From Fear to Freedom: Reflections for Passover

The story of Exodus, informs the central theme of the Passover celebration and the Seder ritual—freedom. Exodus is a story about a journey from slavery to freedom. While we understand freedom and its facets it is hard for us to personally relate to the concept of slavery. That is why psycho-spiritually we use the symbolism of Mitzrayyim (Egypt), literally translated from Hebrew to mean "narrow places," to denote our state of constriction and limited-ness. In this article I would like to suggest a new opposite to freedom that you might find useful-- fear. I will describe why reading the Exodus story, and other mythical Bible stories, as a transformation from fear to freedom is instrumental for our psycho-spiritual development.

Exodus is a mythical story most of us know from our childhood, thus for some of us its tones and lessons sound childish and simple even through our adulthood. As with many stories and things that are introduced to us in our childhood, they get stuck in a juvenile form and do not grow and evolve and mature with us. One related example from my childhood comes to mind. I had to memorize a section from the Hagaddah for the performance of the Passover story at my school when I was about 10. One of the lines read: "In every generation a person must see themselves as if he or she is coming out of Egypt." For many years after that when we get to this line in the Hagaddah during the Seder, I hear it in my head, in Hebrew, complete with the tones of a 10 years old girl on the stage in a big auditorium without a mike. It took many years to consciously release the automatic response to this section of text, and create the shift in my mind to seriously contemplate the meaning of this very important section in the Haggadah, that calls us to tell the story in the first person.

Our ancient rabbis and Jewish thinkers in every generation understood that transformation, reinterpretation, and reevaluation of traditions and teachings are a must in each generation. Albert Einstein said: "The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." We need to find our authentic voice to move out of fear and into freedom and sing our song in our voices. We use tradition as a mirror to reflect on who we are and what our lives are about, and we cannot do it without experiencing ourselves in the river of traditions and in the stories. There is a way of being that calls us to the present moment, a way to celebrate holidays and hearing stories that is transformational to our being. Exodus is such a story.

Back to the topic of fear. Viewing life through a narrow tunnel of perception informs our being and we look at life’s situations from the lenses of fear and make decisions based in fear. Mitzrayim, our narrow mindedness, may give us a false sense of safety, a mere familiarity with known factors that breeds security and predictability. With such narrow-mindedness, the development of self is inhibited and the desire to achieve our human potential is diminished. We need to strive to take the blinders of fear that get us stuck in the patterns that keep us unhappy and hesitant in achieving our human potential.

Rex Briggs writes: "Authentic safety is a genuine sense of empowerment that comes from solid self-confidence and feeling comfortable with ourselves and others. It includes such things as knowing what is reasonable to expect from ourselves and others, knowing our rights, setting healthy boundaries, facing conflict with reasonable assurance, involving ourselves in healthy intimate relationships, meeting life's sadness and loss head-on, and being willing to accept responsibility for the decisions and choices inherent in managing our own lives. The only way we develop that confidence is by interacting with other people. We can't learn it by withdrawing, hiding or sitting on the sidelines. Those ways of coping may have helped us to survive as children, but they stifle us as adults."

Stepping into the desert of the unknown takes courage, the courage to live from trust, security, and a sense of freedom and not from fear. "We must learn to face both extremes in life, or else we risk losing both. Life is a series of contrasts, and it's our ability to allow ourselves the experience of hate and grief that enables us to fully savor the ecstasy of love and joy. Rationally, that makes sense. If we don't have the experience of conflict, we can't very well appreciate the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from participation in a win-win resolution. If we've never experienced both the pain and relief that come from utter grief we can't value the contrast with some of life's exquisite joys.

Many of us have tried to walk a narrow path through our lives, hoping not to suffer any really "low" lows, but paying the price of not enjoying any really "high" highs. After a while we begin to feel like observers of our lives instead of participants, gradually coming to believe more and more "I can't." (Rex Briggs)

Passover is the holiday of freedom! Hag ha’chayrut! A time for us to reflect on where we are not free in our lives on a personal level, communal level, nationally, religiously, and globally.

Ask yourself:
what am I (are we) afraid of?
Where does fear control my (our) decisions and actions?
What are the places and situations I am (we are) not willing to touch or see? How can I help myself and others move from fear to freedom?

