How Can we Keep our Personal Fire for Hashem Going?

 

Parashat Tzav
How Can we Keep our Personal Fire for Hashem Going?

Cleaning out Debilitating Doubts Together with the Chametz

As we are delving deeper into Pesach cleaning, and shedding exterior layers, we may become exhausted feeling depleted and low on energy. Spiritually we may be blocked, finding it difficult to dissolve old, unconscious belief patterns. Doubts creep into our minds and souls, questioning ourselves. Is this refrigerator drawer really clean enough? What about all the crumbs stuck in the crevices of the corners? Am I really on the right path? What about this nagging feeling that I am so far from being good enough? These kinds of self-doubts weaken our resolve and deplete our energy. They make us tired and wired and disconnected. The source of doubts is עֲמָלֵק/Amalek, as the Hebrew word סָפֵק/safek – ‘doubt’ shares the same numerical value as the word Amalek (240). Doubts impede our resolve to move forward. They immobilize us. Therefore the ‘other side’ tries to inject poisonous doubts within us to stop us from keeping the mitzvot. When preparing for Pesach, together with the chametz cleaning, we need to rid ourselves of these dreadful doubts. Although they may seem innocent and born out of humility, they are the worst, because they turn off our fire and excitement for mitzvot. Amalek, the source of darkness, attacked us from behind and hurt the stragglers. They are the weakest part of the community, also reflected in the lowest part of ourselves, where we are most vulnerable. Whenever we are on the way to holiness and great achievements, the doubts of ‘the other side’ attempt to confuse us and make us lose our connections with Hashem and kedusha (holiness). To keep our fire going, we must be firm in our belief and consciously choose to believe in whatever we are doing.

Consciously Choosing to Believe in Whatever we are Doing

Chametz and doubts are two opposite sides of the same distorted approach. Whereas spiritual chametz causes us to be puffed up, arrogance, being over sure of ourselves, and being doubtful is really the same thing on the opposite side of the spectrum, because both attitudes are self-absorbed. When we are plugged in with Hashem, we move forward without arrogance on the one hand and without draining disbelief on the other. As an example of how self-doubt and lack of belief in what we are doing causes total failure, I recall my second year of juice-fasting. It didn’t go well because I stopped believing 100% that the juice fast was good for me. I was not in a supportive environment, my husband the doctor doesn’t believe in juice fasts, and people kept telling me that I was too old to juice fast, or even worse that I looked horrible… I became more and more doubtful, and this lack of emunah affected my immune system and caused me to contract an ear infection. In subsequent years, I have learned to protect myself from people’s negative comments and believe in the efficiency of my annual juice fast to cleanse my body, and even my mindset. Baruch Hashem, with this positive attitude and emunah in what I was doing I have experienced amazing healing results. Similarly, when doing spiritual healing we must believe in the power of the work we do. Even if we are beginners and our work is only 40% accurate, we still need to believe in our G-d-given abilities. Gradually, very gradually we learn to become more accurate, and our channel gradually becomes more and more pure. The purer my channel the more accurate the answers I receive. There is always progress even if we momentarily stop, or stall. We still must keep going gradually forward toward progress.

 Rising above the Doubts by Keeping our Fire for Holiness Going

ספר ויקרא פרק ו פסוק ה

וְהָאֵשׁ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ לֹא תִכְבֶּה וּבִעֵר עָלֶיהָ הַכֹּהֵן עֵצִים בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר וְעָרַךְ עָלֶיהָ הָעֹלָה וְהִקְטִיר עָלֶיהָ חֶלְבֵי הַשְּׁלָמִים:

“The fire on the altar shall burn on it; it shall not go out. The kohen shall kindle wood upon it every morning, and upon it, he shall arrange the burnt offering and cause the fats of the peace offerings to [go up in] smoke upon it” (Vayikra 6:5).

The outer altar corresponds to our heart within – it is our source of inspiration and enthusiasm (fire) and our connection with what is beyond us, both other people and Hashem. Whereas the outer copper altar for sacrifices corresponds to our conscious desires, the inner golden altar for incense corresponds to the inner chamber of the heart which contains our deepest, unconscious emotions and infinite longings.

 “[The fire] should not become extinguished even on Shabbat or even if one becomes spiritually impure” (Talmud Yerushalmi, Yoma 4:6).

What message do we learn from the Yerushalmi? The fire that burns constantly on the external altar is the love for G-d that we develop by focusing on spiritual divine concepts, thereby elevating our desires for physical matters. On Shabbat, when there is a higher spiritual illumination shining in the world, we might think that we don’t need to meditate or work as hard spiritually as we do during the week. The Jerusalem Talmud comes to tell us that even on Shabbat we must exercise our power of intellectual meditation. If we do so, then the Shabbat illumination will lift us to even higher levels. The fact that even one who is impure may bring the fire to the outer altar offers a very encouraging message. None of us are perfect as we all make mistakes. Even so, we must not lose faith in ourselves, but keep our fire of devotion going. Like a tzaddik who falls seven times but always gets back up (Mishlei 16:16), we must believe enough in ourselves to rise beyond our self-doubts and never give up. Without depleting doubts, we can keep our fire and enthusiasm focused on our path toward holiness. When we mindfully keep our conscious desires for Torah and mitzvot going, it will affect the inner chamber of our heart – and ignite our deepest superconscious yearnings to desire only the holy. Just as the flames of the sacrifice must rise upward perpetually, so will the scent of our inner yearnings emerge to become an eternal sweet scent before Hashem.

