HEBREW WORD FOR TAMMUZ – Being Holy ~ Being Whole

The trees stand like guards of the Everlasting; the flowers like signpost of His goodness – only we have failed to be testimonies to His presence, token of His trust. How could we have lived in the shadow of greatness and defied it? [1]

Wonder, or radical amazement, is a way of going beyond what is given in thing and thought, refusing to take anything for granted, to regard anything as final. It is our honest response to the grandeur and mystery of reality our confrontation with that which transcends the given. [2]

 

THE EYES OF YOUR HEART – – עיני הלבבות

I pray that He will give light to the eyes of your hearts, so that you will understand the hope to which He has called you, what rich glories there are in the inheritance He has promised His people.
Ephesians 1:18 CJB

John Gill shared in his commentary on Ephesians that “the eyes of the heart, or minds” is a Rabbinical phrase often met with in Jewish writings. [3] We see this phrase used by the author of Ephesians. But what does it mean?

I think most of us would agree that there is something more than just our natural seeing – there is also a spiritual seeing. We experience that ‘seeing’ every time we read the Word and the Word springs to life. It is the seeing when we slow down and really look at creation and recognize the fingerprints of the Creator and the beauty of His creation. It is the seeing when we look at a fellow human being and say, “I’ve seen the face of G-d.” It’s what the psalmist meant when he said, “Open my eyes, so that I will see wonders from your Torah.” Moments when eternity breaks into our heart – those moments – ultimately it is G-d’s work in us – His gift.

In this Rosh Chodesh cycle of focusing on healing and creativity we might say that seeing with the  eyes of the heart is the art of beholding. Beholding the holy, the sacred – beholding G-d.

In Hebrew the word behold is hinneh הנה, a word that according to TWOT [4] means “Look!” “See!” It is a word that emphasizes the immediacy, the here-and-now-ness. When we read it in Scripture it is G-d saying “Look!” “See!” “This is important!” Something that should cause an intake of breath – absolutely it should catch our attention – and without a doubt it should cause us to stop.

And G-d’s “Look!” “See!”  are all around us. Our world is full of G-d’s emphasis of immediacy, the here-and-now-ness that He doesn’t want us to miss. “Look!” “See!” the opening of a new flower, the pure laughter of a child, that first cup of coffee each morning, the sloppy wet kiss from a puppy, the smile of a stranger, the hug of a friend, the light of Shabbat candles… Baruch HaShem!

There is a dawn of wonder and surprise in our souls, when the things that surround us suddenly slip off the triteness with which we have endowed them, and their strangeness opens like a gap between them and our mind, a gap that no words can fill. [5]

Holy, holy, holy moments of seeing, of understanding. Moments when we shift from the obvious and look with great care. Not so much seeing new things but seeing with new eyes, new understanding – unlocking a shock of how truly inadequate our awe for G-d’s glory has been – unleashing a flood of gratefulness and praise.

Georgia O’Keefe said, “Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.” Beholding takes time. This art requires us to slow down. To step out of the rush and madness of life and into a service of wonder.

Is not listening to the pulse of wonder worth silence and abstinence from self-assertion? Why do we not set aside an hour for devotion to G-d by surrendering to stillness. We dwell on the edge of mystery and ignore it, wasting our souls and risking our stake in G-d. [6]

Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe. Abba may we learn to cultivate the art of beholding, the art of looking, seeing, waiting in Your Word, in this world, with each person we meet, in every situation. May we hear your hinneh – your gift to us. And may we respond Abba with hinneni – Here am I! Abba, You who surpass all glory, open the eyes of our hearts that we may see the testimonies of your goodness all around us. And with that opening of our eyes may we live in such a way that our lives will be a living testimony to others of Your presence – Your goodness and love, of Your hope – bringing life and healing. Amen

Deep Cries To Deep

I have always loved watching the sea dance
and listening to the ocean breeze speak eternity to my heart

