, Esther, Haman, and Ahashverosh.

The story of Purim unfolds before the building of the second temple. At this stage, the people of Yisrael who represent the desire to begin the Spirit Quest live calmly and peacefully in the kingdom of Ahashverosh. One way of translating Yisrael is Yashar El. This represents the desire to go straight (Hebrew – Yashar) to (Hebrew – El -- G) the Source of Blessing and to learn from G the ways of the universe, the ways of life on this planet and beyond.

Mordechai, in this Drash/interpretation, represents the inner force that desires Devekut, that oneness with the Source of all. Yet in the story Mordechai seems to live in happy complacency in a peaceful kingdom. Where was the desire? The questions tantalize and tease us into delving deeper.

By careful examination, playful exploration we bring some golden coins from the treasure trove to the surface. From the very beginning, there are Remez - hints in the narrative that something is not quite right: "There is one nation that is scattered among the nations," says the text. Israel is that 'nation' and we are scattered, as opposed to being centered. Do you see how subtle the Remez are? We almost missed it. Yet our Remez map jumps out at us like a road sign to the discontent and disconnect on the human path. It is a sure sign that humanity has not yet found its soul path, its destiny, for only in the unity of difference can we find our goal, to live according to the ways of earth and heaven. In other words the only way to get it together is together.

The evil Haman represents the self centered ego in us, what Yisrael needs to avoid or, as in the story, defeat. Haman's goal is to exploit the situation for selfish gain. He is the one who despoils the earth, who blurs distinctions between peoples or foments hate for those differences. He eventually wants to overthrow the King. He is the descendent of Amalek the destroyer. He is the ancestor of Hitler (Yimach Shemo). He is all those who tell us that to be different is to be less, unequal. His lesson is that differences are to be used, misused and exploited. He is also the one who declares that all people are the same, and we should give up distinctions and differences, the very flavor, the spice of life. Our goal is to notice differences, accept differences, and revel in differences. That is the revelation of difference.

Haman sees and seizes opportunity in the idea that Israel is a 'scattered nation', calling it weakness, confusion and lack of faith. He finds the situation an excuse for eliminating, from the face of the earth, those who are different. They stand between him and his short sighted, selfish greed: exploiting Gaia earth spirit and the Creator of Gaia way and Halacha path, for his own gain.

What Haman fails to understand, however, is that Yisrael is dispersed only in spatial terms. Yes they disagree on the ways of Halacha. It is true that people disagree and argue and enter into disputation, yet that is the surface structure adjusting to time and space. Underneath, deep in the Neshamah soul of sacred connection there is a oneness that is firm and flowing.

That Neshamah soul level is the direct and open thread, the sacred connect with the Source of Being. It is a bond so deep that some don't even recognize it as they focus only on the surface paradigm shifts. And yet, in those quiet moments of spirit questing, something that we may not have noticed becomes apparent; the spider web connection glistens. Indeed we see the truth of it when, at the end of the story, all peoples re-form. That is, they form again, accepting the potent potential of Holiness, of wholeness for ourselves and our world. In this story, that awareness is called Yisrael.

The frightening danger is our delusion that the 5-fold soul is, like the body, limited. That limitation is what the evil of Haman wants to exploit. That is why we need to discover and confront the Haman within us. Our bodies have limits and those limits are teaching devices for the soul. But the soul is limitless and always learning, growing and, if we listen carefully, teaching.

The beginning of the story tells how Mordechai the Jew saved the king from the two assassins Bigtan and Teresh. Naturally, we would expect the King to reward him for his deed, perhaps an honor, or at least recognition.

But things aren't quite that simple, for Mordechai is the Israel in humanity, it wants nothing but to be in contact with the ineffable name. It wants no personal gain; therefore you cannot give it any gift, for it has no other desire than oneness.

Thus, to our surprise, we read that it isn't Mordechai who is honored. The one who craves surface honors, Haman, the ego, the needy, the whiner; it is Haman who the King appoints as head of all the ministers. Haman gets total domination of the Kingdom and all are ordered to bow before him. The ego has now risen to frightening proportions.

Of all the people, only Mordechai sees through the facade and refuses to bow before anyone but the King (G). Mordechai represents the spiritual in us all. As plants are heliotropic, they point towards the sun, the human soul is Theo tropic always point toward, seeking out G’s light. Mordechai is the only one in the story who still remembers this powerful pointer, when the whole town of Shushan is bewildered and bedeviled. Even when his life is threatened, the hidden power of Mordechai chooses loyalty to the King, the source of all, the Wholly One of being over all else.

It is only through magnifying Haman's ego to this out of proportion level that the people could see the danger, could realize how right and righteous was Mordechai's way.

The difference between the road Haman takes and that of Mordechai is the core around which the story revolves.

Haman wants to exploit the King and use the authority to take over the Kingdom. His ego epitomizes the most vile force on the planet, the desire to rule the world at all cost, even that of the world’s destruction, even his own destruction.

Mordechai's only goal, on the other hand, is to unveil a true path in this world, to learn from the Wholly One of Being how to conduct himself for the betterment of the world and all who dwell there. Therefore he cannot be bribed in any way. He can stand at the King's castle and guard the gate while everyone bows before Haman. There is no material pay for his loyalty. Mordecai follows the Talmudic advice to serve a master without seeking reward. He knows in his holy optimism that the day will come when light will shine and truth be revealed. He also understands that he cannot impose his will upon others. And this too is his power.

Haman gets control of the Kingdom, precisely for the purpose of increasing his desires. The egoism is revealed as are the destructive forces that dwell within him. Haman decides to utilize the authority he's been given in order to carry out his plan to destroy his primary enemy – the Israel within.