EmunaHealing Exercise for Overcoming Doubts and Strengthening Emunah

1. Make yourself comfortable, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Allow your thoughts to pass through you. Notice what you are thinking and feeling. Become aware of any thoughts of doubt and despair.

2. What are your doubts that deplete your energy and turn off your fire? Imagine each of your doubts as clouds in a blue sky. Visualize popping these clouds one by one with a burst of lovely, enlightening, sunshine. “A little light pushes away a lot of darkness.”

3. Even a small, weak flame can enable you to see in a place otherwise shrouded in darkness. By increasing light, we can drive the darkness of doubt out from our hearts, from our thoughts, speech, and actions through our conscious choices to choose the good.

4. Envision a small flame in your heart gradually growing stronger. Imagine this flame is your enthusiasm for kedusha (holiness).

5. Now, get in touch with your disbelieving doubts, especially your self-doubts. Do you hear a voice telling you that you are no good? What exactly is this voice saying? What are you afraid of? What are you doubting? Imagine your doubts like ice-cold water cooling off the small flame in your heart.

6. Keep breathing mindfully and steadily. Conceive a counter-voice, with a message of encouragement refuting each of your doubts one by one. As you strengthen your counter voice envision the fiery flame growing bigger and bigger, heating up all the ice-cold water, and melting away all the clouds.

7. “Hashem influences and bestows upon each living being a will” (Tehillim 145:16).
'Umashbia l'chol chai ratzon - ספר תהילים פרק קמה פסוק טז  ...וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי רָצוֹן: (תפילת אשרי)

Our will is the gasoline, without the gasoline the vehicle will not move. Ask yourself, what do I really want? What do I want to attain right now, and in the future? Make a strong resolve to pursue your desire to rise in holiness.

8. Your will is part of your Keter (crown), from where you draw your aspirations. Construct a positive affirmation that pertains to your particular desire for holiness. Begin your positive affirmation with: “I choose to believe…” Repeat your personal positive affirmation six times, while tuning into its message and anchoring it in your heart.
9. Recognize that we have no power over the results, yet “I choose,” and the rest is up to Hashem. Through the sentence “I choose.” You activate your will! With your resolve, you can now begin to follow your will and walk toward your highest spiritual goal.
10. Feel your energy rising, and let it energize your entire being from the top of your head to the soles of your feet.

What Healing Secret Does the Ba’al Shem Tov Learn from Parashat Vayikra?

 

Parashat Vayikra
What Healing Secret Does the Ba’al Shem Tov Learn from Parashat Vayikra? 

Being Called to Emulate Moshe and Make Ourselves Small

We are entering the new book of Vayikra – “He called. Hashem” called Moshe into the Tent of Meeting to bestow upon him Divine prophecy. Since Moshe’s soul included all the Jewish souls, is this calling to Moshe also reverberating into our reality? Can we tap into Hashem’s call to us? Perhaps we are all called upon to emulate Moshe’s special character trait of humility, through which he merited prophecy. At this time when we read ourselves of chametz (leavened foods) we are parallelly working on subduing our puffed-up ego. This entails letting go of our rigid, personal perspective to be able to merge with the greater whole. Just as the seed dissolves before the new plant sprouts forth, with true humility and submission we allow ourselves to dissolve into the greater whole of it all. According to the Ba’al Shem Tov, this is the secret of healing, which we learn from the small א/alef in the very first verse of the Book of Vayikra:

ויקרא פרק א פסוק א וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר הָשֵׂם אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר:

“He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying” (Vayikra 1:1)

The Secret of the Small א/Alef
The letter א/alef in the first word of the Book of וַיִּקְרָא /Vayikra – ‘He called’ is according to our מָסוֹרָהּ/masorah – ‘tradition’ small. Whereas big letters as in שְׁמַע/Shema indicate greatness and elevation, the small alef teaches us smallness, contraction, and submission. Moshe is known for being lowly in his own eyes. Hashem chose him due to this humility. He honored Moshe by calling him alone to the Tent of Meeting, to speak with Him. This is hinted in the small א/alef which almost disappears so that the word can be read without it as וַיִּקָר/vayikar – ‘Honor’ (Megillat Esther 8:16). Hashem granted Moshe this great honor because he considered himself so small. By lowering himself, he achieved great heights (Maor v’Shemesh, Parashat Vayikra). The Ba’al Shem Tov learned all his knowledge of healing from the verse, “He called to Moshe….” (Ba’al Shem tov on Parashat Vayikra). According to the Ba’al Shem tov, the small א/alef of וַיִּקְרָא/Vayikra indicates that Moshe merited the secret of אָיִן/ayin – ‘nothingness,’ which is the 50th gate of בִּינָה/Binah – ‘Understanding.’ “Fifty gates of understanding were created in the world, and all of them were given to Moshe, except for one” (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashana 21b). Why didn’t the Talmud simply write that Moshe was given 49 gates of understanding? This is because Moshe received the fiftieth gate of understanding just before his death, as it states, “Moshe went up to the planes of Moav to Mount Nevo” (Devarim 34:1). נְבוֹ/Nevo indicates: נ/nun is בּוֹ/bo – ‘in him.’ Whereas Moshe merited the fiftieth gate of understanding when he received the Torah at Sinai, this was only as surrounding lights. Only at his deathbed did Moshe receive the fiftieth gate of understanding as inner lights within him. This is the secret of אָיִן/ayin – ‘nothingness.’  

