Mishpatim: On the Other Side of the Mountain

Torah portion Mishpatim

At Sinai,
We stood amid the thunder and lightning,
The mountain was cloaked in fire
And a shofar sounded from deep within the earth.

Then silence embraced us,
Creation disappeared,
And there was only the One.

As the world slowly returned,
We saw the One revealed within and among us,
We saw the One in all.

And we realized that in this world of distinction,
In the world of separation,
It is easy to forget that we are all connected,
That at our core,
We are all one.
And it is our forgetting that allows us to hurt and destroy.

So as we went from the mountain,
We drew boundaries around our actions and relationships.
We created rules to live by,
Practices, disciplines that would help us
Live for the well-being of all.

And the Mystery whispered,
Yes, I am in the thunder, in the lightning,
In the spectacular events.

And, I am everywhere, always.

Feel me in the call to treat each other with fairness and dignity,
Know me in the laws that insist on justice, honesty, inclusion and care.

I am right here with you.

Eat. Drink.
Embrace the gifts and complexities of being human.
I am right here with you.
See me in yourself and in each other
See me and live.

Listen to the recordings from this week's Torah Study and from today's Morning Meditation Sit, reflecting on the Torah portion Mishpatim.

Shalom,
Rabbi Yael Levy