Tag: Shabbat

Shabbat as an Acceptance of Reality

I came across a line yesterday while reading The Soul of the Mishna by Rabbi Yakov Nagen. He suggests:

Throughout the six days of the week, we change the face of reality. Our actions denote a conception of reality that is lacking, and humanity’s inability to accept the lack. Action is forward-looking, toward a different reality that will appear as a result. The essence of Shabbat is the opposite: accepting reality as it is here and now, enabling one to be present in the moment.

p. 110

Our daily grind is the mission to create change in our lives. So many of us always feel like we are always on, constantly going from one thing to another. We are always searching for something else, something different, something meaningful and powerful. Too often we just keep moving and never stop to sit in the moment.

When we look at current suggestions about self-care, we find many advocates for making a Sabbath for oneself, designing a 24 hour period of detaching from constant connectivity and consciously reconnecting with oneself and those around you. This is a day of “not-doing.” It is a day of rest, rejuvenation, and returning to oneself. It is a day of being present.

As we continue to search for spiritual growth and find true meaning in life, do we give ourselves the time to sit where we are instead of just moving forward, looking for the next step. Are we smelling the roses?

Today, may we reflect on whether we give ourselves the time, whether formally or not, to be present and be accepting of reality. Do we live life only as people always grinding, or do we live Shabbat oriented lives as well, taking time to just be present to the here and now?

Looking to discover your more authentic, spiritually focused self? Let me help you along this path! Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com

Rebbe Nachman’s Advice # 6 – Charity and Faith go together

Faith manifests itself in many forms. Much of our approach to faith is emotional/intellectual, in that we either try to gain clarity and understanding in what we see in the world or allow experience and gut to guide us on our journey. In the below quote from Rebbe Nachman, he suggests that faith has a more pragmatic, action oriented element as well:

טז. עִקַּר חֲשִׁיבוּת הַצְּדָקָה וּשְׁלֵמוּתָהּ הִיא בֶּאֱמוּנָה. וְכָל הַבְּרָכוֹת וְהַהַשְׁפָּעוֹת הַבָּאִים עַל־יְדֵי הַצְּדָקָה, אֵין לָהֶם שְׁלֵמוּת כִּי אִם עַל־יְדֵי אֱמוּנָה, שֶׁהִיא מְקוֹר הַבְּרָכוֹת. וְעִקַּר אֱמוּנָה זוֹכִין עַל־יְדֵי שְׁמִירַת שַׁבַּת קֹדֶשׁ: (לק”א סי’ ל”א אות ב’)

Charity is only perfect when it is combined with faith. The same is true of all the blessings which flow into the world through acts of charity. They are only perfect when there is faith. Faith is the source of blessings. Keeping the holy Shabbat — which is called the “source of blessings”— is the foundation of faith (31:2).

From this passage, we are given a shift in our perspective on both charity and faith. As to faith, Rebbe Nachman gives us a clear approach to its value in that faith allows us to be a receptacle for blessing. Through faith in its ideal, we open ourselves up to a more selfless approach to life as a whole. Obviously, this takes work and effort to overcome selfish faith, one in which we claim faith only so that we can receive blessing. Rather, we have to cultivate faith in our individual and collective missions to make the world a better place. All of this leads us to charity.

Charity is a complicated idea. Maimonides, for example, makes it clear that tzedaka, which we translate as charity, a term that implies a certain subjectivity in that we can choose how to be supportive, is not the correct translation of tzedaka. Rather tzedaka should be seen as a required form of supporting others in positions of need. Without tzedaka, the world wouldn’t stand as we would be relying only on acts of kindness, chesed, which are contingent on the goodness of one to another. Others work with the more colloquial approach to tzedaka as the equivalent of chesed, which I would argue is what Rebbe Nachman is suggesting. As such, this is where faith comes in. If we combine faith with our sense of charity, we will find it easier to give because this combination cultivates our sense of trusting our giving is not a diminishment in what we have but rather a conduit for furthering our collective mission as human beings in caring for all.

Finally, how does Shabbat fit in? Shabbat, cessation from doing, is the source of all blessing. When we allow ourselves to take a moment to witness all we have done, we can often gain a deeper perspective. We can see the bigger picture. We can have the time and space to reflect and to not be caught up in doing, allowing ourselves to strengthen our spirituality and ultimately our faith. This foundational principle is in line with the above. When we allow ourselves to stop, we are saying that we trust that even if we aren’t doing, the world can continue because we have done what we could. Faith is the sense that we do our part and believe that Gd will take care of the rest. Faith is a deep sense of trust. Resting/Shabbat and Charity both must be accompanied by this notion of faith in order for them to be done to their utmost and if they are, then we should hopefully see blessings come into this world as a result.

As we get ready to enter the Shabbat of the special reading for Parashat Shekalim, which is about the obligatory giving of a half shekel to support the tabernacle and Temple, may we see the merits of our giving shine a light on our lives.