I wish us all a liberating holiday. May we perceive with courage and open mind, expand our consciousness, and be full of compassion and love to see the true and authentic in others and us – so we can all be truly free.

Integrated Wisdom for the New Year

My Friend Rev. Marie Roberts calls herself a recovering intellectual. When you first read this surprising assertion, you may think that she is anti-intellectual, but of course you know it is more nuanced then that. In her experience she found that over-intellectualizing her life, living from information and analysis alone, limited her life experience.

Over the years in my own personal practice and in working with others, I have investigated teachings and methods that led to creating integrated experiences: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.
In my experience, the more a person relies on one way of experiencing and understanding the world the more she or he is closing the other portals of engagement of the other kinds. For example, solely intellectual people are reluctant to engage in religious activities: rituals, prayer, meditation, and other practices that deliberately divert one’s attention to the holy. For intellectuals, as long as the mind is busy analyzing, judging, and discerning information, it is on track and they feel at home. This is not just a conditioned behavior or brain chemistry phenomenon, rather it is wrapped up in beliefs, emotions, fears, etc. Now, to be clear I am not rejecting intellectualism and thinking. It is a fine activity and a worthy pursuit on its own. However, if we solely rely on only one track to carry us through life or use it as the single lens which we view the world, we remain one dimensional in our experience.

Society puts a high value in being smart, thus the social reinforcement is great. Many people feel comfortable in the intellectual realm; though limited, it is familiar and predictable to them. We value intelligence so much that lately even when we talk about emotions we use the term “emotional intelligence” or we refer to our spiritualism with the term “spiritual intelligence.” I get why people use it, and I even like the sound of it myself. But, it does provide a box of “thinking about” around it. Thinking and analyzing emotions and feelings are not the same as feeling them.

When we enact a ritual or pray we use different parts of ourselves than when we study and process information. When we pray only from our minds instead of opening our hearts, we miss the point. When we go to prayer services and only look forward to hearing what the rabbi, priest, or minister has to say, we are not there to pray, but to study. I think that that is why so many of us have very disengaged and utterly dissatisfying experiences when we attend religious services. To more be blunt, synagogues and churches bore most people because they approach it with their mind, looking for intellectual nourishment, while the activity of prayer calls to engage the heart and soul.

I would like to suggest an experiment when you next participate in services. Invite your mind to relax and let the liturgy, music, and decorum in as you would let a work of art, nature, or beautiful music, make an impression on your soul. Try to sit quietly, relax your body and your breathing, and hear the art and flow of the service make its impression on you. Rather than analyzing the service and making a list of suggestions on how to change the service, why you don’t care about it, why you’d rather be somewhere else, watching TV, or planning your day, try to sit and let the ancient resonance meet you. Even if just for a moment, experiment with allowing your heart “hear” with new awareness. Let yourself connect, be inspired and even surprised by it all.

I want to end with few verses from Psalm 27, the Psalm of the month. We recite it every day. I freely translated the last few verses to create this prayer to guide me on the journey during this season. I hope you find it meaningful.


“Guide me on the way, God, and lead me onto a path where I will be least distracted so I may not stray. Deliver me from living from my mind alone, for false beliefs rise up in me, and they bring about suffering and wrong actions. To look up onto the goodness of God is life giving. I call on you, my soul, to look to God for inspiration, to be strong and have courage, and to not lose hope.”


Psalm 27 versses11-14 Interpretive translation by Rabbi Sigal Brier Brier©

Teshuvah -Elul Practice

Teshuvah--turn and return

The return to balance and beauty represents the unification of God’s aspects asdescribed by the system of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. The merging of the inner aspects of God, as described in the tree of Life, the sefirot, are pathways to healing of the Godhead and healing of creation.

Tiferet, the emanation of harmony and beauty resides in the center of the tree. The aspect of the masculine that channels between the sefirot. It shines its light like the sun, and balances creation and aspects of the Godhead with compassion.
Shechinah is the feminine emanation at the bottom of the Tree of Life. The receptive aspect of God, the bowl that receives and contains the flow of all the other aspects. Shechinah is like the moon, the rainbow, and the earth that are nourished and sustained by other light and energy sources. It is the Holy Presence, the divine immanence, balancing feminine and masculine.

