As always: Choose any text to begin with, and sit with it for as long as you'd like. You are under no obligation to get through everything.
Questions to create personal meaning and connection with the text:
- Does this line resonant with me?
- How do I connect to this text?
- How can I bring the concepts of this text into my own life?
Focusing our Attention
What barriers do you face to giving a task your full focus?
Rav Shagar, Closing the Gate
The challenge of focusing on something fully and for an extended period of time stems from this--it is difficult to shrink oneself and say: "I am certain that this is what I should be doing," and [it is easier to] continually allow oneself to exist in the vast spiritual/existential world of possibilities.
Rav Kook, Mussar Avicha 2:2
One needs to seek God in the midst of what one is doing. When praying--then seek God in understanding and proper spiritual focus of the prayers. And do not stray to think about other things, since when one is involved in service, God dwells precisely in this service, and there he will find God and not elsewhere.
And when one is involved in Torah, he should know that he will find God when he studies well, and through this he will find God, because at that moment God is revealed through this service.
...When a person is fully engaged, whether in thought or action, he should become happy in what he is doing and not chase after something else, as the entire world devolves into that single moment.
A Blessing Before Teaching
How does Rabbi Nehunya ben Hakana's blessing fit (or not) with your own teaching experiences?
מתני׳ רבי נחוניא בן הקנה היה מתפלל בכניסתו לבית המדרש וביציאתו תפלה קצרה אמרו לו מה מקום לתפלה זו אמר להם בכניסתי אני מתפלל שלא יארע דבר תקלה על ידי וביציאתי אני נותן הודאה על חלקי:
גמ׳ תנו רבנן בכניסתו מהו אומר יהי רצון מלפניך ה׳ אלהי שלא יארע דבר תקלה על ידי ולא אכשל בדבר הלכה וישמחו בי חברי ולא אומר על טמא טהור ולא על טהור טמא ולא יכשלו חברי בדבר הלכה ואשמח בהם
ביציאתו מהו אומר מודה אני לפניך ה׳ אלהי ששמת חלקי מיושבי בית המדרש ולא שמת חלקי מיושבי קרנות שאני משכים והם משכימים אני משכים לדברי תורה והם משכימים לדברים בטלים אני עמל והם עמלים אני עמל ומקבל שכר והם עמלים ואינם מקבלים שכר אני רץ והם רצים אני רץ לחיי העולם הבא והם רצים לבאר שחת:
MISHNA: In addition to the halakhot relating to the fixed prayers, the Gemara relates: Rabbi Neḥunya ben Hakana would recite a brief prayer upon his entrance into the study hall and upon his exit. They said to him: The study hall is not a dangerous place that would warrant a prayer when entering and exiting, so what room is there for this prayer? He said to them: Upon my entrance, I pray that no mishap will transpire caused by me in the study hall. And upon my exit, I give thanks for my portion.
GEMARA: The Sages taught in a baraita the complete formula of Rabbi Neḥunya ben Hakana’s prayer: Upon his entrance, what does he say? May it be Your will, Lord my God, that no mishap in determining the halakha transpires caused by me, and that I not fail in any matter of halakha, and that my colleagues, who together with me engage in clarifying the halakha, will rejoice in me. He specified: And that I will neither declare pure that which is impure, nor declare impure that which is pure and that my colleagues will not fail in any matter of halakha, and that I will rejoice in them.
Upon his exit, what did he say? I give thanks before You, Lord my God, that You have placed my lot among those who sit in the study hall, and that you have not given me my portion among those who sit idly on street corners. I rise early, and they rise early. I rise early to pursue matters of Torah, and they rise early to pursue frivolous matters. I toil and they toil. I toil and receive a reward, and they toil and do not receive a reward. I run and they run. I run to the life of the World-to-Come and they run to the pit of destruction.
Vulnerability and Courage
When have you felt vulnerable as an educator? As a learner?
