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thespectrespecss · 7 months

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MONDAY CURRENTLY VOL. 4

Got home from the province last week, so I wasn't able to actually do anything. And also, it was such a long week last week. I hope I could blog about it this week just to put it out there. Something I could read again in the future, knowing I fought through a tough week BY FAITH.

reading my own Weekly Report for my college requirement. it's probably the hardest report I had to do coz I wasn't really okay last week. I just felt so tired last week, I felt like I didn't accomplish anything at all.

writing some scheduled messages for teams tomorrow as it's another long day for meetings at work and in ministry. Oh the joy of the Lord will be my strength

listening My One and Only by Kim & Skyler Smith. Always a good way to end the day crying out of the overwhelm of God's love. I was listening to We Dance by Bethel Church before this and it's so beautiful to just listen to a song that makes you see how much God is pursuing you. huhu It's been rough and tiring but my spirit will never be dry. He fills me up daily. His grace for me is sufficient. His mercy renews everyday.

thinking God's lovingkindess. I swear, the only thing that's keeping me going is his love. I think if it wasn't for him saving me, I would have probably gone crazy again like before. Thinking so much about where he's saved me from. Oh, what grace.

smelling hmm. I don't I smell anything particular right now. Probably myself coz I didn't take a bath today. Lol.

wishing praying for fear to cower at the mention of Jesus' name. The thing that has been really pulling me down the past week was fear just annoyingly crippling me. I pray for protection from lies and attacks of the enemy. they be getting too pathetic recently.

hoping for a more productive week.

wearing shorts and sando that again are so random. Whatever you pull out of the closet.

loving the team leads I have now at work. So gracious, kind, and very good managers. So grateful for their hearts to teach me everything I need to know and not just leaving me behind. God's grace shows so much through them. I prayed for this.

wanting even a couple of slow days to just breathe and meditate on God's word.

needing a good intentional vacation.

feeling so much feelings. I thank God that he's never repulsed by what I feel. Hay.

#the monday currently #mondayreflections

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rasonatkatotohanan · 2 years

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Knowing God Thru His Attributes: Lovingkindess of God This is one of the perfections of God that serves as a comfort to Christians that God is indeed good and loving. There is a kind of kindness in humans that appears to not have an iota or inclination in doing harm to others but most of the time that is just that and no inclination to doing good as well that is the definition of human kindness…

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hiswordsarekisses · 4 years

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[Hebrew for Christians]: Philip said to him, “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Yeshua replied, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How then can you ask, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:8-9). Yeshua – and Yeshua alone – reveals the heart and truth of God to us, and looking for God “beyond” Him – up in heaven, across the sea, or in the mysteries of unfathomable forces that pervade reality – is ultimately a sign of unbelief and a denial of God Himself. The Father and the Son are of one essence and trying to separate them vitiates the message of Yeshua and makes it appear unfinished.... On the contrary, the work of salvation is finished, and “Whoever has the Son has the life (החיים); but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12). There is no other way to access the heart of the Father than through Yeshua, and Yeshua is the Name above all other names for salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Phil. 2:9-11; John 17:3). Every knee shall bow to Him; there is no other Savior (Isa. 45:21-23). Those who honor the Son honor the Father and understand the heart of creation. To know God is to know the revelation given in the Son, for the Son is God clothed in human skin, reaching out in compassion to heal the trusting sinner from eternal alienation. Just as the Angel of the LORD is the “King of Angels,” the manifestation of God in angelic form, so the Son of Man is the manifestation of the LORD in human form. There is no other Savior; there is no further place to ascend or to seek: Yeshua is the Beginning and End of the Truth of the Compassion of the Eternal God. Let us resolve, then, that with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all that is within us, we shall express the truth of God’s kingdom and the truth of His salvation. Amen.