Haman is then asked – what is to be done with the man the King holds dear? His ego being certain that it is him the King holds dear, he suggests that he be seated on a horse (the elevation of the 5 fold soul path, that inner force of humanity) and it be publicly declared: "Thus will be done with the man the King holds dear". But it is not the ego of Haman that is held dear but the straight path of the G seeker, Mordechai that is held high. It is Mordechai that is elevated. And Haman’s ego blinds him to the lesson. He continues his plot of ego gratification and destruction of anything that challenges it.

Haman carefully plans his actions, prepares the hangman's tree and the rope, confident that in a few moments, the power standing between him and his dream, will have been eliminated.

At this point in our tale, the unity of Israel the Yashar El path is revealed. For Esther the quiet, seeks the power to stand up to strength, to ignore authority. The people of Israel, the Yashar El seekers, pray for her path. Their collective prayer for the success of Esther's mission, representing the force of faith, puts the lie to Haman's belief in the devaluation of difference. One of his ego flaws is that he sees difference as separation. He believes that people with different paths are not aiming for the same holy space. He believes that he can separate, suppress and destroy diversity.

Esther is the powerful mythical heroine who enlightens the power of diversity as a force for unity. That power and awareness is the courage that allows her to address the King directly, which is one of the miracles of Purim. Prior to that, no one could or would address the King that way. Only the united spiritual support of the people, in prayer, and her great courage give her the necessary armor to come out of hiding (Heb: hEster means hidden) and into the presence of the King. She reveals the King's panim/essence of flow – to bestow on all humanity the great awareness of our potential. She, in facing the King, challenges us to share differences in love and harmony with none to make us afraid.

Only then does Haman (the egotistical dark force within humanity) discover the flaw in his dastardly deeds, but it is too late for him. Too late, does he discover that the purpose and process of humanity is the revelation of the hidden light, the truth hidden within our inner selves to enlighten our outer shells. Unlike G, who is Ehad, one without parts, we are Yahad, one made up of differences, we are made up of parts and each part is precious. From the learning and the sharing of the parts, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

The climax of the story occurs when the destructive sentence which Haman himself had passed on others is turned back upon himself.

The great battle of Haman (the ego) to rule over the Kingdom versus Mordechai, the desire to live in harmony, is engaged.

In our story, Israel represents the deeper soul desires of humanity to discover the King's path of possibilities and the possibility of paths, ways to reach out and ways to reach in.

In our story, Israel represents the desire in humanity to be in perpetual Yihud, contact with the Source of reality.

In our story Israel represents us all when we accept the challenges of life with the inner certainty that those challenges only rise up to reveal our path to the palace of the King.

Israel is us, when we remember the Source of our lives and strive to utilize every opportunity explore the path and to fortify the bond with G.

Israel is us, when we do not give way to despair even when facing grave difficulties along the way.

We become Israel when we finally see beyond the surface and seek the inner light, when we learn acceptance and awareness of the oneness of the different paths of life.

We become Israel when we turn concealment into revelation and write with our deeds the story of Mordechai and Esther.

Ode To A Scrap Of Paper

ODE TO A SCRAP OF PAPER

I was once a Tree
Not the lined, scribbled upon scrap you see now
I was tall and strong and beautiful root to leaf, bough to bough
Now I am flat with printed lines, ordinary in every way.

But I was once a tree

Not a folded, ripped and stained messenger of words
I was a pillar reaching to the very heavens and a haven for birds
Now I am the lowly receptacle of a spilled drink on a tray

But I was once a tree

Not a used and useless, torn and crumpled up form
I was hard, yet gentle, swaying brightly thru the most terrible of storms
Now the smallest breeze would carry me away

But I was once a tree

A chameleon of the colors of fall
A shady place to lie one’s head
A playground for children and animals
Who scampered through my limbs
And laughed and who were in awe of me
Now I am only a piece of waste to be burned
A minor household inconvenience
“Take the garbage down on your way out!”
And now the roaring furnace jaws open wide…

But I was once a tree

The Menorah and The Hanukiah

The Menorah and the Hanukiah

They sat side by side, almost twins. But their emotions were as dissimilar as their shape was similar.

“I am so excited!” chortled the Hanukiah. “It is almost that time of year. Soon the house will be filled with the smell of Latkes and the warmth of my favorite holiday.”

“I wonder what that could be!?!?” grumbled the Menorah, standing tarnished and forlorn by her younger sacred symbol.

“Why are you upset, you sound jealous?” replied the Hanukiah with a hurt tone of voice.

“What if I am,” the Menorah responded angrily.

“Why are you jealous? Hanukah comes but once a year. Ok, so I get lit for 8 days in a row!” (He positively shivered with delight). “But you are the most important symbol of the Jewish people. For one night every single week, you are brought out and lit! Songs are sung and prayers are said wonderful food is eaten. I envy you!!!!”

“But that is just it, I am not brought out once a week, or once a month or even once a year. I am forgotten, a meaningless relic, a useless ornament in the breakfront.”

The Hanukiah felt bad. “I…I didn’t know,” he said quietly.

“Well I am not putting up with this neglect, this abuse. I am leaving!!!” And with that the Menorah pushed with one of her 7 branches against the glass of the breakfront.

Don’t do that,” cried the Hanukiah, “the glass will...” and with that there was a crash and a thud as the Menorah broke the glass and fell to the floor. “I told you,” called the Hanukiah.

“Well, I don’t care, I am leaving!” cried the Menorah, tears running down her branches, as she brushed herself off and began to make her way through the living room towards the front door.

“Where are you going?” Cried the Hanukiah.

“Home!” Shouted the Menorah and then again, more quietly, “Home!”

“And where is home?” called out the Hanukiah.

For a moment, there was no response, then the faint sound of brass against brass as the Menorah strived and succeeded with a grunt to open the door. Then as the door swung wide, the Hanukiah heard the answer. “I am headed to Israel. That is where all of this started and that is where I intend to find out where I come from and why I have been so forgotten.

