The Brain's Limbic System - The Amygdala is the executive center for fear processing.
"Fight or Flight" is triggered here.
- The amygdala is fully mature by 8 months of gestation.
- Early experience has disproprotionate impact on us.
- Misattuned parents, brutal social systems, war, prejudice etc. programme us early on with feelings, perceptions, beliefs that we believe are true.
- Without the ability to connect fears to the past, they just seem to arise in us.
- Children learn fear.
- Avoidance reinforces fear; Confrontation inhibits fear.
(א) לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־מָחֲלַ֗ת מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד׃ (ב) אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבּוֹ אֵ֣ין אֱלֹקִ֑ים הִֽ֝שְׁחִ֗יתוּ וְהִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ עָ֝֗וֶל אֵ֣ין עֹֽשֵׂה־טֽוֹב׃... (ו) שָׁ֤ם ׀ פָּֽחֲדוּ־פַחַד֮ לֹא־הָ֪יָה֫ פָ֥חַד כִּֽי־אֱלֹקִ֗ים פִּ֭זַּר עַצְמ֣וֹת חֹנָ֑ךְ הֱ֝בִשֹׁ֗תָה כִּֽי־אֱלֹקִ֥ים מְאָסָֽם׃ (ז) מִ֥י יִתֵּ֣ן מִצִּיּוֹן֮ יְשֻׁע֪וֹת יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל בְּשׁ֣וּב אֱ֭לֹקִים שְׁב֣וּת עַמּ֑וֹ יָגֵ֥ל יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב יִשְׂמַ֥ח יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(1) To the lead player on the mahalath.A maskil of David. (2) The ignorant man says in his heart, “There is no God.” They corrupt and do loathsome misdeeds; there is none who does good.... (6) There they were frightened from fear, and there was no fear. For God scattered the bones of your besieger. (7) O that the deliverance of Israel might come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself; nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
-FDR
The Gemara relates: This student was once walking after Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, in the marketplace of Zion. Rabbi Yishmael saw that the student was afraid. He said to him: You are a sinner, as it is written: “The transgressors in Zion are afraid, trembling has seized the ungodly” (Isaiah 33:14). The student replied: And is it not written: “Happy is the man that fears always” (Proverbs 28:14)? Rabbi Yishmael said to him: That verse is written with regard to matters of Torah, that one should be afraid lest he forget them. For everything else, one must trust in God.
אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם מָצָא חָכְמָה וְאָדָם יָפִיק תְּבוּנָה׃
עֵץ־חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר׃ יט יי בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד־אָרֶץ כּוֹנֵן שָׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה׃
בְּנִי אַל־יָלֻזוּ מֵעֵינֶיךָ נְצֹר תֻּשִׁיָּה וּמְזִמָּה׃ כב וְיִהְיוּ חַיִּים לְנַפְשֶׁךָ וְחֵן לְגַרְגְּרֹתֶיךָ׃ כג אָז תֵּלֵךְ לָבֶטַח דַּרְכֶּךָ וְרַגְלְךָ לֹא תִגּוֹף׃ כד אִם־תִּשְׁכַּב לֹא־תִפְחָד וְשָׁכַבְתָּ וְעָרְבָה שְׁנָתֶךָ׃ כה אַל־תִּירָא מִפַּחַד פִּתְאֹם וּמִשֹּׁאַת רְשָׁעִים כִּי תָבֹא׃ כו כִּי־יי יִהְיֶה בְכִסְלֶךָ וְשָׁמַר רַגְלְךָ מִלָּכֶד׃
Happy is the man who finds wisdom, The man who attains understanding.
...She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, And whoever holds on to her is happy. The LORD founded the earth by wisdom; He established the heavens by understanding; By His knowledge the depths burst apart, And the skies distilled dew.
...My son, do not lose sight of them; Hold on to resourcefulness and foresight. They will give life to your spirit And grace to your throat. Then you will go your way safely And not injure your feet. When you lie down you will be unafraid; You will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. You will not fear sudden terror Or the disaster that comes upon the wicked, For the LORD will be your trust; He will keep your feet from being caught.
"The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.
-Lao Tzu
ישוגב - השם ישגבהו מפני המחריד...פרוש אחר: איש מפחד ולא יתן מבטחו בשם - יבואהו מה שיירא.