The shore
it has alway been our special place
ours – my Abba’s and mine

I think I inherited this love of the shore from my Dad

Even after a night of work
my Dad would take my sisters and I down to the seashore
we would watch the first sliver of light rise over the waters
and even then I think I knew it was Holiness breaking in
embracing me, warming my heart

Even now
it is the one place without fail
that Holiness always always always
shines bright
the one place
I always feel His embrace
and the eyes of my heart can see

On those days when I am the only one
wandering on the shore
not a person, not a ship in sight
it is as if I am wandering on the edge of the universe
looking out over an immense expanse
the first breath of creation and the ongoing breath of eternity
roll out like a scroll in front of me
leaving me breathless

At times when there is a storm
one that reaches up from the deepest darkest depths
stirring up the lumbering giants
that rise and crest
and crash onto the shore
with the clash of cymbals and the crash of the drums
I run to the shore, to the water’s edge

Breathing deep to calm my spirit
whispering calls to Holiness
listening with the eyes of my heart

There it is
the heartbeat of my Beloved

Whew

That’s when silence really sings

Deep cries out to deep,
the sounds of the opened sluices of heaven;
all Your breakers and your billows
have swept over me.
By day Adonai will command His Hesed / Lovingkindness
and at night, His resting place will be with me;
This is my prayer to the Almighty, G-d of my life.
Psalm 42:8-9

Photo credits – shutterstock.com

1. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays, 341
2. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, ”Who Is Man, 78-79
3. Zohar in Deut. fol. 119. 3. Jetzirah, p. 22. 78. Ed. Rittangel. R. Levi ben Gersom in Gen. fol. 14. 3. & Philo de opificio Dei, p. 15. and Bechinat Olam, 260.
4. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr, Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Workbook Of The Old Testament
5. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Holy Dimension, 329
6. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays, 341

HEBREW WORD FOR IYYAR – Being Holy ~ Being Whole

*

My three-year-old son was watching me pray one day, trying to imitate my movements, pretending he was also praying. Then out of the blue, he blurted out, “Daddy! I just saw G-d’s feet.”
I didn’t know what my immediate response should be to this, but quickly I decided that truth was my best option. “Yehuda,” I said, “You couldn’t have seen G-d’s feet. G-d doesn’t have feet.”
He seemed startled by that, but all he said was “Oh.”
A couple of minutes went by and then he tugged at my sleeve. He looked at me with his big brown eyes and, smiling sweetly, said with total conviction, “But I saw them.” [1]

Our first encounter with Divine feet is in Genesis 3:8, “They heard the sound of the Lord G-d walking in the garden…” At face value we may imagine G-d in the cool breeze of the evening having a relaxed stroll through the garden. But, if we look at the Hebrew in this verse we see a glimpse of something more:

Vayishmeh’oo et kol ADONAI Elohim mithalech bagan.

Mithalech is a form of the verb “to walk.” When we read walk we very reasonably assume feet – after all – if we say someone is walking we presuppose they are walking on their feet. But in the case of Genesis 3:8 the noun kol (translated as sound) is also the Hebrew word for voice. Author Aviya Kushner [2] asks the question, “who is “walking” – a being or a voice?”

The problem here is not just the translation of one word, kol, but how to translate it in combination with mithalech… This particular grammatical construction of the three-letter root for the verb “to walk” is used for doing something repeatedly. If holech, or walk, in the present tense, means to walk from point A to point B, then mithalech means to walk from point A to B to D to C – walking back and forth, walking repeatedly, or without a particular destination in mind… What mithalech means is that you can hear the voice of G-d from all directions in the garden.

The same verb form of G-d walking in the garden is used of G-d’s presence in the Mishkan (Tabernacle).

**

For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have walked (mithalech) about in a tent, even in a tabernacle.
2 Samuel 7:6

They heard the voice of ADONAI, G-d, walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze (leRuach hayom).

