Welcoming the Month of Tammuz

Dear Friends,

As we enter the month of Tammuz, which begins today, June 10, the mystics call us to focus our attention on perception. This is a month to rectify our eyesight, they teach. It is a time to notice what shapes, influences and colors how and what we see.

In the month of Tammuz we practice noticing:

When our perceptions are shaped by fear, anxiety or doubt.

How preconceived notions and expectations shape our vision.

How thoughts, stories and habits of the mind cloud our ability to see what is present, possible and new.

To help us notice when our vision is being determined by factors other than what is actually present and happening, the tradition teaches that we practice seeing in particular ways. We practice:

Brachot: Seeing and naming the blessings, the gifts that we encounter.

Tovot: Seeing the good in ourselves and the good in others.

Chayim: Seeing the life force that flows through all creation.

These practices strengthen our capacity for bitachon, our ability to trust and engage in life with openness, vulnerability and strength.

As we welcome the month of Tammuz may we lift our eyes and practice seeing in ways that help us respond to the pain and the beauty of life with compassionate, generous presence.

Hodesh Tov, Blessings to all

--Rabbi Yael