Additional Resources for Changing the World from the Inside Out by Rabbi David Jaffe
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Learning the Sources & Further Study
Practice Savlanut
Learn the Sources
Numbers 12:3
א וַתְּדַבֵּר מִרְיָם וְאַהֲרֹן בְּמֹשֶׁה, עַל-אֹדוֹת הָאִשָּׁה הַכֻּשִׁית אֲשֶׁר לָקָח: כִּי-אִשָּׁה כֻשִׁית, לָקָח. 1 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.
ב וַיֹּאמְרוּ, הֲרַק אַךְ-בְּמֹשֶׁה דִּבֶּר יְהוָה–הֲלֹא, גַּם-בָּנוּ דִבֵּר; וַיִּשְׁמַע, יְהוָה. 2 And they said: ‘Has the LORD indeed spoken only with Moses? Has He not spoken also with us?’ And the LORD heard it.–
ג וְהָאִישׁ מֹשֶׁה, עָנָו מְאֹד–מִכֹּל, הָאָדָם, אֲשֶׁר, עַל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה. {ס} 3 Now the man Moses was very humble – more so than all the people that were upon the face of the earth.– {S}
Rashi 12:3 רש”י על במדבר פרק יב פסוק ג
Humble – Low and a Savlan ענו – שפל וסבלן:
Does Moshe really seem like a Savlan? What about killing the Egyptian, the broken tablets, striking the rock?
Exodus 2:11 – 15
יא וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וַיִּגְדַּל מֹשֶׁה וַיֵּצֵא אֶל-אֶחָיו, וַיַּרְא, בְּסִבְלֹתָם; וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי, מַכֶּה אִישׁ-עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו. 11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
Rashi 2:11
AND HE SAW THEIR SUFFERING – He set his eyes and his heart to feel their pain. וירא בסבלותם – (ב”ר) נתן עיניו ולבו להיות מיצר עליהם:
What kind of Savlanut do you see in this source, especially in the Rashi (quoted from the Midrash)?
Exodus 32:9-14
ט וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה: רָאִיתִי אֶת-הָעָם הַזֶּה, וְהִנֵּה עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף הוּא. 9 And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people.
י וְעַתָּה הַנִּיחָה לִּי, וְיִחַר-אַפִּי בָהֶם וַאֲכַלֵּם; וְאֶעֱשֶׂה אוֹתְךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל. 10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may blaze forth against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.’
יא וַיְחַל מֹשֶׁה, אֶת-פְּנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו; וַיֹּאמֶר, לָמָה יְהוָה יֶחֱרֶה אַפְּךָ בְּעַמֶּךָ, אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, בְּכֹחַ גָּדוֹל וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה. 11 And Moses implored the LORD his God, and said: ‘LORD, let not your anger blaze forth against your people, that You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
יב לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר, בְּרָעָה הוֹצִיאָם לַהֲרֹג אֹתָם בֶּהָרִים, וּלְכַלֹּתָם, מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה; שׁוּב מֵחֲרוֹן אַפֶּךָ, וְהִנָּחֵם עַל-הָרָעָה לְעַמֶּךָ. 12 Let not the Egyptians say: It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your blazing anger and renounce the plan to punish your people.
יג זְכֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לָהֶם בָּךְ, וַתְּדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם, אַרְבֶּה אֶת-זַרְעֲכֶם כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם; וְכָל-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי, אֶתֵּן לְזַרְעֲכֶם, וְנָחֲלוּ, לְעֹלָם. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, how You swore to them by Your Self and said to them: I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your offspring this whole land of which I spoke, to possess forever.”
יד וַיִּנָּחֶם, יְהוָה, עַל-הָרָעָה, אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמּוֹ. {פ} 14 And the LORD renounced the punishment he planned to bring upon His people. {P}
How is Moshe encouraging God’s Savlanut?
