 January/Tevet, 2020/5780
Dear Leyv Ha-Ir Hevre/Community,
I
have recently been studying Psalms, which I find to be a treasure trove
of wisdom. I’d like to share a teaching with our community. Psalm 16
contains a famous line: shiviti Adonai l’negdi tamid—I
place the Eternal/the One/Being/the Ultimate before me always. This
phrase is a favorite text for meditation, and it is often integrated
into works of art.
Reb
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi translated the verse this way: I place myself
constantly in Your Presence; I will not falter because You are at my
side.
The
rabbis offer a myriad of interpretations of this verse. Does it mean
that staying aware of the Divine, we will not give into the temptation
to miss the mark (sin)? Does it mean that cultivating consciousness of
God’s presence is inherently comforting? Perhaps.
I am drawn at this moment to an interpretation by the Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. He suggests that the word shiviti, which we have understood to mean placing ourselves in relationship with God, might be related to shivui, which means equilibrium. Shiviti Adonai l’negdi tamid means to the Ba’al Shem Tov: with the Divine presence, I can find equilibrium in whatever is l’negdi—facing me.
In
this understanding, our relationship with God/what is
deepest/ultimate/transcendent (however we understand it), calls us to be
right where we are-present
to, and yielding to, our reality. However beautiful, bright, painful,
challenging what we are facing is, we will not falter if we breathe,
acknowledge, and accept. Our Leyv Ha-Ir community, and our shared
spiritual practice, can support us in meeting our experiences with
equanimity and grace.
May this teaching give us strength and inspiration in the month ahead.
Meanwhile, please enjoy this setting of the verse from Navah Tehilah, a Renewal congregation in Jerusalem.
Bivracha–with abundant blessing,
Rabbi Dayle |
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