Hashkiveinu Adonai Eloheinu V'Shalom V'Shalom Meditation is about slowing down the momentum of life so that you can not only appreciate the miracle of being,
But also shift into the realization that you are not the momentum of your thoughts.
Rather,
You are the field of awareness within which your thoughts are arising,
Vast,
Spacious,
And free.
But does this mean that you should avoid envisioning the future?
The truth is,
Envisioning the future and resting in the present are not really opposed at all.
That's what we'll explore in this episode of the Torah of Awakening Jewish Meditation podcast on Parshat Vayeshev,
With a guided meditation based on the Tree of Life and the Sfira of Netzach.
I'm your host,
Rabbi Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks.
Enjoy.
Okay,
So,
There's a story that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev once saw a man hurrying down the street,
Bumping into things and knocking people over.
The rabbi grabbed him and said,
Why are you rushing so?
I'm running to make a living,
Replied the man,
As he tried to break free from the rabbi's grip.
But how do you know that your livelihood is in front of you?
Argued the rabbi.
Perhaps it's behind you,
And all you have to do is slow down and let it catch up with you.
In our rush to escape the discomfort of the present,
Our hurriedness can sabotage the arrival of a better future.
The remedy for that impulse of aggressive hurriedness is twofold,
Presence and planning.
Presence means intentionally being wherever we are.
It means learning to rest awareness in the truth of the moment,
Even and especially when it's uncomfortable.
Planning means living with intention.
It means having a clear vision of where you are going.
When you know where you're going,
You're less likely to worry about the temporary discomfort of the moment.
It just doesn't matter that much.
You have a long-term plan,
So you can fully enjoy the journey and be present.
In this way,
Even though planning is aimed at the future,
It actually supports connection with the present.
Vayisnu oto,
They hated him.
Israel's sons are jealous of Joseph for being the most beloved of their father,
But instead of trying to appease his brothers,
He chooses to irritate them.
Vayachalom Yosef chalom,
Joseph dreamt a dream.
Vayagid le'achav,
And he told it to his brothers.
Vayosifu od seno oto,
And their hatred of him increased even more.
In Joseph's first dream,
He and his brothers are binding sheaves in a field together,
When his brothers' sheaves bow to his sheaf.
In the second dream,
The sun,
The moon,
And the eleven stars all bow down to him,
Implying that one day he would rule over his eleven brothers,
Father,
And mother.
Why was Joseph unconcerned about upsetting his brothers with these dreams?
Some say that Joseph was immature and vain,
But people who are immature and vain tend to complain when bad things happen to them.
Joseph,
On the other hand,
Never complains.
His brothers throw him into a pit and sell him into slavery.
When he later rises to be the most trusted and powerful slave in the house of his master,
He is framed and thrown in a dungeon.
Through all of these calamities,
He never once complains,
Never once gets angry,
Never even defends himself.
Why?
Because he trusts his dreams and he knows where he's going.
Since he knows where he's going,
He doesn't have to fuss much about how he gets there.
His brothers are mad at him.
No big deal.
It will work out.
Sold into slavery.
There's an interesting turn.
Everything that happens to him is merely a modulation of the present moment.
Whatever it is,
He's there with it.
He sees his north star guiding him into the future,
And therefore he is fully in the now.
In fact,
His name embodies this quality,
Yosef,
Which means increase,
And this is essentially the same word that describes the hatred from his brothers.
By Yosifu Otseno Oto,
Their hatred of him increased,
Yosifu like Yosef,
Even more.
No matter how much his suffering increases,
He always bounces back and increases toward his goal.
He's like cream,
Always rising to the top,
Never growing anxious or complaining.
He just rides the story of his life,
Moving steadily toward his destiny.
Remember that to be present we don't have to give up our dreams for the future,
But we don't have to run after them either.
Instead,
Let us rest our conscious intentions to keep our ships pointed in the right direction with trust and plenty of patience.
Once you decide your path,
Then enjoy the cruise,
Even when the world seems to be against you.
And,
If you don't know yet where you want to go,
Be present with the not knowing.
In the silence,
Your dreams will reveal themselves and the path will become clear.
This quality of commitment and persistence is embodied by the Sphere of Netzach on the Tree of Life,
The seventh sphera,
Which also corresponds to the festival of Chanukah.
Okay,
This affirmation for Netzach,
I am practicing,
I am committed,
I am persistent,
Working steadily.
I am persistent.
One more time,
Vibrating the words in your body.
A chant for Netzach.
Blessed is the power of being firm,
Being committed,
Being strong on our path.
Blessed are you who guides our walking on the path.
Baruch HaShem haMechim Baruch HaShem haMechim Baruch HaShem haMechim And preparing for meditation.
Bringing forth an attitude of generous offering of your attention from the heart.
Giving your attention to the fullness of this moment as it appears now,
As it is.
And even more importantly to the underlying presence of being behind however it is manifesting right now.
Right hand to your heart offering attention with Lecha.
Deep breath in.
Lecha And bringing left hand to your belly.
Awareness flowing down into your belly.
Filling your inner body with consciousness permeating your organs,
Gratitude for the working of the body.
Awareness flowing down from your belly,
Down through your legs,
All the way down to your feet and into the floor,
Into the earth.
Rising up chest,
Upper back,
Shoulders and neck.
Flowing down arms and hands and fingers.
Connecting back with your heart and belly.
Bringing attention to rest more deeply on the sensation of the flow of the breathing.
Breathing.
Letting your breathing become a little more deep,
A little more slow.
As you slow down into restful presence in the body.
Rising up face,
Facial muscles,
Brain and nervous system.
Bringing a little smile to your lips.
Being the loving,
Benevolent,
Indwelling presence.
Life in the body.
Deep breath in.
And bringing right hand to lightly touch your forehead as awareness opens up into the space around you.
Noticing the room,
The light,
The sounds in the air,
The feel of the room,
The space.
And bringing to mind that all of this perception of the world around you is arising within the one field of awareness that you are.
Effortlessly receiving what arises both on the inside and the outside.
The inner world of thoughts and feelings and mood.
The outer world.
Physical world about your body.
All of it appearing in this miraculous field of consciousness.
And you are this spacious field,
Vast,
Unbounded and free.
Vanishma.
Deep breath in.
Kissing your fingers.
Relaxing your hands.
Help us to meditate deeply and powerfully.
Help us to let go into the palace of the tefillah.
You who are not separate from anything we encounter.
You who are not separate from this awareness we are.
This sentience.
This aliveness.
You are Hashem.
Silent repetition as we come into silent meditation.
And bringing some movement into your body.
Giving your body a stretch.
May we realize the unity between moving towards intention.
Between having a vision of the future and resting in the present moment.
They are really not separate.
In many cases you can't really have one without the other.
So may we be the embodiment of that quality of intentionality of knowing what we are doing.
And also being carried along on the currents of reality.
Not struggling,
Not pushing too hard.
Oseh shalom bim ramav hu yaaseh shalom aleinu.
Ve'al ko Yisrael,
Ve'al ko yoshvei tevel.
V'imru.
Amen.
Shalom.
I hope you've enjoyed this Torah of Awakening.
I'm Rabbi Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks.
Until next time,
All blessings.