Between אֲנִי/Ani – ‘I’ and אָיִן/Ayin – ‘Nothingness’ 
The two words אָיִן/ayin and אֲנִי/ani – ‘I’ consist of the same letters, yet their meaning is opposite. Whereas the word ani – ‘I’ is about expression, ayin is about dissolving and inclusion in the root. The numerical value of the name of Hashem spelled out with alef יוד -הא-ואו-הא has the numerical value of אָדָם/Adam – ‘human’ (45), which refers to the vessel. Every vessel needs light to achieve its perfection. When you add the four letters of Hashem’s Name itself to Adam, you get 49, the numerical value as the word חוֹלֶה/choleh – ‘sick.’ Adam still lacks the crown of the yud to achieve the perfection of the fiftieth gate – the root of all. Thus, the root of sickness is that we lack the fiftieth gate of ayin – ‘nothing.’ The secret of health is not self-expression but rather self-effacement. It is not the ani – ‘I’ but rather the ayin – ‘nothingness.’ Sometimes people are committed to serving Hashem, yet they lack submission and lowliness because people generally seek self-expression. When they aren’t able to express themselves, they may get sick. The greatest healing and redemption are when we are able to humble and surrender ourselves. By means of drawing upon ourselves the fiftieth gate, we can be healed from any illness. This is the inclusion of the name יוד -הא-ואו-הא when including the four letters of the Name and the Name itself, which together adds up to the fiftieth gate called אָיִן/ayin – ‘nothing.’ When we elevate the judgments to the gate of ayin – ‘nothing,’ they become rectified. This is because the brokenness of judgments can only exist in the forty-nine gates of this fragmented world. Yet, everything becomes unified in the fiftieth gate of nothingness. There can be no breaking in this root of existence, which is complete compassion. 

Placing Submission Before Understanding
Each of the three letters that both the word Ani – ‘I’ and Ayin – ‘nothingness’ share has its own meaning. אלף/Alef refers to אַלּוּפוֹ/alufo – ‘the Master of the world,’ יוּד /yud – chachma meaning inner wisdom – submission, נוּן/nun – binah – corresponding to the fifty gates of understanding. Had the first man eaten first from the Tree of Life – the yud of wisdom, and only afterwards from the Tree of Knowledge – the nun of understanding, then the letters alef-yud-nun spelling out the word ayin – ‘nothingness’ would have been in their right order.  Adam would then have achieved eternal life. However, by first eating from the Tree of Knowledge, the first man created a different order: alef-nun-yud spelling out the word ani – ‘I.’ By placing the nun of understanding before the yud of submission, the first man caused the upper abundance to flow down in an incorrect order, both on the physical and spiritual level. This causes situations of illness and death, G-d forbid. The reason why Hashem didn’t allow the first man to eat from the Tree of Life was to ensure that the yetzer hara (negative impulse), causing illness and death, G-d forbid, would not endure forever. 

Unifying and Raising the Shechina to the Level of Ayin – Nothingness
How do we treat sickness resulting from the toxic Tree of Knowledge? Illness can be healed when we set an intention to draw the gate of nun upon us. This is including the name of Hashem – יוד -הא-ואו-הא, which has the numerical value of forty-nine inside of the general name itself, making it add up to fifty – the fiftieth gate of understanding that lifts us from individual existence into the unified realm of nothingness. In other words, illness is healed by means of submission and humility before Hashem, thus becoming included in the root of all. The Ba’al Shem Tov further explains the Talmudic dictum, “whoever prays on behalf of his friend is answered first” (Baba Kama 32a). What is the reason that the person praying is specifically answered first? This is because the person praying for his friend needs to raise the judgments to their root. In order to do this, the person praying must be in that place first. Only afterward can he draw the sick person there as well. This explains why the one praying is answered first. Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl testified that the Ba’al Shem Tov during his healing was able to elevate his soul to the highest concealed place by means of unifications. He would unify and raise the Shechina to the level of ayin – nothingness (Maor Einayim, Parashat Naso). Based on Rav Daniel Stavsky, Parashat Vayikra, Year 7582.

EmunaHealing Exercise for Becoming Submissive to the Above

1. Place yourself in a comfortable position, without any tight-fitting clothes. You may open any buttons of your garments to feel more at ease and free.

2. Breathe deeply and mindfully, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. As you keep breathing slowly allow all thoughts to pass through you until you experience a certain tranquility and stillness within you.

3. Recite within your mind’s heart מִי אֲנִי מָה אֲנִי/mi ani? mah ani? – ‘Who am I? What am I?’

Breathe into mi ani? Breathe out of mah ani? several times without counting. Allow yourself to relax into a rhythmical breathing of these questions: mi ani? mah ani? Keep repeating the questions, as you view yourself engaging in the activities in which you usually express yourself.

4. Perhaps an answer reveals itself to you. It could be an image, a word, a feeling… a combination of all, or something completely different altogether.

5. You are seeing/hearing/feeling yourself from an outsider’s perspective. Each expression of self conceals an inner layer of unexpressed self. You are not your revealed ‘you.’ Who are you? Visualize your body, your head, shoulders, trunk, arms, and legs… Is this you? mi ani? mah ani?

