Saturday, May 11, 2013

לב – Heart

As I sit on my bed, MacBook on my lap, reading terrifying news from around the world I can hear birds chirping out my bedroom window.  My neighbors grey-water system water fall trickles soothingly and steadily in complimentary rhythm.  My serenity.  I can close my eyes and drink in the sounds of spring time.

I open my eyes and scan another article.  An Israel air strike last weekend in Syria.  The civil war in Syria is still threatening to spill over our borders in the north east.  The Hamas ran Gaza strip has still fired rockets into southern Israel while residents were celebrating the beginning of Lag B'Omer.  Hezbollah in Lebanon is teetering on the edge of joining the Syrian soldiers against the rebels.  Meanwhile in the US, a couple of psychos bombed a marathon in Boston and fertilizer plant exploded causing massive damage.

This sharp contrast between peace, harmony and beauty versus terror, war, and devastation is like teetering on the fence of sanity and insanity.  Do I dare taste the fruit of the tree of knowledge between good and evil?  It's all just one click away.  In the palm on my hand sits my smartphone, the miniature sized computer that, with the tap of a finger, can give me a wide range of answers to looming questions.    Do I dare to get them answered?  Instead I read headlines and scan over a few articles that catch my eye, taking a break from the black hole of bleak-sounding news from around the world.  It helps me to breathe a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, back at home... in Tekoa the wind picks up and blows fiercely out my window.

To live in Israel, to be an Israeli in the Jewish homeland, you must really really want it.  You have to work hard to be a citizen.  You must be ready to fight for your rights, your place, your home.  Not only ready to stand up for Israel's right to exist, but your own personal existence as well.  In a country in modern infancy things like bureaucracy, diplomacy, and even pleasantries can be hard to come by.

This is what we have.  This small sliver of land that is disputed all over the world.  Even intellectual greats like Stephen Hawking choose to boycott against Israel, the only democracy in the middle east.  This means that his support is for "Palestine", a nation of "displaced refugees" who's national charter calls for the complete annihilation of the country I call home.  For this man, boycotting Israel should not be a limited one.  If he truly is going to boycott Israel, he should please remove the Israeli Intel technology that helps him and allows him to speak.

Mr. Hawking was invited to a conference in Israel hosted by President Shimon Peres called Facing Tomorrow.  This conference is meant to bring together a diverse group of 5,000 world leaders and intellectuals for discussions on an array of pressing world topics including; geopolitics, economics, environment and culture.  President Peres, a Nobel Prize laureate is using his position and political capital to address some of the world's most pressing issues.  "To boycott this effort is not reasoned criticism but rather pure chutzpa - an attempt to destroy an Israeli initiative not on its merits, but simply because it originates in the Jewish state." - Yvette Alt Miller via Stephen Hawking and the Israel Boycott - Sometimes very smart people do very dumb things.

Situations like these blatant anti semitic protests tend to leave me at a loss for words.  There is nothing that I can say or express that would accurately depict the racism and ignorance that I see.  That, makes me sad. 

Fortunately I was able to read something good in the news this past week.  A man by the name of Charles Ramsey became an over night hero when he responded to the screams of a woman in distress in Cleveland, OH.  This imperfect man with a scattered past did what was right and what needed to be done.  "There was a woman in distress, so why turn your back on that?" he told interviewers.  On that day, Charles Ramsey rose to the challenges he faced and was the man he had the potential to be.

We all have that potential within us.  We have the potential to be the greatest possible version of ourselves.  When we're scanning the news and feeling overwhelmed by the hatred and violence that surrounds us we can think to ourselves about how we positively affect our olam hakatan (our personal small world).  Our home, our neighborhood, our community, our city, our country... Do we have it within us to be a Charles Ramsey?  To ignore that inner voice that says we've done wrong, we've hurt, we've lied, we've cheated?  Instead just do what needs to be done to help others?  To turn down the cash reward and be humble?  

Charles Ramsey gives me hope that the intrinsic goodness of mankind is still in there... somewhere, despite the ignorance of intellectual greats like Stephen Hawking.  

Just a few days ago, the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, I celebrated my 32nd birthday.  In gematria (Hebrew numerology), the number 32 correlates with the Hebrew letters lamed ל and bet ב... spelling LEV לב - HEART.  As many friends and family have told me the year of "Heart" should lead to an opening of the heart.  To that merit, I bless each and every one of you to also have an opening of the heart.  You should find your inner strength and heroism in the face of intolerance and cruelty.  Open your hearts to joy and love.  Only then will we be able to make this world a better place for us, our children and our children's children.