"Many people love falsehood and only a few love truth. For it is possible to love falsehood truly, but it is impossible to love truth falsely" (R’ Yaakov of Pshischa). May the LORD God of truth (יהוה אֵל אֱמֶת) help us to love truth truly, then, with all our hearts, since love and truth characterize God's rule: As it is written, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; lovingkindess and truth meet before you" (Psalm 89:14).

Truth springs up everywhere; righteousness shines down over all the earth. This primarily concerns the sacrificial work of the Messiah, of which it is rightly said: “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10). Because of the great reconciliation we have through Yeshua, the truth of God shall prevail among men. The “Seed” that was planted in Zion and becomes a Tree of Life throughout all the earth. “Deliverance goes before the LORD, and prepares a pathway for Him” (Psalm 85:13).

We have a moral imperative, given by God Himself, to receive the truth and to live according to the nature of spiritual reality. Those who reject or suppress the truth, however, are responsible for their actions, as it is written, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes” (Psalm 101:7). [Hebrew for Christians]

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lothlorienlover · 5 years

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Give our ruler Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness, Psalm 72:1(NASB) that he may vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor. Psalm 72:4(NASB)

Let his rule be established with righteousness, Proverbs 25:5(NASB) and upheld with mercy. Proverbs 20:28(KJV) Give him long life and length of days forever and ever; and let his glory be great through Your salvation. Make him joyful with gladness in Your presence: through the lovingkindess of the Most High let him not be shaken. Psalm 21:4-7(NASB)

Clothe his enemies with shame, but let him shine; Psalm 132:18(NASB) and continue him long, very long, as a guardian to Your Israel. Isaiah 49:23(NASB)

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progressivejudaism · 7 years

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Food Insecurity and the Birkat Hamazon: Parshat Eikev

Hi all! Here is the sermon that I gave tonight at my student pulpit. I hope that you enjoy!

Shabbat Shalom! This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Eikev, continues Moses’s epic goodbye speech to the Jewish people. Moses spends much of the parsha reminding the Israelites of the Covenant between us and God, preaching about our devotion to God, and the importance of performing mitzvot... so that bad things won’t happen. It’s as if this is the Jewish version of eternal damnation! Within those commandments, includes the mitzvah of thanking God for our food.

A few moments ago, I read about the bounty of food that the Jewish people will receive upon entering the Land of Israel. Just like we did after our beautiful Shabbat dinner as a sacred community, in Parshat Eikev we are commanded to thank God for what we eat.

It’s no secret that I love food. I love cooking and tasting, and learning how to create new and interesting dishes. I come by it honestly, it runs in my family. My brother and I come from a long line of foodies. Our talented mom passed her love down to us, which was passed down from each generation before her. I’m sure that you wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I love Mahene Yehuda, Jerusalem’s open air market or “shuk”. You can pick up almost anything in the Jerusalem Shuk from strawberries and cucumbers to halava and the gooiest and delicious rugelach.

During my first year of Rabbinical School on Friday mornings, you could normally find me in Mahene Yehuda grabbing my pre-Shabbas falafel, my weekly fruits and veggies, and all of the supplies for Shabbat dinner. Wandering through the Shuk on a Friday morning before Shabbat can be overwhelming at best. Being present in such a holy market, always reminded me of how lucky many of us are to have such an abundance of food in our lives. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel speaks about having “radical amazement” for our beautiful world, and this week’s Torah portion reminds us to maintain this “radical amazement” for the food that we are so grateful to enjoy.

Deuteronomy 8:10 reads:

"וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יי אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃"

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall thank Adonai your G-d”

The rabbis of the Talmud used this verse as the basis of why we as Jews recite the Birkat Hamazon for our bounty of food. Medieval commentator Maimonides argues that "‘you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless’ so you will remember the slavery of Egypt…” Like Maimonides alluded to, this commandment allows us to stop, and be mindful of the challenges that we have endured as a people.