6. Are you limited to your expressions in this lifetime?  Who were you in your prior incarnations, and who will you become in future reincarnations? The boundaries of your unique ‘I-ness’ are becoming blurry. Mi ani? mah ani?

7. Visualize the dissolvement of your body, your, head, shoulders, trunk, arms legs, feet, and hands. “I am not my body” Mi ani? mah ani?

8. Now envision the innumerable people in the endless soul pool, all part of the infinite eternal Divine presence. Imagine being pulled upwards like a helium balloon, soaring higher and higher, letting go more and more of you Ani – your I-center. Envision your helium- balloon-self becoming smaller and small until it becomes just one dot in the vast sky, and then completely disappears.

9. Am I all the things I do? Am I all the things I say? Who am I? Mi ani? Mah ani? Perhaps a gust of wind, a puff of air, a yearning to give and receive love and compassion?

10. I am not the things I do, nor the things I say. All of these individual expressions of myself are dissolving into the greater good. G-d is good, G-d is unified through the dissolvement of our individual barriers.  I am not me. I am not. I am All.

11. As you slowly open your eyes, return to yourself with a realization that your higher root is within the greater good of the unified All.

What are the Parameters for Healing on Shabbat?

Parashat Vayakhel, Pekudei
What are the Parameters for Healing on Shabbat? 

On Shabbat, we Enjoy Rather than Improve Reality
Working hard the entire week, we look forward to Shabbat when our computers and cellphones get a respite to recharge. Shabbat is a day of rest when reality returns to its intended perfection. Just like Hashem rested from creating on the very first Shabbat, so are we instructed to emulate Him, and rest from the thirty-nine kinds of creative work through which the Mishkan (Tabernacle) is built. The holiness of Shabbat overrides even the building of the holy Mishkan and Temple because on Shabbat we are supposed to enjoy the world rather than improve it. Conversely, during the six days of creation, Hashem empowered us to work in partnership with Him to improve the world, for He created the world with the desire that human beings continue His creation as it states,

בראשית פרק ב פסוק ג

:וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת

“Then G-d completed on the seventh day His work that He did, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work that He had created to do” (Bereishit 2:3).

“He had created to do,” refers to Hashem’s intention for us to complete and improve His work of the six days of creation. Yet, on the seventh day, G-d – and we with Him – abstain from completing the world, as on every Shabbat everything is already complete. On this day of rest, rather than work to complete and improve the world, we accept and open ourselves to receive the sanctity imbued in the holy Shabbat and enjoy this divine gift of weekly perfection. Therefore, when we visit a sick person on Shabbat, we don’t bless him with the usual, “May you have refuah sheleima (complete healing)! This would imply a prayer for improving his state of health, but we aren’t supposed to improve anything on Shabbat. Rather, the Shabbat blessing for the sick is tapping into what is already happening on Shabbat, saying: שַׁבָּת הִיא מִלִּזְעֹק - וּרְפוּאָה קְרוֹבָה לָבוֹא/Shabbat hi m’la’azok, v’refuah kerova lavo! – “On Shabbat, we don’t cry out, but complete healing is soon to come.” We pray that the sick person will open herself up to receive the blessings of healing already encoded within the holy Shabbat. 

What are Some Principles of Performing Healing on Shabbat?
Parashat Vayakhel opens with the mitzvah for the entire community to keep Shabbat:

ספר שמות פרק לה פסוק ב
שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי יִהְיֶה לָכֶם קֹדֶשׁ שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן לַהָשֵׁם כָּל הָעֹשֶׂה בוֹ מְלָאכָה יוּמָת:
“Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day of complete rest to Hashem; whoever performs work thereon [on this day] shall be put to death” (Shemot 35:2).

Due to the sanctity and perfection of Shabbat, there are many limitations on creative works that aim to change reality on Shabbat. This includes healing on Shabbat, safe for the exceptions such as Pikuach Nefesh – when life is endangered, as we are supposed to live by the Torah, and not, G-d forbid, cause death by keeping the mitzvot of the Torah (See Vayikra 18:5). This concept is extended to permitting healing even for illnesses which are not life threatening, such as for a person who is bedridden, or who experiences severe pain causing weakness and difficulty functioning. For minor illnesses and discomforts – such as mild toothaches, sore throats, coughs, and colds – the exceptions are because healing for such minor ailments will not change reality greatly. Nevertheless, for most of those minor ailments, it is prohibited to take medicine, unless the person began taking it before Shabbat. Rather, she may ingest food – which healthy people also eat – such as spirulina and any kinds of superfoods, lemons, olive oil, flax seeds, tincture similar to liquor that people drink for enjoyment, and more. 

Is EmunaHealing (Spiritual Healing from the Torah) Permitted on Shabbat?
Since EmunaHealing generally is not attempting to change reality but rather to open and release spiritual and emotional blocks that prevent us from receiving the healing that perpetually flows down to us, it is for the most permitted on Shabbat. This holy day is even a favorable time for EmunaHealing because both Shabbat and EmunaHealing are all about receiving Hashem’s Presence into our lives. Yet, on Shabbat, we don’t make petitions or pray for our personal or national needs. For this reason, the Amidah (silent prayer) on Shabbat eliminates all the ‘requests’ for knowledge, forgiveness, redemption, health, sustenance, the ingathering of exiles, the rule of justice, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the coming of the Mashiach. Also regarding EmunaHealing, there are some adaptations to make for Shabbat. We do not recite the parts of some of the EmunaHealing prayers that ask for forgiveness on Shabbat, since all sins are considered non-existent on Shabbat, for everything is already perfect then. Yet, opening the channels to receive answers from Hashem and connecting ourselves and those we treat with Divine Unconditional Love, Acceptance, and Infinite Light – which begins most of the EmuaHealing prayers – is certainly appropriate for Shabbat.

