To Light a Candle...Chanukah 5774/2013

 

 

As we engage in the Holiday of Chanukah, it helps to understand what we are really trying to do beyond the candles, potato latkes and gift giving. And by help I mean acknowledging and addressing the challenges in our world.

 

There is a classic debate between the sages of Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai on whether one should begin with lighting all eight candles and light one less each night for the eight days of Chanukah (Beit Shamai) or light a single candle on the first night and add one more candle each night (Beit Hillel). Our spiritual and halachic mesorah (tradition) teaches that we follow Beit Hillel but that paradoxically both opinions are correct. How could this be?

 

Shamai is right in that in our physical world we observe that when we light a candle it burns and we have less. This is a world of limited and diminishing resources; people and things getting older, resulting in death and despair.

  

However, Hillel is also right. Beyond the physical world is the spiritual realm, where blessings and miracles are the norm, life goes on, there is no time, decay or entropy. Where a feeble few can defeat a robust army of many. Where in defiance of the nature of the physical world a candle enough for a day can last for eight. See how the flame, in defiance of gravity, burns upward. Or how when we share the flame with an additional candle we don't have less light, we have more.

 

Is my paltry donated sum going to make a dent in the suffering of the Filipino's recovering from that devastating typhoon? Yes it will, potentially in an immeasurable way. As we light our candles let's remember to go against our physical nature. Let's open up to our deeper, soulful nature and visualize a world in which blessings, hope and miracles arrive to address the suffering of our loved ones, neighbors and people the world over.

 

Experiencing the Pain of Others

What am I supposed to do with the pain and loss of 2000 years ago? It's really old and abstract. It doesn't feel relatable or relevant. It feels like an empty, meaningless gesture. The best I can come up with is a feeling of guilt mixed with a little "what's wrong with me". And to make matters worse when I engage in empty, meaningless gestures I feel as though I dull my senses, waste my time and worse miss out on some unknown opportunity.

Historically, the period of three weeks that began Monday night, June 24th this year (17th of Tammuz) and culminates on  July 16th (9th of Av) begins with the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem and its eventual destruction and the destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples (Beit Hamikdash) on the 9th of Av. These events are a couple thousand years old.  That I feel "distant" from them is an understatement.

Our Sages of blessed memory teach that physical events are the symptoms, not the source. The spiritual backdrop to these events is marked by a 3 week period without the same protections we generally have for the rest of the year. We are journeying on a treacherous path. If we are not careful, calamity can befall us. But if we are present to the challenges and opportunities, great results can ensue.

When we see the pain of others we have an opportunity to get past our personal agenda and go beyond ourselves to help others. Whether its hunger or human trafficking, in our community or abroad, the death of firefighters in the western US, or a priest in the middle east, the empathetic efforts we make can lessen the pain of others. Our Sages of Blessed memory teach in the Talmud that the 2nd Temple was destroyed because of "sinat chinam", baseless hatred. Our work is to step beyond personal agenda and experience baseless love, love without expecting anything in return. 

No matter the spiritual backdrop, the universe is always there to provide help and protection when we lovingly engage in enrichment, empathy and selfless work on behalf of the world around us, without personal agenda, just because. 

Consciousness at the Passover Festive Meal- This Time its Personal

This Monday night, March 25th, people the world over will be getting together to enjoy a festive meal to mark the beginning of the Passover holiday. And while re-telling the story of the exodus by the Israelites from Egypt a few thousand years ago is central to the night's activities, the question I'd like to ask is why? Why do we retell the same story every year; and why do we have a meal with iconic dishes unique to this night? Is this merely an anachronistic 'movie night' where instead of watching a movie together with our favorite snack foods we sit around, munch out, toss back a few glasses of wine telling tales of a victory from a bygone era? Or is there something more, metaphysically or otherwise, going on?

I would suggest that at all times whatever it is we are doing, being present to our actions requires asking why. Don't just do it. Think about what it is and why it is we are doing it. Without this awareness, life can feel empty. With this awareness, we do much more than continue a chain began by our ancestors. We work on ourselves, our souls and in turn the world. This is the central theme of this holiday and, not coincidentally, to leading a purposeful life.

Our sages of blessed memory gave us many tools to maximize the relevancy of this night. For starters there's a playbook, the Haggadah, with detailed directions for the night. The festive meal itself is called a Seder, meaning "order" and the playbook shows us the intended order of the night. The playbook even includes questions for us to ask of ourselves. There is a Seder plate filled with specific foods, and a stack of matzos. Were the sages control freaks who enjoyed the idea of making sure we asked their favorite questions, ate their favorite dishes in their favorite order for generations, just for kicks? Is this just some empty tradition, the passing of the proverbial torch with the emptiness of an email based chain letter? From my perspective, certainly not! Our sages knew that within the fabric of the creation of our world, the Creator had left a cosmic opening on the 15th of Nissan for us to tap into. And all of our so called "traditions" were uniquely chosen to assist us with maximizing this opportunity. An opportunity to achieve freedom by escaping from a closed and limited mindset. To see a grander vision than we can presently see with these blinders on. We can cross a sea, get manna from heaven along the way, and make it to the Promised Land.

