אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהוָה֮ אוֹתָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹֽעַם־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵיכָלֽוֹ׃
Achat shaalti me’et Adonai, otah avakesh.
Shivti b’veit Adonai kol yemei chayai,
Lachazot b’noam Adonai u’levaker b’cheichalo (2x)
Achat (one, one thing) I ask from You, YHVH, this I seek:
To dwell in Your house all the days of my life; to behold Your loveliness and to visit Your palace.
Focus on One Thing
Just choose one simple and fundamental aspect of your life and commit yourself to being totally conscious and honest about it for the thirty days of Elul. “ A world in a grain of sand,” as the poet William Blake reminded us... The truth of our lives is reflected in everything we do, and if we focus on even one small part of our lives, it brings up the entire truth of it. So we can pray, we can meditate, and we can set aside a moment every day for reflection. Or we can simply choose one thing in our life and live that one small aspect in truth, and then watch in amazement as the larger truth of our life begins to emerge. (Rabbi Alan Lew, This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, p 72-76)
- What one thing might be helpful to you in your soul- accounting this Elul? Is it a practice/ritual, a state of mind/heart, or something else?
- What would support you in seeking that one thing? What gets in the way?
- Is there a difference between asking and seeking (both are mentioned in the verse)?
Read at least one of the texts below on different connotations of the word “achat” (one). How does the text relate to your “one thing”?
Achat: Centered, Collected, Put Together
“But,” a certain voice replies, “the world is falling apart. Isn’t it a bit self-absorbed to be focusing on personal spiritual renewal at a time like this? Isn’t this a distraction from the real problems of the world?” What I have learned from my own experience of mindfulness practice is quite the opposite. If I am un-centered, if I am given over to uncontrollable waves of anxiety, anger, or fear, then I become part of the problem, not part of the solution. I project my own insecurities and struggles out into the world. In Jewish parlance, religious practice is called avodah, “service.” My spiritual practice is in service to something higher than my own happiness (although that’s a nice byproduct!). I sit, I pray, I walk, I sing and I am silent, all in the service of seeing more clearly the world around me and discerning the wisest, most ethical course of action to take. There are plenty of voices of anger, of hysteria, of vitriol and violence, around me. I strive to be a different voice, and to take actions that promote peace, justice, and understanding. (Rabbi Toba Spitzer, Remembrance, Reflection, Repair: Elul Thoughts)
Achat: Oneness, Connected
I have come into the world to see this: The sword drop from people's hands even at the height of their arc of rage. Because we have finally realized that there is just one flesh we can wound. And it is ours. (Hafiz)
Achat: First, Original, Blank Slate
Surely each year there is a great spiritual rebirth. This means that some new quality of existence spreads forth through all the many worlds. All of this comes about through human agency, since we humans are “A LADDER SET INTO THE GROUND, BUT WHOSE HEAD REACHES HEAVEN (Gen. 28:12).” …
In the writings of Rabbi Isaac Luria..we learn that each year [on Rosh Hashanah] everything returns to its original state, as it was at Creation….
(Rabbi Shalom Noah Brozofsky Netivot Shalom, Elul, p. 233ff., translated by Rabbi Arthur Green)