EmunaHealing Exercise for Receiving Divine Healing on Shabbat
1. Ahh it's Shabbat, what a delight! Let us take several deep breaths, inhaling the holiness of Shabbat and emptying our lungs completely on the exhale so that they will naturally refill with fresh oxygen and holy Shabbat air.
2. Now it is your time to let go. Let go, let go, let go of anything blocking you in any way from allowing Hashem’s life-giving light to enter every fiber of your being.
3. Breathe in deeply and breathe out to a loud ahhh sigh, as you let go of any tension you may feel in any part of your being! Ahhh! How good it feels to let go, so good, ahhh!!!!
4. Visualize the light of Shabbat like a crown of white light above your head. Thank Hashem for the light of Shabbat! Praise Hashem for the light of Shabbat.
5. Inhale deeply and smell the scent of Shabbat, exhale any weekday worries to enter the sacred space of Shabbat. Inhale once more, allowing the scent of Shabbat to enter you through your nostrils. Exhale all the negativity, tension, and worries – allowing them all to completely leave you.
6. Become aware of your forehead as you breathe the white Shabbat light into your temple. Keep breathing and inhaling the light. Notice how the Shabbat light radiates from your brow, mindfully let it shine!   
7. You are entering the sacred space of Shabbat beyond this world. Feel yourself levitating to the elevated Shabbat level. Your Neshama Yetera (extra soul) of Shabbat is carrying you on white dovish wings. Carrying you on the wings of peace. You are at peace right now as you sit here upright on your cushion, the grass, or your chair, so completely at peace.
8. Bring the white light of Shabbat into your heart, and let it illuminate it, gently and compassionately healing you and guiding you to let go of any pain, childhood wounds or traumas from your heart.
9. Keep breathing while focusing on any place in your body that needs healing. Is it a slight headache, lower back pain or a scratchy throat? Focus on the point of discomfort and guide the white light of Shabbat into that exact place, to open and release the pain.
10. Repeat guiding the white Shabbat light into any part of your body or emotional body that is in discomfort or even just slightly tense.
11. Release each point of pain wherever it can be felt, even faintly. Let the white healing Shabbat light of peace enter and transform your points of pain to become points of peace.
12. On Shabbat all is good, all is G-d. Let go of any resistance to allow the feeling of peace to enter every part of your being. As you breathe into each point of pain, imagine telling that body part, “Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom!” Greet your head, neck, and shoulder with Shabbat Shalom. Feel how the Shabbat Light of Peace has dissipated any trace of prior ailments.
13. Greet your diaphragm, lungs, and heart with “Shabbat Shalom,” and visualize the white Shabbat light shining through them. Allow yourself to welcome the healing, with each “Shabbat Shalom!”
14. Greet your arms, legs fingers, and toes with “Shabbat Shalom” accompanied by the white healing light of Shabbat. Feel how any tension melts away in the wake of the healing Shabbat light.
15. Turn your attention to your pelvic area, with their inner organs. Greet your pelvic area with “Shabbat Shalom” and allow any pain in that area to dissolve.
16. Here you are fully illuminated, fully aware, healthy, and strong, totally at peace with yourself, with Hashem, and with your environment. Since you have released all those points of pain, you are so open now, so relaxed, so whole, and connected! You keep breathing Hashem’s loving light into every part of your being. You are beloved!

What is the Connection Between the Anointing Oil, the Incense, and Spiritual Healing?

 Parashat Ki Tisa

What is the Connection Between the Anointing Oil, the Incense, and Spiritual Healing?

Refining our Sense of Smell as Part of the Redemption Process
Scent has always been central in my life. As a teenager, I searched for truth, and from the age of 14-18, I covered, Born Again Christians, Buddhism, Hinduism, Neo-Sannyasins and more. As part of my search, I recall walking into a Hara Krishna Center in Amsterdam and in less than a minute deciding that this is definitely not for me because it didn’t smell right. I felt so strongly repulsed by the foul smell in the room that I had no further questions. Conversely, it is so awesome to live in Israel and walk among the beautiful spring flowers, inhaling their gentle, tantalizing fragrance! At this time, we can clearly smell redemption in the air. Without a doubt, applying and refining our sense of smell is part of the redemption process. The Mashiach will judge with his sense of smell! He will be able to smell who is guilty and who is innocent. (Yesha’yahu 11:3; Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 93b). Pure essential oils have become exceedingly popular in recent times, both in the general new-age world as well as in many Jewish religious circles. More and more women are using essential oils as perfume, in face creams and body lotions, household cleaners, and various diffusers that permeate a space with an uplifting fragrance. There are essential oils for relaxation, inner peace, immunity boost, energy, sweet dreams, stress relief, balance, abundance, sensuality, meditation, clarity, and more… Our sense of smell is being stimulated in multiple ways and many of us are developing our olfactory awareness. The Hebrew word for smell רֵיחַ/re’ach is etymologically related to the Hebrew word for spirit רוּחַ/ru’ach. This teaches us the shared ethereality between smell and spirit. They are both connected to the spiritual realm. It was the scent of fresh-baked Challah that eventually welcomed me back into the Torah world. 