The evening breeze is the Hebrew word Ruach (Spirit, wind, breeze, breath, – also at times depicting emotion) [3] hayom (the day) – So ADONAI was walking in the garden in the Spirit, wind, breath, or maybe even the emotion of the day. G-d came each day to the garden to meet Adam and Eve in the moment – each day Adam and Eve would meet  with the Spirit of ADONAI.

***

Bless ADONAI, my soul! ADONAI, my G-d, you are very great; you are clothed with glory and majesty, wrapped in light as with a robe. You spread out the heavens like a curtain, you laid the beams of your palace on the water. You make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind. Psalm 104:1-4a

This breeze, breath, wind…is the same Spirit (Ruach) that moved over the waters in Genesis 1:2. It is the same breath that was bestowed on man by G-d in Genesis 2:7. It is the same Wind spoken of in John 3:8. And, it is the same Spirit that filled the hearts of Yeshua’s followers on Shavuot in the upper room in Jerusalem!

They heard the voice of ADONAI, G-d, walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, so the man and his wife hid themselves from the face (panim), of ADONAI, G-d, among the trees in the garden.

But on this day, instead of meeting ADONAI face to face, Adam and Eve hid in shame among the trees of the garden. Our Abba, in His immeasurable affection, called out with the voice of a loving father in search of a precious son, “Adam, where are you (‘Ay – Ayekah)?”.

Adonai, G-d, called to the man, “Where (‘Ay) are you?”

Looking at the Hebrew ‘ay, gives us a picture of our Father’s heart. Ayekah is translated in Genesis 3:9 as, “Where are you?” but it is a rhetorical question, a heartfelt cry. This adverb is related to the Ugaritic (Northwest Semetic Language) oy. [4] G-d’s call to Adam resonated with sorrow.

I often wonder what would have happened if Adam had responded in teshuvah (repentance).

Nonetheless, Genesis 3:8-9 deeply touches my heart. I may not hide when G-d calls, but there are times I don’t engage. Times I am simply distracted. Our Abba calls out, “Cindy, where are you?” and I am preoccupied with life. I am busy choosing good over best and sadly there are times I am simply missing the mark and avoiding G-d all together. My heart is filled with some grievance, my mind focused on misdeeds, my energy spent on the temporal and I miss the breeze of G-d’s Spirit moving over me, and if I were not so preoccupied I might even hear His deep breath-filled sorrowful, ‘Oy’.

E-v-e-r-y day we are invited to share in the fellowship of loving and just being loved by our Abba. Weekly we are invited to breathe deeply of His shalom, monthly to stand in awe and wonder, throughout the year to dance and celebrate. From the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:14) G-d set up holy appointments – intimate times to meet with us. Baruch HaShem!

The voice heard walking in the garden by Adam and Eve – is the same voice that can be heard walking in our homes. The same Spirit that moved over the face of the waters, hovers over us even now. Just as Adam and Eve had an encounter with Divine feet, we can too.

****

The heavens are my seat and the earth is My footstool.
Isaiah 66:1

Ilana Kurshan gives an amusing picture of G-d’s feet/legs in reference to Isaiah 66:1, “I imagine G-d sitting on a divine throne up in heaven with legs dangling down to earth. Any time we sin when we are alone, we are in fact bumping up against G-d’s feet.”

There’s a interesting midrash on Isaiah 66:1:

Whoever commits a transgression in private, it is as though he pushed away the feet of the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “Thus said the Lord: The heavens are My seat, and the earth My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). If one believes that no one can see what he is doing in private, it is as though he said that G-d is absent from that place. He is therefore compared to one who attempts to remove G-d from His footstool. [5]

Divine feet – gently nudging, softly whispering, encouraging and giving us the freedom to push away if we so choose.

Going back to where we started and the young boy who told his father he had seen the feet of G-d. How is that possible?

It is possible in those precious alone moments with G-d. In moments of awe and wonder, moments of tenderness and love, of kindness and hard work. Moments of grief, laugher, tears. So very much during moments of teshuvah. We both see and show G-d’s feet when we are walking out G-d’s truth and living out G-d’s love for all mankind.

Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe. Thank you for the goodness and love which you make known to us every day! Abba sometimes I do miss the sound of Your feet, Your presence, as I am preoccupied with things that seem so important but in retrospect really are not. Abba please give me Heaven’s eyes that I may see that which has  eternal worth and Heaven’s heart that I will share the eternal with others. Amen.

*****

G-D’S LEGS / REGLEI ELOHIM

G-d’s legs
Like the letter vav
A divine hook
Binding together heaven and earth.

Seated in the heaven’s
You walk among us
My body, your tent and dwelling place.

My heart
Knows the voice of your feet
I hear their call
And I rush to follow.

You walking,
Leading
Like two pillars you go before me
Leading me back to the Garden.

End Notes:

1. As with the Hebrew meaning, Strong’s Concordance gives both feet and legs as translations for regel H7272

2. We first see the letter vav in Genesis 1:1:
In the beginning G-d created the heavens and (vav) the earth
By joining the heavens and the earth there is an implication of the connection between spiritual and earthly matters.

photo credits:

* Shutterstock
** Yoram Raanan, Garden of Eden Sukkah
*** Elena Kotliarker, Angel Wings
*** shutterstock
**** Elena Kotliarker, Under The Wind

1. David Aaron, Seeing G-d, 21
2. Aviya Kushner, The Grammar of G-d, 70-71
3. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament, Reference 2131a
4. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament, Reference 75
5. Rabbi Yitzhak, Hagigah 16a

HEBREW WORD FOR IYYAR – Being Holy ~ Being Whole

[1]

Infinite G-d seeks human heart to build a home together.

The angels glare in envy as the breath of G‑d descends below to become a human soul. Ripped out of the Infinite Light, it squeezes itself within meat and bones to experience that passion which belongs uniquely to earth below – and channel it towards its Beloved above. A new sort of love is born, a novelty to the cosmos and to its Creator: a fire within the human heart upon which the animal roasts, transformed to the divine. [2]

This midrash from Rabbi Tzvi Freeman’s always, always, always takes my breath away. How unfathomable a love. Such an incomprehensible desire. Beyond imagination – a heart fashioned small enough to fit in the body of a man yet big enough to be a home for the Eternal. Truly a marvelous thing!

Hebraically the heart is much more than the seat of emotions, it is also the seat of intellect and thought. It is the center of our values, character, attitudes… it is the irreducibly definition of who we are. Our heart is revealed in our thoughts, words, and deeds and is the deepest essence of our personhood. Though even the highest heaven cannot contain G-d (2 Chronicles 6:18) – when invited in – our heart is the place where G-d has chosen to make His home. It is where we respond and connect with our Abba.

In this new Rosh Chodesh cycle where we are looking at creativity and “Being Holy; Being Whole” – the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) is a special moment for us to have a glimpse into the hearts G-d chose to partner with Him in this act of creation.

Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. (Exodus 25:2)

Scripture tells us that the contributions for the building of the mishkan were to be gifts, “from every man whose heart moves him.” In other words, the contributions were to be freely given. No force, no threats, no taxation. As Walter Brueggemann puts it, “Constructing an adequate place for the holiness of G-d is indeed human work, wrought in generosity.” [3] In other words it was to be a sanctuary constructed from the depth and breadth of the human heart. But the actual builders were to be wise-hearted and the women who spun the wool were to be nasa liban otana bechochmah – “those whose hearts lifted them up in wisdom.”

And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded.
(Exodus 35:10 KJV)

It starts with Moses calling everyone who is “skilled” (Exodus 3:10) to come and make the various pieces that will become part of the mishkan – and one of the important things here is the way that “skill” is expressed in Hebrew. The Hebrew used in the Torah is chakham lev, which literally means “wise-hearted,” from the root word chokhmah, or “wisdom.” And so it’s not just about having good hands, say – it’s about something more profound than that. It is said that when G-d created the earth, G-d did so with chokhmah. It is no small thing, therefore, to demand that the people making the elements of the mishkan be chakham lev.

