In parashahLIt. Portion or chapter. The weekly parashah (parashat ha'shavua) is that portion of the Torah read weekly in synagogue. The entire Torah is divided into the number of weeks that occur over the course of a year. It is not not precisely 52 weeks because the Hebrew calendar is lunar, so some weeks have holidays with special readings, and some years are leap years. Ki Tissa (Exodus 30:11-34:35), we learn about the divine light that shone from Moses’ face. As the TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. says, after his descent from Mt. SinaiAccording to the Torah, God, in the presence of the Jewish people, gave Moses the Torah on Mount Sinai (Har Sinai). with the second set of tablets: “The skin of his face was radiant since he had spoken with God” (JPS English Hebrew Tanakh). This light surpassed the splendor of the sun and when the people saw it, they were filled with awe, for it was a reflection of the Divine Radiance. Some say it was the same light as the light of the first day of creation, which God restored to MosesThe quintessential Jewish leader who spoke face to face with God, unlike any other prophet, and who freed the people from Egypt, led them through the desert for forty years, and received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. His Hebrew name is Moshe.. The light was so brilliant that Moses wore a veil over his face to shield the people from it. (Reference: Tree of Souls by Howard Schwartz). This meditation honours the divine light that exists within each of us.
Sit quietly. Relax. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. As you inhale, imagine you are breathing in waves of healing energy. Feel these waves flow through your entire body – like an ocean of healing light. As you exhale, envision any negative energy – any pain, fatigue, stress, tension – being released from your body, carried away on the soft wind of your breath – carried away on angel wings. With every breath, feel the narrow places within you opening, expanding, becoming filled with waves of deep relaxation and healing energy. Feel this happening in your feet, in your legs, in your hips, in your hands your, arms, your shoulders. Feel this happening in the core of your body – your pelvis, abdomen, chest, spine. Feel this happening in your neck, your head, and your face.
See yourself walking in the desert – just as our ancestors did in the time of the Exodus many centuries ago. Feel the white sand beneath your feet. Feel the warmth of the desert sun upon your skin. Now you come upon an oasis, a beautiful garden filled with trees and flowers, filled with flowing streams and waterfalls. You hear the sound of the wind whispering through the leaves and the sound of the water flowing over sand and stones. You note the beauty of the trees filled with nesting birds and butterflies. You note the beauty of the rich variety of flowers – their shapes, their colors, their fragrances.
Now an angelic presence, a being made of pure light, approaches you. This being tells you this is a garden of healing and all the plants in it have medicinal qualities. Now this being offers you a flower from this garden of healing. With outstretched hands, you receive this gift. As you hold it in your hands, from deep within its centre – you perceive a light. See this light expand as the whole flower begins to glow. Feel this light flow from the flower into your hands. Feel this light flow from your hands to your arms, your shoulders, your head. And now your face begins to glow. Like Moshe Rabeinu, you have a p’nai or, a face of radiant light – a reflection of the Divine Radiance That Fills the Universe.
Now you see pulses of light flowing from the heart of the flower to the heart of your body. With every beat of your heart, feel these pulses of light flow from your heart to your arteries and veins – to every part of your body – into all your cells – into every molecule and atom – as you become a guf makrin or – a radiant body of light. As the light fills your entire body, you experience the healing essence of the flower. Feel this healing essence flowing throughout your entire body – flowing to any area that is in need of healing of any kind.Â
Now envision this healing essence radiating outward from your face of light and from your body of light – bringing hope and healing to everything and everyone it touches. You know this to be the very same Light of Splendor that filled the universe – in the beginning – when the RuakhLit. Spirit. Some new versions of blessings call God "Spirit of the World" (Ruakh Ha’olam), rather than "King of the World" (Melekh Ha'olam). haKodesh, the One Creator of All Existence spoke – saying “let there be light.” Know that you can always return to this sacred garden of healing, any time you are in need of it. Know that this Radiance is always there for you – deep within you.
Hold on to these images as you now become aware once more of your breath and of the boundaries of our body. As you take a few deep breaths, become aware of the gentle rise and fall of your chest. Become aware once more your physical presence in the space you are in. Then – whenever you are ready – slowly, gently – open your eyes.