 

Why is Parashat Ki Tisa Always Read in Juxtaposition with Purim?

It is no coincidence that Parashat Ki Tisa which mentions both the aromatics of the holy anointing oil and of the Temple incense is read in proximity to the holiday of Purim. Fragrance is the central theme of Purim – also known as the holiday of Myrrh and Myrtle. It is well known that Esther was also called Hadassah (Megillat Esther 2:7), which means myrtle in Hebrew. The Talmud associates Mordechai with the free-flowing myrrh of the anointing oil as its Aramaic translation is “מִירָא דִּכְיָא/mira dechaya” (Babylonian Talmud, Chulin 139b), which is reminiscent of the name Mordechai. What may be less well known is that the mitzvah to get drunk on Purim is originally described in the Talmud as the mitzvah to become perfumed (Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 7b). Rather than getting drunk in a way that lowers a person to the level of the animals, the mitzvah on Purim is to raise a pleasant fragrance of nullifying the matters of this world towards holiness – kedusha. Fragrance has the ability to expand our consciousness and transform us to a higher realm, where this material world is elevated to become spiritual. This explains why the holy anointing oil שֶׁמֶן המִשְׁחַה/shemen hamishchah, was central in sanctifying the Kohanim, whose role was to connect the people to Hashem through the sacrifices also called korbanot – meaning ‘bringing close.’ The temple vessels utilized in the divine service were likewise anointed and consecrated with the holy anointing oil (Shemot 30:26). Ever since the time of King Shaul – the first king of Israel, every subsequent Mashiach – Divinely ordained Jewish king – must be anointed with the holy anointing oil, in his role of elevating the people. The title ‘Mashiach’ literally means ‘the anointed.’

 

The Spiritual and Medicinal Power of Cinnamon, Myrrh and Cassia
The holy anointing oil consisted of four aromatics steeped in olive oil (Shemot 30:23-25), whereas the incense included eleven aromatics (Rashi, Shemot 30:34). Each of the herbal mixtures sanctified us in diverse ways. The ketoret (incense) consisted of ten sweet-smelling aromatics and one foul-smelling plant – the galbanum. When united with the sweet-smelling herbs through the incense, the foul-smelling galbanum became subordinated to the rest of the aromatics of the incense. This symbolizes the ability of incense to nullify the independent existence of evil. Therefore, it makes sense that the incense counteracted the plague of death and caused it to cease (Bamidbar 17:12-13).  According to Me’am Loez, incense was an enlightened remedy to purify people from sin and cause instant repentance. Whoever smelled the fragrance of the Temple incense when it was being burned on the altar would have thoughts of teshuva.  It is as if the scent of the incense cleaned out our spiritual smuts. Whereas the incense removed evil by inclusion, the anointing oil elevated the physical realm and united it with the Divine realm.

The holy anointing oil consisted of the following aromatics:
1.     Pure myrrh – 500 shekel – about 6 kg (13 lbs.)
2.     Sweet cinnamon – 250 shekel – about 3 kg (6.6 lbs.)

3.     Fragrant cane (possibly lemon grass) – 250 shekel – about 3 kg (6.6 lbs.)
4.     Cassia – (Calamus also called Sweet Flag) – 500 shekel – about 6 kg (13 lbs.)
5.     Olive oil one hin – about 6 liters (1.6 US gal)

Three of the aromatics: myrrh, cassia, and cinnamon were included in both the anointing oil and in the ketoret. I’m wondering what is so special about these three plants that they were selected to purify and elevate us through both herb mixtures?

Cassia -Acorus Calamus earned its nickname ‘Singer’s Root’ for its ability to numb the vocal cords so that tired voices can carry on. It is a flowering plant with psychoactive chemicals. Calamus is calming but not a sedative. It makes you feel chilled out and relaxed rather than drugged up. At the same time, it simultaneously boosts vitality and vigor – leaving you feeling very centered, clear, perceptive, focused, and alert. Calamus is grounding while also increasing a sense of greater awareness. Native American Indians use it for stamina on long journeys. Modern herbalists have used it to treat PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Myrrh derives from the gummy resin of the small, thorny myrrh tree and has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense, and medicine. It has powerful antimicrobial and anti-viral properties, and is especially potent for oral health, preventing and treating gum infections. Myrrh means bitter and corresponds to gevurah (judgment). Yet it has the power to transform the bitter to sweet i.e., judgment to chesed (loving-kindness). In this capacity, it is called free-flowing myrrh (flowing from gevurah to chesed). No wonder myrrh is used to heal personal sorrow. Myrrh balances emotions and opens the spiritual channels leading to rich and rewarding meditation (especially introspection).

Cinnamon supports metabolic function and helps maintain a healthy immune system, fighting infections and viruses. It also protects brain function and lowers blood sugar. As one of the ingredients of the charoset, cinnamon is part of the Pesach Seder table celebrating the redemption of Pesach and the eternal covenant between Hashem and Israel. Today cinnamon grows mainly in Sri Lanka and India, yet during temple times, cinnamon trees were so abundant in Israel and especially in Jerusalem that it was burnt as firewood. The trees of Yerushalayim were of cinnamon. When they burned, their fragrance would permeate the entire Land of Israel. Yet, once Jerusalem was destroyed, they did not remain but were hidden away (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 63a). Cinnamon is the spice that represents the finest fragrance of the highest spiritual achievement. This explains why although the righteous in general are compared to sweet-smelling spices, Avraham at the time of his circumcision was specifically likened to the fragrant cinnamon tree (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 46:2).

