[Written on a Hilltop, March 19th, 2006]
It was a sunny but windy evening here in Tfas today - the "Spirit (ruach) City" was alive. Our balcony facing the mountains extended a strong invitation to host my Mincha prayers. Before beginning, I sat for a while with my Siddur on my lap. I closed my eyes and positioned my face so that it was directly in the wind's stampede.
My pre-Mincha moment turned into a sort of wind-meditation. My thoughts turned to nothing and the wind entered the hollow place in my relaxed mind. In a way, I became one with the wind.
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The wind moves consistently in one direction. It will slow down, but never turn around suddenly and reject its path. It is unafraid in its mission, confident with its actions.
The wind has its own mission, but wraps up everyone it meets in its delight and enthusiasm. It won't keep things to itself.
The wind sustains others in the most natural and essential way, but without asking for credit. It breathes life and comfort and peace into the inhabitants of its atmosphere without the feeling of self-sacrifice.
The wind never discriminates. It will catch you if it can, and won't swerve in the other direction to avoid you if it doesn't like your attitude.
Every subject is unique and vital in the eyes of the wind. It will give equally to all, caressing everything that lies in its path.
Every barrier is absorbed by the wind, and it doesn't need to stop and cry or throw a fit. It pushes forward with grace, accepting its new course with renewed excitement.
The wind can get strong, but it never hurts. It makes a sweet whistling noise when it's in a rage, and its sternness is most effective with its subtlety.
The wind is always there, but never calls attention to itself. When the wind is most present, we see it in the trees, the leaves, and the people - the life around it that it touched and changed. In fact, when the wind is in its prime, we see it everywhere - except in the wind itself. And exactly when its imprint is seen on "others," it is called by its name.
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The learning here has enlivened a unity that is constantly giving me the insight to take true inspiration from nature. I'm humbled by the many teachers that G-d implanted in this world. They are infinite. A person in G-d's home is never separated from learning, internalizing, emulating.
The wind was strong today but it gently whispered in my ear, "Come with me." I responded by opening my Siddur and praying. I could almost see my words dancing away with the breeze, forever entwined with the wind.
6 comments:
This post was already on your blog right? But it's good to bring it out again because you probably have many new writers, and this is one of my favorite posts. And the sicha rollercoaster. And lots of other posts. ;-)
Passionate, expressive, and throughly enjoyable.
Thanks for bringing back great memories.
beautiful mim,
making me think about tsfat.
today i am thinking about being outside of tsaft. being able to be mashpia. creating an environment, not just being absorbed in one.
it is a different avoda.
tonight i was inspired to create my environment, like a chossid ought to.
it was my greatgrandfather's 50th yarzeit. he came to australia in 1912, by himself, stood tall, and remained a chossid.
he developed what is now a thriving jewish community, boruch hashem.
a chossid definately can create the environement he is in. he has an air about him. people want to talk to him about holy things. he is confident, and humble.
and sometimes, often, he finds himself outside of wonderful places like tsfat, but he manages to share some of its air and energy with the people he surrounds himself with.
it is a struggle.
all my innards ache for tzfat after reading this post.
right now, not only do i feel enveloped by the wind and its meaning, but i also feel kissed by those sensational clouds that tend to float onto our porches in tzfat.
(what happened to the previous post? was it taken down? it was so important.)
avital.. its more than that- its the whole POINT.. and ur doin a gud job m'dear :-)
u know, its so hard to find the balance. Maybe its not so hard to be physically in one place, but have ur head in another-- but what when your head is somewhere else too.. anyways, you are def right about the extra strength you have, but you really have to channel in to it, and that ability isnt a birth right (unfortuntly), and thats what is really hard.. see u in real life sometime :-)
people want to talk to him about holy things- I like that! It's good way to know whether you're on the right track or not- if ppl wanna talk to you about holy things! yasher kochech!
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