World of Creation

November 18, 2012 — bat mitzvah, Jewish, Shabbat, Shalom, temple

Mollie’s prayer shawl

I was in temple yesterday much longer than I might have liked. This time, however, Rabbi Frank rocked the universe with his profound statements about Shabbat. The need to rest and restore is a universal requirement for anyone who wants to attain a spiritually inspired life. The Jewish practice of turning away from the worldly work and habits for 24 hours a week is a basic way to tune in to divine guidance regularly. If this is never done, people become convinced that they are completely at cause for everything that happens, and must work harder to control outcomes. Nothing could be more delusional.

The phrases he used were poetic and charged with symbolism. This is the kind of wording that sticks in the mind of listeners. I paraphrase his message here: For 6 days we live in the world of time, one day we step out of time and live in space. For 6 days we deal with all the creations of the world. For one day we deal with the world of creation. For me, this was a stellar explanation of the need to reverse the flow of that everyday grind to find inner guidance. If you think of God the creator in heaven, or believe you are a creative part of the universe, always guided by eternal grace, the concept is still powerful. Be still and know.  Go Rabbi Frank.