I invite you to find a comfortable seat and close your eyes,
Allowing your awareness to be with your breath,
Feeling the expansion of your lungs and their contraction,
Slowing down with every breath you take and allow yourself to experience how you are being breathed in this moment,
In a divine act of CPR,
As if divine lips were breathing anishima into your lungs,
Connecting you with your nishima,
With your soul,
As if a divine hand were holding your heart and gently pumping that breath of life,
That nishmat chaim,
Into every fiber of your being,
A divine kiss and a divine caress imbuing you with life,
And as you feel your lungs expanding and contracting,
Allow your body to relax more and more,
Feeling an ease washing over you,
From the top of your head,
Down your face and neck,
Into your shoulders and down your arms,
All the way to the tips of your fingers,
And feel that relaxation washing down your spine one vertebra at a time,
Bringing more expansion into your chest,
A softening into your diaphragm,
And a loosening in the organs of your belly,
As your back relaxes more and more,
Feel that relaxation washing down your hips and feet,
All the way to the tips of your toes,
So that your body feels heavier and heavier with every breath you take,
And as you feel yourself being breathed,
Open up to the knowing that you are chosen by the divine and by your soul,
To be right here,
Right now,
As part of a great vision,
As part of a centuries old legacy,
That began with Avraham,
Who heard the call of the divine,
To go into himself and for himself,
To trek far away from home,
Far away from everything he knew,
In search of something more holy,
More righteous,
And I invite you to follow him in your mind's eye,
To the land of Israel,
And allow yourself to feel as if you're sitting right on the dust of this land,
And hear the promise made to Avraham,
Right here,
In this land,
That he would give rise to a great nation,
More numerous than the stars in the heavens,
And as uncountable as the grains of sand beneath his feet,
A nation given the mission to bring righteousness and justice,
And love to this world,
A beacon of life and light and blessing,
And feel the presence of Sarah at his side,
Wholeheartedly believing in this mission,
Opening up the walls of her tent to receive guests from far and wide,
Opening up her womb to receive life at the ripe old age of 99,
Opening up her heart into cosmic laughter,
As she gives birth to Yitzhak,
Who was told the story of this mission,
Of this crazy vision given to Avraham,
Of a great nation,
Destined to lead the world through love,
And feel Yitzhak's presence on this land,
Continuing his father's legacy,
Re-digging his father's wells,
And opening up his heart to Rivka,
Whose womb creates a space for two battling nations,
And whose heart has the capacity to love and hold both,
And as we know,
This mission that is given to Avraham,
And passed down to Yitzhak,
Is also handed to Yaakov,
Who struggles with this mission as he's exiled from the land,
Not once,
But twice,
And yet who believes in this vision,
And in his capacity to be a source of blessing for his family and for the world,
Who stands tall in the presence of enemies,
And speaks truth to power,
And who together with his wives,
Rachel and Leah,
Give rise to twelve tribes,
The seeds,
The beginning of this nation that was promised to Avraham,
And feel the presence of those tribes,
As they struggle in Egypt,
And burst out into freedom,
Receiving the doctrine of this mission,
And finding their way back here,
Where you sit,
Precious one,
In the land of Israel,
And as you feel the presence of Avraham and Sarah,
Of Yitzhak and Rivka,
Of Yaakov and Rachel and Leah,
With you,
Right here,
I invite you to also feel the presence of the twelve tribes all around you,
And of the many generations between them and now,
Thousands of years of nation building,
Until we get to you.
You,
Precious one,
Are their legacy.
You are actualizing the vision given to Avraham and Sarah,
To Yitzhak and Rivka,
To Yaakov and Rachel and Leah,
The mission that was clarified by Moses at Sinai.
This mission is alive and well in you,
Precious one,
And it is because of this mission that all of these precious souls are watching you,
Are supporting you,
Are invested in you.
You are their legacy,
Precious one.
Allow yourself to feel their love for you,
Their eyes on you,
Their presence with you.
These are your mothers and your fathers.
Every intention of your heart,
Every word that leaves your lips,
Every action that you take,
Has within it the potential to actualize this mission.
How blessed you are to be a part of this beautiful family,
This great nation.
How blessed you are to have Avraham and Yitzhak and Yaakov at your right,
And Sarah and Rivka and Rachel and Leah at your left,
Watching you and blessing you.
I invite you now to place a hand over your heart and to feel your heart reaching out,
To feel the love in their hearts at your side.
The love that flanks you on the right,
And the love that flanks you on the left.
They've always been here,
And will always continue to be here.
For you,
And with you,
Precious one.
As you live day after day,
Seeking to connect with the divine,
Engaging in acts of love and righteousness and goodness,
And knowing that the love of these mothers and these fathers is available to you always,
I invite you to bless yourself in this moment,
With patience as you live out this mission,
With kindness towards yourself as you stumble along the way,
And with excitement as you align with greatness.
And keeping this love in your heart,
And feeling it surrounding you always,
I invite you to come back into your body by wiggling your fingers,
Wiggling your toes,
And slowly batting your eyes open,
Ready to bless the world with your gaze.