From Rabbi Mimi Feigelson (Mashpiah Ruchani at Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University) http://ziegler.aju.edu/default.aspx?id=5327
We are often in a rush to get out of uncomfortable situations. We want to solve problems as quickly as we can so that we need not dwell on them. But it appears that bracketing our stay in Mitzrayim with the word 'Mitzrayim' functions as an invitation to actually sit in this space. It seems that the only way out of this constricted state of being is by going through it, not by circumventing it! We can't overcome limitations that we've encountered unless we are willing to own our part in the situation: to be able to name and face our pain, to be able to claim our suffering, to be able to hold our loss. It is only then, when we see ourselves in the light of our darkness that we can truly leave it behind as we walk towards new horizons. We are being asked to dwell in our pain and discomfort so that we will be able to indeed move forward. Without this process, it would appear that we will never be free from that which enslaved us - we would carry it with us, creating new Mitzrayims wherever we journeyed next. We won't be able to truly leave it behind us. We need to be able to name the emotion so that we can find a remedy to heal it.
It is with this in mind that I ask us all to sit one more moment in this discomfort, to own being a 'temporary citizen of Mitzrayim,' so that when we indeed do leave Mitzrayim we can be free.
אבל ישראל נופלין ועומדין וכן הוא אומר אל תשמחי אויבתי לי כי נפלתי קמתי והוא שע"י הנפילה זה עצמו יהי' סיבה לקימה
ע"ד לשון חז"ל (מכות ז':) ירידה שהוא צורך עלי' שע"י הירידה יכול להיות העלי' יותר
וכן הוא אומר כי שבע יפול צדיק וקם שע"י הנפילה דייקא יהיה הקימה.
But Israel falls and stands as it says, "Do not rejoice over me, Oh my enemy! Though I have fallen, I rise again." This is that through the act of falling this is the reason that one rises.
This is the language of Chazal, "Downward motion for the sake of upward motion." That through the descent one can reach an even greater ascent.
Likewise it says, "Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up." That specifically through falling, he is able to get up.
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָזַל לְחַד אֲתַר אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ פְּרֹס עַל שְׁמַע, אָמַר לָהֶן לֵינָא חָכֵם עֲבֹר לִפְנֵי הַתֵּבָה. אָמַר לָהֶן לֵינָא חָכֵם, אָמְרִין דֵּין הוּא רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, דֵּין הוּא דְּאַתּוּן מִתְגַּלְגְּלִין בֵּיהּ, עַל מַגָּן צָוְוחִין לֵיהּ רַבִּי. נִתְכַּרְכְּמוּ פָנָיו וְהָלַךְ לוֹ אֵצֶל רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא רַבּוֹ, אָמַר לֵיהּ לָמָּה פָנֶיךָ חוֹלָנִיּוֹת, תָּנֵי לֵיהּ עוֹבָדָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ צָבֵי מָרִי דְּיֵלִיף, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אִין, אִלְפֵיהּ. לְבָתַר יוֹמִין אָזַל לְהַהוּא אַתְרָא, אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ פְּרֹס עַל שְׁמַע, פָּרַס. עֲבֹר לִפְנֵי הַתֵּבָה, עָבַר. אָמְרִין אִתְחַסַּם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, וְקוֹרִין לֵיהּ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר חִסְמָא.
Vayikra Rabbah 23:4
R. Eleazar Hisma went to a place.They said to him: Does Rabbi know how to lead the Shema(responsively)?He said to them: No.Does Rabbi know how to lead the amidah? (lit: draw near).He said to them: No.They said to him: For nothing do they call you Rabbi!His face fell (lit: turned yellow).He went to R. Akiva, and his face was sickly.He said to him: Why is your face sickly?He told him what happened.He said to him: Does Rabbi want to learn?He said to him: Yes.Once he learned, he went (back) there.They said to him: Does Rabbi know how to lead the Shema(responsively)?He said to them: Yes.Does Rabbi know how to lead the amidah? (lit: draw near). Hesaid to them: Yes.They said: Eleazar has become strong (hasim)! And they wouldcall him R. Eleazar Hisma.
Brene Brown, Daring Greatly
The perception that vulnerability is weakness is the most widely accepted myth about vulnerability and the most dangerous. When we spend our lives pushing away and protecting ourselves from feeling vulnerable or from being perceived as too emotional, we feel contempt when others are less capable or willing to mask feelings, suck it up, and soldier on. We've come to the point where, rather than respecting and appreciating the courage and daring behind vulnerability, we let our fear and discomfort become judgement and criticism.