SELECTIONS FROM KEDUSHAT LEVI
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Ekev
s.v., ki tomar bilvavkha rabim hagoyim ha’eleh mimmenini eikha ukhal l’horisham. Lo
tira meihem
“Should you say to yourselves, ‘these nations are more numerous than we; how can
we dispossess them?’ Have no fear of them” (Deut.7:17-18).
Rashi focuses on the meaning of the word ki (here translated, should):
You must agree that the meaning of ki is perhaps, so that we would read this verse
in the following manner: “perhaps you will say in your heart that because they are
numerous I will not be able to dispossess them, but do not say that. Do not fear
them.” It would not be possible to interpret this word in any of its other meanings
and still make sense when followed by “do not fear them.”
In truth, if any obstacle should arise for you (heaven forbid) in your service of the
Blessed Creator, then the most important thing is not to respond in terror or fear, for then
certainly, with the help of the Blessed Creator, nothing will afflict you. This is implied in
the verse, “You may very well say to yourselves, ‘these nations are more numerous
than we’” – you are permitted to think this, but the Torah adds a piece of advice, and it is
in the phrase: “How can we dispossess them?” The Torah advises how we can
dispossess them (the impediments to our service), which is to say that we will be able to
get rid of them: “Have no fear of them.” Then, certainly, you will be able to dispossess
them.
For Further Thought:
Here, again, is a mindfulness teaching. What is it that will prevent us from moving ahead
in our lives, from being able to function effectively, to respond with compassion and
justice? Our projected responses – the fears, anxieties, judgments, fantasies in response to
the moment-to-moment events of our lives, as well as the desires and passions that fill
our hearts – distract and deflect us from our true selves. When we are able to see clearly,
to respond out of a place of balance and openness, these impediments fall away, and we
are able to move ahead. The road may still be difficult, we may have to work hard and do
things we don’t like or that we don’t feel competent to do, but we will be able to do what
we can unencumbered by the stories of our fears, etc. Thank you, Levi Yitzhak, for
reminding me to open my eyes and see the truth clearly.
Guide:
1. The plain meaning of the Torah in these verses is that fear in the face of the
nations would be a failure of faith in God Who wrought wonders and punishments
in Egypt, and Who will do so here, again. Levi Yitzhak could have used this
argument as a way to still spiritual impediments as well. Why do you think he did
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not choose to do this? Which argument works better for you: do you draw
strength from faith built on previous experiences? Do you draw strength from
faith in God’s former acts for our ancestors (and us)? Does mindfulness practice,
which does not rely on faith in God’s previous deeds but on our own experience
of witnessing the truth, work better for you?
2. Notice how smoothly and un-self-consciously Levi Yitzhak moves from the verse
in the Torah to his interest – how to engage in spiritual work. Is that how you like
to read the Torah, as a guide to spiritual work? Do you read the sections of
commandments in that manner, as the Torah giving you advice as to how to
deepen your spiritual experience? Does this sort of approach reinforce your
commitment to observance (of whatever mitzvot you do observe) or is the
spiritual work more important than the specific observance?
3. We might derive from this teaching the following statement: spiritual work
(divine service) is like making our way into the Promised Land. The numerous
nations are spiritual impediments, possibly preventing the Israelites from entering
the Promised Land, serving God in truth. Do you experience your spiritual work
as overcoming impediments, of working to hold some faith so that you might see
clearly, face life without debilitating fear?
Practice:
Fear is a powerful and pervasive force in our lives. Its locus is in our primitive “reptile”
brain where we register that which we perceive to threaten our very existence. Certainly,
this fear is aroused when an unfamiliar dog comes bounding at us barking fiercely, or
when someone cuts us off on the highway. But, it is also triggered when someone speaks
loudly or angrily to us, or when our hopes and plans are thwarted by others. Sometimes,
even the odd comment – “Why can’t you …”, “I wish you would sometimes …” – can
stir fear in some deep place in our body-mind. When examined in calm clarity, such
moments can be seen for what they are, not threats to our very existence. But, since our
reactions arise from the deepest places in our psyche, we often are unable to catch them,
and lash out in self-protection.
Our reaction of fear is not always under our control. But, our response to that reaction can
be. The first step is to become familiar with fear in our own bodies, hearts and minds.
Rather than trying to stop something outside of our control, we first meet it when it
arises. What does fear feel like? Where does it reside in the body (belly, heart, chest,
neck, face)? Can you sense how you react to the sensations in your body? That is, do
these physical manifestations of fear generate other sensations? Do you become even
more tense, more constricted in response? Do you get angry and your fear? Are you
afraid of your fear? Do you get angry at the thing/person that stimulates fear in you? Do
you judge yourself for your reaction? Do you blame others for your reaction?
As you become more familiar with the habits of your body, heart and mind, you will be
able to recognize in the moment how you are reacting to fear. You will be able to name it
– “this is just fear arising” – and question or challenge each of your reactions to fear.
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Letting go of those reactions will diminish the force of the feeling of fear in your bodymind. As fear becomes less powerful – particularly as it comes more clearly into
conscious awareness, less an autonomic or automatic reaction – you will be able to
question its appropriateness given the circumstance. In the end, you may indeed be able
to say: “I don’t need to fear this”.
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Jonathan Slater
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2012
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