From The Restory - Conversations On The Journey (31)

 

I Am, And Living Mindfully

The Conversation

Elements From The Conversation

There is much to learn from the Jews with whom we share the Old Testament. In a conversation with Benjamin D. Sommer, professor of Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary (NYC), he has this to say about the Jewish approach to Biblical interpretation and different viewpoints:

____________________

… in rabbinic literature argument is often considered something that we do for the sake of heaven, for the sake of God that is, disagreeing about exactly how to interpret God's will, that intellectual activity of disagreeing about, debating about, studying further, the interpretation of God's will, for us Jews, that's actually a form of worship. It's not only prayer that is a form of worship. It is very often study of sacred literature that is also a very important form of worship - a way of showing our loyalty and love and obedience of God in traditional Judaism generally. In Judaism, debating about this stuff is itself a sacred activity.

____________________

Music

Moses stumbled onto much more than a burning bush there in the wilderness. God had also led him to himself and he discovered that God wanted to help him to change the way he saw himself. And it's true - we can get lost inside our heads.

Graveclothes Lyrics

She's been, thinkin', life ain't, givin' her what she needs
What can, make her, happy, is always out of her reach
Somebody gotta help me
But she, could not, see that, everything she wanted
Was in-side of, her heart, but she wouldn't give it away
No, she wouldn't give it away

We don't need no mournful sound
Shake your graveclothes to the ground
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes,
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes
Thoughts you're thinkin' make you feel like you're dead
But you can grow a garden out the top of your head
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes,
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes

Don't get lost inside your head
Don't get lost inside your head
Don't get lost inside your head
Don't get lost inside your head

He's been, wishin', he was, the best and the brightest
Scared to, give what, he's got, no he wouldn't give it away
Self-deprecation, lack of motivation, stealing his aliveness
In the silence love abounds and has already filled the spaces
And replaces them with grace if he would only stop to feel, to see

We don't need no mournful sound
Shake your graveclothes to the ground
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes,
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes
Thoughts you're thinkin' make you feel like you're dead
But you can grow a garden out the top of your head
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes,
Shake your graveclothes off, shake your graveclothes

Our prayer for you: a beautiful week where you discover deep meaning in the ordinary.

Love

George & Matilda