Babylonian Talmud Tractat Yoma 53b:  […speaking of the incense burned in the Holy Temple: ] Why must one put a smoke-raiser spice into the incense? …When one puts in the smoke-raiser, the incense will rise up straight until it reaches the ceiling; as soon as it reaches the ceiling, it will come slowly down the walls until the house becomes full of smoke.  

The Zohar Parasha Aharei Mot teaches us that the incense is much beloved to the Holy One and is an agent of cleansing for us.

Thus, we need to re-build our Sanctuary ceiling with intention to create the holy container for our community’s vibrational incense – our music, our love of each other and our love of the Divine.  Our Sanctuary needs physical repair, and, metaphorically our Sanctuary needs the tikkun, the fixing, that each of us can bring through our generosity and open heartedness.  Without an intact ceiling, the incense does not flow downward to fill the holy space, to surround us, and bring us to a new level of kedusha, sanctity.

Psalm 146 1-2:  My soul says “halleluyah” to Reality.  With my very life-force I praise The Infinite.  I sing to Divinity “b’odi”- with the extra bit of myself that I did not know I had.   

A leaky ceiling can be our inspiration to look deeply into ourselves to find our distinctive contribution.  What is my offering to the creation of Sanctuary, to the building of spiritual community?  What is my part of our new ceiling, of the renewal of our holy space?  

We are called to give our “ode” – that more than we even thought we had to share.  As we rebuild our ceiling, we will have the opportunity to fill the renewed Holy Space with the incense that is made by ccombining our unique prayers and songs.  As Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches us, we each contribute our special point of goodness – our “ode” – to the creation of our communal melody, our wise-hearted niggun.   Let our renewed Sanctuary be filled with the dreams, intentions, inspiration, love, healing and melody that will bring Chochmat HaLev to a new level of thriving, flourishing, prosperity and abundance!

 

With blessing,

Rabbi SaraLeya

15 Sh’vat – T”u b’Shvat 5772

February 8, 2012
 


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