Waters of Life

Reflections on this week’s Torah portion: Chukat - Statutes

Spring up from the well, waters of life, we sing to you
Numbers 21:17

A constant question,
A persistent challenge,
How to be with the pain and disappointments of life,
How to face the mystery of death
And continue to seek relationship,
Continue to love.

It is a chukat olam - an eternal mystery, a cosmic principle
That everything moves, changes, becomes something else.
The waters of life are in constant motion.

The tradition teaches,
Make room for sadness,
Don’t deny grief,
Engage in rituals that do not seek to explain mystery,
But rather, hold us in the tremors of uncertainty and loss.

As the waters of life swirl and tumble,
May we be mindful of each other’s vulnerabilities,
The tenderness we all carry.
And may we treat ourselves and each other with kindness,
Offering refuge and love.

And when the waters come to carry us on,
May we leave goodness in our wake.
May the world be a better place,
For us having shared our songs.

Shabbat Shalom
Blessings to All

Rabbi Yael