Reflection: Being a Sacred Vessel in Moments of Tension
Posted by Rabbi Menachem Creditor on November 22, 2009 | Tags:
The human body, according to Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia, is a fragile sacred vessel. His program of Jewish learning, therefore, involved altered modes of breathing and bodily vitality to prevent physical harm to the student of the spirit. For every human being is a bridge between this world and heaven, and every bridge needs support. Especially when the load being carried is great.
Those whose work includes channeling the divine and supporting others are placed frequently in the immediate intersection of Mercy and Judgment, Limitless Compassion and Structural Integrity. When in a difficult position, the person whose profession is a sacred calling can be torn between relinquishing integrity for the sake of Love and maintaining integrity for the sake of Sustainable Love. This doesn't allow the answer to be "yes" every time, and a caring person suffers when the required answer is "no."
It's not really in that moment (nor is it ever truly) about the vessel. Caregivers, humbled by their roles, experience great Sipuk Nefesh/Spiritual Reward - except when when they don't, when their connection to so many searches for meaning renders them a magnet for intense emotionality. And those intense moments define whether the sacred path they navigate has integrity.
Fragile, Sacred, Intense: What a challenge, what a blessing!
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Rabbi Menachem CreditorJoined: September 20, 2007 Rabbi Menachem Creditor is the spiritual leader of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA. He is the founder and facilitator of ShefaNetwork.org: The Conservative/Masorti Movement Dreaming from Within, co-founder of KeshetRabbis: The Alliance of Gay-Friendly Conservative/Masorti Rabbis, and... Divrei Torah (41) |
