KADESH-SANCTIFICATION THROUGH JOY-THE FIRST STEP

Holiness or sanctity usually conjures up images of the somber and intimidating . The holy man is characteristically the ascetic, disembodied from the physical gifts and pleasures of life, demanding deprivation and suffering. It is no wonder therefore that the religious term of holiness is not often greeted with interest or appeal.
In Judaism, "Kadosh"-holy-is understood in a radically different way. Needless to say, the notion of holy implies some process of movement away from the mundane toward that which is viewed as godly. There are indeed elements of disciplined behavior, of guidelines that need to be followed. But holiness should not repel by scary associations to punishment and fault-finding. While "Kadesh "suggests the transcendent, that which is beyond the mundane, nonetheless it can be yearned for from a perspective of intimacy and joy, not fear and retreat.
The beginning of the Seder is entered into by reciting a blessing over wine and in this way, the occasion is marked as a sacred moment . The first of four cups of wine is drunk to celebrate the sanctity of the festival. Holiness is arrived at through the taste of wine, that "which gladdens the human heart." I would suggest ,therefore, that the psychological and spiritual state of mind that leads us to holiness and the greater awareness of the divine is joy, an open heart filled with gratitude .
The Talmud conveys this psychological reality quite stunningly when it asserts that "The Schekhina-the Divine Prescence- does not rest on one who is immersed in sorrow-‘atzvut,’... but only when one is engaged in rejoicing while fulfilling a religious act” .
The Festival is termed in the Bible as a "Mikrah Kodeh"- a calling to holiness. Thus the Seder summons us to embrace all that brings joy in our life and in this way proceed along the path of spiritual maturity and holiness.
A "gematria" is an interpretation arrived at or reinforced by the numerical value of a Hebrew word and its relationship to others. (Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is equivalent to a number: Alef=1, Bet=2, Gimel=3 etc.) If you consider the word to rejoice, "Samoach," the letters "samech"=300, "Mem"=40, "Vav"=6, "Het"=8 for a total of 354. Add the numerical value of "Kol"-all, "chaf"=20,"lamed"=30=50.The numerical total of both words is 404.
Now consider the numerical value of "Kadesh"-sanctify."Kuf"=100,"daled"=4,"shin"=300. The total for "sanctify" is 404.
In other words, one sanctifies one's life, one's time, the occasion of celebration, by gratefully rejoicing in the totality , the "allness" of God's gift of life and the world.
The first step in reaching God awareness, the spiritual purpose of the Seder, is to sanctify-KADESH-by embracinfg the "allness" of life with grateful joy.
"Know that joy is rarer, more difficult than sadness.
Once you make this all-important discovery,
you must embrace joy as a moral obligation."-Andre Gide.

GRATEFULNESS AND YEARNING

Passover, of all the Jewish holidays, is characterized by a sense of yearning. It marks the end of a prolonged period of yearning for freedom and the beginning of a period of yearning for revelation, for witnessing the divine at Sinai. Referred to in Exodus as "Leyl Shimurim"-the night of being on the lookout, being watchful and attentive, the aspect of looking forward to is prominent in our minds. It is no accident that the Song of Songs is read at this time.This love poem captures the very essence of a lover longing for her beloved. "Oh for a kiss from your lips, for your love is better than wine." Passover is a lover's dream aching for the beloved's arrival. Passover picks up the pulse of nature's long-awaited awakening, a sleeping winter once again aroused from its frozen slumber.
Yet, is yearning compatible with gratefulness? Are we not grateful for what we have, what we embrace, what we clutch at in our outstretched hands? Until we hold, we hold back from giving thanks!
The gaze of gratefulness grasps a different reality. While yearning may ache, it is a unique human gift as it holds out hope, and only humans can hope.To be alive is to desire, and life is holy. To yearn for is a godly gift, a reason for gratefulness. Unlike Buddhism, whose ideas I believe deeply enrich our understanding of Judaism ( No, I am not a closet Ju-Bu), where suffering is the result of desire, Judaism acknowledges yearning and desire for the truth, for the good, for God Awareness, as an essential component of our spiritual lives. As long as Jews await the coming of the Messiah, as long as we yearn for Elijah's arrival at our Seder table, the dream and hope for a better world will continue to throb in our souls .
Rebbe Nachman said :"We must express our yearnings. The wine of Kiddush will dissolve our inhibitions from expressing them...yearning elevates the soul.This is our "Neshama Yeteirah"-the extra , the higher soul of the Sabbath and Festivals. "
With God's help, I will continue my grateful musings on Passover with a look at KIDDUSH as the first step of the Seder's path to sanctity.
Shabbat Shalom.