Below is a mystical explanation of Savlanut:
“’Who is like you, God…’ – this teaches us the reality of Hashem as a derided king who suffers insult beyond belief. There is nothing hidden from Hashem’s watch. There is not a moment in which a human being is not sustained from the flow of divine abundance. There is not a wrongdoing that a person does, in which, at that same moment, the divine abundance isn’t sustaining him…While the human is committing this wrongdoing with this very power from Hashem, Hashem suffers the insult. Don’t think that Hashem doesn’t have the power to stop the human from the wrongdoing by cutting off the flow of divine abundance… This is why Micah the prophet calls to Hashem, ‘Who is like you, God…’ You are a God of kindness, doing good. You have the power to take vengeance, but you are patient and wait for people to return in tsuva. Behold, this is a mida that people need to acquire – patience. To be able to withstand insult and still not withhold your goodness from the other”
Tomer Devorah/The Date Palm of Devorah, R. Moshe Cordevero
המדה הזאת מורה על היות הקב”ה מלך נעלב, סובל עלבון, מה שלא יכילהו רעיון. הרי אין דבר נסתר מהשגחתו בלי ספק, ועוד אין רגע שלא יהיה האדם נזון ומתקיים מכח עליון השופע בו עליו; והרי תמצא שמעולם לא חטא אדם נגדו שלא יהיה הוא באותו הרגע ממש שופע שפע קיומו ותנועת אבריו, ועם היות שהאדם חוטא בכח ההוא לא מנעו ממנו כלל, אלא סובל הקב”ה עלבון כזה להיות משפיע בו כח תנועות אבריו, והוא מוציא אותו כח באותו רגע בחטא ועון ומכעיס והקב”ה סובל. ולא תאמר שאינו יכול למנוע ממנו הטוב ההוא, ח”ו, שהרי בכחו ברגע כמימריה ליבש ידיו ורגליו, כעין שעשה לירבעם (מלכים א’ י”ג, ד’). ועם כל זה, שהכח בידו להחזיר הכח הנשפע ההוא, והיה לו לומר כיון שאתה חוטא נגדי תחטא בשלך ולא בשלי, לא מפני זה מנע טוב מן האדם ולא סבל עלבון, והשפיע הכח והטיב לאדם טובו. הרי זה עלבון וסבלנות מה שלא יסופר. ועל זה קוראים מלאכי השרת להקב”ה מלך עלוב (פרקי היכלות פכ”ה). והיינו אומרו “מי אל כמוך”, אתה אל בעל חסד המטיב, אל בעל כח לינקם ולאסוף את שלך, ועם כל זה אתה סובל ונעלב עד ישוב בתשובה:
הרי זו מדה שצריך האדם להתנהג בה, רצוני, הסבלנות, וכן היותו נעלב אפילו למדרגה זו, ועם כל זה לא יאסוף טובתו מן המקבל:
Questions to consider
What are the types of situations or interactions that are hardest for you to maintain Savlanut?
How might using this method of “staying connected” make a difference?
When have you been able to channel anger and make an appropriate response to something upsetting?
What is a “load” you feel like you are carrying? What would it be like to get help?
For Further Study
Source 1: The Path of the Just, Chapter 11, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto (d. Italy, Amsterdam, Israel)
[Our Talmudic sages] say about an angry person that he completely denies the existence of God. How is this? He becomes angry whenever anything happens that is not the way he wanted it to be. He fills with such anger until he is not connected to his mind anymore. A person in such a state is capable of destroying the entire world if he had the ability because his mind is not in control at all….
