Sam Goldwyn (of MGM fame) once declared in negotiations, “Count me out.” Known for his witticisms, Goldwyn spoke openly and frankly.
Every day we are presented with myriad choices to include or exclude. Read a book, call a friend, develop a new business plan, come to services, rotate the tires, invest in a commodity….. Of course one of the choices is to demur and sit back with the TV changer in hand, ignoring opportunities as they present themselves.
You possess a soul, something deep within that yearns to be heard. The soul, precious and unique to you, was a gift from the Holy One when you were born. A midrash observes that when a baby is born into this world it shrieks because it knows that death will eventually come to claim it. And in the interim many events will occur that will obscure the message that the soul carries. The baby cries knowing that it will long for its Maker and be torn by the many temptations that exist in this world, olam ha-sheker (a world of deception), as it is called in Kabbalah.
For those who have travelled to Israel you have likely experienced that indescribable joy as the soul exults being proximate to God. At times in your life you may have felt wholeness, a sense of purpose and wellbeing that lifted you to a place that can only be called revelatory. You were touched by God. Or rather, your soul was momentarily freed from its capsule and light streamed through your body and mind and grew so close to Your Maker that it is as if your were made of light.
It is said that we have an extra soul on Shabbat. It infuses us with greater joy and closeness to God that is gifted once each week. That may be true. It may also be true that when we take the time to mark Shabbat as a special day that exists outside of the normal boundaries of work and play we are fused with our soul in way that heightens our lives. Our soul is liberated from the boundaries of insignificant goings and comings.
It does not take heroic efforts to view the world through a different lens but it does require a shift in attitude.
Question: What is the thing you are most proud of in your life? Is that how you want to be remembered?
I suspect that we all get caught up in the “needs” of the moment – the oil change, the broker consultation, production schedule, meeting a potential buyer, etc.. This is how we survive in olam sheker but it is not how we thrive or what makes our soul sing. In olam emet (the opposite of olam sheker, the world of truth) we freely love one another, we look past imperfections, we pray so that through the words of the siddur we rise above our physical yearnings and aspire to something ineffable, truly great.
We read Torah to better understand not just the black and white words of the text but the inner meaning, God’s message for us, just at this specific point in our lives. These soulful moments that we allow to happen on Shabbat and holy days enrich our lives exponentially.
…but it comes at a price. The cost of such exhilaration is the willingness to give up what we have worked so hard to achieve the other 5 or 6 days of the week. That is why people prepare for Shabbat. They cook beforehand, buy special treats, light candles, bring challah to the table, fill wine cups and bless it all and everyone must be present as this is a sacred moment. To be with one another in quiet conversation or song allows us to divest ourselves of the trivialities of the mundane and enter the universe of the holy.
I invite you to visit with your ancestors. You are herby invited to join with them as they maintained a steady stream of conscious dialogue with God through their sacred soul. Bring heaven a little closer. Even if you do not know the right Hebrew words, it can all be said in your language with your heart behind each utterance.
Place candles in the holders, light them, wave your hands over them, ask God’s blessing. Then bit by bit add the pieces that will ultimately transport you to places that your soul recognizes as home.
