The eternal flame. The Ner Tamid. The light that continues to burn, witnessing our prayers, pleas, tears, and joy. A symbol of G-d’s omnipresence in our lives. In ancient times, templekeepers devoted much of their time to tending the sacred flame on the altar of our ancestors. To borrow from Quaker tradition, each one of us holds within an “inner light”. Your soul, your neshamah, glows your life from within your body. The light of the Divine is within you. How are you tending that flame? 🔥✨ #Judaism #rabbi #eternallight #soul #nertamid #california #aju #losangeles #jewish #kohenet #hebrew #priestess #wisdom #kohenettribe #seminary #socal #shul #synagogue #temple #altar #sacred #prayer #fire #sacredfire #art #architecture #quaker #quakerism #light
“The shaman in the Judaic tradition does not rush into a spiritual experience like a famished desert traveler arriving at an oasis. Moses is not desperate for a vision because he knows that looking for one often gets in the way of seeing one. When we put all our energies into seeking we risk not finding, we risk rushing right past it. ‘If you grab for a lot, you’ve come away with nothing.’” -Talmud Bavli, Er’chin 4b trans. Gershon Winkler✨🐍 In the Torah, Moshe wanders through the desert, but he is not seeking anything in particular. Instead, he walks through the wilderness with a sense of openness to wonder. He does not cry out to G-d, “Please, help me, guide me, enlighten me!” Instead, he is present with his work, tending his flock, pouring forth his energy into service to the animals. It is at that time that he sees a bush aflame, and as he looks into it, he hears the Divine Voice calling to him. He responds: “Hineini” — “Here I am”. It is at that moment that he receives the word of G-d.
It is all too easy to rush through our lives, focusing on what we think enlightenment looks and feels like. But in truth, the moments when we are most vulnerable are the moments when there is space for the Divine voice of intuition to come through us. It’s easy to be afraid of this vulnerability, and even to hide from it, feigning openness when in reality we are attached to our own egotistical vision of what spiritual engagement looks like. If we are courageous, we allow ourselves to commit to presence in our work, remaining open to unexpected moment — no matter how uncomfortable it feels — when G-d calls out to us. It takes courage to say, “Hineini, I am here. I am listening.” This is faith. This is trust. Do not seek, but instead simply listen...✨
#talmud #wisdom #judaism #jewish #rabbi #babyloniantalmud #seminary #clergy #priestess #hebrew #kohenet #kohenettribe #wilderness #wildernessculture #gershonwinkler #desert #bamidbar #moses #faith #spitiruality #california #sierranevada #easternsierras #witch #witchcraft #sacred #ritual #feminist #mountains #femalerabbi