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On a final note... I found some interesting information about astrology according to the Hebrew calendar.  The month of Iyar makes me a Taurus whereas my English birthday (May 31) makes me a Gemini.  Since I'm living on the cusp of two signs, I've included both passages.

"We do not study astrology so we can learn how to draw up people's horoscopes. On the contrary, the purpose of kabbalistic astrology is to rise above the influences of the cosmos and take control over our own lives." - Wisdom in Astrology


IYAR (TAURUS)
Taurus is a fixed sign, ruled by Venus (Noga, in Hebrew), and the Hebrew letters Pei and Vav. Taurus' inner energy is fire, as it is the left column of the earth signs. Because Taurus is an earth sign, Taureans are in a constant search for stability in life and financial security. They are typically self-employed business owners which places them in "control" of their monies and property. Taureans have a very strong will to purchase and buy property, houses, land and real estate – all in order to support their need for security. Taureans are very capitalistic, jealous and possessive of their property. They will frequently experience loss of money to learn to let go of the physical world's domination over their lives.
Taureans have healing powers and deep talents to be doctors, astrologers, artists, chefs, singers and, of course, businesspeople. The Hebrew name for the month is Iyar, which stands for "Ani Hashem Rofecha" – "I am God, your Healer". This offers us all the ability to instigate healing processes during this month.  Taurus is associated with the Thyroid gland and the neck, best known by their "stiff-necked" stubbornness.
The entire month of Iyar falls during the period of Sefirat Haomer (the Counting of the Omer). During this time we count 49 days between Pesach and Shavuot, and each day gives us an opportunity to correct negative things we did in our past. These 49 days are seven times seven different levels of negativity, all leading up to the revelation on Mount Sinai and Immortality, accessed on Shavuot. Because the month of Iyar always falls during the Omer, it is time of low energy. It is a time in which we can earn the Light that we received on Pesach and prepare ourselves for freedom from all forms of death and end – in relationships, business, health, and all aspects of life.


SIVAN (GEMINI)

Sivan is the third month of the Hebrew (lunar) year, and is Central Column of the air signs.

The controlling planet is Mercury, in Hebrew – KochavKochav's numerical value is Caf Vav = 26 (the Yud Hei Vav Hei or the Tetragrammaton) and Caf Bet = 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, together creating the most powerful and energetic combination.

Mercury is the planet of communication, which means it has the qualifications of an electrical cable, telephone wire, a teacher, an adviser, a story teller - basically anything that can transfer any information from point a to point b.
The letter (Zayin) created the sign of Gemini and the letter (Resh) created Mercury. Together these two letter create the word Raz, whose numerical value is 207 - Light (Or). Raz also means secret (sod) in Hebrew.
Many secrets were revealed in the cosmos during the month of SivanSivan is known as the month of "Matan Torah - the giving of the Torah." The sixth day of the month, the holiday of Shavuot, is the cosmic day on which we finish the the counting of the Omer and culminates the 49 days that we began counting on the first day of Pesach. When the awesome light of freedom was revealed on Pesach, this light was given to us with no effort from our side. That is why we "count the Omer"; to build vessels, through correcting our actions that cause the Light to be concealed. On this fiftieth day after Pesach, we reach the level of Binah. An awesome amount of light is revealed on this day, as it is the anniversary of when people of the world received the Torah. The energy of Zeir Anpin - the endless Light of "bila hamavet lanetzach – when death was swallowed up forever, which resulted in immortality. The very same energy of immortality is revealed each year on Shavuot. The Ari says that whoever remains awake on Shavuot, engaging in Zohar study, is promised to be total protection and safety until Rosh Hashanah.
Geminis are intellectuals who have the desire to know everything, and an unlimited curiosity to collect information of every kind. This is because knowledge is power, and the more information gathered today will make future choices easier to make. The Gemini's need to collect information enables them to choose what is good and what is bad, what is right or wrong. This explains Gemini's tendency to jump from one subject to the other, and that is why, of course, they have many questions, doubts and uncertainties. The end result is their reluctance to enter any sort of commitment.
The solution for this personal obstacle is to find a teacher, someone that is able to give satisfactory answers to all questions. This will enable the Gemini to focus on one way, one God, which gives them a better chance to reach certainty. There is no greater teacher than a Gemini with a firm sense of certainty. As a communication sign, Gemini can be the perfect channel, one who can learn, understand and teach. The ideal for a Gemini is to be a channel for as many people as possible, especially for those who are lost on their path, and help others to reach their own personal certainty.
The duality of Gemini is expressed in every area of life. They embody the ability to do more then one task at the same time, as well as the the difficulty to commit in relationships. They have trouble with loyalty to one political party (as the servant of two masters), and they tend to change moods, like the wind changes direction and strength. That is why Geminis can be a different person each day.