In this week's Torah portion,
Vayechi,
Yaakov blesses his sons before his death.
These blessings are poetic and deeply personal,
Reflecting both the strengths and the struggles of each son.
The Torah doesn't idealize our ancestors.
Again and again,
It shows us that our forefathers and our foremothers were very human,
With wisdom,
Courage,
Mistakes,
And many blind spots.
Sometimes we learn from their actions,
And sometimes we learn from them what not to do.
The blessing Yaakov gives to Yosef is a powerful example.
A fruitful son,
Rising above the wall.
His bow remained steady.
Yosef's blessing speaks of someone who was very wounded,
By his brothers,
And later through imprisonment in Egypt,
And yet he remained open,
Generous,
And capable of growth.
The Torah even describes how archers embittered him,
And still his bow remained steady.
This points to an inner quality of what we might call today emotional regulation,
Or the ability to stay grounded,
To respond rather than to react,
And to remain connected to oneself even under pressure.
How many of us would want that?
The ability to grow without becoming bitter,
Or what we would often call resilience,
The capacity to continue forward despite trauma.
Over the past two years we have witnessed unimaginable pain,
And alongside it we have also seen countless examples of people who,
Step by step,
Found a way to stand up again and look ahead.
With this in mind,
Let's try a short practice,
One that helps us connect with what we're experiencing right now without getting stuck in it,
And gently reconnect with our own resources of patience,
Compassion,
And strength.
So let's take a moment to settle in,
And really allow ourselves to be here.
Allow your body to receive support from the chair,
The cushion,
The floor,
The ground beneath you,
Wherever you're sitting or lying down on.
And if it feels okay,
Close your eyes.
You can also soften your gaze downward.
Begin by noticing the breath,
Just as it is.
You don't need to change it.
Just sensing the inhale,
And sensing the exhale.
Breathing in,
Knowing that you're breathing in,
And breathing out,
Being aware that you're breathing out.
Let's take a few more breaths,
At your own pace,
Noticing the air come in.
Noticing the air come out.
And letting the breath be an anchor,
Which is something that you can return to over and over again.
Yosef's blessing speaks of being wounded,
And yet remaining upright,
Remaining steady.
So now,
Bringing gentle attention to your body.
Noticing where you feel stability.
Maybe in the soles of your feet,
Making contact with the ground,
Or your thighs,
Or your lower back,
Being supported by the chair,
The cushion.
And allowing yourself to sense that,
That something in you is being held.
Feeling the points of contact,
The sensation of contact that your body's making with whatever surface you're on.
And then,
Slowly allowing awareness to include what feels less steady.
It might be physical sensations,
Such as tension,
An ache,
Heaviness,
Coolness,
Or warmth.
You don't need to analyze or fix anything.
Just acknowledging whatever you notice.
And you might also notice emotions.
Emotions like worry,
Sadness,
Fear,
Anger,
Fatigue.
And seeing if you can make room for them without being overwhelmed by them.
So allowing yourself to feel the impact,
But still staying connected with yourself.
So you notice either sensations,
Or feelings,
Emotions coming.
And you also feel connected to yourself.
And now bring attention back to your breath.
And as you take an in-breath,
Imagine feeling a sense of steadiness.
And as you take an out-breath,
Imagine softening,
Even if it's just a little bit.
Maybe softening around something that feels difficult,
Or painful right now.
And you might even say to yourself,
This is painful.
But I'm here with it.
Or this is difficult or challenging.
And this is what we call emotional regulation.
Which means not pushing anything away.
Not being too caught up in whatever we're noticing.
But staying present,
Moment by moment.
As we learn from Yosef,
Healing is something that unfolds across time.
So now,
Widening your lens.
Sensing yourself not only in this moment,
But as someone who's been moving through time.
You're not the same person you were yesterday.
You adapt,
You learn,
You move on.
You're alive.
And maybe imagining a long path behind you.
And another path still unfolding ahead.
You don't need to see it clearly.
Just knowing that healing doesn't all happen at once.
It happens in layers.
It takes patience and compassion.
And if you want,
Taking one hand and putting it in your chest,
Near your heart.
And offering yourself just a quiet phrase of compassion.
Something like,
May I be patient with this process.
And just allowing this phrase to penetrate,
To pass through you.
To sit with you.
May I be patient with this process.
May I meet myself with kindness.
May I trust the natural strength within me.
And maybe taking a moment to add any phrase of compassion that you feel like you need right now.
Something you connect to.
As this practice comes to a close,
Returning again to the breath.
And noticing what is here right now.
Maybe it's some pain.
Maybe it's a little more space than you had before.
Both of them are welcome.
And just like Yosef,
You're allowed to carry your history without being defined only by the pain.
Yosef's sons received a blessing,
Ephraim and Manasha.
And it reinforces this idea.
The angel who has redeemed me from all harm,
Bless these boys.
Healing and blessing continues across generations.
Sometimes we might get stuck.
But we usually don't remain in one place forever.
Life is dynamic.
And when we pay attention,
We can notice movement.
When you feel ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
And as you're bringing your attention back,
You might ask yourself,
What do I want to take with me from this practice?
It doesn't mean everything's perfect.
It doesn't mean erasing difficult experiences.
It means having a quiet,
Living strength that grows and changes over time.
Thank you.
Thank you for practicing with me.
