Vayera – Genesis 18:1-22:24

Nov 1 to 7, 2020 | 20 Heshvan 5781

G’d Revealed: Be Not Far From Me

Vayera heralds a new era. In this parsha, we are instructed to leave the past behind, to honor the transformation in human awakening. Three angels arrive to give the improbable message of Isaac’s birth, the inheriting son of the covenant with Avraham, the seed of the moral human being. Clearing out the old ways of interacting continues with the destruction of Sodom.

The contrast between Avraham’s ethics – the height of hospitality – and the rawness of the common culture is stark. Avraham wants to know G’d, while the inhabitants of Sodom want to “know” Lot’s guests. The door to Avraham’s hospitality is a signpost for G’d. In Sodom, the men tried to break down the door to assault Lot’s visitors.

Similarly, the Binding of Isaac revealed to the people of the day that child sacrifice is not what is being asked of us to dwell with the One G’d. We let go of the ties that bind and do not serve.

Sacred Duty of Hospitality

According to a midrash, when travelers would enjoy a meal in Avraham’s tent, for payment he would ask that they acknowledge the true provider of the food, the One G’d. Thus, Avraham is the key figure in raising the consciousness of the day.

And today? We are again in a pattern of chaos before a new consciousness takes hold. Like Lot’s family, we are being asked to let go of the past to prepare for the present, a closer relationship with G’d. When we doubt our underlying progress, please remember the ark of history is long.

We can see this clearly during the shutdown due to COVID. The human experience is changing. We will not go back to the old stasis. Far too outer-directed without reflection, it wasn’t a normal, balanced life anyhow. Inner eyes and ears tell us that we are again in the middle of major shifts. A new pattern is emerging.

Hineyni – Here I am

What is being asked of us today? Then as now, to hear and see signs of G’d. In life’s puzzling ways, we are not alone. We have inner light to help us navigate. Just as when we walk the path of a labyrinth, we set our intention, eyes and ears keenly alert to inner guidance.

Hineyni doesn’t mean “I’m coming” or “I was there”. Vayera envelops us in the here and now. Like Lot’s family escaping the destruction, we are not to look back, lest we get calcified in old ways of experiencing life. Hey, we didn’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil for nothing! By being present now, we prepare for tomorrow.

For this week’s practices, we will seek to open the door to divine guidance. To continue our progression from the external to the internal, and ultimately, to bring the two together, in the marriage of heaven and earth. This is how we can be in tune with the Infinite and the rhythm of life. This beautiful, chaotic, ever changing life. This life right now, right in the heart of all the uncertainty and fear. And yes, joy and laughter. As we listen deeply to the sound of silence, we come to know humanity as one body.

From Hazrat Inayat Khan:

Everything in life is speaking, in spite of its apparent silence.
Every action that we call life has sprung from a source we call silence.
I have seen all souls as my soul, and realized my soul as the soul of all.

WEEKLY PRACTICES: Be Not Far From Me

With the Soul Manifestation Process, we set our intention to strengthen the movement of divine qualities in our lives. As a Jew and a Sufi, the teaching is to enter path to inner connection with G’d through the Heart. And here, the Heart that I speak of exists prior to our physical hearts. I am speaking of the center from which the physical heart is conceived, sustained and purified.

For our practices this week, we’ll draw from acts of LISTENING. Avraham, Hagar, Lot and Avimelekh (in a dream) all hear the voice of G’d. They listen, respond and act. So may we. The door of love opens outward through our hearts. To turn toward the door of the Heart, we will follow these practices of breath, light and sound.

Suggestion: Do one practice a day, or do all 6 consecutively. Remember… have your Journal nearby to jot down any insights that may arise.

Audio Recording – Coming Soon

Breath:

Sitting comfortably with an upright spine, breathe in and out through your nose. Inhale deeply. Exhale completely, eliminating all of the spent air in your lungs. Inhale deeply and focus on your abdomen. Exhale completely. Inhale and focus on your chest, then exhale completely. Once more, inhale and focus on your crown, and then exhale completely.

