May 12, 2023 / 22 Iyyar 5783
A Prayer for Peace in Israel and Gaza –
God, Our hearts are breaking.
Our brothers and sisters in Israel crouch in fear
as sirens pierce the air and rockets from Gaza rain down from the sky.
We pray that all Israelis, Jews and Arabs,
will live in peace.
We pray for the day the terror in the streets of Israel
will give way to sound of children playing.
When hate will be healed
and the sound of sirens will give way to songs of hope.
We are all God’s children
and in God’s light we are all One.
We pray there be no more violence or bloodshed within Israel and we pray that Israelis and Palestinians will find a path to peace.
Hear our people’s prayers
and hear the prayers of innocent civilians in Gaza
who share our longings for an end to this conflict.
Rabbi Naomi Levy
וּקְרָאתֶ֥ם דְּר֛וֹר בָּאָ֖רֶץ לְכָל־יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָYou are not to profane my holy name,
and proclaim freedom throughout the land and to all its inhabitants…I am YHWH, the one-who-hallows you.
[Leviticus 25:10]
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Joseph Ibn Hayyim marks the beginning of Torah portion Behukotai (בְּחֻקֹּתַי) with a startled bear and a howling dog.
Bodleian Library MS Kennicott 1; ‘The Kennicott Bible’; 1476 CE; La Coruña, Spain; f.74v
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The text book from which I (finally) learned Hebrew grammar was called ha-Yesod. In modern Hebrew yesod means foundation. The book’s goal was to provide students with a strong foundation in the language, and especially in its grammar. And of course, language itself is foundational; without it there’s no communication and no literacy. With the help of that purple text book, I spent the first two years of rabbinical school building and securing a foundation in Hebrew language. Whatever I managed to learn in the years that followed stood – indeed still stands- on it.
We’ve just entered into the sixth week of ‘Omer counting – the practice of counting the 49 days between the beginning of Pesah and Shavuot. Each of the seven weeks matches up with one of the sefirot (emanations, but the word also meaning ‘counting’!), every one an aspect of the Divine ‘personality’. This coming week’s sefirah or middah (ethical value) is Yesod – foundation or rootedness. Much like my rabbinical school textbook, Yesod the middah secures the ground for all that follows. It’s the (hopefully) solid ground on which we stand; the foundation on which lives, communities, andworlds are built.
A pair of reflections on Yesod. First, my colleague Rabbi Meir Goldstein:
What is Yesod?
The sixth quality (middah) is Yesod, which is the quality of foundation or bonding. While all the prior middot are both internal and external, Yesod is grounded in connection to an other. All our potential is made manifest in the context of an other–be it loved ones, community, or God.
Other translations of Yesod are:
1. Bonding
2. Rootedness
3. Tzadik
So what? How does it relate to me?
With others:
Yesod is bonding which requires an other. Our qualities are refined through the crucible of responsibility which arises out of relationship and out of community.
If you think back on those brilliant conversations, where the ideas and topics just flow, then you sense the power of bonding. The most precious human emotions are born out of Yesod.
With ourself:
Yesod, by its nature, is the most dialogic of the 7 middot, and hence, the most difficult to tap into when looking within ourselves. However, the maturity of our emotional life is completely dependent upon our bonding with others. Entire fields of psychology are based on the study of child/mother bonding; while others focus on family bonding. Our maturity at any age, our willingness to bear more responsibility, our grit, and our love all flow naturally from Yesod.
With God:
Yesod is the emotional center of the human being. As such, Yesod informs us of our significance, our value as we are a walking, talking “image of God.” All of the other qualities are contained, refined, and reinvigorated through Yesod–our bonding with others, with ourselves, and with the Source of all life.
Yesod practice for the week:
1. Who are some of your most intimate relationships?
2. Describe the feelings when you have opportunities to spend time together and really connect.
3. With whom do you need to reconnect?
And a prayer/poem courtesy of my colleague and friend Rabbi Yael Levy:
Omer Week 6: Hod into Yesod
Let us rise from Hod
And bow to the Infinite Presence
As we step into the week of Yesod:
Foundation, Root:
The sturdy strength of Unfathomable Mystery,
The very ground beneath our feet.
Yesod brings generative fires of earth,
Deep replenishing wells,
Vast root systems woven
By the Infinite.
As we stand on and with these forces
Let us call on the ancient ones,
Trees, animals and creatures
Who have been here for thousands of years,
Guide us please,
We humans are so very young
And need help learning how to live in harmony.
Teach us how to walk with reverence and care,
Show us how to tend the ground
So through our lives
Healing, justice, compassion, understanding and peace
Take root and grow.
May our prayers be rooted,
May they rise like incense,
May the offerings of our hands be received as a gift. (Psalm 141:2)
Love to all,
Rabbi Yael
Shabbat Shalom!