For years The Menorah struggled in its travel. It found its way onto buses and trains, into the trunks of cars until finally it found its way into the suitcase of an Orthodox Jew on his way to Israel. When the Menorah arrived, it climbed out of the suitcase and waddled its way onto a bus heading for the Negev, the desert of wandering. It felt as if it was drawn by an irresistible force to the ancient desert dwelling of our ancestors. Somewhere near Ein Gedi, that ancient oasis in the desert, it threw itself from the bus and struggled through the passes and wadis until, exhausted, it collapsed against a strange looking plant a sweet smelling plant, a sage plant.

As it rested, dully gleaming in the sun, the plant called to it. “Welcome home my child.”

The menorah was shocked. “How can a plant speak it wondered aloud.”

“In the same way that a Menorah can waddle,” the plant laughed, “Ask the author. Clearly, you are here for a reason. You have returned to your source.”

“Yes, I have come to Eretz Yisrael, my source, where it all began. Maybe I will learn why I am so forgotten, so useless?”

“Yes yes, Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, but more importantly, you have returned to me. For I am your source, you were patterned after me. Thousands of years ago, when the people called, Ivrim, Bnai Yisrael, Yehudim, created your ancestor, the Menorah in the Holy Temple, they designed it, and therefore you, to look like me. I am the plant Moriah. Do you know what my name means?”

“No, I don’t.” exclaimed the Menorah in wonder, beginning to examine this strange plant more closely.

“It means the teaching of G. You were meant to remind all Jews of their relationship to G, the source of all, the source of life, the source of holiness. You were meant to be a pointer to the great lessons of life. Shabbat, which you also represent is a time to reflect on life, and love and oneness, indeed all the great gifts that humans take for granted.”

The Menorah laughed bitterly. “Yet I am forgotten. The Hanukiah is shined and used and the children sing songs and play games around it and I am left in the cupboard, forgotten and alone.”

“But don’t you know that the Hanukiah is your spiritual child. It was created to look like you, to remind, as you remind.”

“But that is just it, the Hanukiah reminds the children and their parents of the glory and the power and the spirit that was long ago. But I do nothing, I am nothing, I am only a relic.” And the Menorah wept, droplets of oil rolling down its branches, as it was held by the Moriah in the wilderness of loss.

Meanwhile, there was one in the Menorah’s former home who did notice that the Menorah was missing. Her name was Rinah Tal. She was the youngest daughter of the family who had purchased and then ignored the Menorah for so long. She was 12 and there was excitement in the house as everyone was preparing for their trip to Israel. This was to be her Bat Mitzvah present. Her family was going to travel to Israel and celebrate her Bat Mitzvah at the Dead Sea, near an ancient oasis called the well of the goats, Ein Gedi.

Rinah had always liked the Menorah, been somehow drawn to it, touched by it. She enjoyed looking at it in the breakfront and wondered why it was never used. She had read the stories of the Temple of long ago and the Menorah, the Ner Tamid, that seven branched candelabra that had been lit daily there.

The day finally came, the family had traveled by taxi and bus and plane and private car to the beautiful resort at the Dead Sea. She had done her Bat Mitzvah by the waters of Ein Gedi and everyone had been proud of her and awed by the stark beauty of the place. She had been showered with praise and gifts, yet for her, something was missing. The day after her Bat Mitzvah, she snuck out of the hotel early and caught a bus, by herself up to Ein Gedi, the sight of “her day”. She wandered in and out of the groves that grew along the water. She felt elated and yet…

Then she saw it. Tangled in a sweet smelling plant hidden from view was… a menorah. No, not a menorah, THE MENORAH it was the one she had loved, the one she had longed for, the one she had missed. She tried to pull it free and as she did some of the plant came away with it. She was ecstatic. She was so happy she wanted to sing and dance. But then she felt a powerful sadness, loneliness. She felt, almost heard the feeling coming from the plant wrapped Menorah, the need to be used, to be lit, to be a symbol once again of the ancient ways that were as new as the new day dawning. She said out loud, not at all embarrassed to be addressing the plant encrusted Menorah:

“My beloved Menorah, you are my Bat Mitzvah gift, my heritage gift, my sacred connection. I will light you every Shabbat as a reminder that I am Bat Mitzvah; I am part of the sacred history and spirit of my people. You are a symbol of my connection to G and to my people and to my soul,” She shouted in joy.

She ran back to the bus and took it to the hotel where her parents were up and worried about her. When she showed them the Menorah they were in shock. They tried to explain away its presence, not willing to accept that this was a place of signs and wonders. But Rinah Tal would have none of it. She insisted that this was her Menorah from back home. She insisted that from that time on it would be lit every Shabbat, SHE WOULD LIGHT IT EVERY SHABBAT. She quietly muttered; “This is my Bat Mitzvah present, this is the meaning of my trip to Israel, this is who I am.” And her soul was filled with the light of an inner Menorah, a Ner Tamid that would never be extinguished. And she insisted that the sprigs of the plant that had attached itself to the Menorah NOT be removed, ever.

Standing in the breakfront, next to the Hanukiah, the Menorah smiled with a dull shine of pride and awareness. Candle droppings covered it as a Talit of Rainbow colors. It was home and it was fulfilled.

Sukkot

FROM WHERE I SIT

My Dear Friends

There is something about building a Sukkah that opens the door to who we are. Our Sukkah building reveals the blueprints to our mind, our heart and our soul. Some people spend a great deal of money buying pre-fab Sukkot. They look at the directions and fit piece A into slot B. They put up the pre-painted fabric walls. Lastly they roll out the pre-fab Schach סכך (I so love that word), the vegetation that is the roof of our temporary dwelling. Voila, the Sukkah is complete. Every year when I wobble on the ladder, slam my thumb with the hammer and curse the stripped screw heads, I vow that next year I will buy a beautiful pre-fab Sukkah and make life easy on myself. But somehow, it does not ever seem to happen.