ה יֵשׁ הָרַגְזָן שֶׁאָמְרוּ עָלָיו, “כָּל הַכּוֹעֵס כְּאִלּוּ עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה”, וְהוּא הַנִּכְעָס עַל כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ נֶגֶד רְצוֹנוֹ וּמִתְמַלֵּא חֵמָה, עַד שֶׁכְּבָר לִבּוֹ בַּל עִמּוֹ וַעֲצָתוֹ נִבְעֲרָה, וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ כָּזֶה כְּדַאי לְהַחֲרִיב עוֹלָם מָלֵא אִם יִהְיֶה יְכֹלֶת בְּיָדוֹ,
כִּי אֵין הַשֵּכֶל ש לֵט בּוֹ כְּלָל, וְהוּא סָר טַעַם מַמָּשׁ כְּכָל הַחַיּוֹת הַטּוֹרְפוֹת
Questions:
When things don’t go the way you want, is anger the primary emotion your experience? What other emotions are present?
What kinds of situations make you “lose your mind?”
Based on your own understanding of God, how do you think anger is a “denial of the existence of God?”
How might you use moments of anger to actually get closer to God?
Source 2: The Guide to Right Living, Maimonides (d. 1204, Spain, Egypt)
Chapter 1:4) The way of the upright is [to adopt] the intermediate characteristic of each and every temperament that people have. This is the characteristic that is equidistant from the two extremes of the temperament of which it is a characteristic, and is not closer to either of the extremes… How is this done? One should not be of an angry disposition and be easily angered, nor should one be like a dead person who does not feel, but one should be in the middle – one should not get angry except over a big matter about which it is fitting to get angry, so that one will not act similarly again.
הדרך הישרה היא מדה בינונית שבכל דעה ודעה מכל הדעות שיש לו לאדם והיא הדעה שהיא רחוקה משתי הקצוות ריחוק שוה ואינה קרובה לא לזו ולא לזו לפיכך צוו חכמים הראשונים שיהא אדם שם דעותיו תמיד ומשער אותם ומכוין אותם בדרך האמצעית כדי שיהא שלם בגופו כיצד לא יהא בעל חמה נוח לכעוס ולא כמת שאינו מרגיש אלא בינוני לא יכעוס אלא על דבר גדול שראוי לכעוס עליו כדי שלא יעשה כיוצא בו פעם אחרת …
Chapter 2: 3) There are some intermediate temperaments which one is forbidden to have, but one should adopt one of the extremities of such temperaments. …It is the same with anger, which is an extremely bad temperament and from which it is fitting for one to distance oneself as far as its opposite extreme. One should teach oneself not to get angry, even over something about which it would be normal to get angry. If one wanted to instill fear in one’s sons or members of one’s household, or in the community if one was their leader, and one wants to be angry at them in order that they will return to the good [ways], then one should show them that one is being angry at them just to correct them, and, when displaying such anger, one should bear in mind that one is like a man who is similar to being angry, and that one is not really angry.
(ג) ויש דעות שאסור לו לאדם לנהוג בהן בבינונית אלא יתרחק מן הקצה האחד עד הקצה האחר והוא גובה לב שאין דרך הטובה שיהיה אדם עניו בלבד …וכן הכעס מדה רעה היא עד למאד וראוי לאדם שיתרחק ממנה עד הקצה האחר וילמד עצמו שלא יכעוס ואפילו על דבר שראוי לכעוס עליו ואם רצה להטיל אימה על בניו ובני ביתו או על הציבור אם היה פרנס ורצה לכעוס עליהן כדי שיחזרו למוטב יראה עצמו בפניהם שהוא כועס כדי לייסרם ותהיה דעתו מיושבת בינו לבין עצמו כאדם שהוא מדמה כועס בשעת כעסו והוא אינו כועס
Questions:
In Chapter 1 Maimonides brings anger as an example of a middah about which it is important to find a middle path. However, in Chapter2 he says that one should always avoid getting angry. How might you resolve this apparent contradiction?
In both passages Maimonides refers to the uses of anger. In what ways do you consciously use anger as opposed to anger being something that just happens to you?