I need to mention the elephant in this conversation. While we blessed God for our food, 42.2 million Americans will to bed hungry tonight. That is more than 1 in 8 people, including 13.1 million children and 5.6 million senior citizens. There are so many people who face malnutrition in the world, that their numbers exceed the populations of the United States, Canada, and the entire European Union combined. That includes 34 million children.

I was recently struck by a letter, from a camper named Esther to her rabbi regarding the Birkat Hamazon. Esther writes:

“Dear Rabbi: The kids in our bunk were having a discussion last night whether or not we should say Birkat Ha-mazon, (the blessing for food), [that] the whole camp chants after every meal at Camp Ramah. Earlier in the day, we had a discussion about the millions of people who are suffering from starvation throughout the world. Thousands die from hunger daily. We, therefore, wonder whether we should thank God, who in the words of the Birkat Ha-mazon, ‘feeds the whole world with Their goodness, with lovingkindess and tender mercy… who provides for all Their creatures whom They have created.’ Can we say these words without feeling hypocritical?” Love, Esther

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַזָּן... אֶת הכלֹ...?

Blessed are you Adonai our God ruler of all, who... feeds all…?

How can we thank God for feeding all of us, when so many people are hungry? Time and time again, our tradition teaches us to help those who most need it. From Abram and Sarai who feed three desert wanderers, to the literature of the prophets who, in the words of Jeremiah, teach that we must do what is “just and right,” and of Isaiah, who reminds us to “share our bread with the hungry.” On Passover, we’re reminded that matza is “the bread of affliction [that] our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.” We are called upon to “let all who are hungry come and eat [and to] let all who are in need come share our Passover” meal, because, as it is said in Proverbs, “צְדָקָ֥ה תְרֽוֹמֵֽם־גּ֑וֹי,” “tzedakah exalts a nation.” Contributing our time, effort, and goods to help others is a cornerstone, possibly the cornerstone of Judaism.

But Josh, how can we thank God for feeding all of the people of the world, “הַזָּן אֶת הכל,” while every human being does not have enough food to eat? Is this prayer “just and right”? Is the recognition of our “radical amazement” for our bounty of food appropriate when “הַזָּן אֶת הכל,” feeder of all, is so questionable?

I’m curious what you all think of these two different answers:

Answer #1: The Cyber Rav, Rabbi Rafi Rank, from Jewishpost.com, argues that “‘hazan et hakol’ [can be translated] to mean that God feeds us in ways that human beings cannot, that is, God feeds us and sustains us with Torah,” with learning, and with Jewish values. The Cyber Rav argues that because the first part of the blessing talks about God feeding us with goodness, the text isn’t referring to food, but to how we are divinely fed with “understanding, the motivation, [and] the imperative to do what is right and just. This is the whole idea of not living by bread alone. We require other things that are just as important as bread, if not more so.”

The Cyber Rav sees the issue through a metaphorical lens. Does God feed all who recite the Birkat Hamazon with Jewish values instead of food? Is that the “et hakol,” “the all,” of the prayer? Is this just a metaphor?

Answer #2: Esther’s rabbi also has a wonderful response. He argues that because food insecurity is a human-made problem caused by greed and uncompassionate people, it is our job to fix the issue. He believes that if we affirm “God’s goodness in providing food for all, we [will] rededicate ourselves to making that fact a reality.”

The rabbi believes that we should recite our thanksgiving for food “louder and louder, until that blessed day comes, when everybody will be able to say the Birkat Ha-mazon in a world where none will go hungry.” In a way, the rabbi found a loophole where he both urged Esther to continue the tradition of reciting the Birkat Hamazon with her community while cleverly reminding her, and her bunkmates, of the importance of using a loud voice in creating a change. In the task of fixing our world, Tikkun Olam, our voices can have a transformative effect on society.

