Intention: To Save a Life

In Hebrew Wisdom we are taught the importance of the intention to save one life. In fact the poster on the wall in my friends' home quotes the Talmud; who ever destroys a single life destroys the entire world and who ever saves a single life saves the the world entire.

I believe that I have always wanted to make the world a better place. When I was a young mother in Peabody I donated many times to the Red Cross as I thought that my blood was the only thing I had to give.

Yesterday I worked with a woman who felt caught in the fortress around her heart. The next day after our session she was beaming no longer captured by the past. She wrote me short note saying that 'you not only saved a life you did a mitzvah.' A mitzvah is a way of connecting my soul with the Divine and being directly on one's mission path.

When I wonder about my work as a rabbi and what impact I have on people as a healer of hearts I will remember this moment. I remember the erev Shavuot when many Jews stay up all night studying when a group of women got together to study and told their stories of their relationship with Judaism. It was a lovely evening, gentle, kind, open and when everyone was heading home each said let us do it again as they felt connected in a new way to their roots and that made them happy.

Today a healer asked me if I had been working with people who have so many gifts they were confused as to which path to follow. In getting caught in my linear, all or nothing, good or bad thinking I can limit my choices to how I will love myself and my life! We spoke of embracing and integrating our passions and living one life that is layered with passions over a life time; each passion feeding the other like the ob-gyn doc who loves to paint.

How can I save my life? I tell my clients that a good coach listens deeply to their voice and to my inner voice and then we collaborate to help them get what they want and need. I must do that for myself , too.

Writing helps me accept myself and to be confident as I am embracing all of me as I create and save one life.

Blessings of the Vav; if the vav can save the world then the and can save my life through including all of me, loving all of me despite the rough spots I am saving my life for Who knows what will come next.

I Know Nothing Or At Least I Need to Pretend I Do

On Friday I received a message from a healer friend in Israel that she needed some hands on help with some distance work she was doing with a woman in Brooklyn. Sunday I was able to connect with the family. Not knowing what I am capable of and how I can help I moved in slowly; speaking directly of my limited experience for their needs and offering to do what I could to find someone locally for them. When I got off the phone I tried very hard to sit in a place of not knowing asking for information that might lead to know what my part in this process was. I was aware of how the ego was playing and teasing me to be more involved, judging me for not jumping in to play. When a persistent idea kept coming into my consciousness I called and offered that information to the family and as we talked more thoughts arose that I offered that was helpful and mind expanding for the family member I was speaking with. In the humble place of not knowing there was space for information that is needed to arise. I am in awe.

Blessings of the Vav: even when I think that I know what belongs after the next 'and' I must breathe deeply and allow what needs to fit the space to arise without the arrogant nature and desperate mind's need to fill space taking over. I must impose impulse control and tzitzim, make space for the other. I am not alone! Another moment to act in the image of G!D.

An Artist's Prayer

As I move through the place I am leaving seeing the details I cannot avoid I found this prayer I had stuck up on the transom of my office/creativity room. I have had it for quite a while and could not throw it away and yet in its present condition I could not take it with me. So I sat at the computer to copy it and as I read it I knew I needed to create a new poem based on the one that an anonymous person had written adding my touch and hopefully new energy for my new home. I think we are are all artist's in our own way; not quite like Betzelel and yet who is judging? If we are all created in the image of the Divine and in Her likeness then we are capable of being creative doing our part to enhance the beauty of what we have.

An Artist’s Prayer

O Great Creator of All Life, Breath of our Breath
We gather Here in Your name
That we may be of service to You
And to our sisters and brothers
We offer ourselves to you as instruments
We open ourselves to your creativity in our lives
We surrender to you our old ideas
We welcome your new and more expansive thoughts
We trust that you will lead
We trust that it is safe to follow
We know you created us and that creativity
Is Your nature and our own
We ask you to unfold our lives
According to Your plan and let us see what we have deemed impossible
Help us to believe that it is never too late
And we are can be healed and feel the connectedness with all things
Help us to love one another
To nurture each other’s unfolding
To encourage each other’s growth
And understand each other’s fears
Help us to know that we are never alone
That we are made in Your Image and loved and lovable
Help us to create as an act of worship to You.
adapted from Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way

Blessings of the Vav: In adding our touch we are creating something new and putting our mark on the world; then 'everything changes' is not a burden when we live with the possibility that with each breath we are loving our Self.