But what exactly is wisdom?

I have given you a wise (chakham) and understanding (binat) heart. (1 Kings 3:12)

From a spiritual perspective understanding of the heart is more important than that of the mind…binat ha’lev, “understanding of the heart.” The translation here is important. This is not the same as “an understanding heart,” which is outwardly focused and could be called empathy. It is rather “understanding of the heart,” which is inwardly focused and reflects spiritual intelligence, or what might be called wisdom. [4]

We know from Scripture that wisdom comes directly from the Lord – The Lord grants wisdom (Proverbs 2:6) – and from a right relationship with the Lord – The fear (awe) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111.10). This heart of wisdom comes through a right relationship and an intimate knowing. We see a beautiful picture of this in the name of the man G-d choose as the chief builder for the mishkan – Bezalel.

[5]

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri…I have filled him with the Spirit of G-d in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.” Exodus 31:1-3

Bezalel means “in the shadow of G-d.” So Bezalel lived in the shadow of the Eternal. A shadow is the reflection of the person or object from which the shadow is cast. When the person moves, the shadow moves. For the formation of a shadow, a light source is needed; and the closer one is to the light source the bigger the shadow that is cast.

We see also in the name of Bezalel’s assistant – Oholiab – a hint of relationship. Oholiab means “The Father is my tent.”

The pictograph of heart – lev / לב makes clear how important it is to have a right relationship with the Father.

Lev – heart – means the authority within.

The Hebrew word for for dog is ke’lev – k’ meaning “like” and lev meaning “heart.” So in Hebrew a dog is “like a heart.” The Hebrew word for puppy is k’lavlav and is considered a onomatopoeia for the sound of the heartbeat – so a puppy is “like a heartbeat.” Our little heart – Kirby – rescued my husband and I while we were still grieving the loss of a much loved furry baby and after our only child had left for college.

Though a dog’s heart is much different than our own – I have learned from our little heart how essential a right and close relationship is to “authority within” – within the heart / within the home. Training took time (and no Kirby is not always brilliantly behaved). We’ve had a fun time or two, such as when this little one chewed something that ended with a stay over at the veterinary hospital or when he decided to do a dumpster dive – a.k.a. our kitchen trashcan – that ended with a plastic container wedged on his head. However, this little heart has chosen to live under the shadow of my husband’s and my protection and to walk (well…most the time) by our rules and directions. This trust and submission only grew as we invested our hearts and love into this little heart of ours.

Blessed are you O’Lord our G-d King of the Universe. May we truly understand what it means to dwell in your shadow, in the secret place of intimacy with you. May our hearts rest in the place of your presence, the transforming power of your love, the unfathomable offering of your friendship. Abba may you be the shadow that overshadows us as we interact with others – as you did with Peter [6] bringing much needed tikkun olam to this broken world. Amen

 [7]

ETERNITY IN THE HEART

Heaven is Your throne
The Earth is Your footstool
The highest heavens cannot contain You
Yet You make Your home
In the innermost chamber of my heart

Awaken my heart Abba
that I may love wholly
Stretch my heart Abba
so that I may give with unbound desire
holding nothing back

Abba may my heart be infused with your wisdom
Filled to utter fullness of You
Engulfed in Your Love
And connected to a purpose
Far beyond my own

Infinite and finite
Eternity and the present
Becoming one in Your loving heart
Fusing the eternal and the instant
Making my life a place that holiness can dwell
Holy, holy, holy.