This knowledge informed my writing of the chant shuvah. The flow moves from tiferet to shechinah, healing shechinah and returning it to its harmony.
I call for the healing of the soul and the healing of the earth and creation interchangeably, because personal healing, collective healing, and environmental healing are all intertwined.I chant shuvah la’shechinah, come back spirit heal my soul, come back spirit make me whole.

I pray for healing, wholeness, peace, awareness, and the return of clear consciousness between all our disparate parts, within and without.Teshuvah,

Elul Practice: Prepring for the High Holy Days

There are many teaching about teshuvah (usually translated as repentance, turning, and returning). Teshuvah is an important Jewish concept, value, and theme, and practice we practice everyday, but most people practice it during the High Holy Days.We begin the process of teshuvah, re-alignment and return during the month of Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashana. We engage in the important practice of teshuvah to deeply prepare us for the High Holy Days, the start of a New Year.

ELUL is the month of love. The letters aleph, lamed, vav, lamed make the acronym of four words from a verse in the Song of Songs "Eni Ledodi U’dodi Li," I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.Our ancient rabbis taught that teshuvah is not necessarily a process to overcome sins and wrongful acts. It is a process of return to knowing love and knowing God. It is a spiritual process of return, a re-aligning, a self-reflection, and a closing of the gaps between where/what we are and where/what we aspire to be.

This is a gentle practice of reminding ourselves about our (and others’) true loving nature, summoning the compassionate nature within us and others, and letting go of unnecessary behaviors and patterns through forgiveness and acceptance.I spend time alone in a daily teshuvah during the month of Elul, a practice of reflection and prayer. You may choose to dedicate a regular time each day to engage in the practice of teshuvah.

Begin by reflecting on the past year, your life, family, work, school, health, relationships, well being, state of mind, etc. You can support your practice by sharing it with another person. Arrange weekly meetings, phone time, or exchange E-mails with a spirit buddy, a trusted friend, or a family member.

You can also sound the shofar daily at your home during the month of Elul. The sound of the Shofar helps us open our hearts and ears to hear and speak clearly.When we open our hearts and minds in teshuvah we remember that we are all fashioned in the image of God (b’tzelem haShem.) During the month of Elul we turn to teshuvah practice with the hope it returns us to God, to our true nature, to love, to compassion, and to our values. We pray for a deep transformation for all people.This year Elul starts on September 1, 2008 and Rosh Hashana evening is September 29, 2008.

Lighting the Inner Menorah

We enter the Month of Kislev and the season of long, dark winter nights and shorter days. Every one is counting the days toward the celebration of light in the different traditions. In Jewish tradition in addition to the commemoration of the rededicated Temple, the lights of Hanukkah are lit during this time of year when the nights are long and cold to remind us of the hope of warmer days and more light. Lighting the candles for 8 nights is the main activity of the holiday. We increase the light each day, adding another candle, to mirror the growing hope in our hearts and minds for a brighter future.
Just about now, we start making shopping lists, greeting cards lists, and to do lists for celebrating the holiday. All these tasks may feel daunting, not spiritual, and not very meaningful or related to Hanukkah. Sometimes we engage in activities begrudgingly and even wish Hanukkah was not 8 days long becasue of the "demand" of daily gift giving and celebrating.

I want to remind you in order to help you refocus your attention on what the holiday is about and make it more meaningful and joyous.

Hanukkah is the holiday of light and hope. It is the time of rededication of our spiritual center. A time of making room in our soul and heart so we could clearly see the guiding light and purpose of our lives.

Please take sometime to reflect alone or with your family about the following questions: How can you bring spiritual meaning and joy to your Hanukkah holiday? What would be meaningful to you? Reflecting in this way can help you make good decisions that are more creative and relevant to your life and your family.
Very Important: I suggest you separate candle lighting from Gift giving by at least 20 minutes and doing an activity together, eating, singing, meditating, and playing games.

In Jewish mystical teachings (Kabbalah) we learn about the inner kindling of the fire of the heart and lighting the light of the Soul. The soul is likened to a flame and humans are likened to vessels containing divine sparks. When we light the external candles we are reminded of the light of our soul.
Jewish traditions tell us that focused actions and rituals aid in the cultivation and deepening of our enlightenment, awareness, and joy. I want to invite you to explore few practices that may help you increase the light and joy of Hanukkah.

