Consider this a trigger warning - we’re going to talk about anxiety. What is the greatest source of anxiety in your life? Really - let’s take a moment and think about it. Are you motivated by your anxiety or does it debilitate you? Where do you put that energy? What do you do with that stress?
Our ancient ancestors made a golden calf.
God liberated them from slavery in Egypt and handed them miracle after miracle. Sustenance rained from the sky and water flowed from rocks to sustain them. Still, the Israelites kvetched and moaned, unsatisfied and anxiety ridden. God and Moses understood that the people needed clear boundaries, concrete rules, and tangible space to interface with God and feel safe. When Moses went up Mount Sinai to commune with God, the people became increasingly restless without confident leadership. Left to their own devices, the Israelites took action out of anxiety, and made an egregious choice from a place of fear and desperation. They lost sight of what mattered in a time that felt chaotic and uncertain.
Panic clouds judgement and results in poor choices.
Our world moves more quickly than we can keep up. We have high speed internet, fast cars, and next day delivery for online purchases. We are conditioned to expect instant gratification and demand instant relief from discomfort or inconvenience. There is a societal expectation to reply immediately to emails, texts, and phone calls. We move through the world like life is an emergency.
In reality, very little deserves to elevate our blood pressure and raise our cortisol levels. Undue urgency results in reactive decisions and poorly executed plans. We hurt each other by saying things we don’t mean in moments of tension. We do damage we can’t fix under pressure. We tell ourselves we can’t slow down. Our to-do lists are too long. We can’t take a break.
The other day I was juggling a wriggling baby in one arm, while replying to an email. My phone was buzzing with a reminder of an overdue errand. Dinner was cooking in the oven and I had aspirations of finishing a lesson plan before attending a Zoom meeting. There just wasn’t a minute spare… until I realized the wriggling baby in my arms was moving in time to the music playing from my laptop. Here my attention was divided in so many directions, I didn’t notice that my baby was dancing. Tal laughed and cooed playfully as he bounced to the beat. He loves music.
I’m learning more about presence from motherhood than any meditation class I’ve taken. Tal embodies the moment in a way that only babies can. He does everything slowly and deliberately and surrenders to the now. Sometimes he makes me pause whatever hurried chore or frenzied task I’m doing to laugh at the cat or admire the rainbow cast across the living room floor. Babies demand the kind of presence that Shabbat provides.
Right now we are blessed with this breath in our week. Let us slow down- right here right now and just be. May a renewed sense of calm reinvigorate our senses and our minds and allow us to clearly see to the heart of what matters. May presence of mind bring us wisdom and may our wisdom lead us to the way of peace.
This sermon presented at Temple Emanu-El of Edison, New Jersey.
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