~ Cindy

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, eternity he has set in their heart…
Ecclesiastes 3:11

1. photo credit: shutterstock.com
2. Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, Human Passion and the Envy of the Angels
3. Walter Brueggemann as quoted by Rabbi Shai Held in The Heart of Torah
4. David Ebenbach, the artist’s Torah, 99
5. photo credit – Israel Tourism photo by VuTheara Kham
6. Acts 5:15
7. photo credit: shutterstock.com

HEBREW WORD FOR NISSAN – Being Holy ~ Being Whole

By the word (dabar דבר) of the Lord the heaven’s were made.
And by the breath of His mouth all their host. (Psalm 33:6)

Genesis Rabbah 1:1 records that the words G-d spoke to create the world were none other than the Torah itself:

In human practice, when a mortal king builds a palace, he builds it not with his own skill but with the skill of an architect. The architect moreover does not build it out of his head, but employs plans and diagrams to know how to arrange the chambers and the wicket doors. Thus G-d consulted the Torah and created the world, while the Torah declares, “In the beginning G-d created,” ‘beginning’ referring to the Torah, as in the verse, “The Lord made me as the beginning of His way” (Prov. viii, 22).

Be that truth or tradition, we know that the power of G-d’s word manifested itself in creation. G-d spoke and everything we know came into existence. He breathed and the cosmos was made. And everything is held together by the power of His word.

To the Hebrew mind, the Universe is represented as the writing or active speech of G-d.[1] Alive and active, G-d’s dynamic word is able to both penetrate and break the heart of man. (See Jeremiah 20:9 and Ezekiel 36:26)

“Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”
(Jeremiah 23:29)

With our Western mindset we often understand words simply as vehicles to convey meaning or understanding. We do not realize that our words – often spoken carelessly or in haste – are imbued with deep and affecting significance. Our words have the possibility to bring about new realities in another’s life:

As Hans-Georg Gadamer writes,
‘Greek philosophy more or less began with the insight that a word is only a name – i.e., that it does not represent true being. Hebrew dabar, on the other hand, refers to word, event, and thing, which reflects a unity between the word and the world such that to interpret the word is to understand reality and vise versa.'[2]

Created in the image of G-d, our words have the ability to create life or death and Rabbi Heschel would argue even to destroy the gates of G-d’s Word:

There is no understanding the G-d of Israel without deep sensitivity to the holiness in words. For what is the Bible? Holiness in words. And we destroy all the gates of the Bible by the ongoing desecration of the power of the word. The effect, I believe, is that we are all engaged, all involved, in the process of liquidating the English language. Promiscuity of expression, loss of sensitivity to words, has nearly destroyed the fortress of the spirit. And the fortress of the spirit is the dabar, the word. Words have become slums. What we need is a renewal of words.[3]

In this month of Nissan we are focusing on good and holy speech. With that focus in heart, the pictograph for dabar – word – is illuminating:

dabar / word – the pathway or door into the House of HaShem (YHVH)

Messiah Yeshua is from the tribe of Yehudah יהודה (Judah). Yehudah is spelled with the same letters as YHVH – יהוה, with the addition of one letter – the dalet – door. The Word enfleshed told us himself He is the door/gate for the sheep – bringing us into the presence of Adonai – always directing our path, always turning our hearts to the Father. May our the words do the same!

Therefore be imitators of G-d, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Messiah also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

HERE I AM. SEND ME

Abba touch my lips
With a burning coal
And purify my words

And with my words
Light a flame
And spill light into the world

And with this flame
Cause a blaze
That warms and blankets with hope

And with this hope
Be a candle
More than wax and wick
Spreading Your fragrance

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:6-8)

* photo credit – shutterstock.com

1. José Faur, Golden Doves, XXV as shared by Richard Hidary in Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash
2. Richard Hidary, Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash, 28
3. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays,275

*

’Womb to world’ is a startling moment for a baby. After months of being surrounded by warm amniotic fluid, cuddled in a strong protected sac and limited by the walls of the womb, the little one is suddenly pushed forth from this safe, familiar place and thrust into light. Baby is bombarded by stimuli, and startled by how far he can stretch his limbs. We as parents are there to help our little ones through this transition. We swaddle them, hold them close, coo to them, comfort, and to our best effort meet their every need. We hush and woo them to their new world, holding them in a soft, patient embrace telling them of the wonders and delights – the sights, sounds, smells, taste, and the love, oh the overwhelming soul hugging love that awaits them.