As a young college student preparing donations at my home congregation’s soup kitchen with my family, I still remember my mom nearly breaking down as she put herself in the shoes of one of the many families that we were helping. My mom imagined what our life would have looked like if she and my father could not feed my brother and I. For my mother who passed her love of food to her children, the holy work that we were doing encouraged her to think about life differently. This moment continues to inspire me to help as many people as possible put food on their tables.

On the New York campus of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, we host a weekly soup kitchen in our basement on Monday nights. Although I often can’t make it to volunteer due to other commitments, I always tell people about it on the subway, or on the streets when asked for help. Yes, sometimes people blow me off, and often I get strange looks from other New Yorkers, but a conversation that I had a few months ago with an older woman continues to inspire me. As I exited the platform in a rush to get up the stairs and to my next destination, a woman with big beautiful eyes approached me for help. Although I don’t remember much of what we said to one another, the gratitude that welled up in her eyes and on her face was indescribable. I shared with her a very human moment, a very sacred moment, and a moment filled with compassion and respect for one another.

הַזָּן אֶת הכל...God feeds all: This act fed my soul. The beautiful gift of love that I know God has granted all human beings, fed my soul. My soul was nourished because I used my voice to help God feed us all.

Esther’s rabbi ends his letter with the same call that I give to you this Shabbat. In parshat Eikev, we are called upon to thank God for the endless supply of food that exists for all of us. The parsha reminds us to make the world a less hungry place, thus feeding our souls in the process.

Let’s continue this holy work together in order to help others access food in the United States, Israel, and around the world. But also, we must teach others about this grave injustice. If you have a chance, please visit Mazon.org or pick up a flier from me after our Tefilla. “Mazon: a Jewish Response to Hunger” is a Jewish organization which provides educational resources to millions, many of which I used to prepare this sermon. They also create opportunities for Jews to provide their time, labor, and finances to make the dream of “,הַזָּן אֶת הכל”, “who feeds all”, a reality.

The following appears in midrash: When you are asked in the world to come, “What was your work?” and you answer, “I fed the hungry,” you will be told, “This is the gate of Adonai, enter into it, you who have fed the hungry.”

Kein Yehi Ratzon, May it be God’s will.

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kaylah-erin · 7 years

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10/17

I pray that my husband is drawn by Your lovingkindess. Allow his heart, mind, and soul to be penetrated by the depth of Your love, Lord. I pray that You would guide us into the callings and gifts that You have given us. Give him a heart of faith that never sways from being embedded in You. I pray for the divine revelation given by the Holy Spirit to come upon him and continue to lead and direct him in each step. I pray that Your word be hidden in his heart. I pray for peace that surpasses understanding to continuously guard his heart. I pray for him to find joy daily in You, Lord. I pray that the joy of You is his strength. I pray over his entire being, and ask that You would deeply edify and strengthen him to stand courageously in the things of the Spirit, discerning what is of You and what is not. Let him grow and mature in his walk and relationship with You, Lord. Let him always keep You as his First Love. Teach him to love and live according to Your word in every single area.

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kjvpsalms · 4 years

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Psalm 48

A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.

2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

4 For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.

5 They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.

6 Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

7 Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.

9 We have thought of Thy lovingkindess, O God, in the midst of Thy temple.

10 According to Thy name, O God, so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth: Thy right hand is full of righteousness.

11 Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Thy judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

13 Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.

#Psalms #Psalm 48 #Scripture #Bible #God

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onjordansbank · 7 years

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Womanhood

The opposite of a wimpy woman is not a brash, pushy, loud, controlling, sassy, uppity, arrogant Amazon. The opposite of a wimpy woman is 14-year-old Marie Durant, a French Christian in the 17th century who was arrested for being a Protestant and told she could be released if she said one phrase: “I abjure.” Instead, wrote on the wall of her cell, “Resist,” and stayed there 38 years until she died, doing just that.

