We are, in part, defined by the space around us. Who we are not… what we are not…where we are not.
In that space is often unarticulated possibility.
Silence.
Last night I returned from a private, three day silent retreat hosted at a Catholic monastery in Conyers. The Monastery of the Holy Spirit is an active haven for Trappist monks, who vow to live a life of beautiful simplicity, much of which is done through silence. For me, the Abbey provided a sparse but functional room, simple vegetarian food, and lots of space for venerated silence.
I’ve spoken before about the qualities of silence, each type being different…and in each of those types of silence I can recognize subtleties of my own spiritual character.
After all, it is the space between the piano notes that make the music sing, and it is the space around each letter in Torah that holds a world of potential.
So too, the silence around each one of us.
I would thank you, my beloved congregation, for encouraging me in this type of inner exploration, with hopes that its benefits extend beyond my personal practice, and into the fabric of our mitzvot, and the Torah that emanates from Temple Emanu-El.
Shabbat Shalom