I like building my own. Sometimes my soul-partner helps and my daughter and son. It is a family enterprise and that adds meaning to an already meaningful connection. Building a Sukkah is a Mitzvah מצווה and Mitzvah means connection. Building a Sukkah is all about connections.

My friend Jon, who is a lot smarter than I am comes over to help. He has a tool box and a tape measure and apron for holding nails and screws and things. He sits with me to plan out the Sukkah. He plans, making notes and drawing designs. He writes down the material that I have to buy or he will donate the twine and screws and this year the webbing that he suggested is more eco-friendly and reusable. And then we set to work. Jon wants to put it together according to the plan, with strong clean lines that will create a beautiful and secure structure. I want to slap it together. After all, it only has to stay up for 8 days. He holds his heart and groans as I secure the beams haphazardly, rather than evenly. Each year I tell him the same story of my childhood Sukkah. Each year he has to teach me the names of the different roles that the 2x4s and 1x4s play. There are studs and rafters and beams and other things that I have already forgotten.

I ask “why?” a lot.

And we laugh a lot.

Because of the work and the family and the friends and the Mitzvah מצווה, Sukkot has been elevated on my hit parade of holidays.

For Jon we are building a dwelling, albeit a temporary one. The Sukkah is a dwelling place. It is a dwelling place for G. WAIT! Don’t dismiss that phrase. It is a dwelling place for G. We have always built incredible edifices in hopes of bringing that deep power, that Sacred Other into dwelling. We have built Temples and Synagogues and Shuls, all to hold the Shehina . Jon, whether in his consciousness or deeper, is building G’s house and he wants to “do it right”. What a wonderful soul challenge. If you were G’s contractor, what would you build? Would you build a citadel or summit, mansion or meeting hall? How would you build something that is inviting to G.? For some it might be a palace of ritual. By following ritual we can open ourselves to G’s dwelling, G’s Shehina. For other people an inviting dwelling place would be a Yeshiva where Torah is studied, Jewish issues discussed. Some would want a humble dwelling, shining with righteous action, fairness, compassion.

For my part, we are building a ‘tree-house’. I put up a Sukkah like I am a kid building his first tree-house. I want to build a tree house for G. I want to climb to my tree house on steps that mystically support my weight forcing me to concentrate and shed my baggage. I want to call out, in hallowed whisper, the secret password shared by all who also share deep philosophical questions of balance in the tree house. I want to climb and jump and laugh and learn the lessons of the tree house.

There are great lessons to be learned in the tree house, in the Sukkah too. They are the lessons taught by creatively understanding Halacha and history and the meaning of mystery. They are a hidden discussion with our souls and our soul-maker. They are coaching tips for us in regards to our interactions with each other and with ourselves.

Tree house/Sukkah lessons:
1. A Sukkah will not protect you from the rain. It will open you to the Sacred nature of nature
2. Be careful on what you lean, it is fragile. Like life, we have to act consciously and 'consciencely.'
3. Check how many walls you have put up. What do we want to keep in and what do we want to keep out. How big is our welcome mat and is it a heartfelt welcome mat.
4. Eat in the Sukkah. Food tastes better when shared with good friends and enlightened ancestors.
5. Sleep out in the Sukkah. There are good lessons on the wind as it breezed through the branches of our Schach סכך
6. Every once in a while you might have to prop something up. We need continually to examine our structures, the ones we build with our hand and the ones we build with our hearts.
7. Stop! Look up at the stars. That twinkling through the branches is there for a reason. Connect the dots.
8. Look at the shadows at your feet; let your imagination off leash. What do you see?
9. Always invite guests. It is merry and meaningful. Remember to invite the spirit guests, those who have built Sukkot before you. They are our inner teachers.
10. Putting it together yourself, with a friend is fun and it is fulfillng. It is heartful, soulful, full.

My family and friends come over. We build a Sukkah, a palace, a playhouse. And we laugh, and G gets a good dwelling place and a good ride.

I pray that all our Hagim are filled with laughter, love and meaning.

Hag Sameah

Sukkkot in Kabbalah

IN THE BEGINNNING
During the month of Elul, we seek to rebalance through forgiveness from others. On Rosh HaShanah, we stand before G in awe and awareness. On Yom Kippur, we bow the head and humble the heart seeking, in our souls, forgiveness from G.

Four days later, with the fullness of the moon, we exit our own homes and to enter into the Sukkah, that tiny Mishkan, G’s temporary home. G’s home, as we shall see, is the Sukkah.

When we want to be intimate with the Wholly One of Being, we tend to anthropomorphosize G, that is we talk about G in human terms. From Rosh HaShanah through Yom Kippur we say that G’s Left Hand, the side of Gevurah, has held us firm in the grasp of judgment. Yet, as soon as Yom Kippur ends, from the breaking of the fast through Simhat Torah we feel G’s embrace from the Right Hand as we enter into a period of joy and hope a period of grace, a graceful period.

The human imagery underscores our attempt to understand G. We seek to explain the unknowable that is G, with explanations that are human. Our hands only act out what is first thought of in our mind. We point to what we see of the world around us, and exclaim; “ we see what the hand of G has wrought. The mind of G, that causes the action is hidden. In our imagery, G holds with one hand and scolds us with the other. But the mind of G, that which causes the hand to act is still hidden from us. And so we say; “as it is below, so it is above.”

Our actions are the clearly visible works of our hands. Our thoughts form blueprints for our actions which follow. Our thoughts our not visible, they are concealed until made manifest by declaration and deed. As it is below, so it is above. The Thoughts of G are concealed from our eyes. They can only be uncovered when we see G’s ‘handiwork’.

When we connect through Mitzvot, we become, as it were, the hands of G. Yet, underlying the Mitzvot given by G lay the concealed sacred Divine Thought. Concealed within all Mitzvot, within the very words that spell out those Sacred Connections and the very letters that spell out those words, are concealed sacred hints as to what is in the Mind of G. The letters and words of the specific Mitzvot of Sukkot teach us the Sacred Meanings that are imbued by G.

