by Rabbi Katy Allen
Do we have the courage to pause and rest?
G!d spoke to Moses on the mountaintop and commanded the Israelites to stop working for a day, to have a day of complete rest. And the next thing we read is that the israelites grew impatient because Moses was gone too long, so they built and started worshiping a golden calf.
What is it about the idea of resting that is so threatening that we must immediately abandon our faith and trust in all that is sacred and turn toward the material in life?
Stopping, getting out of the rat race, out of the safety of our routine and our busyness is frightening. It opens doors to the unknown. If we stop, truly stop, we might discover within ourselves an untapped spiritual power, a new awareness that might challenge us and force us to change and grow.
What might that mean for our lives? Where will we be then?
Take a deep breath, pause, and find your power. You can handle it.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Katy
Rabbi Katy Allen is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long and has a growing children’s outdoor learning program, Y’ladim BaTeva. She is the co-founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, a board certified chaplain, and a former hospital and hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY, in 2005. She is the author of A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text and lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger.