The opposite of a wimpy woman is Gladys Staines who in 1999, after serving with her husband Graham in India for three decades learned that he and their two sons, Phillip (10) and Timothy (6), had been set on fire and burned alive by the very people they had served for 34 years, said, “I have only one message for the people of India. I’m not bitter. Neither am I angry. Let us burn hatred and spread the flame of Christ’s love.”

The opposite of a wimpy woman is her 13-year-old daughter Esther (rightly named!) who said, when asked how she felt about her father’s murder, “I praise the Lord that He found my father worthy to die for Him.”

The opposite of a wimpy woman is Joni Eareckson Tada who has spent the last 41 years in a wheel chair, and prays, “Oh, thank you, thank you for this wheel chair! By tasting hell in this life, I’ve been driven to think seriously about what faces me in the next. This paralysis is my greatest mercy”

The opposite of a wimpy woman is Suzie who lost her husband four years ago at age 59, found breast cancer three months later, then lost her mom and writes, “Now I see that I have been crying for the wrong kind of help. I now see, that my worst suffering is my sin—my sin of self-centeredness and self-pity… . I know that with His grace, his lovingkindess, and his merciful help, my thoughts can be reformed and my life conformed to be more like His Son.”

John Piper

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sarahburness · 7 years

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How Feeling Shame Freed Me from Suffering

“Be gentle first with yourself if you wish to be gentle with others.” ~Lama Yeshe

It was October, 2012. The U.S. Presidential Election was around the corner. I was paying an unaccustomed amount of attention to political news on TV and to political discussion sites online. At one site in particular, I was eager to become part of the community, to make a good impression, to build a reputation.

To put it mildly, that didn’t work out well.

One evening I was watching an interview with a politician whose name I recognized, but I didn’t know much about him. I thought he was making some cogent points about the topic at hand. I went to the online discussion site to see whether anyone had mentioned this interview yet, and when I found no one had, I hastily composed a post praising the politician and suggesting that others should watch the interview.

The reaction was fast and fierce. How could I have anything nice to say about this nincompoop, who was renowned far and wide as a hypocrite? Where was my sense? Where were my ideals? Where was my head? What did I think I was doing there in the first place?

I was mortified. I, who had always prided myself on intellectual acumen, had totally failed to do my homework. I hadn’t done even the most cursory research to learn anything about the politician’s history.

I felt I’d made an ass of myself. I was so ashamed that I didn’t even visit the site for weeks. I was genuinely in pain.

Now I’m going to have to briefly flash back in time so the next part of the story will make sense.

At that time, in 2012, it had been almost ten years since a beloved spiritual teacher had died. I had shut down my spiritual life to a great extent after his death. You might say it was a long freeze. Or maybe “fallow period” would be a better description. Later events would make that seem like a good way to look at it.

While I was ashamed and hurting in the aftermath of my online blunder, I recalled something I’d heard my teacher say more than once, something like this: “When you see a tack on your chair, sit on it.”

That may sound enigmatic, but I think the metaphor is straightforward. What it meant to me, anyway, was that we should not flee from fully allowing an experience that might impart an important point. We should sit on the point, not avoid it.

I made a vow then. I promised myself I wouldn’t avoid my intense sense of shame. I wouldn’t brush it under the rug. I wouldn’t cover it or deflect it with distractions, entertainments, excuses, or rationalizations. I would experience it fully, let it do its work, and see what happened.

I’m not pretending that I had any specific practice beyond that. I’ve since learned some that I’ll mention a little later. But at the time, I simply stuck to my vow. Whenever the feeling of shame came to visit, I didn’t shoo it away or distract myself. I allowed myself to experience it.

It’s not even that I was inclined to turn toward TV or eating or any other concrete distraction. What I mean by “distract myself” is subtler. It’s a small mental move of avoidance, of turning the attention away from something uncomfortable. Its opposite is mindful awareness, facing experience head-on come what may.

Everything began to change within a few weeks. There was no one moment when the painful sense of shame evaporated, leaving nothing but clarity and peace. No, it happened gradually over a period of weeks. Each time I welcomed shame as a visitor, it lost some of its sting.

