Peace Within

One of the holiest of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur, starts today at sundown. It is a time for atonement. One of my spiritual teachers, Rabbi Chava Bahle, reminds me that Yom Kippur is also a time to reflect on how we can move forward. 

Lately, I have been thinking about moving forward in peace.

We live in a chaotic world. This is true. Unexpected deadlines present themselves, loved ones become ill, and disobliging words sometimes crash in on us. It is easy to forget the importance of inner tranquility. 

The great teacher and master Lao Tzu reminds us that in order to have peace in the world, we must have peace within our core. Sounds easy, right? It is not. Cultivating peace within takes time. Some meditate. Some journal. Some go to places of worship, and others simply sit in nature. (I enjoy a nice cup of tea, the sound of Sufjan Stevens’ voice, and the poems of Irene McKinney and Joy Harjo.) Regardless of our vehicle to achieve inner peace, we need one (or two or three)! 

So often, we neglect self-care, but if the world is to be well, we first must be well. I believe in the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, the belief that it is our responsibility to tend to the world. Each day, I choose to see this realm as one in need of tender love and compassion, and I ask myself how I can spread love instead of judgment, care instead of criticism, and peace instead of chaos. One way I am able to walk through this world in peace is to ensure that I am at peace.

When chaos calls, when I find myself befuddled, I close my eyes and focus on the Hebrew letter Aleph, which is mostly silent. In his work, The Book of Letters: A Mystical Alef-bait, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner says this about Aleph: “Open your mouth and begin to make a sound. STOP! That is Alef [Aleph].” Sometimes, I take this to mean to think before I speak. In truth, it is through meditating on this letter, and its nature of silence, that I am able to slow down my breathing and return to my center of peace throughout my day. 

My prayer for this realm is that one day weapons will become flowers and cross words will be transformed into poems of unity. I am not naive. I know that time is far from now. In the meantime, each of us, dear reader, must plant the seed of inner peace so that it can flower in the world. It is not easy, but I believe we can do it, and I believe that peace and unconditional love and compassion will bring about change. Dream with me, if you will, this world into a state of tranquility. Let us always have love and compassion at the forefront of our peaceful practice that we call living.  

Please join us at the Peace Pole [500 Brevard Street] this Friday at 2 p.m. as we dream peace into being.