(Inspired by 60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to the High Holidays by Simon Jacobson.)
During the last Lev Eisha service, I had a deeply connected prayerful moment. As many of you know, we did a meditation about cutting through the "foreskin"- the layers of muck around our hearts, and letting our pure essence shine through. When it was time for the Amidah, my heart was open and the tears poured out. Ahh. I know my Lev Eisha women understand about tears.
We are in the month of Elul, a time of inwardness and reflection as we prepare ourselves emotionally for the Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah.
Our religious history tells us that this was the month that Moses spent on Mt Sinai again, asking God to forgive the ancient Israelites for the sin of the Golden Calf. We are told that God forgave us on Yom Kippur, and Moses came down the mountain with the second set of the 10 Commandments.
Rabbi Jacobson in his book mentioned above, describes the scene as follows:
During his 40 days on Mt Sinai, Moses told God, "You created human beings as a flawed race who are bound to make mistakes. You must create a way for them to repair these mistakes. You must tell me that there is a way out; That there is hope."
God responded explaining that there are consequences to actions and that he was not about to change the natural laws of cause and effect.
But Moses continued and argued saying, "I am not asking you to change the laws. I am asking you to crack open just one door."
And God did.
This door is called the "Gate of Tears."
Rabbi Jacobson explains that "tears bathe the soul." When we cry out to God with genuine sincerity, we wash away the muck that obscures our pure essence.
My dear women of Lev Eisha, We must Allow Ourselves to Cry. In his exercise for the day, Jacobson says: Identify what is broken in your life. Take the first step to mend one piece - either in your relationship with a loved one, a friend or with God.
"When the gates of prayer are closed, the gate of tears is always open..." (Talmud)
May we all forgive ourselves for our mistakes and know that we can, most of the time, with spiritual work, fix what is broken.
Shana Tova U'Metukah - And may we be blessed with a healthy and sweet New Year. AMEN
Membership Time! Lev Eisha membership dues for this Jewish calendar year are due. Send in the membership form found in your mailing, or complete our online membership form and use your credit card.
Our premiums this year, based on your level of membership, are a custom Lev Eisha heart keychain, a cd of our sacred music, or a copy of The Bridge to Forgiveness: Stories and Prayers for Finding God and Restoring Wholeness by Karyn D. Kedar, chosen by Rabbi Toba August.
Passover is coming-but not for a while! We are assembling a Passover cookbook to be distributed at our Women's Seder on March 30, 2008. Please submit your recipe to us via the form in your mailing or use our online recipe form. By your submission you certify that this recipe is written in your own words and not copied from some other source.
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Mazal tov to:
Adat Shalom and Temple Beth Torah on their recent merger.
If you have a milestone to share please send it to: editor@leveisha.org. Our newsletter gets printed about a week before each service. Please send the info ASAP.
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