Greetings friends
I hope you all had a safe and loving Thanksgiving. More people travel to see friends, families, and loved ones than at any other time in the year.
Now, unlike the twin festivals of freedom and light - Passover and Easter, Chanukah and Christmas - which have shared but also conflicting views, Thanksgiving contains the best of what we value —gratitude for abundance, inclusivity around our table, open hands, open arms, open hearts. Thanksgiving is, in many ways, the summation of the heart of both Judaism and Christianity—faith, gratitude, peace, and brotherly love. And was inspired by the fall festival – sukkot.
Maybe that is why it was such an important holiday - there are no exclusions. Every day should be a day of thanksgiving.
This year, Thanksgiving reminds us of a holiday starting in less than two weeks – Chanukah. It is early this year, which means it is a leap year. It begins on the 7th, and it is about the miracles of life. and we all have miracles, and we are all praying for the miracle of the hostage release, and there is a special thanksgiving prayer recited at Chanukah and Purim – the al ha’nissim prayer – for the miracles –
Miracles occur in our lives all the time, and we use the holiday of Chanukah for acknowledging and honoring miracles. Start to think of the miracles in your life and acknowledge them all the time. You don’t have to wait for a special day.
One of the most celebrated of all the Jewish holidays is Chanukah, when we gather to light the lights of the menorah over the eight days. When you light the menorah, you will be gathering with others all over the world - at the same time, on the same dates, lighting the same number of candles – as we all come together. It is a unification of people the world over, as it should be all the time. The Jewish people’s history for the last several thousand years is of being driven out of every home they have had, and the rededication of the temple of Chanukah is a rededication in the heart. While I do not think the physical temple will be rebuilt, I believe Israel will be there forever as a homeland, and it will stand as a beacon while we still all celebrate and unify in our hearts, souls, and spirits because that is the real temple to G0d.
This week’s reading is the life of Jacob from when he left home to when he returns – 20 years later. It begins with the great dream of the stairway to heaven and shows us his marriages, his children, his accumulation of wealth, and his return. Each stage of the journey picks up where he left off – built on deception and fear. We carry those with us, and they are the enemy within.
Jacob sets off, and his journey begins with a dream – the one of the most famous dreams in the Bible - that of Jacob’s ladder - with angels ascending and descending. This might have given rise to the maxim - Be nice to those you meet on the way up because you will meet them on the way down – which is, of course, about karma.
These stories are about karma and how we set it in motion, and once set, it moves forward, and the length of time it takes for us to pay the fee is unknown.
While the cosmic bible ended, this begins the mystical bible as dreams become dominant for the next several weeks.
Dreams were and are extremely powerful messages.
One of the earlier interpretations of this particular dream was by the Hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo, who wrote about sleep and dreams - de somniis, that he saw four possibilities –
- The angels represent souls descending to and ascending from bodies (some consider this to be Philo's clearest reference to the doctrine of reincarnation).
- The ladder is the human soul, and the angels are God's words, pulling the soul up in distress and descending in compassion.
- In his third view, the dream depicts the ups and downs of the life of the “dreamer.”
- Finally, the angels represent the continually changing affairs of men
There are many interpretations about this most famous dream, but we’ll save our talk of dreams for the story of Joseph - the dream master.
The journey of Jacob is a journey of someone who is ruled by fear. He ran away out of fear, and that is the legacy that he brought and instilled in his family and which imprisons so many, still to this day. In fact, the most important holiday in the bible was the holiday of freeing yourself from fear.
We all face fear at some point in our lives, but you must realize – fear is not real. Fear is perceived – it is our mind alerting us to what we think might happen – and there are enough real things going on that do instill fear. Thankfully, most do not reach us, but we project something that might have occurred in the past or has not occurred and might never occur - onto our present state and let the perception guide us and, in some cases, petrify us.
Watch as the marriages of Jacob show the unfolding of the fate we create and as fear, resentment, and hatred twist him to bitterness. Much of what many still carry.
Last week’s emphasis was on brothers, and now it is on sisters.
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Be well, be happy, be healthy, be free, be kind, be forgiving, be compassionate, be independent of mind and deed, be mindful of your intentions and be good to yourself. Continue to celebrate freedom of choice in your life and, do not give in to fear, and enjoy the peace that comes from acceptance – and as always - if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to say “hi,” please send me an email. I love hearing from you.
And remember, anytime you do not want to receive these anymore, please send me an email so I can remove you. And know - that I truly appreciate your sharing your sacred time with me.
Enjoy and celebrate your life and the lives of others, and in doing so, be happy. And may you all sow the seeds of and reap the rewards of peace, love, and miracles, and make sure you also celebrate your unique individuality and incredible awesomeness.
Take a moment each day to give thanks for something. We are a thankful people as every morning when we wake, we recite the modi ani – the prayer thanking G0d for returning our souls to our bodies for another day of life.
And remember – your world is what you make it. Just wish upon a star and continue to be the miracle in someone’s life.
Blessings
RD
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