Pesach Torah
Reflection by Ariel Dominique Hendelman, the Or HaLev Team:
"The quintessential image of Pesach is the great miracle of the parting of the Reed Sea. It’s taught by our sages that the splitting of the sea was like a birth canal, and that when we walked through it from Mitzrayim - Egypt, or the narrow place, into the desert, we were born as a people. It was only after this miraculous crossing that we were ready to journey towards receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. But we still had to wander many years in the desert first!
What is this teaching us now, in this present day and time? Whatever our narrow places are that we are leaving this year, there will be a parting of the waters so that we can walk through to the other side and be born as a unified whole. This miracle may not look as grand as the scene of the Sea of Reeds; it may look more like a synchronicity, the fulfillment of a deep intuition, or an increased ability to turn towards healthier habits. Let’s be on the lookout for the miracle in our lives that will enable us to go from the narrow to the expanse. And then if we must wander before our next revelation, it will be with purpose.
In our meditation practice, the sea splits every time we realize that thoughts have pulled our attention away, & we decide to return to center, to the breath, to stillness. May this Pesach bring us into a full sense of freedom, whatever that means for each of us, rippling out to all of creation."