February 2018

Teach Me Your Way Part of my daily practice includes a fragment of a teaching from the Piaseczner Rebbe, Kalonymus Kalman Shapira. He instructed his students to work with Psalm 86:11: "Teach me, YHVH, Your way that I may walk in Your truth. Unify my heart to revere Your name." He taught a particular melody for the verse which I learned from Rabbi Nehemia Polen. I chant it to myself at the end of my meditation and before my prayer. When I began working with this verse, I was struck by the goal of learning to revere God's name. I am not typically drawn to yirah, the particular combination of fear and awe that is the mainstay of so much "Old Testament" religion. Jewish spiritual masters focus on both love and reverence as the twin hallmarks of devotion and in this day and age, don't we need more love? Don't we have enough fear? Read more.

Practices in this Letter

Guided Meditation on Humility

Rabbi Jonathan Slater

Anavah Text Study: Panim Yafot

Rabbis Nancy Flam and Jonathan Slater

Tikkun Middot Practices for Humility

Rabbi David Jaffe

Balancing Kavod and Anavah

Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg

In the Image: Guided Meditation Rabbi Jonathan Slater Each of us has the capacity to be like God--but that does not come with the privilege to think of ourselves as God. Part of our work is to experience the dignity that comes with being created in the image of God--to be kind, just, respectful, and compassionate--while avoiding the temptation to think of ourselves as gods, depriving others of that same dignity we wish to receive ourselves. In this guided teaching and meditation, Jonathan leads us to cultivate humility while still sitting in our posture of dignity.  Click here to listen.

Panim Yafot on Humility: Text Study Rabbis Nancy Flam and Jonathan Slater The following passage is from Panim Yafot , by R. PinchashaLevi Horowitz of Frankfort (1750-1815). He was one of the great students of the Magid of Mezritch, along with his brother R. Shmuel Shmelke of Nickolsburg. While clearly immersed in the Hasidic world, his traditional scholarship was also widely recognized, and he was called to serve as the rabbi of Frankfort. Among his students was R. Moshe Sofer, the Chatam Sofer . In this passage, the Panim Yafot unpacks the opening verse of one of the final readings in the Torah, from Deut. 29:9. There Moses addresses all of the people of Israel arranged before him, from the greatest to the lowest. Our teacher picks up on this to offer a teaching on humility: do not think yourself greater than anyone else, because compared to God all are equal; do not see yourself lesser than any others, as that will prevent you from bringing your full self into divine service of engagement in the world. Click here for the full text study, including Hebrew text and discussion questions.

Tikkun Middot Practices for Anavah/Humility Rabbi David Jaffe A Jewish understanding of Anavah means discerning and taking the appropriate amount of space. It means being ready to serve the needs and wants of others without neglecting one’s own. It is healthy self-esteem located midway between self-abasement and arrogance. Click here for daily practices and reflections for cultivating anavah/humility.

Meditation for Balancing Kavod and Anavah Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg Take a comfortable seat. We are going to explore balance in posture and breath Let both legs be heavy and both arms be heavy. As you are seated allow the right hip and leg to release to the earth. Now allow the left hip to release to the earth. Notice which side is heavier – right or left There is no need to adjust anything. Just notice. Click here to continue reading.

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