He who dwells in the Most High's shelter, in the shadow of Shaddai lies at night -- I say of the Lord, "My refuge and bastion, my God in whom I trust." For He will save you from the fowler's snare, from disastrous plague. With His pinion He shelters you, and beneath His wings you take refuge, a shield and a buckler, His truth. You shall not fear from the terror of night nor from the arrow that flies by day, nor from the plague that stalks in the darkness nor from the scourge that rages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, you it will not reach. You but look with your eyes, and the wicked's requital you see. For you -- the Lord is your refuge, the Most High you have made your abode. No harm will befall you, nor affliction draw near to your tent. For his messengers He charges for you to guard you on all your ways. On their palms they lift you up lest your foot be bruised by a stone. On lion and viper you tread, you trample young lion and serpent. "For Me he desired and I freed him. I raised him high, for he knows My name. He calls me and I answer him, I am with him in his straits. I deliver him and grant him honor. With length of days I shall sate him, and show him my rescue.
וֶהֱפִֽיצְךָ֤ יי בְּכָל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים מִקְצֵ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ וְעַד־קְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ וְעָבַ֨דְתָּ שָּׁ֜ם אֱלֹקִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יָדַ֛עְתָּ אַתָּ֥ה וַאֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ עֵ֥ץ וָאָֽבֶן׃ סה וּבַגּוֹיִ֤ם הָהֵם֙ לֹ֣א תַרְגִּ֔יעַ וְלֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה מָנ֖וֹחַ לְכַף־רַגְלֶ֑ךָ וְנָתַן֩ יי לְךָ֥ שָׁם֙ לֵ֣ב רַגָּ֔ז וְכִלְי֥וֹן עֵינַ֖יִם וְדַֽאֲב֥וֹן נָֽפֶשׁ׃ סו וְהָי֣וּ חַיֶּ֔יךָ תְּלֻאִ֥ים לְךָ֖ מִנֶּ֑גֶד וּפָֽחַדְתָּ֙ לַ֣יְלָה וְיוֹמָ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תַאֲמִ֖ין בְּחַיֶּֽיךָ׃ סז בַּבֹּ֤קֶר תֹּאמַר֙ מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן עֶ֔רֶב וּבָעֶ֥רֶב תֹּאמַ֖ר מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן בֹּ֑קֶר מִפַּ֤חַד לְבָֽבְךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּפְחָ֔ד וּמִמַּרְאֵ֥ה עֵינֶ֖יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּרְאֶֽה׃
“When we were leaving he came out with his straight Zionist line, no more hints. “You must return here to live,” he said. “This is the only place for Jews like you. Here you will be free.”
“Free?” I ventured to reply. “Free? With enemy armies ringing you, with their leaders publicly threatening to wipe out ‘the Zionist entity,’ with your roads impassable after sundown—free?”
“I did not say safe,” the old man retorted, “I said free.”
Herman Wouk. “The Will To Live On”.
וְאַחַר כָּךְ מְבָרֵךְ אֲבִי הַבֵּן אוֹ הַמָּל אוֹ אֶחָד מִן הָעוֹמְדִין שָׁם. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדַּשׁ יְדִיד מִבֶּטֶן וְחֹק בִּשְׁאֵרוֹ שָׂם וְצֶאֱצָאָיו חָתַם בְּאוֹת בְּרִית קֹדֶשׁ עַל כֵּן בִּשְׂכַר זֹאת אֵל חַי חֶלְקֵנוּ צוּרֵנוּ צַוֵּה לְהַצִּיל יְדִידוּת שְׁאֵרֵנוּ מִשַּׁחַת לְמַעַן בְּרִיתוֹ אֲשֶׁר שָׂם בִּבְשָׂרֵנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ׳ כּוֹרֵת הַבְּרִית. וַאֲבִי הַבֵּן מְבָרֵךְ שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ:
The father, operator or any one else present says, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who, from the womb didst sanctify the from the womb, and didst set Thy statute in his flesh, and seal his offspring with the sign of the holy covenant. On this account, O living God, our Portion and our Rock, give command to deliver from destruction the dearly beloved of our flesh for the sake of the covenant which Thou hast set in our flesh. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Who makest the covenant."