Rest – Pause!

For the mother the birthing process can be both intense and beautiful. For myself, I found the hardest part in the long laborious pushing stage was the rest, or pause. I’m not talking about the natural wax and wane of the contractions, but those times when for various reasons we are told to stop. Stop – breathe – rest. Yet our muscles and brains are screaming push, push, push. A painful, at times burning rest – not done in vain but one that is for life. A rest that helps lead to that moment when the flood gates open and out bursts an indescribable gift! It’s a gasp of breath moment – that first moment you see your child. Holy… holy… holy.

This “womb to world” / birthing process is something I’ve experienced more than once as I have made a deliberate effort to rest and pause while reading Scripture. That being still before G-d and, at times, being hushed and held in the patient embrace and relentless tenderness of G-d as our Source of all Wonders, startles my mind and delights my heart. Sometimes it’s a painful moment as I am pushed out of a place of comfort. But, every time, it is a holy moment. A moment that transforms my life entirely, a moment in which there is nothing but a gasp of breath – a gasp of worship.

I can best understand this transformational pause in one intriguing Hebrew word – Selah.

Selah – a word seen frequently in the Psalms and less than a handful of times in Habakkuk – is challenging to translate. The Talmud (Eruvin 54a), as demonstrated from Psalm 48:9, says that selah means forever. Ibn Ezra [1] understood selah to mean “true and certain,” functioning in a similar vein to an Amen –  “so be it”- to what preceded it. Radak [2] saw selah as a musical notation – a lifting up of the singer’s voice. Rabbi Raphael Hirsch comments: “Selah is a notation at the close of a thought directing one to reflect upon its enduring significance.” [3]

Any and all of these understandings of selah make it a holy interruption – a threshold for change. A place where you pause, reflect, ponder, and let G-d’s living word flow deep into your soul and allow yourself to sink deep into His heart. Sometimes it is this deliberate quiet, this intentional stillness, that lifts your heart toward Heaven.

Many times when we read Scripture we come with preconceived understandings and expectations that stifle the flow of Living Waters. Other times we come with a familiarity that dulls our heart and crowds out our curiosity. Making a practice of a deliberate rest breaks up the breathless flow and allows us to breathe and create space for G-d to reveal His truth to us. These deliberate rests allow the Living Word to shape our souls and set deep realities and understandings within us.

The pictograph for selah – סלה  is astounding:

Selah – what comes from lifting up something of VALUE.

**

Be Still And Know That I am G-d. (Psalm 46:10)

Selah is a holy invitation to stop – breathe – rest. It is a whisper from G-d to not miss out on what’s important. Selah is a moment that births transformation – being both undone and remade.

We have a beautiful example of “selah in time” with the weekly celebration of Shabbat. Every 7th day the Creator of the universe invites us to stop – breathe – rest and spend 24 hours breathing in His word, His presence and celebrating and delighting in His creation “expressing glory in the presence of eternity.” [4]

Proverbs reminds us to number our days – not because our days are short [they are] but because time is sacred. When my daughter was born I felt the Lord urging me to take off my watch – as if in that holy moment He was whispering to me – don’t miss out on one precious minute – time is fleeting. How thankful I am that I listened and, 28 years later, my wrist is still absent of a watch. For me that absence is a reminder – a selah – to stop – breathe – rest – to slow down and be present in every moment – to not miss out on what’s important.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel had it right when he said, “Labor is craft, but perfect rest is an art. It is the result of an accord of body, mind and imagination.” Selah is a holy rest – a sacred art.