Source 3 Aley Shur, v. 2, p. 217 Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe
Rav Wolbe writes about the importance of having Savlanut for ourselves:
When a person begins in a path of spiritual growth he thinks he will progress quickly. If only he could be stronger he could focus on all his prayers and transform his soul traits one at a time and do all the practices – What frustration he feels when he finds that he can’t be successful in all of this! The person who wants to grow needs to learn well the following teaching of our rabbis:
Elihu said: “The Almighty, we cannot find Him, excellent in power.” (Job 37:23) He that hears this verse may exclaim: ‘Perhaps, Heaven forbid, this is blasphemy!’ [Because if you eliminate the comma after the word ‘Him” the verse implies that God’s is NOT excellent in power.] But this is what Elihu meant: We will never find God’s strength fully displayed toward any of His creatures, for He does not visit His creatures with burdensome laws, but comes to each one according to his strength. For, if God had come upon Israel with the full might of His strength when He gave them the Torah, they would not have been able to withstand it, as it says, “If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die” (Deuteronomy 5:22). God, however came upon them according to their individual strength, for it says, “The voice of the Lord is with power” (Psalms 29:4). It does not say ‘with His power’ but ‘with power’, that is, according to the power of each individual. – Exodus Rabbah 29:1
In other words, the midrash asserts that God aligns what is asked of each person according to that person’s resources.
“According to the power of each individual” – this is a general principle in spiritual service. Our resources are limited. Any growth we try to do needs to be built on this foundation – we have no choice but to go slowly and not overburden or overextend ourselves. [There is a rabbinic principle]- “One who grabs a lot grabs nothing, but one who grabs a little grabs something.” (Talmud Bavli Kiddushin 17a). Also, in that little bit that we do try, we may fail often and despite that there is no need to despair. Rather, we need to stubbornly begin again until God helps us succeed.
We need to be very patient with ourselves…”Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up” (Proverbs 24:16). Even if we fail many times in our practice – in the end we will succeed, with God’s help.
Rabbi Eliyahu, The Vilna Gaon (c. 1780s) writes, “…Everyone needs to go according to his own level and not skip ahead. This way each person will progress on his way with a sense of security and will get Divine assistance.
R. Wolbe seems to be saying that we need to know our own resources and take small steps that will push us at the edge of our comfort zone, but no further.
Questions:
What is a way that you overburden or overextend yourself? How could you re-allign this commitment so that is in keeping with your resources?
What is the discomfort you would need to bear to accept that you actually have limited resources?
Three times R. Wolbe and other authors mention that one will get “God’s help” in their spiritual growth. How do you understand this idea? What does it mean for you to get “God’s help?”
Practice
Jewish Wisdom about Kavod
Everyday Holiness, Dr. Alan Morinis, chapter 13
The Moral Principles, Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook, Translated by Rabbi Ben Zion Bokser
Focus Phrases
Choose a phrase to repeat out loud for a minute or two each morning. You can adapt the phrases to your own language. Write the phrase on an index card and put it somewhere you will see it each morning. Some people tape the card to their car dashboard or computer.
“Kavod is external behavior mandated by and appropriate to a reality of inner holiness.” – R. Shlomo Wolbe
אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת
“[Ben Zoma said]: Who is honorable? One who honors all others.” – Pirkei Avot 4:1
אַל תְּהִי בָז לְכָל אָדָם, וְאַל תְּהִי מַפְלִיג לְכָל דָּבָר, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שָׁעָה וְאֵין לְךָ דָבָר שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מָקוֹם:
“He (Ben Azzai) used to say: Do not be scornful of any person and do not be disdainful of anything, for you have no person without his hour and no thing without its place.” – Pirkei Avot 4:3
“It is only in a state of low-level spirituality that there will be aroused in a person a desire to glorify himself before others, both with the virtues he possesses and with others he does not possess.” – Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook
“Transform blood to stillness” – Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
Guided Meditation
This is best done with a group or at least a partner. Have one person read the meditation while the others follow the instructions read by the leader.
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Feel the weight of your body against the chair or ground.
Rest your hands on your lap or at your sides.
Gently let your eyelids close.
Take three deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
Imagine yourself or someone else as made in the Divine image.
What are you or this other person worth?