What finally became of it? All I can say is it was transmuted. It dissolved, and in its place arose a sense of peace and a new, calm engagement with the truth of being.

I recognized that whatever arises in experience is always already present by the time we can react. Whether it’s comfort or discomfort, joy or distress, calm or chaos, it can be witnessed with equanimity.

I began to notice old friends posting on Facebook about spiritual teachers and teachings they liked. I looked into some of them and found I liked them too. The long freeze had given way to a thaw. The fallow period was coming to an end. I felt a sense of regeneration, of reawakening.

How does this work? If it seems counterintuitive to you that diving into pain is a good idea, that amplifying discomfort can be helpful, consider this simple question: What are we doing when we feel that we’re suffering? In other words, what mental activity are we engaging?

It seems to me that above all else, the answer is we’re actively refusing ourselves compassion. When faced with discomfort or pain, we try to resist it or deny it. We’re judging ourselves, chastising ourselves for the feelings that arise spontaneously. Most of us wouldn’t do it to another, certainly not to a loved one, yet we do it to ourselves. That’s the suffering right there.

In this instance, the active mechanism was a kind of a thought loop. It went something like this:

That was really stupid, what I did.

How could I be so dumb? I’m smart, not dumb!

I humiliated myself in public.

I can never show my face there again.

(Repeat forever.)

Each of those thoughts reinforces a sense of emotional pain, of suffering. They whirl around and seem to amplify each other. It feels as if there’s no way out. I kept beating myself up.

That’s exactly what it was. I was beating myself up. I was pummeling myself with those ideas. I was treating myself entirely without compassion and empathy, as if I hated myself, and I didn’t seem to know how to stop.

Notice that by this point the nature of the original mistake didn’t matter. It could have been as trivial as cursing out loud or as serious as committing a felony. The thought loop of suffering was running obsessively on its own momentum. It was no longer about the original offense. It was self-sustaining.

It reminds me of an experience years ago. When I was a teenager, I was admitted to the hospital for an appendectomy. In the recovery room, as I slowly emerged from the anesthetic fog, the room seemed filled with loud screams. I barely had time to wonder what they were about when I noticed that I was the one who was screaming! I stopped immediately. There was pain, yes, but no need to make it worse by screaming.

It’s an imperfect analogy, but I see a significant parallel: I had to notice the self-defeating action before I could stop it. In the instance of my shame it happened that by keeping my promise, by sitting on the tack, by diving into the pain, somehow I created a space where I had an opportunity to notice what I was doing and to stop it, gradually. I began to see an opportunity to embrace myself with kindness and compassion, and I took it.

Practices

As I mentioned, I’ve learned some specific practices to take advantage of the opportunity, to enhance and deepen the process.

Metta (lovingkindess) meditation

I find that this traditional meditation opens the heart and helps to cultivate compassion towards oneself and others. My version begins with visualizing the warmth and love I feel when seeing or meeting a loved one. It could be a spouse, child, parent, dear friend, or even a beloved pet. Then I say to myself:

May they be safe from harm.

May they be truly happy.

May they be free from suffering.

May they be loved.

Then I picture myself at my most open and vulnerable, when I’m hurting and in need of that same love and compassion. And I say to myself:

May I be safe from harm.

May I be truly happy.

May I be free from suffering.

May I be loved.

I can then extend that to my circle of friends, to the planet, and to all sentient beings everywhere. Practicing this regularly deeply affects the feeling nature.

Ho’oponopono

Based on a traditional Hawaiian practice for community healing, the modernized version I use resembles a variation I heard from Scott Kiloby. Here’s how I engage it:

When I notice a feeling that seems distressful, first I simply sit quietly with it, acknowledging it and allowing myself to feel it.

