Creating Space
In the creation myth of ancient Judaism mysticism, God creates the universe by a process dubbed tzimtzum, which in Hebrew means a sort of stepping back to allow for there to be an Other, an Else, as in something or someone else. The Judaic notion of a world of Free Will (Talmud Berachot 33b) is deeply rooted in this concept, in the understanding that in creating life, the Eyn-Sof, or the Endless One, subdued the omnipotent, all-embracing Divine Presence for the sake of the realization of the Divine Will that there be other beings (Etz Chaim 1:1:2.) Our world, then is the sacred space that the Great Spirit gave as a gift to us, a space in which to be as human as divinely possible, and as divine as humanly possible. A space to err, to fall, to believe, to doubt, to cry, to laugh. Our space, created by the simple motion of stepping back, the humble act of honoring the separate reality of an Other.
Rabbi Gershon Winkler with Lakme Batya Elior, The Place Where You are Standing Is Holy: A Jewish Theology on Human Relationships. (page 1)
In the creation myth of ancient Judaism mysticism, God creates the universe by a process dubbed tzimtzum, which in Hebrew means a sort of stepping back to allow for there to be an Other, an Else, as in something or someone else. The Judaic notion of a world of Free Will (Talmud Berachot 33b) is deeply rooted in this concept, in the understanding that in creating life, the Eyn-Sof, or the Endless One, subdued the omnipotent, all-embracing Divine Presence for the sake of the realization of the Divine Will that there be other beings (Etz Chaim 1:1:2.) Our world, then is the sacred space that the Great Spirit gave as a gift to us, a space in which to be as human as divinely possible, and as divine as humanly possible. A space to err, to fall, to believe, to doubt, to cry, to laugh. Our space, created by the simple motion of stepping back, the humble act of honoring the separate reality of an Other.
Rabbi Gershon Winkler with Lakme Batya Elior, The Place Where You are Standing Is Holy: A Jewish Theology on Human Relationships. (page 1)
(לד) וַיְכַ֥ס הֶעָנָ֖ן אֶת־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וּכְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃ (לה) וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה לָבוֹא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד כִּֽי־שָׁכַ֥ן עָלָ֖יו הֶעָנָ֑ן וּכְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃
(34) Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (35) And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.—
Stepping Back to Honor The Separate Reality of an Other
- when have you had the experience of someone "stepping back" and honoring/seeing you?
- how do you do that for others in your life?
- What gets in the way?
- what are some underlying principles of "pulling back"? How might we remind ourselves?
(ו) וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר יְהוָ֥ה ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהוָ֣ה ׀ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀ (ז) נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ י ׃
(6) And Adonai passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘Adonai, Adonai, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; (7) keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin...
Adonai Adonai el rachum v'chanun, erech apayim v'rav chesed v'emet, notzer chesed la'ala'fim no'seh avon v'feh'shah v'chata'ah v'nakeh..
DEEP LISTENING/PRESENCE
*"The Shema, the central statement of Jewish faith declares that hearing is a sacred act for the Jews. The Shema essentially announces that that through the spiritual practice of listening the Oneness of God is known.
'Hear O’ Israel, The Lord is our God, God is one.'
Hearing is not listening. Hearing is automatic. Listening is understanding the words of the speaker.
From To Listen and to Love by Rami Shapiro
Hearing is the first sense to develop in the womb and the last to fade at death. Hearing is our most fundamental sense and our primal way of knowing. If we are to know God fundamentally, if we are to be aware of God as the primal ground of all being and becoming, it stands to reason that we will do so through the process of hearing. To listen that intently, we have to still the mind and body so as to not be distracted. Our hearing is to be so focused, so intense, so deep that we no longer are aware of ourselves as a spearate person doing the listening. To listen and to love. This is the kind of listening that the Shema requires.
One of the reasons I am so drawn to Martin Buber is because of the work that he did on Dialogue. He wrote a lot about our need to turn fully to one another. The other person becomes fully present to us and we become fully present to him or her. He called this the I-Thou relationship when two people are genuinely open to one another. He also says that to communicate we must participate imaginatively in each other’s inner life. He also warned that at the same time it is important to have a certain sense of detachment - so we don’t merge as one. I take this to mean develop and maintain our boundaries...
When we bring the fullness of our being into relationship, it is like bringing light into a darkened room.
It’s as if you enter a dark room and someone is there, you may not see their tears or the pain on their face. When you turn the light on you can see the emotional distress so much clearer.
It is when we can be with one another, we can inspire by our mere being and it is at that moment that it is possible for holiness to manifest.
Being with another creates the basic condition for healing or for a sacred encounter.
As we offer and enable our being to touch another's, we enable that aspect of God, the God who dwells among us, the “Shechinah” to become manifest.
How do we do this?