THE SUKKAH
The secret of the Sukkot holiday can be found in the word Sukkah itself. If we play with the word Sukkah we can find the holy Name YKVK and more. The numerical value of the word Sukkah (Sameh, Vav, Kaf, Hey) is 91. The two letters Kaf and Vav in Sukkah numerically equal 26. This is the numerical value of YKVK . When 26 is subtracted from 91, the remainder is 65. 65 is the numerical value of the term for G, Adonai. Together, in a sense, the word Sukkah spells out the sacred, ineffable name of G and the term we hear so often when we see G’s name, Adonai. These two share a special and sacred relationship.

Adonai is the Name we use to call upon HaShem. YKVK is in mind whereas Adonai is in speech. Whenever most Jews see the YKVK we say Adonai. The sacred Name YKVK is the inexpressible, concealed potential, the “I will be” that G tells Moshe to say is G’s name in Exodus 3:13. The term Adonai expresses a manifestation of the concealed “I will be”. When combined therefore, YKVK and Adonai express the union of the Divine potential and manifestation.

In the realm of the Sefirot within Kabbalah, the Name YKVK corresponds to the six Sefirot (Hesed, Gevurah, Tif’eret, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod). Together these six are called Zeir Anpin, ZA, the Small Face (Zeir Anpin is Aramaic is the partzuf [profile] of the midot, corresponding to the emotive faculties of the soul. In general, the concept of the 'finite' is identified with Zeir Anpin). ZA is that Face of G unseen in our universe, yet is the source of all things happening here. It is this Face of G that is seen in the Heavens. The Face of ZA is centered on the Sefirah Tif’eret, which is the supernal Heart and source of the written Torah.

The term Adonai, on the other hand, relates to Sefirat Malchut, the Shehina. The Shehina is also called Nukvah the feminine of ZA. It is through the Shehina/Malchut that ZA is manifest here in our physical universe. The Shehina is the life force that gives rise to all forms in the physical universe. The Shehina is the mothering, dwelling place, understanding of G. It is that comfortable feeling we get when we are doing the right thing at the right time in the right way. It is our supernal hug. Shehina is the nesting feeling of comfort in the laws of nature that are part of our everyday life and our understanding of the universe. The Shehina creates nature, it is related to Gaia spirit into which Zeir Anpin flows and through whom it is made manifest. As such, Nukvah is the proverbial partner, the Bshert of ZA. The two must be in union for the sake of the continuity of the universe. Without the union of ZA and Nukvah, our universe would revert back to the cold primordial soup void of any life and consciousness.

ZA and Nukvah must be in a state of continual union in order for the supernal abundance of Divine energy to flow into the matter of our universe. Life is vibrant and ever-flowing. Torah is a paradigm for life understanding. We interpret and discover meaning in as we play among the black and the white letters of Torah. As ZA is shows us the general forms of all what is to be, Nukvah provides the details. "As it is above, so it is below." This is the mystery of the written and oral Torah. ZA manifests the written form of the Torah, etched and engraved within the holy letters. Nukvah breathes into those letters and gives them their meaning and parameters. It forms the sandbox in which we play and learn and grow. It is the oral Torah that gives form and substance to the written Torah. And the Oral Torah is more than the written word of Talmud. It is that which flows through all who delve and dive into the sandbox of Torah study. The two together are like loving partners, incomplete one without the other.

In Kabbalah, ZA is also referred to as the Wholly One of Being. Nukvah/Malchut, as we have said is referred to as HaShem’s Shehina. The union of ZA and Nukvah is thus the union of the seven lower Sefirot that balance the Active/Passive, the Giving/Receiving principles in creation. It is part of the Yin and Yang the IN and YO within Judaism. This is also referred to as the connection of the spiritual realm and the physical realm, the metaphor of the Heavens and the Earth. When we open our eyes and our hearts and our souls, we can see the relationship of Written and Oral Torah. We do not express a union of the Wholly One of Being and Shehina For G is not one made up of parts. But what flows from G becomes duality in our world, in our lives. We say that we bring G into the physical realm through Shehina through the way of Mitzvot. In reality, Mitzvot are the way of awareness of G felt through the prism of Shehina. Again, by playing with the letters of Sukkah, we can find revealed this concept, the concept of universal harmony and continuity, the “Thought of G” manifested in our actions.

Sukkot lasts for seven days. These seven days correspond to the unity of the six Sefirot of ZA and Sefirat Malchut of Nukvah/Shehina. These seven days unite the supernal Sefirot and radiate upon us their Ohr Zarua, their supernal light. Yet, as with all things in the physical world, one must be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing in order to receive that which is to be received.

THE USHPIZIN
The right place is the Sukkah, and the right time is the seven days of Sukkot. On each of the days the radiance of one of the seven Sefirot is revealed. On the first day, the Sefirah of Hesed is lights our way in the Sukkah. Day two, the Sefirah Gevurah is made manifest. On the third, Tiferet and so on. We invite seven male and seven female of our sacred ancestors to Represent the sefirotic energy of that day. As energy can become matter we take the energy of each Sefirah and manifest it as the matter of our holy ancestors. We call this spiritual energy matter transference Ushpizin (the guests). These are the sacred souls of the seven fathers and mothers of the Jewish people, each one of whom embodies one of the Sefirot and its energy. On each night of Sukkot, we invite the appropriate guest couple. Indeed, a special place (a chair) is actually prepared for the reception of this presence.

This invitation can be simply symbolic or it can be much more. With meditation with open minds and hearts and hands and souls, a we can feel the essence of the soul of the Ushpin (guest). The essence of the souls of Avraham, Yitzhak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and David come to us and bring with them an element of the manifestation of the Sefirot Hesed, Gevurah, Tif’eret, Netzah, Hod, Yesod and Malchut. Since the male influence has to do with tradition and the female, creativity, there are many different ideas about which of our mothers are invited. For me they are Miriam, Leah, Hannah, Rebecca, Sara and Rachel. Just as with the men, we need to look into the stories of the mothers of Israel to find the hidden relationship to each Sefirah. The essence of these Ushpin guests and the Sefirah energy they bring with them may be absorbed into our souls, causing us great spiritual elevation.