The limits of a blog entry don't allow for a detailed explanation of why each particular dish and paragraph was chosen to accompany this Holiday feast. Most importantly though, let’s begin with a big picture understanding behind the purpose of all of this. It is our personal obligation as thinking, feeling people to live a life of purpose. To do that we must make a personal effort to struggle with a desire to know and understand. This is how we free ourselves from the expectations and agenda of society at large and the people in our lives in particular.

Our sages put this production together and passed it down to give us the opportunity to hit the pause button, gain perspective, and take the steps necessary to make our lives better in the here and now. The exodus was not merely a physical journey but a timeless spiritual one. And in every generation we have our own personal journeys to make, insights to discover and work to do to enhance the lives of our brothers and sisters the world over. So as we partake in this festive meal and go through the rituals that our ancestors did, let's not waste the opportunity given us by just going through the motions. Open a door to your soul and invite consciousness in. Let’s seek out a deeper, more personal meaning. If we all do our part the world will surely be better for it.

What I did for my Winter Vacation

Skiing is probably my favorite winter vacation activity. Destinations like Vail or Aspen in Colorado, or Park City, Utah are among my favorites. Alternatively, I could totally get into a beautiful and warm beach resort. But that's not what the stars had in mind for me this year. This year I spent my winter vacation in Poland and the Ukraine.  As I write this I am on a bus to a graveyard in Parysov, Poland after spending Shabbat near Warsaw. Perhaps a bit incongruous but allow me to explain.

As my interest in finding purpose and meaning in the things I do has grown, I have found tremendous meaning in visiting the burial spots of the Righteous or Tzadikim. Years ago I would have taken a skeptical view of this idea. I have been to Hebron to visit Abraham and our other Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and Rachel nearby. I have also gone to visit my grandparents who are buried in Israel. Mostly, my thinking on these activities fell into one or both of 2 perspectives; either to pay my respects or to demonstrate the importance of the site to the rest of the world.  These no longer represent my primary motivations for these visits. 

What could be the purpose and meaning behind visiting a Tzadik's grave site? Why go to a cemetery in the first place? Not exactly an uplifting or inspiring place. Death is like that. Depressing. Even when visiting my grandparents, I thought perhaps at least maybe they know I'm here. But are they here? They're dead! I could think of the happy times we spent together or how funny and loving they were. But I could do that in the comfort of my home. No need to do that surrounded by reminders of death. But when I think about my cemetery visits years ago, there was something else going on for me. Like many feelings I've had about other life experiences, these feelings are sometimes hard to describe. Mostly because the feelings they elicit fall into the category of life experiences that are not necessarily shared with others. So language falls short in trying to describe the experience. Kind of like a dream. 

What I felt can best be described as a comfortable feeling. Not like sitting on a comfy couch. More like a warm relaxed feeling. As I have come to understand my feelings better over the past several years, I've observed that these feelings are influenced by the surroundings I find myself in. On a simple level, when you walk into a room you can sometimes sense the stress, anger or levity of the people there. When I am on a beach I find the energy near the water to be very calming.  There is an energy to be found in all places. Some are easier to feel or identify than others.  But the surroundings themselves determine the energy that one feels. 

The same can be said of visiting the burial site for a Tzadik. Our heritage teaches us that their life, teachings and values represent their essential energy. This can be sensed in their books and at their final resting place in the physical world. A metaphysical portal to the essence of their souls. When we visit these places our souls become infused with a portion of their souls. And we are forever changed by this encounter. This has been my journey this winter. 

In all we visited the Baal Shem Tov in Medzhybizh, R. Elimelech of Lyzansk, Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the Chozeh (Seer) of Lublin, the Magid of Mezritch, Rav Zusha of Anipol and others. Enduring long bus rides and hiking through harsh weather conditions with just a couple of hours sleep each night. Each place felt a little different. The Kabbalistic Rabbis I travelled with shared the wisdom of these Righteous souls at each stop. We lit candles to manifest a physical connection. And prayed for healing for those we knew of who needed it. 

The Seer of Lublin was aptly though paradoxically named. While he was blind he had the gift of an ability to see deep spiritual truths in the souls of those he met. Part of what I hope I gained from this experience is a deeper understanding of my spiritual truths. The insight to see my failings and the strength to do something about them. Internal changes I hope will last well beyond the time it takes for tan lines to fade.