Gazing Meditation:
When you light the candles each night sit quietly and gaze into the flames as long as they are lit. Contemplate the flame and imagine bringing the light into your heart illuminating any dark recesses and also notivcing and merging with bright places in you to make them even brighter. Let the imagery help you heal and sooth your being, and notice what comes up for you in the process of doing this practice for 8 evenings in a row.
Music:
Play music and sing songs that are fun for you. You may want to use recorded music to create the atmosphere you want, perhaps experimenting with different kinds of music for each night or let family members share music of their choice on different nights.

May your Hanukkah be full of light and blessings and may they fill you more and more each night.

Have an enlightening Holiday, Rabbi Sigal

Daily Reflections for the Days of Awe

with the Ten Commandments

Shanah Tovah! With blessing for a good year I invite you to share in this 10 days of reflection practice.
The ten commandments, the Decalogue, are the foundations of Jewish spiritual practices. From Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur I invite you to read and reflect upon one commandment a day to support you in the process of Teshuvah, realignment, and to provide you with a focal point for your daily practice.

As we enter the New Year of 5768 we want to strengthen the relationship between our values and practices, our beliefs and what we do, and to contemplate our lives. Using the comments and questions for each day, reflect on your life, evaluate how it has been for you for the last year. It is best to be honest and gentle with yourself. There are no wrong feelings. When we contemplate our thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, and feelings we bring them to the light of awareness to be acknowledged and transformed. Clearing up the obstacles from our path allows us to enter a new year with more room and clarity to live a life of joy and peace.

L’Shana Tova tekateivu (May you write for yourself a good year),
Rabbi Sigal

1. (9/13/07) I, the Lord am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods beside me.

The way to freedom is recognizing the oneness of all. We call that oneness God. Today reflect on your relationship to God and spirit. What are the images, feelings, and thoughts that arise when you reflect on God? Do you experience God as a personal comforting and/or judging presence? Do you call on God for help when you need it? Are there any other images of God from the prayer book and Bible that help you connect to God?

2. (9/14) You shall not make for yourself any sculptured image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing kindness to the thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

When we walk the authentic path of our lives we enjoy contentment. We want to pass on this way of living and legacy to the next generation. Think about your life’s path and the legacy you want to pass on. Are you easily distracted from the main path of your life? Are you too busy with "idols" that are not life affirming for you? What do you need to do to remain focused on what is important to you? What do you want to leave as your legacy to the next generation?

3. (9/15) You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.

Honesty and telling the truth are essential to peaceful living. Living in truth includes thinking, speaking, feeling, and doing. Do you engage in telling lies? Even the white lies we tell are obstacles to living in integrity. Do you exaggerate or augment the truth? How do you gather courage and kindness to give constructive feedback?

4. Observe the shabbat day and sanctify it, as the Lord thy God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is the shabbat of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your ox or ass, or any of your cattle or the stranger in your settlements, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.

How have you been observing or celebrating Shabbat? Do you want to make more time and space for rest and renewal? How and when can you create it? How can you bring more sacredness to your life? How can you enjoy shabbat with family and community? Can you help others bring more repose and peace into their lives?

5. Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you; that you may long endure, and that you may fare well, in the land which the Lord your God is assigning to you.

Focus your attention on family relationships. If you have a difficult relationship with a family member be extra gentle and slow when reflecting on it today. Are you doing all you can to honor and enjoy your relationships with members of your family? Do others treat you with respect and kindness? Are there any relationships that need attention; reconciliation, forgiving, mending? Can you think of other relationships outside of your family, that may need attention? Can you do it before yom kippur?

6.You shall not murder.

Violent and abrupt end can come in many forms; in thought, speech, and action. Violence, among other causes, rises out of fear, ignorance, and anger. The antithesis to it is the cultivation of compassion, understanding, patience, and kindness. Breathe, relax, and notice if there are thoughts, words, and actions that cause you pain or make you angry. Can you surround them with compassion and understanding? Do you need to bring more patience and compassion to your relationship with some people or situations?