Blessed are you Lord our G-d, who created rest. Abba may we learn to stop – breathe – rest and know the wonders and beauty of being your child. Abba may we embrace the sacredness of rest and welcome holy interruptions.  Selah

Photo Credit:

* Yarkovoy/Shutterstock.com
** Copyright Marla Jean Clinesmith, used by permission. www.hebrewwordpics.com

1. Abraham Ibn Ezra (1089-1164)
2. Rabbi David Kimhi (1160-1235)
3. Noted in From His Holy Mountain, SELAH, by Dr. Eugene Narrett
4. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Shabbat

The Hebrew word for man is ish (א’ש,) spelled aleph, yod, shin. Remove the yod and you are left with the letters aleph + shin, which form the word esh (אש) meaning FIRE.

The yod is the first letter in G-d’s Divine Name YHVH ( הוה’ ). In removing the yod (‘) from ish (man), that is, if the Divine Presence is removed from man, he is left with the FIRE of his natural passions.

Similarly, the Hebrew word for woman is ishah (אשה), spelled aleph, shin, heh. Remove the heh,  also a letter in G-d’s name YHVH ( הוה’ ) and, once again, you have esh (אש), and only FIRE is left.

The yod and the heh together spell YAH, another form of God’s Name.

Man and women together are (א’ש ו אשה). When a man and a woman come together in marriage and don’t bring Yah, the Divine Presence of G-d, with them they are only fire and fire (אש ו אש).

A fire can be productive in providing passion, warmth and light or, if not controlled, can bring great destruction. With the loving balance and guidance of the Divine Presence of G-d in the marriage of a man and a woman, the fire remains constant and bright but does not consume.

HalleluYah!

HASHEM – YHVH

In His Name

His Name – His signature as an artist, as Creator of all, can be found in everything He has created. His Name is there if you look intentionally and have eyes to see. As His children, as human beings, we carry His name in a very important and special way.

YHVH – Yod – Hei – Vav – Hei   

We  physically carry the shapes of the Hebrew letters of His Holy Name.

The yod neatly fits your head.

Your arms fit the shape of the  hei.

The elongated vav represents your spine.

And the final  hei fits the shape of your legs.

We literally carry the letters of His Name with us. Each person is a work of art signed by the Great Artist. Dwight, my husband, and great teacher, (z”l – of blessed memory) used to say that when the angels see a person approaching they say, “Make way, Make way! Here comes someone bearing the Holy Name of God!”

The very first line of the prayer Yeshua taught His disciples is,
“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.”

In our daily living we either honor and bring glory to that Name or else we debase or dishonor it. Fittingly, in all Creation, only man has that choice.

What does the term ‘hallowed’ mean?

To hallow or honor God’s name is the exact opposite of profaning the name of God –
to bring dishonor to God’s name as opposed to sanctifying it.

The concept plays an important part in our Father’s process of the restoration of all things. He has promised, in effect, just as He delivered the Israelites from Egypt: “I’m going to restore you as a people.” This promise can be applied to His people Israel, an individual person, a congregation, or a community. Why the restoration? His reply: “…because I want My Name to be honored among the nations.”

From the very beginning, the purpose for every restoration, every redemption of God, has been in order that His Name might be honored and lifted up. Again, in effect, just as He said to the Israelites, He says:  “You have profaned it through sin and weakness but I’m going to do something through you. Through each one who bears My name, My name can be honored, be sanctified, and hallowed.”

What can we understand from this? It’s our responsibility to show His name as holy–Kadosh. God is the Redeemer, the Restorer of all things good, but the responsibility that accrues to us is how we carry that Name, treasure it, and enable it to be seen as holy in the world.

Another question arises. How do we make His name holy? How do we hallow and exalt His name? Yeshua came to show us how through his every action; illustrating how this involves our bodies as well as our minds and spirits. Our deeds speak His Name, from something seemingly small – such as a smile to a beggar, a kind word to one in distress, using one’s gifts and talents to bless others, dealing openly and honestly in our work situations, and honoring the elderly – to something visibly bigger such as doing a great deed of charity, excelling in ministry, or gaining fame as an artist or musician. If the motivation of our every action is to honor our Father and bring glory to His Name, all we do will bring Him great pleasure and will be of eternal value in His eyes.

Baruch HaShem! May His great Name be blessed indeed!