A message from Rabbi Sara Abrams
The Guest is inside you, and also inside me:
you know the sprout is hidden inside the seed.
We are all struggling; none of us has gone far.
Chanukah has ended and winter has arrived; the darkest night has come and gone, and now we encounter the increasing light so beautifully represented by the menorah. Winter is the season for going within, even in Southern California. It is a time to light a candle, make a cup of tea, and nurture the inner life with tenderness and care. Kabir’s words invite us to examine the seed—not only its hard shell, but the soft sprout that will emerge when given the proper ingredients of sun, water, soil, love, and devotion. Once nourished, the sprout emerges and sustains us anew; the inner sky opens, and an infinite light blossoms within the world of the self.
It is a tender time of year, a time when nature reflects death in the winter season—and our Torah portion recounts the moments on Jacob’s deathbed, where he gives his final blessing to each of his sons. Each blessing is unique to its recipient, as each one carries a hidden destiny to be discovered in the living of life and in the lives of Jacob’s descendants. What is the blessing this season is whispering in your ear? What do the quiet of winter and the falling of the snow offer to you? May we be still enough to listen and to hear what is in store for us in this secular new year. May the sky open to us, and may we experience freedom and peace as we draw closer to the inner light of that hidden seed within.
Rabbi Sara