The renaissance of the conscious expanding herbs will be completed with the coming of Mashiach, who will be anointed with the holy anointing oil containing cinnamon, myrrh, and cassia.

EmunaHealing Exercise for Refining your Sense of Smell
Prepare from 3-8 fragrant herbs and place on a bowl or plate in front of you
1. Take a deep breath and allow it to enter your head and invigorate it with fresh air. Repeat this twice while focusing on your diaphragm and pelvic area respectively.
2. Breathe in and out of your nose mindfully, and as you inhale, notice any fragrance or smell in the air around you. Perhaps you sense the aromas of baked goods from an oven nearby, or from a steaming chicken soup on a stove? There may be less pleasant smells from building materials or hopefully not from the sewage. Do you notice the smell of synthetic cleaning materials which may irritate your nostrils?
3. Discern the various smells that you inhale, some strong and others more subtle. Notice them and let them pass through you. Be mindful of which scents are pleasant and attract you, and which smells are repulsive to you.
4. Are you able to now choose which scents you let into your being and which you reject?
We can train ourselves to become sensitive and smell-selective. Recite within your mind: “I welcome beautiful fragrances to strengthen my spirit and prevent any foul smells from entering my brain/blood barrier.”
5. Now look at the herbs on the plate you have prepared, identify each herb, as you hold it up to your nose and inhale its fragrance. Make sure to first recite the appropriate blessing. For perennial herbs with a hard woody stem בּוֹרֵא עֲצֵי בְּשָֹמִים/bore atzei besamim …Creator of fragrant trees, for annual soft-stemmed herbs בּוֹרֵא עִשְּבֵּי בְּשָֹמִים/bore Isvei besamim …Creator of fragrant herbs). You may pronounce the name of each of the herbs as you inhale their fragrance.
6. Now, with your eyes completely closed, reach for the plate with the various fragrant herbs, and position it so one of the herbs is right under your nostrils. Inhale its scent and identify the herb only through your sense of smell, without seeing, touching, or tasting it.
7. Move your plate slightly to allow a different herb to be positioned right under your nostrils and repeat the same procedure of identifying the herb, based only on your sense of smell. Repeat this with all the herbs that you have prepared.
8. Test yourself by inhaling the scents of the various herbs with open eyes. Did you get all the herbs right when using only your sense of smell? If not, you can repeat smelling the various herbs with closed eyes and without touching them.
9. Now hold all the herbs in a bundle in one hand while you bury your nose in them and inhale their combined fragrance deeply. Do you smell how each herb enhances the unified fragrance of them all?
10. As you open your eyes, and complete this spiritual healing exercise, take with you a heightened awareness and sensitivity to fragrances to keep throughout your daily day. Don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers!

Igniting Ourselves and the World with Divine Light

 Parashat Teztave

Igniting Ourselves and the World with Divine Light

Letting Go of Taking Care of Others
Some people believe that when they go to the doctor or to an alternative healer, they can leave their ailment in the hands of a capable health professional to take care of it for them. Advertisements flooding us from left to right brainwash us to believe that if we only pay enough, all our troubles and needs can be taken care of. This is the opposite of the approach of EmunaHealing. We believe that people must learn to take responsibility for their own healing. The healer is only a facilitator. Therefore, we don’t even use the terms ‘patient’ or ‘client’ which indicate the passivity of the person seeking help with their spiritual, emotional, or physical health. The first thing the EmunaHealer explains to the people we work with is: “I can only help remove the thorns and thistles that block your way from moving forward in life and receive healing on all levels. Yet, it is upon you to actually walk on your path!” The same principle must be applied to everything in life, especially when it comes to the education of our students as well as our children. This is why at B’erot Bat Ayin we emphasize not only giving inspiring lectures but also teaching our students skills, so they will be able to continue to learn on their own.

Teaching our Dependents to Take Responsibility for Their own Lives
I recall many years ago, struggling with trying to stop taking responsibility for my son’s homework. My natural inclination was to remind, remind and remind until he completed his homework – together with my help of course! Yet most often children, whose mothers don’t remind them, or don’t even remember that their kids have homework, quickly learn to take responsibility for their own homework, which their teachers expect of them. For ‘helicopter moms’ like me, it can also be challenging to let go of taking care of our adult children, especially letting go of worrying about them, when they don’t take care of themselves properly according to our minimum standards. Yet, mothers, who won’t stop being over-protective, could G-d forbid prevent their children from getting married and starting their own families. The opening of Parashat Tetzave teaches us the importance of allowing our dependents to take responsibility for their own lives: 

ספר שמות פרק כז פסוק כ וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד:

 “You shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the candles continually” (Shemot 27:20).

The Hebrew word for “to kindle” is לְהַעֲלֹת/l’ha’alot – ‘to raise.’ This teaches us that rather than continuing the endless spoon-feeding, our job, as parents and educators, is to raise our children and students to no longer be dependent on us. As Rashi explains based on the Talmud Shabbat 21a, when the kohen kindles the candle, he shall light it until the flame rises by itself. Since “The candle of G-d is the soul of a person” (Mishlei 20:27), we can apply everything written in our Torah verse to people.