Traditionally, an Ushpin can only manifest at this special time of the year, the full moon of the seventh month. Like the moon, only when Yisrael is in her fullness can her fathers and mothers come and bless her. Yet, the blessing that comes in this time can only come through the proper receptacle. This receptacle is the Sukkah.

THE SCHACH
Our interpretation of the flow of G into the G field that we call ZA is activated in us through our actions in the Sukkah (the Sukkah becomes in a sense the Huppah or wedding canopy)) for seven days.

Through the fruity, earthy branches of the roof of the Sukkah we can see the stars. The reality of our Assiyah world of action twinkles. It reminds us of the Briyah the world of creation. As we repose, we pose the questions of our G field, our spiritual dna re-membering the first big bang, G, by means of a beginning creating all, from nothingness to the energy matter dance found in largest galaxy and the tiniest quark. We do not ask the when or how or where questions, that is for scientists seeking facts. We are here to experience truth. We are here to experience the ineffable Who and the sacred Why. We experience the Wholly Oneness of Creation. We see the stars through the branches of the Sukkah, feel the breeze through the frail and fragile strength of the walls and taste our food unique because of the awareness of time and space and spirit. We touch and are touched by the Yetzirah realm, the world of formation. For we have built this Sukkah and in it we connect with all Sukkot in time and space. We feel the earth under our feet, and see the stars above our heads and feel this open box of sanctity, our Sukkah. The words of G to the first humans resonate in a new way. "Go down to the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and commune with them, be one with the earth." The Sukkah reminds us that our physical forms, fates and fortunes are always transient. Our souls poured into our limited bodies to learn lessons are touched by the by the work of building and of being in the Sukkah. And sometimes if the longing is right, we can let go and find, just for a just a moment that total Yehidah oneness with G as we disappear within the realm of Atzilut, of G’s emanation.

THE FOUR SPECIES
Dwelling in the Sukkah these seven days offers us a deep spirit connection. Yet there is more to this special time than the Sukkah itself. There is also the mitzvah of the Arba Minim, a further opportunity for Sacred Connection. We take three hadasim (myrtle), two aravot (willows), one lulav (palm) and one etrog (citron) and wave them as a sacred sword, cutting away the knots of separation from HaShem. This ritual also hideswithin it mysteries for us to unravel.

The four species are:
1. Myrtle (hadas, spelled hey, dalet, samekh),
2. Willow (aravah, spelled ayin, resh, bet, hey),
3. Palm (lulav, spelled lamed, vav, lamed, bet) and
4. Etrog (spelled alef, tav, resh, vav, gimel).

The species themselves correspond to the seven Sefirot that are made manifest on this holiday. The three hadas branches are
the three Sefirot Hesed, Gevurah and Tif’eret. The two aravah branches are Netzah and Hod. The lulav is Yesod and the etrog to Malchut. Seven days and seven parts to the Lulav/Etrog both correspond to the seven Sefirot.

The six branches are held in the right hand and the etrog is held in the left. Tradition teaches us to hold the four species together with the etrog. We are bringing the holy Bshert into wholly oneness, ZA and Nukvah, the potential and the manifest, the spirit energy and spirit matter coming together.

By playing in the sandbox of Gematria we can discover for ourselves, through the letters of the names of the four species, how they too serve to create the unity of ZA and NOK thus maintaining the flow of blessing from Heaven to earth.

The final letters of the four are samekh (numerical value of 60), hey (numerical value of 5), bet (2) and gimel (3). Together these add up to 70, the numerical value of two important Hebrew words, sod (secret) and yayin (wine).

Wine is always the symbol of blessing and joy in Torah tradition. This is why wine is the prime element in Kiddush, Havdalah and every Simha (joyous occasion). We always celebrate over a full cup of wine. The Sod is that wine is a symbol of bringing the physical and the spiritual together, the ZA and Nukvah. Grapes are brought forth from vines. Human intervention makes the grapes into wine. Wine is used for Kiddush, part of the process of elevating earthly time into sacred moments. The four species too are like our Kiddush wine for the holiday. With them do we celebrate the union of Heaven and earth, spiritual and physical, energy and matter. With them do we celebrate the sod, the secret of the union of ZA and Nukvah concealed within tradtion and ritual, made manifest through our actions and interpretations. We celebrate revelation of inner meaning of Mitzvot, sacred connections. At its highest level, observance is breaks the bubble of symbolic gesture. We become G partners in the process of creation and the restoration of the state of harmony and balance between the worlds. The remez/ key clue, the hint to finding that highest level is found in the names of the four species.

The initial letters of the names of the four species (hey, ayin, lamed, alef) numerically equal 106. 106 is a special number, the value of the phrase recited daily in the Shema "bchol levavecha (heartfully). How then do we reach the highest level, participation in the process of creation and the restoration of the state of harmony and balance between the worlds. We reach that level by fulfilling the Mitzvot of Sukkot (Bchol Levavecha), heartfully.

106 is also the numerical value of the word hamelucha (G's sacred council). When one performs the waving of Lulav and Etrog as the spirit warriors sword, Bchol Levavecha, heartfully one is slicing through the ego barrers to the Heaven realms. Traditionally this was termed the 'ohl', 'yoke' of Heaven. The Hebrew word for yoke (ohl, spelled ayin vav, lamed) is also 106. When we act heartfully, we find ourselves in council with the Wholly One of Being.