7. You shall not commit adultery.

Adultery is regarded as an offense against both God and humans; when we disturb the flow of life and do not respect the inherent Divinity in all people all involved get hurt, including us. Moderation and control are required of us especially when it comes to sex, food, and work. How can you create more balance in your life and acknowledge your need for clearer boundaries and better use of your energy and resources? What do you need to change in your life to stop hurting and abusing yourself and others? Do you need to ask for anyone’s forgiveness?

8. You shall not steal.

When we live honorably we do not steal time, resources, ideas, or energy from others and ourselves. We use and enjoy what is rightfully ours and respect the talents and possessions of others. Because most of us do not engage in blatant forms of stealing, think about the more subtle forms of stealing when you reflect today. What ideas, resources, time, and energy have you used that was not rightfully yours? Can you make reparations and ask for forgiveness of the persons involved? How have you depleted your own energy and time? Can you forgive yourself and make the changes necessary not to repeat it in the future?

9.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

As we discussed in commandment number three: honesty and telling the truth are essential to peaceful living. When we intentionally use our power and authority to hurt another the consequences are great. It is part of the commandments because in ancient times two witnesses to a crime could lead to the death penalty. Have you used your power and authority in a manner that hurt another? Do you regret it? Can you make reparation and ask for forgiveness?

10. (9/22/07) You shall not desire your neighbor's wife. You shall not covet thy neighbor's house, his field, or his slaves, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.

Stated positively: Having contentment, accepting what is, and cultivating gratitude, increases joyfulness in our lives.
Do you appreciate your life as it is? Do you desire or covet someone else’s life, possessions, family, or job? How can you remind yourself that you are enough good enough, and the expression of your life is a unique gift to the world?


Ten commandments Deuteronomy 5:6-18 (JPS translation)

Hineni, Here I am

The word Hineni is used in Biblical texts many times. God speaks in first person saying here I am (or I am)…followed by an action; And also individuals say Hineni when speaking in the first person saying I am. The most known use of hineni in the Bible is when God calls individuals (e.g. Abraham, Jacob, Moses) and they respond with Hineni Here I am!

When I respond to God with Here I am, and when I answer the calling of my life, a sense of presence fills me and strengthens me. I hear the spirit saying Here I am back to me. The Hineni of God and the Hineni of my soul meet. Knowing that God’s I am, and my individual I am, are one in the same, is all I need to stand and answer my call.

And how about those times we stand unsure before the unknown? I derive my inspiration from those individual in the Bible who stood in the upheaval of their lives and before the unknowable God and answered: Here I am, I am ready and willing to be present to the unfolding mystery of my life.
The practice of Here I am can go even deeper than just showing up in life. For me it is about having the courage to investigate, contemplate, and enjoy the precious moments of my life. Accepting who I am and how my life unfolds before me just like in the Biblical stories, where the people respond with Here I am before they knew what their mission was about. Being willing to say yes! and to be open to receive the mystery of the journey before we know where it leads us is key.

In my chant Hineni (Mystic Rhythms) I make the connection between Hineni and Eheye. Some background: In the beautiful interaction between God and Moses in Exodus 3:14 where after Moses accepts his mission to free the Israelites from Egypt and God promises to be with Moses and guide him, Moses asked: "But when the people ask me who sent me what should I say? " Say Eheye asher Eheye sent you" God naming God’s self "I will be what I will be." After Moses said "Here I am, I am willing to follow your charge to me God," he wanted to know who God was, or at least thought that the people would want to know who is that mysterious force that empowered Moses.
God answers with Eheye: I am the mystery of becoming, changing, and transforming. Eheye Imach! I will be with you to guide you through the unknown.

When we say Here I am! Are we also willing to take the next step into the unknown, jump off the familiar and into the mystery? Can we really let go and trust the unfolding currents of our lives and know that You God, the Guiding Presence, are with us? Could Eheye Imach! the promise of God’s presence, be enough for us to step into the abyss and journey toward the calling of our souls?

I chant these words remembering the trust and support I know in my life, moving from showing up in my life to taking risks and becoming the full version of who I am at each moment.
Hineni Eheye Asher Eheye Eheye Imach
I am here I am, I’ll be what I will be, I’ll be with you