What Dreams Are Made Of…
By: Rabbi Lori Shapiro
There is a place between our awakened state and our slumber that seems a slip into a liminal space; and, it is as if through this “in between” that we can enter into a bonding of that which we are usually too distracted to perceive. It is not quite the dream itself, nor the awakened awareness, that this space lies, but in that dawn of awakening that extends like a twilight into the Eternal.
The rabbis have a lot to say about that space. They even offer us a prayer, the “Modeh Ani” for us to recite once we are aware of dwelling in it, which is the prayer that accompanies us into our awareness of being each day. The idea is that in that moment, we offer a blessing of gratitude to imbue the passage into this consciousness while attaching it to a remnant of that which lies beyond.
This week’s Torah portion, B’halotecha, offers a pinhole into this curious expansiveness. In a moment when Miriam and Aaron are using language in an abusive way, God requests their presence and speaks directly to them. Numbers 12:6-7 states:
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א דְבָרָ֑י אִם־יִֽהְיֶה֙ נְבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם יְהוָ֗ה בַּמַּרְאָה֙ אֵלָ֣יו אֶתְוַדָּ֔ע בַּחֲל֖וֹם אֲדַבֶּר־בּֽוֹ׃
…and God said, “Hear these My words: When a prophet of the LORD arises among you, I make Myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.”
לֹא־כֵ֖ן עַבְדִּ֣י מֹשֶׁ֑ה בְּכָל־בֵּיתִ֖י נֶאֱמָ֥ן הֽוּא׃
Not so with My servant Moses; he is trusted throughout My household.
Most of us are not meant to be Moses; we are not direct recipients of immediate spiritual epiphany or intimacy. However, all of us dwell in a space of spiritual improvement; where, if we cultivate our instruments through moral consistency and rigor, we might be able to ascend to a place of receiving aligned truths through the messages that surround us.
As we enter into our Summer Solstice, May our Soul Awakening expand to include the journey each and every one of us is called to have; at a time of so much misused speech and divisive intentions, may each and every one of us find a connection to holy speech and manifest these words into action. May we rise to a more Soulful plane and hear the Call of the One within ourselves and within the Other.
May our summer travels companion us with adventure and new friends as well as a renewed sense of self. And if you find yourselves in a Staycation, Open Temple invites you to experience radical amazement through our summer adventures – from this Friday’s Beach Shabbat to a special Co-Creator Fourth of July on the Canals celebration, July Bike Shabbat and Beyond.
With Love and Torah Light,
Lori