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(הַצִּיבִי לָךְ צִיֻּנִים" (ירמיהו לא:כ"
“Set up markers for yourself” (Jeremiah 31:20)
What important truths do we tend to forget, and at what cost?
And how might we become more mindful of them with greater frequency and immediacy?
When providing the design instructions for the High Priest’s garments, memory--zikaron--figures prominently:
“And you shall put the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, to be reminder stones of the children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before Y-H-V-H upon his two shoulders as a reminder” (Exodus 28:12).
“And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel...upon his heart when he goes into the sanctuary as a reminder [that he is] in the presence of Y-H-V-H always. And in the breastplate of judgment you shall set the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he enters into the presence of Y-H-V-H” (Exodus 28:29-30).
“And you shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it…’Holy to Y-H-V-H.’ And it shall be upon Aaron’s...forehead always” (Exodus 28:37-38).
The stones affixed to Aaron’s shoulders, the names of the tribes inscribed upon the breastplate along with twelve precious gems (the Urim and Thummim) corresponding to the tribes, the golden plate upon the forehead inscribed with God’s name. All serve as physical reminders to be mindful, more present and intentional, so that Aaron can truly cultivate a mindset conducive to being in the Presence.
Yet it is so easy to forget that we are always in the Presence because we have not adequately cultivated our ability to be truly present. In today’s world, a myriad distractions pull us away from the wondrous reality of this moment. Case in point: my four-month-old daughter is in my arms. I am rocking her to sleep. She is precious, beautiful, pure, and perfect. A miracle. Literally. And all I can think about is responding to that email that’s been sitting in my inbox for two days. This thought fills me with anxiety. The energy in my body is restless, aversive. My mind is tight, my heart contracted. I want to get her down so I can get to my computer and take care of business. Sound familiar? This scene unfolds for each of us in a thousand small and large ways during the course of a day. There are simply too many forces pulling at our attention. Many are internal. Others have been foisted on us by our culture. Many are self-imposed by habit and mistaken beliefs and fixed views about ourselves and the world. And we have not trained adequately in cultivating deep attention to the wonder of being.
Yet there are moments of grace when I remember to be truly present with my daughter; when I am able to gather up my attention from the four corners of the earth and focus intently on the wonder of this little being placed in my charge. And as I do, all mundane concerns fall away as my heart swells into deep gratitude, love, and awe. During such times, it becomes abundantly clear that the two of us are being miraculously breathed and sustained into life by a force way beyond our control that I can only call Divine. I find myself in the Presence. I was always there. I just forgot to pay attention.
So there it is. We forget to pay attention, to be present. And there are moments when we awaken, as if from a dream, to the glory of what’s right in front of us. This week’s portion teaches us that we don’t have to wait for those moments to come to us. We can actively cultivate our ability to remembers to pay attention more often by setting up markers for ourselves.
A ring tone that reminds you to pay attention to what’s happening in your body;
a focus phrase placed on your bedside table to remind you of what’s most important morning and evening;
a wisdom teaching placed at the doorway or somewhere visible;
a phrase that you repeat internally when you notice yourself getting triggered and pulled off center;
A piece of jewelry to remind you of an important relationship or an essential truth;
tallit and tefillin;
a mezuzah;
a kippah;
Shabbat candles.
All emblems that remind us to be more present so that we may find ourselves once again in the Presence.
Kavannah
May we have the wisdom to set up markers for ourselves that remind us to pay attention to the wondrous quality of this moment. As we find ourselves in such moments with greater frequency, may we come to know that we are always in the Presence, and may this knowledge awaken us to greater vitality, connection, joy, awe, love, and compassion.
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