106 is also the numerical value of the phrase higiyon lev (understanding heart). Understanding is always said to be an attribute of the heart and not the mind. One who observes this sacred connection, the mitzvah of the four species heartfully, cultivates an understanding heart with which is another remez/keyclue to understanding the mysteries of the Torah. How beautiful it is to seek the mysteries of Torah. And guess what! The Hebrew word for beauty is yofi, also numerically equal to 106.

The observance of the mitzvah of waving the four species, when done heartfully points to the incredible heights and lights of spiritual life. And in more Gematria games, the name lulav itself is numerically equal to 68, the value of hayim (life). When we wave the four species, we wave them three times in each of the six directions of the earth, south, north, east, up, down and west. Each cycle thus contains 18 waves. 18 is the number of hai (life). We repeat this procedure four times during the Hallel prayer. Four times the 18 equals 72, the numerical value of the word Hesed (compassion) the highest of the seven lower Sefirot. By bringing the spiritual together with the physical, by joining heaven and earth we bring compassion into our lives and into our world.

THEREFORE:
The Sukkah, the four species and the Ushpin are powerful teachers, with motivation and meaning. The Sukkah teaches us of YKVK/Adonai, the potential and the manifest. The Schach brings to the fore, the four realities that we can experience by living the sacred connection the Mitzvah to sit in the Sukkah. The Lulav and Etrog reinforce the teachings of the 7 guests, who come to connect us to the 7 Sefirot of creation and to make us one with the spiritual and physical reality of life. The Lulav and Etrog point us in the direction of heartfelt involvement, to sit in council with the Wholly One of Being. When we perform these sacred Mitzvot with an enlightened spirit, that is to say heartfully, we set in motion a series of spiritual occurrences far beyond what our minds can imagine. We create a conduit of potent spiritual energy that comes down to us here on earth. This occurrence is celebrated as a separate event and holiday. This is Hag Shemini Atzeret, the eight day. On this day, the union of ZA and Nukvah are complete. On this day, they ascend to the spiritually highest lofty places in the invisible worlds of Atzilut.

Not a bad way to spend a week, when you think about it!

An Open Box: The moving non-movement!

My Dear Friends

On Erev Rosh HaShanah I began a trilogy of sermons that I called "The path less travelled." On that night I spoke of the origins of our people, our tribal path. On Rosh HaShanah day I continued with the tests and lessons of movement. As a people we have moved through time and space carrying our faith in our hearts and our heads and our hands. Movements were built as boxes to protect us and our sacred cargo. Movements were and are trail markers along the path less travelled. And movements were mechanisms for change.

But movements have drawbacks. No matter what the grand ideal, no matter how well the box of movements carried the changes we needed, no matter how well the box protected tradition, no matter how open the box was to change and modernity, eventually the lid on the box closed and change solidified and we forgot what we wanted to keep out and what we wanted to keep in. The usefulness of a box is in the opening and closing, the emptiness and the fullness.

The box which each movement created for us to carry along our path less travelled, became sacred in and of itself. The movements began to take themselves too seriously. Ego is the rust on the hinges of our box. "Our way is the only right way to Jew our lives," squeaks the movement as the lid on the box becomes harder and harder to open. "If you don't do it our way you are somehow missing the mark, not handling it correctly, less spiritual or less modern or just less." And the lid of the movement refuses to move.

The Orthodox tell the story of a husband and wife in a car. The husband is driving and the wife, leaning against her side of the car complains: "We used to sit together in the car your arm around me, me leaning into you, it was romantic. But we seem to have drifted apart." The husband replies: "What do you want from me. I am driving the car, I can't move. You are the one who has moved away!" This is how the Orthodox box sees Conservative and Reform and all liberal movements in Judaism. The Conservative box see the Orthodox as needlessly neglecting modernity, while Reform has forgotten and forsaken its roots.



I have shared with some of you that I come from a long line of Rabbis. My father, (זצ"ל) was very proud when I was ordained. I was visiting him that summer in Narraganset Pier in Rhode Island. On Shabbos we sought out the only synagogue in that small town. When we entered, my father proudly announced that he and I were Rabbis. The people there thought that it was fortuitous because their Rabbi was on vacation. They asked us to lead the service. As we walked to the Bimah I noticed a מחיצה separating the men's and women's section. The reader's table faced the ark not the congregation. We had entered an Orthodox synagogue and they were asking us to lead. My father had never led an Orthodox service and so it was left to me to lead most of the service. But at one point he whispered to me: "Let's just turn around and do this right!" Right for him was the Reform way.

Movements, each and every one of them have become like a box with a rusty hinge. Boxes are important tools on the path less travelled and we each need to have our boxes, they carry significant ideas and keep safe important ideals. The box gives shape and form and direction to our thoughts. But we should be wary of climbing into the box and we should never do all our thinking inside the box. The problem is that movements tend to box us in and box others out. And that is because we don't open our box enough, we don't examine enough or play enough with what's in the box. Carrying our movement box can make us comfortable but it also can make us, has made us complacent.

There is a tale told of a bejeweled box that was a treasure of an elderly couple. They kept it in a glass case for all to see. They would take it out and show it to special friends, on special occasions, but they never opened the box. When they passed on they left it to their children, who kept it on the mantel and told all their friends how it had been so special to their parents. When they passed on and left it to their children, the box got stuffed in a drawer somewhere. And when they passed on, the box somehow was lost. The box is the movements and the hidden treasure within is our Judaism, our Jewing life to the fullest.

I love boxes, they proclaim neatness and orderliness, a place for everything and everything in its place. My favorite box is a replica of a tinderbox, carried by the mountain men about 150 years ago. I enjoy the firm pop as the hinged lid opens wide or closes down. My box is small in all its brassy glory. My box is the protector of small fragile objects. It has carried all that is miscellaneous, all that has nowhere else to go, all that is important, irreplaceable yet unplaceable.