GRATEFULNESS-A PASSOVER PESPECTIVE

Three weeks and three days from today, Passover will be upon us.The highlight of Passover is the Seder-the meal of remembrance, fellowship and enhanced awareness of the Divine.
Seder, "order," in itself is a term that taps into a depth of the human psyche that is profound reason for gratefulness.
Without the notion of order, our physical and psychic worlds would be places of chaos and terror. As the human mind proceeds to discover dimensions of order in physical space- natural changes in the seasons, the ebb and flow of the oceans' tides, laws of gravity and magnetism that maintain the sensitive equilibrium of earth and the planets around us, the cycles of birth, life, decay and death, laws of cause and effect-all phenomena that lend some predictability to the complexity of the cosmos, we cannot help but feel only grateful wonder for the marvelous fragility of human existence.
Consider the mechanisms of the mind. Perhaps the most basic definition of psychosis, of human insanity, is inextricably connected to the experience of psychological chaos and disorder. Imagine the inability to perceive the world around you in terms that are predictable and understandable; the sheer panic of psychic isolation and utter confusion. It is the awareness of order that renders us sane, confident even happy. One can succinctly say: "I am, therefore I thank!."
Passover begins with the introduction of an order, a structure shared by others which conveys a process by which we arrive at greater God- consciousness. Obviously, for many others, Passover and the Seder may be related to in a diversity of other ways-ethnic, familial, historical, social, culinary and cultural. To me, Passover's greatest gift and challenge is its invitation to enter into a spiritual process of discovering strata of the sacred in the lives we lead, taking us through ritual, prayer, song , food and drink, to a place of elevated God awareness..
I believe that each of the fifteen steps that constitute the Seder experience represent rungs on the ladder of this spiritual ascent.
Forthcoming postings will hopefully help us further understand these steps. I am greatly grateful for the Breslov Haggadah, containing the extraordinary insights of the founder of this branch of Hassidism, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov(1772-1810.)

GRATEFUL FOR ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

I opened the door to my apartment, touched the "mezuzah" and understood deeply, however fleetingly, the sacred obligation for affixing a container with a tiny "torah" scroll inside on the entrance ways of our homes.
A wave of gratefulness weaved its way into my consciousness. I stood for a brief moment, contemplating the warm, embracing welcome of concrete walls adorned with colorful paintings drawn with skill and love by a devoted wife, the table and chairs from which to enjoy plentiful meals, the marvel of modern appliances to add comfort and ease to everyday chores, the expanse of blue sky stretching before me as I dreamily gazed out the window into a distance going nowhere and everywhere.
I was home.I put down the bag of groceries, stepped into the bedroom, sat on the bouncy bed and caught sight of photographs resting on the dresser.One, brownish images of a handsome young couple, he dapper-looking in a European style sports cap, she in a simple dress that brought forth plain beauty.The other, in sharp tones of black and white , captured the luxurious moment of marriage, the man in tux and top hat, the bride, stunning in flowing satin, gazing downwards toward a future of uncertainty girded in dreams.
One day I thought, my children's bedroom dressers would have on exhibition a photograph of my wife and me and elicit , on occasion, a memory of love.
I sit at my desk, putting the cloth of grateful fabric into words, encircled by books, an embrace of wisdom and knowlede, a refuge and shelter, a home within a home.
"Baruch ata b' voecha, baruch ata betzaytecha"-May you be blessed when you arrive and blessed when you depart. I am blessed when I arrive, I am blessed when I depart, knowing that a home awaits me.

GRATEFUL FOR THE GOOD, NEW DAYS

How often have we heard the phrase-"the good old days" - pronounced almost prayerfully by those who wax nostalgic about the past. I can easily understand this inclination; to romanticize the past is often a wonderful way to make the present more bearable. Upon closer examination, however, the only thing that is accurate about this statement is the fact that the days were old; they certainly were not good! By and large, those days we wistfully yearn for were more harsh, demanding and painful than today.
I have just returned from visiting my in-laws. For the first time in weeks, my mother-in-law wore a smile on her very lovely face. Prior to today, weeks went by during which she struggled with the agony of crushing back pain. Unable to walk, eat or smile, this 91 year old woman felt utterly hopeless. Her 91 year old husband sank into a silent depression, suffering sympathetically with his wife of over 65 years.
Several days ago she underwent an epidural, and as was correctly prognosticated by the physician, the pain abated. Today she walked, ate and smiled again. He husband was singing again.
Year ago, in the "good old days," my mother-in-law would have been a prisoner of pain, suffering in silence until the sands of time would have slipped away from the hourglass of her life.
Instead, she looks forward to the more hospitable weather when together with her husband she will occupy a bench in the little Queen's park on the corner, surrounded by her community of bent over men and women hanging on to their walkers, drenched in the life-giving warmth of a sunny Spring day.
I am grateful for one of the hundred million miracles by which we are blessed . It goes without saying that life is far from ideal. I am grateful for the prospect of unfolding miracles in the future.
Mordechai M. Kaplan, the founder of Jewish Reconstructionism, an undisputed pioneer of Jewish thinking ,whether you agree with him or not, was known to have uttered the following brief addendum to the prayer accompanying the return of the Torah scroll to the Ark:"Restore our days as of old"-he added in a whisper-"und a bisel besser"-and a little better!
I am grateful that today and tomorrow are invitations to us to add miracles to our lives so that tomorrow , when future generations think back romantically and declare the early days as the "good old days," they will , in fact, be speaking the truth.

