Wilderness Maggid

Monday, December 18, 2006

"Defining Liberalism" from Tziporah's View

B"H

Friend Tzipporah has posted an excellent article on "Defining Liberalism" here:

www.midianitemanna.blogspot.com/

Monday, December 11, 2006

Silent Moments

B”H

Silent Moments

One notable thing that stood out for me in the parasha this last week was Yaakov's silence when he heard the news of Dinah's abduction and rape. The brothers have a lot to say, but Yaakov says nothing-- until after Simeon and Levi take matters into their own hands and collectively punish the entire town of Shechem. This injustice he speaks to, but the tragedy of his own child calls forth no words, no thoughts, nothing for us to ruminate on as a reflection of our own tragedies except silence.

Where else in Torah do we see a grieving parent unable to bear witness except through silence? Aaron, at the deaths of his sons Nadav and Avihu. This horrendous thing happens to them in front of their father and the whole assembly of Yisroel, and what does the Torah say? "Aaron was silent."

Sometimes, Torah is telling us, our grief is so overwhelming, the shock and tragedy is unspeakable. There are no words for these moments. Silence itself is the loudest statement. Where then do we go after the silence? Simeon and Levi take silence as a failure to action and channel it into anger and rage. Aaron has no choice in his next actions and is obligated to anoint his younger son and continue the priestly rite. What after that? He is never the same again, and neither is the priestly mantle he conferred on his lineage.

Perhaps in learning to speak through the silence, or in its aftermath, we will become more able to carry the light of Torah into the world. Perhaps this is part of our mission to become a nation of priests, where each and every one of us must speak the truth of our silence, and in so doing help elevate those struggling around us. This is a large part of the narrative process. A communal gleaning of our shared wisdom as we struggle individually (yaakov) and collectively (yisroel) to come to healthier mechanisms within our self and the people. Silence for a moment gives space and time for absorption. Silence as a practice breeds isolation and imbalance internally and externally and creates a system in which others tell us how to process the reality of our lives and community.

Part of what draws me to the maggidic process, is that it encourages the individual and communal narrative to come up out of silence and form a critical interexchange of wisdom and experience. Through the maggidic experience of Torah we have the opportunity to be vitally human beings and vitally divine all in one fell swoop, and to do this as a rich and healthy people.

END PART ONE, TO BE CONTINUED.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

struggling alongside yaakov

B"H

Shabbos for me was difficult. Led services, but couldn't get my energy up. Most of the peppy regulars including kiddos were missing for various seasonal reasons, so it had to be all me, and due to melancholic mishegas with (things I can't speak about publicly,) could not get into shabbos light and services reflected this. In Hassid world someone else would have taken over, but in liberal world, we are performers as much as leaders, so no one else to do, or will. Can only be where I am, and no where else. Several times in service actually stopped and was quiet for a few moments while I found myself again-- and scrapped my whole d'var on the moment and spoke spontaneaously about struggle/yaakov/parasha of week/darkness,lightness, time of year/ and chanukah. Was an excellent drash actually, but not exactly high bright shabbos energy. Dark. Again, can only stand where we are, eh? Reminded myself that we do this week after week and that over the long haul the community will come with us, as we come with the community, traveling together.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Yaakov in the World

B"H

This week I was thinking, how interesting that Yaakov buries Devorah under the Oak that weeps, in the hebrew it is plural and so by implication weeping for two– for Rivkah as well; then after this weeping HaShem names him Yisroel; and also states, I am El Shd-i. It occured to me that since Sarah died shortly after Yitzhak’s almost sacrifice on the mountain, Yaakov grew up without a maternal grandmother figure. Who then would have served this role? Devorah, the intimate figure in Rivkah’s life would have been his grandmotherly figure, so to lose both at the same time, what a loss, what a grieving. And yet, it is the growing point necessary for Yaakov to finally mature into himself, to walk the Yashar, the straight path to G-d (sometimes)(when he’s not still being Yaakov) and to warrent the addtional name Yisroel that is conferred on him. He is ready now to inherit and pass along the spiritual lineage of the people, but he is also on his own. Or is he? HaShem reminds him– I am El Shad-i, the nurturer, the sustainer, through me will you be held and cared for in the world.