How much is your car, your home, your bicycle worth?
You or this other person are more valuable than these things.
Add up all the value of everything in the world and we are worth more than that.
What would it take for you to really believe that?
What does it mean to be unique?
Imagine one ball, and then two, three, five, 10, 20 , 100, 500, 2000, 50,000, 1 million balls all different from each other in some way.
All unique.
This is humanity – we are all different from each other in some essential way.
What does it mean to be equal?
2+2=4
2 pounds of coffee beans and 2 pounds of quarters – they are not the same but have equal weight.
Our souls are unique but have equal weight as Divine.
What difference would it make in how you related to people if you really believed that we have infinite value, are equal and unique? If you knew that you had infinite value, were unique and equal to all others?
Visualization I
This exercise can be done individually or with a group. If a group, choose one person to read the description once through.
Recall a time you were criticized or insulted, especially if it happened publicly.
Imagine your heart in that moment pounding hard with adrenaline.
Blood pumps quickly into your left ventricle and your heart expands and contracts.
Expands and contracts quickly.
Sit with this image until you can see the blood raging in your heart.
Take a deep breath.
Now imagine the blood slowing down to a steady pace.
The walls of the ventricle return to pumping in a regular, moderate rhythm.
In and out smoothly and gently.
The blood is now a slow, lazy river.
In comparison to the raging torrent moments before the heart seems still in its gentle, but steady beat.
Out of this stillness a space grows in the left ventricle
This space allows breath and air to enter the heart and cool it down.
Imagine this spaciousness filled with clarity about your Divine inheritance.
Visualization II
Eating quickly while walking through the market is the talmud’s image of not having self-respect. What is your image of self-respect, of knowing you are made in the Divine image? What are you wearing? How are you walking and carrying yourself? What are you talking about? What do you look like?
Contemplation I
This exercise can be done individually or with a group. If a group, choose one person to read the description once through.
Contemplate the idea that social change activism is about making the Divine image in each person more manifest in the world. What would it mean for social change efforts if this were really the goal?
Contemplation II
Contemplate the possibility that you never again need to seek praise or recognition.
What would you feel?
What impact would this have on your life?
Kabbalot
The kabbalot are designed to do individually. If you are using this book with a group give people a few minutes to choose a kabbalah and close the session with people sharing which kabbalah they are going to practice until the next meeting.
Choose someone in your family, organization or community and deliberately do something to honor him or her. Choose a different person each day. Vary between people who have more power than you (eg. Your boss or a superior at work) and people have less power than you (your children or someone you supervise).
Practice turning DaM to DoM. Each day when confronted with an insult, attack, or some perceived slight to your honor, be still and quiet for at least one minute before responding.
Notice each day at least once how you seek praise.
Once each day notice yourself doing something good, or doing something well.
Once each day notice someone else doing something good, or doing something well.
Choose one 30 minute period during the day and during that time do whatever you can to honor anyone who comes your way.
Do one thing each day that demonstrates Kavod for yourself.
Cheshbon Hanefesh
Set aside five to ten minutes at some point in the day to either journal or do the hitbodedut practice answering these questions.
What good points did you notice in yourself or others?
What choice points did you notice in honoring others?
In what ways do you seek praise and recognition?
In what ways do you and the people you work with to make change model or not model the dignity you are trying to bring to others?
How is your Kavod aligned or not with your understanding at this moment of God’s will for you or what the universe is calling for from you right now?
How is your level of Kavod expressing or working against your own deep desire/will?
Sichat Chaverim
- Trade turns listening to each other for 2 minutes talking about a good point from the day and anything else the speaker wants to get off his or her chest
- Journal quietly for five minutes about the Cheshbon Hanefesh questions
- Trade turns listening to each other for 10 minutes talk about the experience with the focus phrase, kabbalot, Cheshbon Hanefesh, meditation, visualization and contemplation. Then discuss any insights or challenges with Kavod that came up during the week. End with a commitment for practice for the next week.