Are you struggling with your spiritual growth? Faith? Feeling lost in the midst of the journey of life? Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com

Resting on your Laurels, Or the importance of Shabbat

In exploring for myself and working with others to help foster spiritual growth and change, I stress time and again the notion of seeing every step as a positive gain even in the midst of one’s pain and suffering. Too often we get caught up in not being in our ideal states instead of embracing the road we are travelling and how far we might have already come.

In this week’s Torah portion, Bereishit, Gd provides perhaps the ultimate example of the importance of taking stock along the way. In the creation story, after Gd establishes something, whether it be light, land, animals and yes, even people, the section includes “And Gd saw that it was good (or very good in the case of day 6).” Gd, if you will, pauses after each major moment and sees that it is good even while still needing to do more. At the same time, Gd doesn’t just stop and say, OK, ‘I’ve created enough.’ The moment is good and then Gd continues until nothing is seemingly left to create.

At the end of this creation process, Gd offers us a second clue as the importance of reflection in the designation of a Sabbath day, the day Gd rested (Genesis 2:1-3). In a comment on verse 2:2, Rashi expresses an interesting read of the phrase וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י, On the seventh day God finished the work. He suggests:

דָּ”אַ מֶה הָיָה הָעוֹלָם חָסֵר? מְנוּחָה, בָּאת שַׁבָּת בָּאת מְנוּחָה, כָּלְתָה וְנִגְמְרָה הַמְּלָאכָה:

Another explanation: What did the world lack? Rest! Sabbath came — Rest came; and the work was thus finished and completed (Genesis Rabbah 10:9)!

Rashi highlights the importance that rest plays in our creative nature. Without rest, the world is incomplete!

It is not enough to be creative beings, to be action oriented beings. If all we are doing is doing, then the tasks will never end. If we don’t rest, we don’t see the places we have reached. If we don’t take stock along the way, seeing that it was “good,” then what are we really accomplishing.

I believe this notion of rest as the culmination of creation is extremely important to our spiritual work as well. On the one hand, of course it is important to always strive towards greater heights, never “Resting on your laurels.” At the same time, how can any of us know how far we have come without taking stock of our journeys, our processes. If we don’t stop, pause and rest along the way, we miss out on the solidifying of all we have done.

May each of us be blessed to find the opportunities to truly rest along the path, see where we have come, and have the time to plan what the next step will be.

Looking for support as you take a pause, giving yourself the opportunity to “rest” and reflect: Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com.

Don’t forget about the inner essence

One of the biggest challenges in finding a true balance in life is how much our profession becomes our defining character trait. Most of us tend to introduce ourselves by our profession because it is something concrete to hang our hat on. Yet, the professional we are is not who we are.

Over the course of the past few weeks, the Torah cycle has arrived at the building of the Tabernacle in the desert. In a few places throughout this latter part of Exodus, Gd warns the people that while building the Tabernacle is of much value, the people must be careful to not work on it on Shabbat. R. Eliezer Melamed in the introduction to his work on the Laws of Shabbat vol. 1, expresses an idea about this connection which I feel speaks to the challenge of getting to who we really are:

One might have thought that only secular activities would be prohibited on Shabbat, but actually the Torah prohibits any type of activity necessary for the construction of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle erected by the Israelites in the desert). Moreover, the 39 melakhot (types of labor forbidden on Shabbat) are derived from the work done for the Mishkan, and all forms of labor that were involved in assembling the Mishkan are prohibited on Shabbat. Thus, juxtaposed to the descriptions of the work done in the Mishkan we read, ‘Nevertheless, you must keep My Shabbatot (Shemot 31:13), which teaches us that although erecting the Mishkan is a great mitzva, one must desist even from on Shabbat. For even crafting the Mishkan needs to be connected to its inner divine essence. If this were not the case, all the difficulties in putting up the Mishkan would be left like a body without a soul, unable to fulfill its purpose of revealing the word of Gd to the world. Sometimes it is specifically those whose work is linked to the holy who need to be particularly careful about this, because due to their awareness of the value of the holy they are likely to invest their all in building a framework for it, to the point that forget its inner essence.

Laws of Shabbat vol. 1 p 14-15

Shabbat is a day of rest from those things which distract us from getting to our core, our essence. It is the day that allows us to “check” on our foundation, making sure what is truly holding us up is not just “smoke and mirrors.”

We are always striving to achieve but are those achievements built on a strong or a weak foundation. As each of us looks to new opportunities, new beginnings, are we being careful to reinforce those parts of us with which we are traveling forward on this journey in life? Are we uncovering the inner essence of what makes each of us special, unique, or are we just making the framework look more beautiful?

May each of us find the beauty in Shabbat and find the spark that helps to reinforce our inner essence.

If you or someone you know is struggling to see your inner essence as part of your spiritual journey, contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or email newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com.