Holidays
Shavuot is a pilgrimage in time and space. In ancient times, it was one of three yearly festival days of holy hajj, a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The festival began as an agricultural festival to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest. Over time it has become a celebration of the receiving of Torah at Mount Sinai, the most precious spiritual fruit, the revelation of one’s purpose and original nature.
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When we break the word Pesach into two root words, pei (mouth) and sach (conversing), this first Jewish festival becomes the Festival of Conversing Mouth, a dynamic exchange between generations, with words, food, song and ritual. And this is how it is in fact celebrated. At the Passover table we retell the story of an escape to freedom as if it happened to us. We step into the shoes of everyone who has ever strode forth to freedom.
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The Jewish festival of Purim and the Hindu festival of Holi are always on the same full moon. It’s especially remarkable because sometimes it’s the third full moon in the solar calendar and sometimes its the fourth. Holi and Purim always travel together.
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On the first night of Chanukah this year we asked the children in my daughter’s house, and then the elders, what’s one thing you can do to be like the first Chanukah candle and bring more light into the world? The first child said, bring more happiness to people. Another said, be kind. The elders said, reach out to one friend each day with whom you haven’t connected for a while. Make a donation to something important every day. Cook and welcome people into your home.
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The word sukkah in Torah refers to temporary dwelling-shelters. Torah instructs the refugees from slavery, still searching for their own land, to assemble these “booths” before the seventh full moon of the year. Each household is to dwell in a sukkah for seven days each year after Yom Kippur in the wilderness and when they settle in the land.
What is it that is sheltered? Not the body. These aren’t physical shelters because the instructions are very specific to build temporary huts open to the sky, the rain and the wind.
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What is the purpose of the great emptying out that we do on Yom Kippur? We empty ourselves of food, festive clothing, keeping time and our will. We suspend all requesting. It is a day of great surrender and emptying. This is scary. It takes us over the edge of everything in which we habitually take refuge, other than the complete ineffable Source of Life.
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As I prepare to enter the Jewish year 5784 and the first 10 days of preparation for continued aliveness, I am struck by the beautiful weaving of Jewish, Buddhist and Nonviolent Communication concepts and practices.
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During the week of Passover, there are special daily Torah readings for each day. We read a compendium of entries about Passover from different books in the Torah. They tell and retell the Exodus story, reflecting new aspects of the story when they are read in relation to each other.
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On the first night of Passover we broke the middle matzoh, the matzoh that represents the middle way between overwhelm and apathy, between ignoring my own needs and ignoring the needs of others. We sent the children at the seder table on a search to find and restore the brokenness that arises from these dualities. Now on this last day of Passover, we celebrate the matzoh as the bread of liberation. We fill ourselves with hope by remembering that everywhere in the world there are people coming together to regenerate human connection, the health and aliveness of earth and a path that will lead us to unitary consciousness. Everywhere there are the plagues of darkness, there are people inspired to create new ways of creating a peaceful and just world. Just as we have carefully chosen edible foods during Passover, we can choose to fill our consciousness with compassionate and visionary people and actions going on all over the world. Thus we can rejoice and contribute to the urgently needed evolution of our species.
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