Breathing comfortably, imagine pure white Light entering through your forehead. On the next breath, imagine this clear light filling your head. On the next breath, filling your upper body. And then your torso to your legs and toes, and down your arms to your fingertips. And now, breathe in the clear light of guidance and exhale light all around you. As you continue to breath comfortably, feel this light of guidance as it enters through your forehead, fills your body, and radiates outward in all directions.

With eyes closed and mouth relaxed and open, breathe in and out through your mouth.  This is the purification breath of Air. Sense the spaciousness in your body. As you exhale, imagine all of your molecules being scattered far and wide. As you inhale, recollect yourself through your Heart center in a more loving, harmonious, beautiful formation. Your inhale is the same length as your exhale, rhythmic and gentle. You are spreading yourself throughout the cosmos as you exhale, reforming yourself in Divine Light as you inhale.

Contemplation:

Following your breath, mentally recite these contemplations drawn from the words of this week’s parsha and from the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Light:

With eyes closed, breathe in and out through the nose. Let your breath be gently and refined. Allow your breath to become shallow. Keep your body still. Breathe gently in and out through the nose.  This is the subtle breath of ether. In this refined state, imagine Light entering through the top of your head, your crown center. Breathe in Light through your crown, exhale Light through the palm of your hands. Allow yourself to receive any shift in awareness that happens. No effort; simply receive in stillness. When you are ready, open your eyes and breathe fully, deeply. Feel a sense of gratitude for the experience of stillness filled with Light.

Sound:

Similar to mantra, to practice Wazifa is to repeat a Name (quality) of G’d. The meaning of the Name, which is encoded in the sound vibration, will be revealed to you through repetition and focus.

To answer of inner call with “Hineni” (I am here) is not about physical location. It means being fully present, being truly here, ready to listen, see and act. This week’s Sufi practice with sound vibration will focus on hearing and seeing: Ya Sami’ and Ya Basir. 

As a starting point, we can say that Ya Sami’ (yaa sa-MEE’) calls on the quality of divine hearing. Ya Sami’ endows you with inner hearing so that you hear all sounds as sacred. Your heart becomes an ear to signs of G’d.

Ya Basir (yaa ba-ṢEER) is divine seeing that is complete in understanding and realization. Your heart become an eye to inner able to perceive signs of the divine presence.

As you inhale, hold and exhale, softly repeat each Name out loud, 33 times. If you are practicing daily, see the suggestion in the table below. Afterward, feel the effects of the sound vibration on your being.

Zikr:

Meaning “remembrance”, Zikr is the repetition of a sacred phrase with the intention of returning to the essence of Unity. Continuing from last week, we will repeat the central Jewish prayer known as the Sh’ma.

In Hebrew:

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד

Shema Yisrael YHWH Eloheinu YHWH Echad

The Sh’ma can be translated as: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one”. LORD is the unpronounceable four letter word יְהוָה – YHWH, the Name of G’d that can’t be named. Instead, we’ll use the word “Adonai“, meaning Lord, or “HaShem“, meaning The Name.

When practicing Zikr, it’s best to use the original language in which the prayer was revealed. As you inhale and exhale, softly repeat out loud, 33 times. Afterward, feel the effects of the vibration on your being.

Nature:

Excellent! Now it’s time to return to the every day world, refreshed, renewed and reconnected.

When you wake up in the morning, recall this week’s practice. When do you feel most connected? When does self-grasping arise? The next time you feel you are in need of connection and renewal, practice the air purification breath. Breathe in and out through the the mouth, feeling the spaciousness of your breath. What affect does that have on your emotions?

Take a moment each day to quietly inhale ya Sami’, exhale, ya Basir. We are in the labyrinth of life, with the ability to see and hear in ways more subtle than the material world. What does your seeing, hearing heart tell you?

Shabbat Shalom!
After 6 days of practice, when Shabbat arrives, observe how this week’s practices shape your Shabbat experience. Be sure to check in Sunday morning for next week’s parsha.

You are invited to comment on how the contemplations and practices for this week have shaped your experience of daily life… any big Ah-ha’s? Please share your thoughts and feelings below.

חַיִּים
L’Hayyim…. To Life!