I ask for the stories surrounding the feeling to reveal themselves, and I allow hearing the stories to intensify the feeling. The thought loop I mentioned is a perfect example of those stories.

I dive into the feeling with naive curiosity, looking to sense all its aspects. I’m not trying to soften it or push it away, but at this stage it may begin to soften.

I say to the feeling: “I love you. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.” The important thing is that I have to mean it. I have to be prepared to live with it indefinitely, to welcome it indefinitely. After all, it’s part of me. It is me.

In retrospect, what I did by sitting on the tack of shame was closest to practicing Ho’oponopono.

For me, the whole experience emphasizes how important it is to include the heart in our practice, in our lives. When we find ourselves relying on mental analysis, it’s often judgmental and hurtful, especially to ourselves.

Both aspects can be useful, but the heart never judges, never condemns, never excludes. It knows how to heal us and make us whole.

About Steve Diamond

Founder of More Than Mindful, in Tucson, Arizona, Steve has meditated and studied nonduality for more than forty years. A former information technology executive, Steve now offers mindfulness classes in Tucson as well as individual coaching to clients worldwide. His inclusive, holistic, compassionate style is evident in the guided meditation audios that can be streamed and downloaded from his website.

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The post How Feeling Shame Freed Me from Suffering appeared first on Tiny Buddha.

from Tiny Buddha https://tinybuddha.com/blog/shame-freed-me-from-suffering/

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progressivejudaism · 7 years

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how exactly is zionism defined? bc i love israel and the idea of a jewish state but i wouldn't consider myself a zionist

Hi there,

“Zionism is defined as the desire for the Jewish people to have peaceful, sovereignty and/or autonomy in their historic, ancient homeland. Zionism is an ancient tradition that lives in Jewish liturgy and literature that only became a reality for the Jewish people in the 18th - 20th centuries. Zionism can be considered a political force, a social force and/or a religious force.

Just like there are many ways to understand various political issues in any country, there is a spectrum of what it means to be a Zionist in the 21st century. From radical left-wing, right-wing to centrist opinions, there is a tangled political web of different ideas regarding Israeli politics just like those that exist in other countries.” (Please check out the FAQ section for other great questions and answers!)

Zionism and Israeli politics fall on a political spectrum. Similar to how one could love America but wholeheartedly disagree with the current administration, one could love Isreal but completely disagree with the far-right wing politics of the current Knesset and a lot of what the Lekud party stands for. Although you might not consider yourself a Zionist, by definition if you love Israel and the idea of a Jewish State, you are a Zionist! As the Jewish political ideology, we must fight for an Israel that fits our values as liberal/progressive Jews.

Many liberally minded, have created the need for the development of resources that can aid folks in learning about the vast issues that Israel faces. The hope of Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem) is still alive and well in our desire to build a better Israel that is more just, open, democratic, equal, peaceful, and filled with lovingkindess. You can be a Zionist understands that most (if not all) issues in Israel are complicated, and many leaders and congregants do not support the Occupation because their Zionism teaches them that every nation deserves to live sovereignly in their homeland.

In the World Zionist Congress, the North American Reform and Reconstructionist Movement’s Zionist platform (the Association for Reform Zionists of America or ARZA) in the last elections included:

-The establishment of a Palestinian State- (the 2-State Solution)

-Religious Plurality and acceptance of non-Orthodoxy Jewry and converts

-Furthering gender equality in the State- specifically at the Western Wall

Beyond this organization, many liberal Jews often look to organizations such as Jstreet, IfNotNow, and BreakingtheSilence for guidance.

Since the assassination of Yithak Rabin (the center-left political figure who almost brought peace to Israel and Palestine) by the far-Israeli right in the 1990s, many have lost hope. But we cannot lose hope! Progressive/liberal Zionism is an ever-growing political ideology in Israel and around the Jewish world.

Please please please send me any questions that you might have regarding Zionism, Jewish identity, liberalism in the state of Israel etc!

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