Heavy Hearted Spring

It’s beautiful in nature right now, but so painful and ugly in the world of power and money and control, the shadow world that over shadows everything.

I’m exhausted. We all are. Even the people actively trying to kill me and mine. They too are exhausted by the ever present shadow that devours the playful joy of being human. Replaces it with violence and struggle and cruelty all in the name of control.

I need to go pick dandelion greens and gaze at the cherry blossoms,
To wait for the moon to fill and smell flowers on the wind,
To try to recall that growth and rebirth on a global scale are possible.

I wish I had better words, more answers, abundant ways to solve all these problems. For myself. For you too.

I don’t.

It’s hard to envision liberation in such narrows.

But we must.

Mutual Aid Theology

The Baal Shem Tov taught that the name of g-d shows us the proper way of giving to someone impoverished; whether this exchange is monetary, is emotional support, is spiritual or physical or any admixture.

Yud – the gift
Heh – the giver’s fingers extended
Vav – the giver’s arm reaching
Heh – the receiver’s five fingers extended

This is the ratio of proper giving, the person with giving power is the one making the effort, placing themselves into making the space for such giving in the world.
This is why there can be no Jewish capitalism, for no Jewish Olam haBa can allow a system that forces the impoverished to suffer and and beg, eternally asking. Instead there should be an eternal giving.
May that be the true l’shem yichud – the deep unification of g-ds name here – that we bring g-d into the world by giving to each other, back and forth, over and over. May we learn, may we know, that to give and receive in grounded love is never hierarchical, but instead a balancing dance of the greatest human complexity.

To each according to their need, from each according to their ability. Barukh haShem.

Remembering, We Must Erase

We are required to erase Amalek, our great reminder. We are required to erase because we created.
When Timna came to convert, Abraham made one of the great gevurahs of his life, an act of mistaken restriction. He refused her. And she in her longing married Esau’s son as “one of those Canaanite women.” From her line, from their line, from /our/ line comes Amalek.
We must erase. As haShem erases our great mistakes each year when we return. Not an annihilation of people, but an erasure of boundaries that should have never been.
Purim’s topsy turvy brings a shadow serious reminder. Blessed be Haman. Cursed be Mordechai.