First - A person needs the ability to receive the message and to hear accurately the verbal content of the communication - the actual words that are being said. Although this sounds obvious, we often do not hear what is being communicated to us because our own reactions, interpretations, and feelings about what is being said interfere with listening. Internal noise, nervousness about being able to find the right words to to say in response, thinking about our response while the other person is talking or just being flooded with emotion can literally drown out the words of the speaker in the minds of the listener.
One way to practice accurate listening is to literally reflect back to the speaker what you heard and to allow the speaker to correct any errors. Practicing this can really help. Even people who consider themselves good listeners, often are surprised to find out how inaccurately they hear.
Second - a speaker needs to notice and attend to the speaker’s non-verbal cues. People communicate non-verbally in two ways: with body language - such as facial expressions, gestures, or postures and also through proximity - the distance between people.
Third - a listener may need to understand the meaning of what is being communicated form the perspective of the speaker. The discipline that we need to acquire is to step temporarily inside the other person’s universe of meaning - to look at the world through their eyes and to understand what they are describing.
Lastly, listeners need to move what they have heard with their ears, understood with their minds, into their hearts. Listeners need to imagine how the speaker might be feeling.
*excerpted from a presentation by Marlene Canter, Chaplaincy Candidate, 2015
*"The Shema, the central statement of Jewish faith declares that hearing is a sacred act for the Jews. The Shema essentially announces that that through the spiritual practice of listening the Oneness of God is known.
'Hear O’ Israel, The Lord is our God, God is one.'
Hearing is not listening. Hearing is automatic. Listening is understanding the words of the speaker.
From To Listen and to Love by Rami Shapiro
Hearing is the first sense to develop in the womb and the last to fade at death. Hearing is our most fundamental sense and our primal way of knowing. If we are to know God fundamentally, if we are to be aware of God as the primal ground of all being and becoming, it stands to reason that we will do so through the process of hearing. To listen that intently, we have to still the mind and body so as to not be distracted. Our hearing is to be so focused, so intense, so deep that we no longer are aware of ourselves as a spearate person doing the listening. To listen and to love. This is the kind of listening that the Shema requires.
One of the reasons I am so drawn to Martin Buber is because of the work that he did on Dialogue. He wrote a lot about our need to turn fully to one another. The other person becomes fully present to us and we become fully present to him or her. He called this the I-Thou relationship when two people are genuinely open to one another. He also says that to communicate we must participate imaginatively in each other’s inner life. He also warned that at the same time it is important to have a certain sense of detachment - so we don’t merge as one. I take this to mean develop and maintain our boundaries...
When we bring the fullness of our being into relationship, it is like bringing light into a darkened room.
It’s as if you enter a dark room and someone is there, you may not see their tears or the pain on their face. When you turn the light on you can see the emotional distress so much clearer.
It is when we can be with one another, we can inspire by our mere being and it is at that moment that it is possible for holiness to manifest.
Being with another creates the basic condition for healing or for a sacred encounter.
As we offer and enable our being to touch another's, we enable that aspect of God, the God who dwells among us, the “Shechinah” to become manifest.
How do we do this?
First - A person needs the ability to receive the message and to hear accurately the verbal content of the communication - the actual words that are being said. Although this sounds obvious, we often do not hear what is being communicated to us because our own reactions, interpretations, and feelings about what is being said interfere with listening. Internal noise, nervousness about being able to find the right words to to say in response, thinking about our response while the other person is talking or just being flooded with emotion can literally drown out the words of the speaker in the minds of the listener.
One way to practice accurate listening is to literally reflect back to the speaker what you heard and to allow the speaker to correct any errors. Practicing this can really help. Even people who consider themselves good listeners, often are surprised to find out how inaccurately they hear.
Second - a speaker needs to notice and attend to the speaker’s non-verbal cues. People communicate non-verbally in two ways: with body language - such as facial expressions, gestures, or postures and also through proximity - the distance between people.
Third - a listener may need to understand the meaning of what is being communicated form the perspective of the speaker. The discipline that we need to acquire is to step temporarily inside the other person’s universe of meaning - to look at the world through their eyes and to understand what they are describing.
Lastly, listeners need to move what they have heard with their ears, understood with their minds, into their hearts. Listeners need to imagine how the speaker might be feeling.
*excerpted from a presentation by Marlene Canter, Chaplaincy Candidate, 2015
Lovingkindness (Chesed) Meditation
May ________ feel safe (b’tachon) בטחון
May ________ feel content (see’pook) סיפוק
May ________ feel strong (oz) עוז
May ________ feel peace (shalom) שלום
May ________ feel safe (b’tachon) בטחון
May ________ feel content (see’pook) סיפוק
May ________ feel strong (oz) עוז
May ________ feel peace (shalom) שלום