Our Divine Mother – A Role model of Balanced Parenting
Hashem and his Shechina relate to us as role models of parenting. S/He doesn’t overprotect us by constantly removing obstacles from our path. Rather, S/He allows us to grow from our mistakes, thereby teaching us to rise to the challenge. Although Hashem’s Shechina is hidden, when we reach out for help, Hashem is always there for us. S/He, comforts our pain, gently encouraging us to forge healthy lives by illuminating the Torah path for us, from within the thorns of difficult darkness and despair in each challenging situation. The last part of our Torah verse: “To kindle or raise an eternal candle” refers to our continued tefilah (prayers) which may never cease. This teaches us that if we pray from the depths of our hearts, we will receive Hashem’s loving answer. The Talmud notices that it states, “and eternal candle” in singular, referring specifically to the middle candle which illuminates perpetually (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 26b). This teaches us that while it is the job of people to ignite the majority of the candles, a metaphor for taking responsibility for our lives, the Shechina will ensure to keep the middle candle perpetually lit for us, as it states, “Your words are a candle for my foot, and light for my path” (Tehillim 119:105). Just as a mother – keeping healthy boundaries and giving her adult children space – would never forsake them, when they ask her for help, likewise whenever we feel lost in darkness, if we truly turn to Hashem, we can receive His guidance and help.

Igniting the Perpetual Light of our Soul
We are called upon to raise our souls to illuminate and cleave to Hashem perpetually. Even when we are busy with material matters. While our hands are folding laundry or doing dishes, our minds and desires can cleave to Hashem (Be’er Mayim Chayim, Parashat Yitro 19). The word נֵר/ner – ‘candle’ is an acronym for נְ'שָׁמָה ר'וּחַ/neshama, ruach – ‘soul, spirit.’ “The eternal candle” refers to our perpetual endeavor to keep igniting Hashem’s candle – the human soul. There will be ups and downs within our lives, yet every descent is for the sake of increasing Hashem’s honor to make it dwell within the lowest most earthly level. The last letters of לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד/leha’alot ner tamid spell out תר"ד/tered – ‘going down.’ Every descent is for the sake of ascending (Ohev Yisrael, Parashat Tetzave). When we at times fall from our level of spirituality, we can elevate even this lowliness to become attached to the blessed Creator. This is the meaning of כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר/katit l’ma’or – “crushed for lighting.” When we turn to Hashem within our constriction of feeling down and lonely, we can transform even the crushed and lowly part of ourselves to become the greatest light (based on Meor Einayim, Tehillim). On a universal level, perhaps the word לַמָּאוֹר/ma’or – “as illumination” alludes to the third Temple, as the redemption and what follows is described as light, like for example, “Arise, shine, for your light has dawned, etc.” (Yesha’yahu 60:1); (Rabbeinu Bachaya, Shemot 27:20).

EmunaHealing Exercise for Igniting Every Part of Your Being
1. Relax into a comfortable position and breathe slowly and mindfully.
2. Inhale Hashem’s life-giving light into your forehead and exhale any doubts you may hold in that place. Breathe perpetual light into your eyes and breathe out of your eyes any negativity you may have encountered. Inhale divine light into your nose and exhale any foul smell. Breathe light and sweetness into your mouth and breathe out of your mouth any kind of sourness and bitterness. Inhale the musical light into your ears and exhale any unpleasant noise and static from your ears.
3. Envision now how the seven openings of your face – two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and your mouth are now ignited with Divine light. Imagine a candle flame shining through each of these openings.
4. Breathe the candlelight into your chest, arms, and fingers, and finally into your hips, pelvis, legs, and feet. Visualize your illuminated self.
5. Let your mind drift to a challenging situation you are facing or have been facing. Tap into the frustration, pain, or lowliness. Where are these uncomfortable feelings residing in your body? Can you locate your pain?
6. Place your hands on the parts of your body that house your recent challenging situation. Breathe into the discomfort and distress of that place. Imagine breathing perpetual candlelight into these dark knots of constriction. Can you feel how the divine light enables your body to release the pain?
7. Now, envision a candle flame in your pelvic area and focus on the blue part hugging the wick. This part of the flame corresponds to your נֶפֶשׁ/nefesh, Ask Hashem to illuminate this lowest part of your soul with the flame of His eternal candle. As you breathe deeply into your pelvic area envision how completely illuminated it is becoming.
8. Breathe divine light into your diaphragm and envision a candle flame there in the middle part of your body. Focus on the main white part of the flame itself, which corresponds to the רוּחַ/ruach – spirit. Ask Hashem to enlighten this middle part of your being with eternal light. Discover how your lungs and heart are filled more and more with eternal light with each breath!
9. Focus on your head and face and breathe divine light into them. Envision breathing candle flames through each of the openings of your face. Focus on the aura around the flames that exists in pure potentiality. This part of the candle reflects your נְשָׁמָה/neshama. Ask Hashem to illuminate your face perpetually and envision His light igniting every part of your face.
10. As you allow yourself the wonderful tingling feeling of the illumination of your entire being, thank Hashem for being there for you through His Eternal light. Breathe into the potential of an even greater revealed light for you and for the entire universe at the final redemption. Recite softly, “Arise, shine, for your light has dawned” three times, then open your eyes.