So tonight I wish to offer a solution to the rusted box of movements, the box that is neglected and which contains the sacred and hidden light that we might call Moshiah consciousness. Tonight I wish to share with you a new box, clean, bright and brassy. It is a thoroughly modern box, a box that will carry us comfortably into modernity and yet the box is hinged with tradition carrying our sacred treasures along the path less travelled.

This box that I offer contains a non-movement, that is always moving. This box is a paradigm shift for movements and for individuals. I even have a catchy name for our new non-movement, a catchy name for our new box. I call this moving non-movement 'Reframing'.

When we reframe we see things anew. We see them in a light that we have not utilized before. Reframing how we move on our path less travelled will enlighten our path with the Ohr Zarua, the original hidden light of creation and creativity.

But as with all things of worth, it takes some work. And for our box to be useful to us we must use it, constantly adjusting, adding and subtracting from our box, rearranging and handling the contents.

Our reframing box requires each of us to fill and empty and refill it with questions to be asked, and actions to be quested. What studies will you put in our reframers' box. What traditions would you keep alive in our box as we wind our way down the path less travelled

Who is interested by history. Did you know that the Menorah is Judaism's oldest symbol and that it stems from a sage plant found in Israel. The name of that plant is Moriah, which means G's guidance and is related to the word for our Sacred Guide, Torah. How about the fact that two thousand years ago when we were forced from our land, the Romans, to add insult to injury, named our holy homeland after our worst enemies.

The people who invaded our coastlands of Ashkalon and Ashdod and Gaza were people who we would not even call by name, we simply called them the invaders. Today we mis-transliterate it as Philistine.
In Hebrew the word for invader is Paleshet. The plural is Palashtim. The Romans renamed Israel using that very word, the word celebrating their invasion of our sacred homeland. In Latin the term is Palastina what people now call Palestine.

History enlightens our path, the path less travelled.

Who would be willing to keep our sacred tongue alive, who would be willing to learn a little more about Hebrew putting it in our sacred reframer's box. Just the Alef Bet, or a few more words of worth. For Hebrew holds the secrets of history and poetry and philosophy and mystery.

What is the fourth letter of the Hebrew Alef Bet. It was Dag, which meant fish and the original pictograph was that of a fish. But we changed it when those same invaders conquered that spit of land on the southern part of Israel on the Mediterranean. They worshiped a god of fishing and its name was Dagon. We changed a letter of our Alef Bet from Dag, fish, to ד, door because it was too close to idolatry.

The א, the first letter of our Alef Bet is silent and yet contains within it the secret of the sacred name of G, the name we are prohibited from pronouncing.

What traditions would you carry in your box for a year to guarantee their survival and increase your spiritual awareness. Every tradition in Judaism has a history that will hold your heart and a mystery that will bring heaven to earth. Would you take 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week for a year and lay תפילין? It would change your life and add a little light on the our sacred path, the path less travelled. Within the leather box that is תפילין is the six word mystical phrase of oneness that we repeat throughout the day. We call it the שמע and the translation that we read is every week is weak. Sometime we will sit together and you will create your own translation that far surpasses what we read in our prayer books.

What of שבת, is that something to carry in our Reframers' box. What people call the 10 commandments are written twice in Torah and each refers to Shabbat a little differently. In one case Shabbat we are told, should be Shamored, guarded. In the other case we are reminded to זכור, remember Shabbat.
What is the difference. We guard Shabbat by living it, by doing it, by being it. How we do that in our Reframers' box will be different for each of us. But one element is the same. We will not allow the weekday, workday, mundane day into our sacred bubble of time. For some, no electricity or driving. For others, we travel for sacred activities not for shopping. But for all, Shamoring Shabbos is family time, prayer time study time, a time of holy rest. That is how we שמור. But if we cannot שמור, guard by living it fully, we can זכור, keep Shabbos in our hearts and heads and hands.

When our son, Ronin was in high school he took part in school plays. Needless to say, he was the best actor there. But it required him to perform on Friday nights. His answer to this challenge was to take a couple of candle stubs some Hallah and grape juice with him. At the appropriate time he would slip away and make the blessings. Since some of the other actors were Jewish they began to go with him. Eventually even the non-Jews came to see what was happening. On one such occasion Ronin was in the Sound of Music. What he told me painted a picture in my mind that still warms my heart. Members of the cast, in costume took part in the short celebration of Shabbat. In costume!!! I picture a group of costumed nuns, and Nazis standing around helping usher in Shabbat with blessing. If we cannot שמור we can choose to זכור and that will raise the sacred sparks.

Every תורה is hand written, copied from the one before. It has been so for over 2000 years. Hidden within Torah are shards of that original light that can brighten our world and our world view. One Shabbos our grandson Gage, looked up from the dining room table and asked me to tell him a story about that week's Torah POTION. Torah is a sacred Potion that we should keep in our reframer's box. Would you be willing to study a little Torah every week. Would you consider to look at a small part of the Torah potion under a new light? Would you carry that sacred light in your tinder box of reframing.

I am not asking that we do everything, that we study everything. I am asking that each one of us opens our box and decides what Jewing to put into our personal Reframer's box. We can try things out to see what fits and what comforts and compels us. But we must try or the box becomes just another bit of clutter in our lives.

The Reframer's box must have oiled hinges from constant use, opening and closing, putting in and pulling out. The contents must be shiny with wear. In this way our path less travelled remains a path worth travelling.

My friends our moving non-movement box of light, our reframer's box calls out to us with the shofar's blast and the whispered warning. “Open and examine and play with what is in this box but never climb into this box.” The box is for carrying our sacred tools, tinder and char, flint and steel, creating holy sparks. It is not for show and it is not a place to hide from modernity nor from Mashiah consciousness. We should think outside the box, live and love outside the box. But we should never abandon our reframer's box. A box is not a home it is our sandbox, our tool box, our toy box, our X box. We need to live with it and play with it, examining the contents adding new sacred tools and putting others aside. And we do this to enlighten our path with holy consciousness, our path, the path less travelled.


I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.