GRATEFULNESS FOR PURIM POTPOURRI

Tomorrow is Purim. It is a time of levity, merrymaking , a time to throw caution to the winds. Arguably, the holiday doesn't fit in well with the historical experience of the Jewish people-one of persecution and exile, or their psychology, which until this contemporary generation , has been dominated by feelings of sadness and national sorrow.
Nevertheless, somehow we have succeeded in discovering a place in our imaginations to allow for a brief moment of celebration during a brief moment of respite.We are grateful for these passing moments of release from the struggles and hardships of on-going living, and we are summoned to plunge into these transitory times with the fullest of grateful gusto.It may be difficult to make the switch; to go from a mood of seriousness and solemnity to one of carefree celebration requires a psychological resilience that is not always readily available. Our Rabbis remind us not to take our worries with us everywhere we go-"Daya tzara beshaatah"- it is more than enough to experience pain when it occurs in its own time!
Purim is also a time of make-believe, especially for children, and for grown ups with a child-like soul
Our nursery school is open to children of all ethnic groups. I stepped into the activity room for a Purim party and was greeted by an array of Korean children dressed in sparkling gowns of a princess or queen. This sight led me to ask one Korean child: "Are you Queen Esther?"
She gazed at me with her big ,black eyes, and with unabashed innocence replied: " No, I'm Snow White!"
Today has been a day of serendipity. I received a phone call from the daughter of a congregant and friend of a previous congregation. She is the proud and grateful mother of a lovely three year old girl whose Hebrew name is Esther, and whose grandmother's name is also Esther. Naturally, she was encouraged to dress up as Queen Esther for Purim . She adamantly refused. When asked what she would like to be on Purim little Esther answered decidedly -"Haman!" " The villain? After all , your name is Esther: grandma's name is Esther! Why not Esther?"
"Because after Haman died, the Jewish people were happy and had a big party."For this little Esther , Haman the villain represented victory and joy.
As I begin my spiritual preparations for Purim I cannot help but feel grateful for the moment of respite in our Jewish lives and for the indescribable joy of God's gift of children to the world.
Happy Purim.

GRATEFULNESS-NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

Standing in line at the check out counter, the cashier suddenly sneezed. Instantaneously there was a chorus of "God bless you" from other cashiers and customers in line with me. "Thank you," she replied with a smile that reflected not only her appreciation but a slight discomfort at drawing attention to herself.
I had a bit of a wait, so I proceeded to ruminate, as I usually do when unoccupied. What crossed my mind at that moment was the writing on a church marquee I had seen not long before. It read:
GOD BLESS YOU-NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT. Clearly the clever wording intended to convey the importance of God's blessings, something I can only agree with wholeheartedly. I found myself thinking about the meaning of that response to an everyday, ordinary happening, sneezing. We sneeze for so many reasons : the onset of a cold or in its throes, allergic reactions to ragweed ; the stark smell of pepper. I know someone who sneezes when excited or erotically aroused.
Why do we bless a sneezer? There are many suggestions. If it represents a symptom of sickness, then it is natural to wish someone well in this way. Others believe that sneezing indicates the opening of a bodily orifice that makes one vulnerable to the harmful intentions of the devil or the "evil eye," always in waiting to inflict injury upon the innocent and unsuspecting.
I consider this ordinary act differently. It is a way by which we extend our good wishes to others, many of whom are complete strangers and in this way create, if only for a passing moment, some bond of human connection. We can then express our gratefulness for the instinctive sense of caring and concern that flows from the human heart. Perhaps the phrase is a ubiquitous and universal prayer heard in every and any possible location and circumstance.
Indeed, it is nothing to sneeze at.