“Torah is the book with no end, supporting our understanding of what it means to be a person, what it means to be a vehicle for the Spirit of Creation.”
Celebrating the Spiritual Levels of Torah
Portion for the week of February 12-18, 2012: Mishpatim
(Exodus 21:1 - 24:18)
We are always deeply known
Unlike our current system of civil law as a separate function of our society, the culture of the Torah combined civil law, regulations concerning priestly service, and moral and ethical teachings in a single document. Religion was integral to daily living.
Following the revelation of the Ten Commandments in the previous parashah, the Torah now focuses on some of the rules that help to define our People as a community. And behind the specific laws of behavior, the Torah emphasizes the more spiritual awareness upon which they are all supported.
"I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have made ready." (23:20)
When we identify with our exclusive selves it is natural to feel alone. No one is "in here" with us. No one can truly know us from the inside out. I remember, as a teenager, beginning to breathe an anesthetic prior to a tooth extraction. Just before losing consciousness, I became acutely aware of how alone I was. There was no one else having the experience with me. No one could come with me. Perhaps we all discover that experience of aloneness at some point in our lives.
Fortunately, as we grow, we also have opportunities to experience a fuller Identity that is beyond that kind of aloneness. This greater Self holds our separate selves with deep compassion. During a meditation many years ago, I heard a Voice announce, "I am always here." The Voice came with a gentle but absolute certainty. Behind the separate self and its awareness of aloneness is a Greater Self, and in that Self, we know we are never alone, we understand that we are always deeply known.
Certainly, there are angels arising to meet us and guide us from the outside, but we also carry the Angel, the Presence, deep within ourselves. The inner Wisdom of this Self provides the intentions and dreams we need to pursue in order to walk our unique gifts into our world.
The inner Love of this Self provides the embrace that helps us reach out to others and more deeply appreciate ourselves. The inner Life meeting us when we step into our greater Self allows us to know a profound security and wholeness. This inner Source of Wisdom, Love, and Life supports us walking with greater compassion and kindness in our world.
Focus Phrases
My Guardian Angel is the Greater Presence within me.
I live with greater compassion now.
My inner angel holds me with Love.
Writing Prompts
When I experience greatest separation from others, I find that . . .
I remember the touch of a greater inner Presence when . . .
When I imagine myself acting from deeper Inner Guidance, I . . .
Photo: Mark Reden
;)
(Exodus 21:1 - 24:18)
We are always deeply known
Unlike our current system of civil law as a separate function of our society, the culture of the Torah combined civil law, regulations concerning priestly service, and moral and ethical teachings in a single document. Religion was integral to daily living.
Following the revelation of the Ten Commandments in the previous parashah, the Torah now focuses on some of the rules that help to define our People as a community. And behind the specific laws of behavior, the Torah emphasizes the more spiritual awareness upon which they are all supported.
"I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have made ready." (23:20)
When we identify with our exclusive selves it is natural to feel alone. No one is "in here" with us. No one can truly know us from the inside out. I remember, as a teenager, beginning to breathe an anesthetic prior to a tooth extraction. Just before losing consciousness, I became acutely aware of how alone I was. There was no one else having the experience with me. No one could come with me. Perhaps we all discover that experience of aloneness at some point in our lives.
Fortunately, as we grow, we also have opportunities to experience a fuller Identity that is beyond that kind of aloneness. This greater Self holds our separate selves with deep compassion. During a meditation many years ago, I heard a Voice announce, "I am always here." The Voice came with a gentle but absolute certainty. Behind the separate self and its awareness of aloneness is a Greater Self, and in that Self, we know we are never alone, we understand that we are always deeply known.
Certainly, there are angels arising to meet us and guide us from the outside, but we also carry the Angel, the Presence, deep within ourselves. The inner Wisdom of this Self provides the intentions and dreams we need to pursue in order to walk our unique gifts into our world.
The inner Love of this Self provides the embrace that helps us reach out to others and more deeply appreciate ourselves. The inner Life meeting us when we step into our greater Self allows us to know a profound security and wholeness. This inner Source of Wisdom, Love, and Life supports us walking with greater compassion and kindness in our world.
Focus Phrases
My Guardian Angel is the Greater Presence within me.
I live with greater compassion now.
My inner angel holds me with Love.
Writing Prompts
When I experience greatest separation from others, I find that . . .
I remember the touch of a greater inner Presence when . . .
When I imagine myself acting from deeper Inner Guidance, I . . .
Photo: Mark Reden
Following the revelation of the Ten Commandments in the previous parashah, the Torah now focuses on some of the rules that help to define our People as a community. And behind the specific laws of behavior, the Torah emphasizes the more spiritual awareness upon which they are all supported.
"I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have made ready." (23:20)
When we identify with our exclusive selves it is natural to feel alone. No one is "in here" with us. No one can truly know us from the inside out. I remember, as a teenager, beginning to breathe an anesthetic prior to a tooth extraction. Just before losing consciousness, I became acutely aware of how alone I was. There was no one else having the experience with me. No one could come with me. Perhaps we all discover that experience of aloneness at some point in our lives.
Fortunately, as we grow, we also have opportunities to experience a fuller Identity that is beyond that kind of aloneness. This greater Self holds our separate selves with deep compassion. During a meditation many years ago, I heard a Voice announce, "I am always here." The Voice came with a gentle but absolute certainty. Behind the separate self and its awareness of aloneness is a Greater Self, and in that Self, we know we are never alone, we understand that we are always deeply known.
Certainly, there are angels arising to meet us and guide us from the outside, but we also carry the Angel, the Presence, deep within ourselves. The inner Wisdom of this Self provides the intentions and dreams we need to pursue in order to walk our unique gifts into our world.
The inner Love of this Self provides the embrace that helps us reach out to others and more deeply appreciate ourselves. The inner Life meeting us when we step into our greater Self allows us to know a profound security and wholeness. This inner Source of Wisdom, Love, and Life supports us walking with greater compassion and kindness in our world.
Focus Phrases
My Guardian Angel is the Greater Presence within me.
I live with greater compassion now.
My inner angel holds me with Love.
Writing Prompts
When I experience greatest separation from others, I find that . . .
I remember the touch of a greater inner Presence when . . .
When I imagine myself acting from deeper Inner Guidance, I . . .
Photo: Mark Reden
I live with greater compassion now.
My inner angel holds me with Love.